March 2014 - Salina Regional Health Center

CONNECTIONS
Improving the health of our regional community
March 2014
Endowment initiated for Infant-Child Development
Anyone who knows sixth grader Ethan
Brown’s life story is inspired by his accomplishments and all that he continues
to achieve. He was born with cerebral
palsy and early on it wasn’t known if he
would ever even walk.
With a lot of dedication and assistance
from therapists and educators at Salina
Regional Health Center’s Infant-Child Development program, and multiple surgeries, Ethan has achieved a very high level of
function with his main remaining deficits
related to left-sided stiffness and coordination issues.
“Ethan has done amazingly well,” his grandmother
Kathy Davis said. “Infant-Child Development’s assistance has been pivotal in all the progress he’s made.”
Kathy and Ben Davis recently made an initial gift to
help establish an endowment for Infant-Child Development. As an endowment, only gains earned from principal gifts are ever used to support future programming.
This allows bequests to grow and strengthen over time.
Infant-Child Development treats children with a
wide range of diagnoses, including vision and hearing
impairment, cleft palate, autism, Down syndrome, spina
Ethan Brown, who served as the honorary spokesperson for
the Every Child Matters capital campaign that established
bifida and many others.
the Donna L. Vanier Children’s Center, receives therapy on
“The number of patients we treat grows nearly every
a weekly basis with Joyce Trower, Infant-Child Development
year,” said Joyce Trower, Infant-Child Development
director.
director. “Trends like the numbers of children diagnosed
with autism are on the rise. We almost always feel like we wish we could provide more services to our patients.
This endowment over time will help make that possible.”
Find out how you can support the endowment for Infant-Child Development by contacting the Salina Regional Health Foundation at (785) 452-6088.
Project SEARCH helps young adults with disabilities
A partnership between Salina Regional Health Center,
the Central Kansas Cooperative in Education and the
Salina school district teaches job skills to developmentally
disabled students who have completed their high school
credits.
Now in its third year, Project SEARCH offers three
10-week internships in differing departments around the
health center, which require the students to go through
an interview process for hire and resignation process upon
completion. Students work alongside hospital employees,
receive instruction from their co-workers and take shifts just
like they would in any employment situation. An emphasis
is placed on mastering soft business skills like teamwork,
showing up to work on time, not abusing breaks, dressing
(L to R) Wesley Landauer, Erik Swanson and Ashley
appropriately and following directions. Employment rates
Schmitt have each had internships with the Rebecca A.
for the first two graduating classes are 60 percent.
Morrison House that allowed them to gain work experience necessary for future employment. Landauer was
“Nationwide about 20 percent of high school graduates
recently hired for a job with a local longterm care facility
with developmental disabilities find employment,” said
as a dietary aide. “This experience has helped me a lot,”
Ardis Bryan-Pritchett, Project SEARCH instructor. “We’re
Landauer said.
very pleased with the employment success our graduates
are finding and moreover the confidence and level of independence they’re achieving.
“The families of these students are always so grateful for this program,” Bryan-Pritchett said. “Years ago many
of their parents wondered if they might not ever walk or talk. Now they’re seeing their children grow up, find
enjoyment in work and become contributors to the community.”
The Salina Regional Health Foundation has supported Project SEARCH by helping students purchase uniforms, classroom supplies and has sponsored kick-off and year-end celebrations for the program. If you would like
to support Project SEARCH, contact the Foundation at (785) 452-6088.
Grant helps hospital staff overcome language barriers
Apple Computer’s slogan, “There’s an app for that,” now even rings
true in health care. A Salina Regional Health Foundation grant recently
purchased two iPads with applications for language interpretive services.
A recent series of events in Salina Regional Health Center’s Emergency
Department quantified the need.
“Within about a three week time frame we had three different families come into the department with deaf patients,” said Jeanine Forsberg,
director for the ED. “We had heard about this technology and thought
it was a wonderful solution for our needs.”
An app on the iPads can link with an interpreter in a similar fashion
that one might use FaceTime or Skype. The visual communication and
ability to use sign language as part of the interpretation make it a valuable tool. The service also supports translation of 11 foreign languages.
The iPads are mounted on
Kristen Colsden, clinical coordinator in the
mobile poles that can be easily
Emergency Department, shows a new iPad
positioned for patient use.
being used for language interpretation.
New wheelchairs enhance patient transportation
Wheelchairs have been around for centuries and
they’re an integral tool of the trade in a hospital setting.
Staff members use wheelchairs around the clock to transport patients during their stay.
A $40,500 grant from the Salina Regional Health Foundation is enabling the purchase of 16 new wheelchairs for
use at Salina Regional Health Center and Lindsborg Community Hospital that offer some of the latest advancements
in patient transportation technology.
“These new chairs are a totally new concept with staff
and patient safety in mind,” said Mary Quinley, nursing
director of 4 Medical. “You no longer have to bend over to
move foot rests, and these chairs allow you to get right up
close to beds. They’re very user-friendly, but it’s the enhanced safety that makes this design so beneficial.”
The new chairs have higher push handles so staff
members use better ergonomics when pushing patients.
Armrests have a raised area that give patients better leverage when getting in and out of the chair. The armrests also
easily fold back to make transitions easier for staff members
when they have to do most of the work to get patients in
or out of a chair. Footrests flip up and swing away with the
A $40,500 grant from the Foundation has enabled the
push of a foot activated button.
purchase of 16 new wheelchairs at Salina Regional
The chairs will be distributed to most of the major
Health Center and Lindsborg Community Hospital. The
new design enhances safety for patients and staff.
medical units within the hospital and high-use areas like
radiology will have access to multiple chairs.
“Our staff members are excited to get a chance to use a wheelchair that moves easier, helps prevent staff injuries and enhances the patient’s experience while in the hospital,” Quinley said. “The Foundation’s support was
instrumental in allowing us to implement them on a broader scale across the organization.”
New formats of the Bible bring comfort to patients, guests
Many people look to the scriptures as a source of strength
during troubling times. A recent grant from the Salina Regional
Health Foundation allowed the purchase of several formats of
the Bible for patients and guests at the hospital.
A new large-format Bible was purchased for the alter in the
hospital chapel along with large print and electronic versions
for patients to use. The paper-bound large print Bibles are the
patients’ to keep when requested. Electronic versions, which are
to be returned after use, offer audio recordings of the Bible in a
searchable MP3 format.
“This grant enables us to serve our patients more efficiently,”
said chaplaincy director David Wolfe. “The hospital setting is
new territory for many of our patients and family members. It’s
nice to be able to make these resources available.”
Chaplaincy director David Wolfe and secretary
Janet Kjer look at one of the new large-print Bibles
purchased through a grant from the Foundation.
Non-Profit Org.
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PAID
CONNECTIONS
Salina, KS
Permit No. 24
Salina Regional Health Center
400 S. Santa Fe & 139 N. Penn • P.O. Box 5080
Salina, KS 67402-5080 • (785) 452-7000
Board of
Trustees
Kent Buer
Dr. Bill Cathcart-Rake
Becky Cram
Natalie Fischer
Frank Hampton
Paula Haworth
Tom Hemmer
Mike Hoppock
Peter Johnston
Mike Junk
Aaron Morrison
Daran Neuschafer
Sid Reitz
Linda Salem
Bonnie Sanderson
Betsy Scholten
Don Simoneau
Dr. Mike Sloo
Micheal Terry
Director’s Message
Hospice of Salina continues to be located in the Kaye
Pogue Hospice Center and continues to provide much
needed outpatient Hospice services, so that those facing
end of life may do so with peace and dignity in their own
home or other comfortable setting.
My hope is that those of you who believe in the importance of Hospice and its mission will continue to offer
your assistance, through your gifts of time, service and
financial support for Hospice of Salina.
We still need your help and support.
Tom Martin
Executive Director
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