A life in EMS.
As a little boy, I would have never imagined I’d be a paramedic. In fact, I was going to own my own boat and be a professional deep sea charter fisherman. But, living in Indiana, there weren’t many options for finding the next big catch, so I put that profession aside.

I was working on a degree in biology when I found my calling elsewhere. I had friends that volunteered at the Allen County fire station and they invited me to come ride along with them on the ambulance. One ride and I was hooked.

I chose this career because, and I know it’s cliché, but “I just wanted to help people.” But also, it was the adrenaline I felt during my ride along. It was nerve wracking hearing dispatch relay the details of the crash. When we arrived, the others jumped into action without hesitation. That’s what intrigued me most; That they could be calm and collected at the scene when someone was critically hurt and trapped in a car.

After 17 years in EMS, I have no regrets about my career choice. Being a paramedic is very rewarding and also challenging. Sure, there are late nights when I miss my family events, but we are coming to the aid of someone in need. Our job is unique in the fact that the scenes are always dynamic and changing. We get to be part of a complete stranger’s best and worst moments. We can make a difference and save a life.

Paramedics are there when crisis has passed and the family is looking for comfort and support, too. I can remember one call, when a mother and father returned home from Christmas shopping to the news that their only son had passed away from an overdose. I asked what I could do for them. “Will you sit and pray with us?” they asked. I sat at their table holding their hands as they prayed for many things. At the end of their prayer, they thanked God for sending me. When I left, the parents hugged me and said, “Thank you for what you did tonight and tell your children you love them”.  This job provides much opportunity for reflection, but these moments are the ones that mean the most to me.

How to handle an emergency.
People always ask what they should do if they find themselves in an emergency situation. Here are five tips to keep in mind when calling 911.

1. Relax. It is easier said then done, but stay calm. You have to do your best to remain cool and collected.  This will help you survey the situation.

2. Safety is important. Make sure you are in a safe place and position to be rendering care to someone needs it.

3. Be aware. When you call 911, they will ask many questions. Each emergency will elicit its own series of questions specific to the type of emergency you describe when you call. Here are some of the most common questions:

• What is the number you’re calling from and your name?
• Address of emergency?
• Type of emergency: Choking, unconscious person, car wreck, bee sting etc.?
• Are they breathing or acting normal?
• How is the person acting?

When answering the questions, answer the best you can or tell them you don’t know. The dispatchers will help you the best they can, and remember, the information they gather from you is passed onto the fire, police and EMS responding. Some of the questions might seem strange and unnecessary, but they are trying to figure out what is happening.

4. Move. Don’t move. If the person is in danger, absolutely you should try to move them. However, if moving them puts you in danger then you should not move them. If you are talking with 911, the dispatcher might have you move the patient onto the floor, especially if person is unconscious and not breathing.

5. Be prepared to administer CPR. When a person is not breathing and you cannot tell if they have a pulse, you have to administer CPR. You won’t hurt them by doing CPR if they don’t need it, but doing nothing is the worst case scenario. To learn CPR, watch this video, and contact local EMS or a Parkview facility to learn about getting certified in CPR. This way you can perform the proper technique without any hesitation.

The Nightingale Initiative
Florence Nightingale, a statistician, theorist and nursing leader, had a profound impact on the practice of nursing in the 19th century. The principles and practices she employed to define nursing as a profession continues to guide nurses in their practice today. Parkview created the Nightingale Initiative in 2014 as a professional development tool for all nurses to build skills in communication and developing a healing touch.

Embracing excellence in practice, Parkview nurses follow Florence Nightingale’s teachings by creating a healing environment, attending to the unique needs of the individual patient, seeking best practices and reconnecting to their nursing purpose.

Nightingale Award
As part of the Nightingale Initiative, Parkview recently gave the third-annual Nightingale Awards, linking the history of nursing to the future of caregiving. The award recognizes nurses who foster a compassionate, caring culture. The Nightingale Award was established in memory of the late Marge Carpenter, LPN – thanks to the generosity of her husband, the Rev. Doyle Carpenter. Marge was described by her Parkview co-workers as, “An innovative woman who had a strong work ethic, consistently exceeded the expectations of patients and families, and served as a mentor to younger nurses. Her dedication manifested daily through her work ethic, quality improvements, reliability and perseverance. She was a servant leader at work, in the community and at home.” This award seeks not only to remember Marge, but also to honor nurses who embody the qualities she exhibited daily.

2017 Nightingale Award Recipients
As servant leaders, these nurses provide compassionate and holistic care. They are innovative and mentor others in ways to provide care in a team environment. They consistently exceed patient and family expectations. Additionally, they are respected by co-workers for their work ethic and their dedication to quality improvements, reliability and perseverance.

Freda Calligan
BSN, RN, MedSurg, Parkview Hospital Randallia

“Freda came to Randallia Med Surge as a new RN almost two years ago. Freda has been a Parkview employee for 12 years working her way from dietary to nursing. She exemplifies the true value that embodies the Nightingale award. Every patient everyday isn’t just a mantra for Freda, she truly exemplifies this. She has a passion for nursing for every patient regardless of why they are admitted. In fact, numerous patients have even requested that Freda be their nurse. She is a Nightingale nurse in and out.” – Kathy Fisher, MSN, RN, CMSRN, need to confirm, nursing services manager, MedSurg, Parkview Hospital Randallia

Jeni Schmidt
RN, Supportive Care Unit, Parkview Hospital Randallia

“Jeni is entering her 21st year with the Parkview organization. She has worked with Home Health and Hospice, the inpatient oncology unit at PRMC, and is currently an RN in the Supportive Care Unit at Parkview Randallia Hospital. Jeni spends her nursing shifts compassionately guiding patients and their families through the end-of-life process. She remains a constant advocate for her patients’ needs and truly guides her practice every shift with Parkview’s mission and values.

Jeni is a wonderful team member and truly supports a team approach in the care that we provide. Jeni is a preceptor for our unit and takes pride in welcoming and teaching new staff all that they need to know to holistically care for our hospice patients. Jeni is an inspirational individual who worked extremely hard to become an RN. Her ambition and drive is highly commendable.” – Brooke Kinzer, BSN, RN, CMSRN, nursing services manager, Supportive Care Unit, Parkview Hospital Randallia

Jan Godfrey
BSN, RN, CMSRN, Nurse Leader, 6 Medical, PRMC

“Jan embodies the spirit of Nightingale in all that she does. As a Parkview employee for over 40 years, Jan has truly dedicated her time to serving others.  She treats all patients, families and coworkers with respect and is able to see people as whole beings – mind, body and spirit.  I often overhear her rounding on patients, checking in on them, quietly assessing needs. Jan is able to individualize every interaction. She sits and spends extra time with those who are scared or lonely and yet is able to have an honest conversation with those who need truth.

Jan shows the same care and compassion for our coworkers as well.  She is a trusted confidant and mentor, always encouraging growth and new learning. She empowers others to participate and bring forth their ideas while helping to guide and grow critical-thinking skills. Jan is a constant - reliable and consistent, and she is a true servant leader.” – Christy Lung, MSN, RN, CMSRN, nursing services manager, 6 Medical & Admission Staging Unit, PRMC

Ruth Reed
RN, Prep Recovery, Parkview Wabash Hospital

“Ruth Reed is truly the perfect role model of Florence Nightingale incarnate.  Ruth lives and breathes her values as a nurse. Ruth always puts her patients first. Always!  Ruth gives the same respect, patience and kindness to everyone she comes in contact with.” – Laurie McCullers, manager, OR, Parkview Wabash Hospital

Krista Stetzel
RN, PPG – Family Medicine, Columbia City

“Krista led the office/team in collaboration with Dr. Hagan in developing the Giving Gardens Program for the S Whitley-Family Medicine patients. Tokens are provided to patients in need for use at area farmer’s markets. Patient educational materials have been developed. Krista also collaborated with S Whitley Hospital’s Bridget Johnson, VP of Patient Services to maintain a fruit basket in the office for patients.  This is supported by a grant obtained by the hospital.” – Kathy Jones, MSN, FNP-C, Vice President-Parkview Physicians Group - Clinical Operations

Life is about taking chances. Often, it’s the steps that feel the most unsteady that ultimately lead to the sweetest rewards. No one knows this quite like Joseph Mattox, MD, medical director, Parkview Sports Medicine. Last year, Dr. Mattox walked away from his family medicine practice of 16 years to pursue a new dream; A sports medicine career at Parkview Ortho Express.

Driven by his passion for athletes and the encouragement of his wife, Dawn, Dr. Mattox is forging ahead to offer exceptional care to amateur and professional athletes in northeast Indiana. His enthusiasm and admiration for his patients make him one of the courageous, synergetic, dynamic People of Parkview.

Name: Joseph Mattox, MD

Title: Medical Director, Parkview Sports Medicine

Describe your education and career journey:

Undergraduate: Indiana University School of Business August 1987–May 1991
Graduate: Indiana University School of Medicine August 1994–May 1998
Family Practice Residency: Fort Wayne Medical Education Program July 1998–June 2001
Sports Medicine Fellowship: Orthopedics North East April 2016–April 2017

What inspired you to pursue this profession?
I was initially inspired by my father, Dean Mattox Sr, MD. He was a family physician for more than 40 years, primarily in Angola, IN. Young and rebellious, I first had to prove to him I could do something other than medicine. After a brief career in business with Hitachi Medical Sales, I quickly realized my true calling was medicine.

How did you become involved with Ortho Express?
I provided primary care in northeast Indiana for over 16 years. During that time, I cared for some high school, college and professional teams. I always had a lot of interest in sports. I ran into Michael Ledo at a Parkview Physicians Group quarterly meeting. He mentioned that Parkview Sports Medicine was actively seeking a medical director. I was very excited about the opportunity to help lead the amazing team already forming at PSM. I was recruited by Dr. Al McGee, Dr. John Pritchard, and Dr. Brett Gemlick. ONE provided a sports medicine fellowship to further my training in order to provide the level of care expected at ONE. I am eternally grateful for my education by all the physicians and providers, including specialists in sport, spine, hand, joint, pain and foot/ankle. We in the Fort Wayne area are truly blessed to have the level of care provided by ONE.

This opportunity also came at the same time my family was dealing with significant medical issues of our own. My wife, Dawn, was diagnosed with Usher syndrome. This is a disease, with no known treatment, that affects vision, hearing and balance. Without my wife's support, I could never have pursued this amazing career opportunity. During our discussions, Dawn made it clear that we don’t know what the future holds and if this was something that I wanted, I needed to go for it now. This was coming from the most intelligent human I know, who lost her career as attorney, lost her ability to drive, and lives daily with fear of what her disease will bring the next day. Dawn's resiliency is amazing. I have said many times I know I could never have handled what Dawn is going through with the strength and bravery she has shown.

What do you hope to achieve with Ortho Express?
Access is a huge obstacle in the world of medicine. Ortho Express eliminates that barrier for the patient with musculoskeletal complaint. The clinic provides access to x-ray, casting, physical therapy, nutrition, body composition and performance training all under one roof. Ortho Express provides a unique opportunity for patients. There is nowhere in the area that provides this level of care for musculoskeletal complaints. We have highly trained providers with years of experience in caring for orthopedic concerns, and with direct access to all the physicians at ONE with specialties in sport, spine, hand, foot/ankle, joint and pain.

What do you love about working with athletes?
Athletes are motivated, competitive and have a burning desire to get well in order to get back to their field of play. This provides an excellent patient to deploy all the services provided by PSM to get the athlete back to their pre-injury level of performance.

What is a typical day like for you?
My typical day is clinic in the morning, training rooms or meeting rooms in the afternoon. I provide nonoperative sports medicine. I do everything within my scope of practice to help patients with musculoskeletal issues short of surgery. With the help of my staff, we obtain a comprehensive history, physical, appropriate x-rays and laboratory workup to correctly identify underlying diagnoses for the patient being evaluated. If surgical intervention is indicated, I direct patients to the appropriate surgeon.

Tommy Schoegler, Director of Parkview Sports Medicine, and I form the leadership dyad for Parkview Sports Medicine. Tommy and I complement each other very well. We both have lofty goals for PSM but understand the foundation of PSM must be built on providing excellent care to every patient/athlete. We are constantly striving to improve and keep PSM and the services we provide the best in sports medicine. We provide leadership for the over 100 employees of PSM mostly made up of our incredible team of athletic trainers and physical therapists.

We also work closely with our partner AWP for performance training. AWP provides the highest level of sports-specific performance training in the area. This is key. Once we get an athlete in position to return to sport, AWP then provides that next step in getting the patient/athlete back to their individual level of performance.

What would you say is the most challenging aspect of your profession?
Telling an athlete their season is over due to injury.

The most rewarding?
Seeing that athlete persevere through surgery, therapy and performance training to return at or above their pre-injury level.

What was a career-defining moment for you?
I have had two career-defining moments. First was the choice to give up my business career and pursue medicine. Second was the choice to step away from my family practice and join PSM. My position at PSM is a perfect mix of medicine, leadership and sport. It has been just over 18 months in this position and I have no regrets. I look forward to the day everyday.

What is your greatest passion aside from medicine?
Family. Dawn and I have two children. Our daughter, Ella, is 16. She rides horses and plays basketball. Our son, Eli, is 13 and plays basketball and football. Both are excellent students and teammates. We could not be more proud of them. Most of our time is spent at our kids’ athletic events. If we aren’t cheering them on, you’ll find us at the lake in Angola with our extended family. But really, if we aren’t at one of our kids’ sporting events, we’re probably at one of their cousins’ sporting events.

If you could tell people to read one book in their lifetime, which would it be?
The Bible.

What would we find on your bucket list and what do you plan to check off next?
My bucket list is tied to my wife. Dawn has some things that she would like to see prior to the progression of her disease. I want to be there to see her experience these incredible places. Last year we went out west with family to Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone and The Grand Canyon. Next year we are off to Alaska!

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
From my father, and it has two parts: First, don’t underestimate the power of prayer, and second, with all your training and knowledge, don’t ever take away a person's hope.

Parkview Ortho Express is located at the SportONE /Parkview Fieldhouse, Entrance 2, 3946 Ice WayFort Wayne, IN 46808. Call the Parkview Sports Medicine hotline for more information: (260) 266-4007.

Hours are Monday – Thursday: 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Friday: 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday: 8 a.m. – noon
(Hours may be extended due to sporting event schedules.)

This post was written by Courtney Leach, Digital/Social Media Manager, Parkview Health.

They say a parent’s love for their child is some of the fiercest there is. It’s purity and intensity transcends all obstacles, all barriers. So, when a challenge arises – maybe physical, maybe mental – it is a call to arms for these devoted caregivers. It’s a siren signaling a need for more resources, more attention, more love.

It’s a triggered response seen frequently within the brightly colored walls of the exam rooms in the Parkview Pediatric Developmental Care Clinic. It’s here that Lisa Bergeron, MD, PPG– Pediatrics, spends countless hours screening children for behavioral and cognitive disorders, and following the development of little ones who made their way into the world a little ahead of schedule.

I told several people I was going to be following Dr. Bergeron, but, it turns out, I wasn’t saying it right. “You mean Dr. Lisa?” my brother finally corrected. Yes, that’s who I meant. For more than 22 years, Dr. Lisa, as she’s more commonly addressed, has been calming the nerves of new parents and tending to pediatric patients with her bubbly bedside manner. By the time the day came for me to ride the elevator up to Suite 210 at Parkview Regional Medical Center Entrance 3, I had collected a bouquet of rave reviews. Now I would see her bloom in her element.

Dr. Lisa’s nurse, Janet Stillman, LPN, who’s been with the physician since the start of her career, walked me back to the office, where Rachel Miller, one of Dr. Lisa’s nurse practitioners was already at work. In an attempt to meet the overwhelming demand for this patient population, Rachel and Angela Bauer, the other nurse practitioner, both assist Dr. Lisa in evaluations and follow-ups. Jen Sosebee, RN, completes the passionate group. “My team knows I expect a lot of them,” she later told me. “And they do what I ask and then some.”

And there’s plenty to do, indeed. In addition to assessing children for conditions such as autism, Dr. Lisa also sees babies in the NICU Clinic. These little ones are seen 8 weeks after they go home from the hospital, and then followed through 24 months to get ahead of any development delays.

Just after 8 o’clock, Dr. Lisa came in, with a smile so wide and so innate, her eyes disappeared almost entirely. And just like that, I got what everyone had been talking about. I, too, was instantly enamored with this divinely pleasant clinician. She jumped in immediately, explaining the benefits of early detection of autism and early intervention before she’d even taken her coat off.

Dr. Lisa graduated from Indiana University School of Medicine in 1990. She completed her pediatric residency in 1993 before pursuing a fellowship at the Cincinnati Center for Developmental Disorders. She came to Fort Wayne in 1995 and teamed up with several other physicians, including Mark O’Brien, DO, to form Appleseed Pediatrics. When Parkview decided to expand its pediatric offerings in 2008, Dr. O’Brien and Dr. Lisa became the first two pediatric providers within the Parkview Physicians Group. “I just got my 20-year pin,” she bragged. 

The first patient of the day arrived around 9 a.m. This would be an evaluation to detect the potential presence of autism. We walked in and Dr. Lisa warmly greeted the parents and their sweet little boy, who was curled up in his mother’s lap. I noticed his thick, wavy hair (like a young Kennedy cousin) and perfect porcelain skin immediately. He twisted his mom’s dark locks around his fingers before pulling just enough to bring her head to the side. It’s a habit new only to me and Dr. Lisa. The mom didn’t miss a beat. She looked at her husband as they took turns answering questions about their “handsome man”.

Dr. Lisa asked them to tell her their son’s story. She wanted to know every detail about this darling little fella with the sparkling eyes. They reviewed his Checklist for Autism Spectrum Disorder (CASD) questionnaire, recalled any actions that might have seemed noteworthy in hindsight and shared patterns and facets of his nature. Detail by detail they worked with Dr. Lisa to compose their son’s unique biography; To piece together clues about what he might be thinking, feeling, trying to tell them. 

These questions, along with two other sets, are tested and true diagnostic tools for Dr. Lisa. In addition to the CASD, she uses the Ages and Stages criteria to assess where a child falls in relation to the clinical parameters of where he or she should be by a certain age in five key areas: Communication, Gross Motor, Fine Motor, Personal/Social and Problem-Solving skills. She also utilizes the M-CHAT-R, a 20-question screening that can indicate if a child is at risk for autism. But these are only three of the steps in the process.

An observational test, called a Screening Tool for Autism (STAT), is also required. During this evaluation, Janet came in with a bag of toys. She handed them to Dr. Lisa one at a time, as they assessed the child’s response and interaction. First, Dr. Lisa introduced a table full of different toys, including a baby bear, blocks and plastic doll furniture. Next, she blew bubbles before handing them to the patient and encouraging him to give it a go. Next, a snack in a container with a lid. This was followed by a toy rocket, which Dr. Lisa shot off the top of her head. Next, she offered a bag of toys and sounded a noisy toy from off to the side. She concluded the test with a ball and car, which she rolled across the table while making spirited sound effects.

Through this play, Dr. Lisa was actually looking for things like turn taking, requesting help, interaction, eye contact, vocalization, shared enjoyment and imitation. “You’re supposed to administer the test with a straight face,” she said, an organic grin stretching across her face, “but that’s really hard for me. I’m so bad.”

Once the test was complete, Dr. Lisa went over the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) criteria. Here she asked for “yes” or “no” answers to a series of questions, which can offer insight as to where a child falls on the autism spectrum, if in fact they do. This spectrum used to include both Asperger’s disorder and pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), but those terms are no longer found in the DSM. With this round of dialogue, Dr. Lisa was looking for cues related to the patient’s social communication and behaviors, sharing of interest or emotion, and ability to engage in a back and forth exchange. 

As the adults continued with the final round of questions, the young boy disappeared into his signature habits. He dangled things in the crook of his hand and stared at them with an intense interest before tossing them aside. I listened as his parents described a child I’d been observing all morning; a child who wasn’t inclined to speak, make eye contact or respond to stimulus that would normally excite or startle. He was notably subdued by nature and growing sleepier by the second.   

After nearly three hours in the room, asking questions and initiating responses, Dr. Lisa had a diagnosis for the family. The couple reached for each other’s hands as she confirmed that their child does, in fact, fall onto the autism spectrum. It’s a diagnosis, they admit, had crossed their minds before. As their new reality settled into the space of the room, the conversation turned to action and advocacy. “The first question parents typically ask me, is ‘Where does my child fall on the spectrum?’ or ‘How bad is it?’” Dr. Lisa initiated. “The second is, ‘What do we do now?’”

They nodded in agreement as she went into greater detail about her findings. “But, listen, you guys are great parents, so pat yourselves on the backs for doing everything you’ve done to this point,” she said. For nearly 20 minutes, Dr. Lisa ran through a wealth of resources available for this little boy. She touched on all the options, making her recommendations, ranging from “most important” to “nice to have”, along the way. Among them, Family Voices, the Autism Self Advocacy Network, Autism Speaks and the Autism Society of Indiana.

“We don’t know what causes autism,” she said, “but we do know there is a genetic component.” Autism currently affects 1 in 42 boys. She also warned of conditions that can accompany autism. Children with the condition are 20-30 percent more likely to experience seizures, for example. “But I think he’ll show us wonderful things,” she offered. She invited them to ask any questions, as her fingers furiously typed up the extensive list of resources for them to take home. She made herself unconditionally available, both in that moment and in the future. “If I don’t know the answer, I will find it for you.”

It was after noon when we walked out of the room. I felt emotionally exhausted; The parts of my brain and my heart responsible for empathy throbbing. I am a mother, after all. It could have been me and my husband in that room, processing those words. My only hope would be someone like Dr. Lisa would be on the other side of the table.

The average age of diagnosis of autism in Indiana is currently 5 years and 4 months of age. The goal is to bring that down to 3 years of age or younger. To amplify treatment, several years ago, Dr. Nancy Swigonski from Riley Children’s Hospital set up eight hubs to cover 97 percent of the state. As one of these hubs, Parkview, and Dr. Lisa’s team specifically, are working to advance the M-CHAT testing to be completed by 34 months of age when possible. Still, the wait to see Dr. Lisa is currently four months. (Less for the nurse practitioners.) This weighs on the team, as they know time is of the essence.

“Early intervention makes such an immense difference,” Dr. Lisa said. “Sometimes it can be tricky to detect, but often the signs are there. Speech and language delays are the most common indicators. While we do see that ADD combined with sensory issues can be mistaken for autism, other times, it’s that the parents just aren’t ready to accept the diagnosis. And that’s OK. I try to lead them with my thoughts and then let them make decisions. With pediatrics, it’s about what the parent experiences, too. We’re treating the whole family.” 

Such an enormous demand, paired with her passion for the cause, leaves little downtime. I asked Dr. Lisa how she maintains balance, particularly with two kids of her own. “My husband stays home,” she said, “and that helps immensely. But honestly, when I go home, I do things with my kids first. And I just remind myself that it will all get done. It might be later than I’d like, but it will get done.” That task list includes volunteering for her son’s kindergarten teacher on her afternoons off, an activity Dr. Lisa has enjoyed since Robby, who is now in 7thgrade, sat in those tiny chairs himself.

Like most physicians will tell you, it’s the charting that consumes the majority of Dr. Lisa’s time out of the exam room. But perhaps more so given the diagnosis involved. “Insurance coverage can be tricky,” she said. “So, I want to put in as much detail and as many examples as possible. I need it to be incredibly clear and accurate. I translate my notes and it almost becomes a book. Then I summarize all of that into a letter that I send to the parents.”

While Dr. Lisa would like to have follow-up appointments with every kiddo she sees, she simply doesn’t have capacity. In addition to lengthy assessments for autism, the physician also sees babies who spend time in the NICU. It’s a facet of her job that brings its own set of highs and lows. “I’ve seen heart-wrenching cases where addiction came into play, and then there’ve been foster situations that were so warming,” she said. “And most parents do a wonderful job. The main thing is to get these babies on track with their development.” 

Dr. Lisa and the nurse practitioners use the Ages and Stages criteria to help caregivers gauge their baby’s progress and appropriate expectations. They move the needle for what the child should be doing on a daily basis, based on their delivery date, rather than due date. This keeps goals in perspective for new parents and allows the clinical team to keep tabs on any delays.

We had two NICU follow-ups just after lunch, and for a woman who loves fresh-faced infants (me) this was a little slice of heaven. Since one of her appointments canceled, Rachel joined us to scribe for Dr. Lisa. These checkups are essential for babies born premature, as we know the risk of developmental delays is higher. “Premature little ones often have a good deal of medical issues,” Dr. Lisa said. “But they also tend to catch up fairly quickly. The resiliency of kids amazes me.” 

As the petite patients showed off their newest tricks – cooing and grabbing at paperwork – Dr. Lisa gave them a thorough examination, encouraging and praising their mommies every chance she got. (There might have been some cuddling and silly faces from our threesome as well.) Both received an enthusiastic set of thumbs up from their doctor.

Our final patient of the day was already waiting when we completed the second NICU follow-up. It was a young boy Dr. Lisa had seen twice before. She had performed a STAT assessment on him at a prior appointment and was still contemplating either an autism diagnosis or a global development disorder. Dr. Lisa would go over the CASD questions with the boy’s mother and then assess his behavior from there.

“Sometimes it’s not so clear cut,” Dr. Lisa told me before we went into the room. “We want to be right and not misdiagnose.” This is why, in addition to sensory issues, she factors in socialization and other behavior patterns as well. She observes every child as if she’s truly meeting them for the first time, and it’s imperative she uncover every little detail about them. She is a collector of narratives; a curator of original characters.

In this case, the young boy with the warm brown eyes so big they could melt your heart, was displaying a significant amount of regression. Dr. Lisa’s series of questions … “Does he like to spin” … “Do you have to do things a certain way?” … “Does he respond when you call him?” … became background noise as my attention went to this adorable guy. Just a hair older than my youngest, I knew what this age looked like. He wanted his fish-shaped crackers and juice box just like my little one would. But when the juice was gone, his reaction was more commanding.

And his hands … his hurried little hands. They clapped rapidly, sporadically as the conversation carried on behind him, apart from him. He raised his fingers up just even with his eyes and tapped the tips of them like he was clicking Morse code, the slightest sound escaping his lips. With every gesture, his mom made sure Dr. Lisa was taking note. “This is where he is, all the time,” she said, with watery, tired eyes. “It’s like, we can’t get to him.”

It was no coincidence we were seeing a young boy for this second assessment. Autism is 4x more likely to occur in boys than girls. In 1993, if you had a child born with autism, your chances of having another child with the condition were 4 percent. Now, you have a 16-20 percent chance. “The instances are higher,” Dr. Lisa told me earlier in the day, “but we’re not sure why.”

This would be another notch for the statistic. A confirmed autism spectrum disorder diagnosis. As the words left Dr. Lisa’s mouth, tears began streaming down his mother’s face. It was a release of acceptance and submission and the acknowledgement that, though she did everything right, some things are just out of our control as parents. And what parent can’t put themselves there – in that chair, with that sobering reality? I cried with her. Because I am her. I want my children to thrive in this world. I want them to experience all the joys their little hearts can hold. And the thought of that looking like something different for them makes me feel helpless and small.

But there was little time for our tears. Before sharing her extensive list of resources, Dr. Lisa first offered something else. “You didn’t do anything wrong,” she said, absolutely. “In fact, you’ve been so proactive with his care. Now let’s get him what he needs so he can be the best he can be.”

When we walked out, everyone else in the clinic had gone home for the day. It was just us. I apologized for being so emotional in the exam room. And, while Dr. Lisa confessed to crying with families herself from time to time, she spent more of her words professing her appreciation for the role she plays in these special lives. “These days, there is so much available to these families. And yes, it can be hard, but I feel so blessed to have this job. If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism,” she said. “This diagnosis doesn’t change who they are. I just love these little kids. They’re so wonderful.”

Want more Day in the Life? See: 
My day following Dr. Sharma's fellow

A day in the delivery room

9 hours with a cardiothoracic surgeon

Since November 18, 1989, the men and women of Parkview Samaritan helicopter have flown 24,025 patients on a total of 23,156 flights. The dedicated team is trained to respond quickly when the tones ring out, with incredible skill and focus. When moments matter, this is the crew for the job. Expertise. Speed. Compassion.

We invite you to follow along and see what happens when Samaritan gets a call. 

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Download a mobile or desktop wallpaper or read our post, "16 hours with the crew of Samaritan". 

Name: Ron Double    

Title: Chief Information Officer

Describe your education and career journey:

AAS Computer Technology – Purdue University, 1985
B.S. Computer Science – Purdue University, 1992
Master Business Administration – Indiana University, 1999

I started in IT for manufacturing in a small company in Bluffton in 1983.  I had the opportunity at 20 years old to run their small “data processing” department of 3 people, including myself.  I supported plants in three states: Indiana, Michigan and Nebraska. I continued with various manufacturing companies until I joined Parkview in 1989.

Initially, I was a programmer/analyst supporting Revenue Cycle. Healthcare was so far behind other industries, and I was feeling uncertain with my move. Then, I had the opportunity to take a role in our Information Services Client Services department implementing and supporting PCs, PC software, training end-users and some network user management functions. I started working with the caregivers and found this was worthwhile work. It changed my whole perspective on healthcare and what we could do with technology. I realized the impact on our patients.  

In 1991, I became our datacenter supervisor while retaining some of my previous responsibilities. Then, in 1994, I was given the job of IS service center manager and developed Parkview’s first full-time help desk. At the same time, I took over responsibility for the telecommunications operators and the physicians’ answering service which supported approximately 600 community physicians.

In 1998, I assumed the role of Communications Manager, and transitioned to the IS Director of Technology Services in 2001. In this role, I was responsible for the datacenters, data network, voice network, servers, desktops and other technology used throughout Parkview. I continued in this role until applying for and being selected as Chief Information Officer in 2008.  Since then, it’s been an exciting, challenging, and rewarding journey with many opportunities, many successes, and a few failures. But, we’re always focused on moving Parkview forward, achieving our growth goals, and most importantly, positively impacting patient outcomes.

What have been some of the highlights of your career at Parkview?
I have had the opportunity to participate in more initiatives during my time at Parkview than most CIOs get to participate in throughout their career! I worked on a complete phone system replacement, replacement of two datacenters, building of all new Parkview facilities (Parkview Huntington Hospital, Parkview Whitley Hospital, Parkview Noble Hospital, Parkview LaGrange Hospital, Parkview Regional Medication Center), implementation of two electronic medical records systems (IDX Carecast and Epic), and so much more.

What inspired you to pursue this profession?
My plan was to become and electrical engineer. After just a few courses, I knew it wasn’t for me. But, I had an interest in computers from taking the only computer class offered at my high school, so I took switched majors and completed the journey. Then, in the mid-1990s, I realized that in order to grow, I needed to improve my business knowledge. That’s when I pursued my MBA through IU.

At Parkview, my philosophy has been to take any opportunity that presents itself.  I came in as a programmer/analyst with a little network technology experience, but as the opportunity opened up to support our technology environment, I took it. I knew very little about tele-communications, but when the opportunity presented itself, I took it. Then, when I got the opportunity to lead our technology team, I took it.  All of these opportunities, paired with the relationships that I built with the IS team, our clinical staff, medical staff and leaders, prepared me for the CIO role. My advice to everyone is be curious and constantly look for how you can grow. And never turn down an opportunity if you have interest.

What is a typical day like for you?
The great thing about my job is every day is different. But on most days, I like to start my day with my direct reports reviewing what has occurred in the past 24 hours and what we have planned for the next 24 hours. This keeps me grounded and connected to the team.

I try to take time every day to find ways that we can improve. This can be self-improvement, department improvement, or organization-wide. It’s important to always be pushing forward.

I spend much of my day in meetings discussing opportunities and helping to drive direction. I ask a lot of questions because that’s how I learn. I also try to take as much time as possible to build and maintain relationships with leaders, physicians, other caregivers, my direct reports, and the team actually doing the work. Relationships are an important part of my success. And rounding is so important to really understanding what is happening. 

I also work closely with vendors to make sure they are delivering what is needed to Parkview from a software, hardware or services standpoint. And, like everyone else, I read and respond to way too many e-mail messages.

What are some of the unique challenges of overseeing the technology that supports an entire health care system?
I think the biggest challenge is keeping up with the growth of Parkview. As Parkview grows, the need for technology is growing exponentially. In 1991, Parkview had one major facility, less than 100 PCs, and about 900 dumb terminals tied to a mainframe. Today, we are all over northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio with approximately 13,000 workstations, 1500 file servers, and a very complex data network – both wired and wireless.

The next challenge is the exponential rate of change in technology. Technology is changing so quickly that we are constantly needing to learn new things and then figure out how to leverage those new technologies for healthcare.

Information security has become a big part of the job. Every day the threat grows and becomes more sophisticated. So, it is a constant challenge and requires technology, education and diligence.

Finally, because healthcare lagged behind in technology and the application of that technology, we are trying to catch up overnight. The needs and desires for new technology solutions far exceed the resources available to implement and support those technologies, so it’s a prioritization and balancing act.

The most rewarding?
Worthwhile work! Knowing that the technology that we deploy is saving lives. Even though we don’t give direct patient care, I know that what we do is providing better outcomes and saving lives every day.  

And, of course, the relationships.

What excites you about the future of technology?
It’s just cool! There is so much that excites me. I’ve spent much of my career working to collect data, now, we are using that data through business intelligence, analytics, etc. to make a difference. We are now beginning to be able to predict conditions, diseases and outcomes so we can intervene earlier. Soon, using machine learning and artificial intelligence, we will be able to analyze complex data so effectively that we can personalize wellness, treatment plans, etc.  Technology is advancing and I believe soon we will be able to intervene and stop many diseases from occurring.

And with new low-cost technology, we will all be able to use technology to help identify, diagnose and treat complex medical conditions from our homes that would have taken months or years to identify and treat in hospitals or clinics with high cost equipment.

Why is technology so vital to a health care system?
Technology allows us to diagnose, treat and document care. It also allows us to gather the data and analyze it to improve outcomes and save lives. That’s why we are here. The technology we deploy saves lives.

This time of year, a lot of people are thinking about ways to give back. What are some ways you like to spread joy?
First and foremost, I have been blessed in more ways than I can even comprehend, so I believe it is important to give back. At the end of the year, I try to identify organizations that I can share my “treasure” with who are making a positive difference in our world. It’s important for us to share our blessings with others.

 I also believe it’s important to thank those who have given me so much. I will spend much of the holiday season with family and friends just gathering together and celebrating each other and our time together. 

What are some of your most treasured holiday traditions?
Each year we try to attend Christmas events like the Fort Wayne Ballet Nutcracker and Philharmonic Pops. I just really enjoy the decorations, the music and the gatherings.

We often go to Georgia to spend our holidays with my partner Dave’s parents, brothers, and other family members. This year, we are staying home, so we will spend a quiet Christmas with our adult children (24 and 17) celebrating our family and the blessings we’ve been given. Then there’s always the family Monopoly game on Christmas afternoon.

What is your greatest passion outside of work?
We love to travel every opportunity we get. There is so much in the world to see and so many different cultures. I also like almost any water activity – boating, tubing, skiing, paddle boarding, kayaking, white water rafting, scuba diving, snorkeling, etc.

If you could tell people to read one book in their lifetime, which would it be and why?
I don’t have a favorite book. There are so many great books for different reasons. One short book that carries a big message is “The Five People You Meet in Heaven”.

What would we find on your bucket list and what do you plan to check off next?
Most of my bucket list is places to visit, so hopefully soon I will be able to travel throughout Asia and do a road trip across the U.S.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Decide early how you want to be remembered, it will guide your major life decisions.

His energetic approach to his work and willingness to help make him a popular team mate. His dedication and optimism make Jim one of the bright, accomplished, praised People of Parkview

Name: Jim Dougal

Title: PPG Regional Manager

Describe your education and career journey:

• Joined my hometown fire department and EMS in Ohio right out of high school
• Attended Tri-State College (Now Trine University) to study Engineering for a semester
• Graduated Parkview-Methodist School of Nursing
• Graduated from Purdue University at the IPFW campus with a BS degree in Organizational Leadership and Supervision
• Worked a year on the Van Wert City Fire Department as a firefighter/paramedic
• Worked at Parkview Hospital (Randallia) for 17 years creating the Endoscopy Department and the Preadmission Department.  Worked in ICU and ER, and supervised Endoscopy, Cardiac Cath Lab and Preadmission Testing. 
  • Deputy Coroner, Allen County for two years.  I was the first person in Allen County to attend the Medico-Legal Death Investigators week-long course at the St. Louis School of Medicine
• After taking a two-week break, for the next 15 years I worked at:
  • The Three Rivers Ambulance Authority as the Training Director and Assistant to the Medical Director
  • Nurse Liaison, Director of OP Therapy and Marketing Director at the Rehabilitation Hospital
  • Iron Dynamics in Butler – a subsidiary of Steel Dynamics – where I ended up operating the world’s largest rotary hearth furnace and helped produce the first DRI (Direct Reduced Iron) in the world.
  • Marketing and then operating an Occupational Health Clinic. Obtained certification in Hearing Testing and Pulmonary Function Testing
  • Marketing and administration of three physical therapy clinics in Fort Wayne
• Returned to Parkview in April 2010 as the Practice Manager for PPG – Colon and Rectal Surgery, where I remain today. I have assisted with other specialties in the past eight years, including Podiatry, Community Orthopedics, Wound Care and Neurosurgery

What inspired you to pursue this profession?
As a volunteer medic out of high school, I wanted a way to serve others and found that through serving as a medic and becoming a nurse.

What is a typical day like for you?
Utter chaos! Each day I arrive at 6 a.m. and have a plan for things to accomplish, but working in a practice is an ever-changing world, requiring a manager to constantly prioritize things “on the run”.  The days pass by very quickly.

What are some of the unique challenges of your position?
The constant changes to healthcare in general. The constant change in regulatory requirements, insurance coverages and internal processes require the ability to adapt to constant change.

The most rewarding? 
Being able to guide and assist staff and physicians with what they need to be successful in their roles every day.

You’ve been with Parkview for some time. What do you think makes Parkview so special? 
With a variety of experiences, I have worked many places, and under many conditions. We should all be thankful for the culture at Parkview. Our organization embraces each of us as individuals and embraces such a diverse group of coworkers.

What excites you about the future? 
The future of Parkview Health. Those of us (the ranks are dwindling) who helped make Parkview great when it was just the Randallia campus helped to establish Parkview’s reputation and core values that served as a foundation for what we have today. The vision of the Board and senior leadership will help us continue this journey as a leader in healthcare.

Was there a moment in your career that stands out to you?
The most rewarding are all the times I was able to personally make a difference in someone’s life. There are so many, and I wish I had kept a journal of both patient and staff rewards. In regard to patients, it was the lives saved in the ER; A 40-year-old man with textbook heart attack symptoms but no history, who arrested 15 minutes after arrival and we had things in place for a successful resuscitation, or helping to stabilize the condition of lawyer and Civil Rights leader Vernon Jordan when he was shot and critically wounded in Fort Wayne. He went on to be one of President Bill Clinton’s advisors years later. I am also proud of the departments I had the privilege of creating and the staff I hired and managed.

What would you say to your 20-year-old self? 
First, invest financially for your future. When I was 20, we had very little opportunity or guidance.  Second, regardless of the job, “own” it and perform to the top of your abilities so over the course of your career, you can look back and know that you left behind a better department or company than when you arrived.

What is your greatest passion outside of work? 
First is being a first responder/medic.  There are hundreds of us in Allen County (and many at Parkview) and tens of thousands across the nation who will sacrifice our personal time to assist those in need, many times placing ourselves at risk, because we have something in our DNA that propels us to do so. 

Second is home improvement, gardening and yardwork. I grew up on a farm and hard work was instilled from an early age. It is very rewarding to see improvements as a result of efforts. My wife and I also share a passion for dogs. We have our 5th dog, Ozzie, a 90-pound golden retriever, who was preceded in our lives by a mutt named Lady, a golden named Abby, and a brother/sister duo of goldens named Tanner and Jade. We feel providing a loving home for a dog is paid a hundred-fold back to us in their love and devotion.

If you could tell people to read one book in their lifetime, which would it be and why?
“Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End” by Atul Gawande, MD. This book looks at how we try to intercede and manage end-of life medical conditions and how the motivation behind our actions may be misdirected at those left behind instead of those preparing to die. I couldn’t stop reading it. 

What would we find on your bucket list and what do you plan to check off next? 
Likely after retirement, I would love to go to various U.S. historic sites, the first being Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? 
My grandfather once said to me in my preteen years, “If you don’t take the time to do something right, when do you think there will be time to do something over?”  Must have been what propelled me to become a bit of a perfectionist.

Healthcare, in many ways, is all about connections. It’s the marriage of science and compassion, empathy and evidence-based practices, and training and technology. In the spirit of perfect complements, and with Valentine’s Day right around the corner, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to highlight two co-workers whose connection sparks happiness within the healthcare system and at home.

Christy Lung, a respected nursing services manager at Parkview Regional Medical Center, and her husband, Matt, a web artitect for the healthcare system, have been blending their work and domestic lives into one harmonious routine for the last 17 years. Their respect for the roles they play and dedication to support each other’s goals make this pair a true example of the committed, collaborative People of Parkview.

Name: Christy Lung
Name: Matt Lung

Christy’s official title: Nursing Services Manager, 6 Medical
Matt’s official title: Web Architect

Describe your education and career journey:

Christy: I graduated from the University of Indianapolis with a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology in December 2001. In December 2004, I graduated with an ASN, and started my nursing career on Medical Telemetry. I worked there for a few years before going to the registry pool so I could stay at home more with our growing family and continue my education. I completed my MSN in 2010 through Ball State University. By that time, Parkview Regional Medical Center had opened, and my former tele manager, Carma Shoemaker, was managing 7 Medical. Carma hired me into a nurse leader position, and I worked there until I was hired as the manager of 6 Medical in 2015.

Matt:

• BS Purdue University (Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology), 2002
• Started off as a Network/Systems/Software Engineer, 2002 - 2008
• Software Engineer, 2008 - 2011
• Sr. Web Architect, 2011 - 2013
• Sr. Software Engineer, 2013 – 2015
• Web Architect, 2015 - present

What inspired you to pursue this profession/specialty?

Christy: My original plan was to go to school to be a physician’s assistant.  While I was at U of I, I had an opportunity to take EMT classes outside of school, taught by a classmate of mine. Because I had taken those classes, I was able to get a job at Parkview as an Emergency Care Technician in the Emergency Department the summer before I graduated. At the time, I thought it was a great way to learn more about the role of the PAs in the emergency room. It turns out that it was the nurses that inspired me the most. I loved the patient interactions, the teamwork, and the way they were always teaching. Through watching them, I decided that my calling was not to be a PA, but I was supposed to be a nurse. I chose leadership because I like to be able to fit things together to see the big picture. I like processes and problem solving, and I love being part of a team.

Matt: As a kid, I loved to take things apart and figure out how they worked. I got my first computer at 12 and ripped it apart. I built my first PC at 14 after saving up to buy all the parts and software from mowing lawns all summer. I just kept going from there.

What are your daily responsibilities?

Christy: Generally speaking, I am responsible for the quality of service on 6 Medical. There are many things involved, including rounding on patients, onboarding and orientation for new nurses and PCTs, day-to-day staffing, patient flow, outcome measurement, continuous process improvement, coaching and mentoring, conflict resolution, managing our budget, etc.

Matt: I’m primarily responsible for operation/development of SharePoint platform (O365 Pulse).

What are some of the unique challenges of your position?

Christy: Competing priorities - both at work and at home. Not everything can be the top priority.

Matt: Trying to make 13,000 users happy all at once. Trying to get users to understand how something works and get them engaged.

The most rewarding?

Christy: Being part of a successful Magnet journey was really awesome. That’s not something that happens every day, and for us to go as a system – wow! In general, though, I get a lot of joy from watching the growth within my team. Achieving optimal outcomes for our patients, completing a successful process improvement project together, watching them take care of and coach each other, hearing praise from our patients about how one of my coworkers went out of their way to show kindness … those are my feel-good moments.

Matt: When you help someone or a group that genuinely appreciates the help accomplishing their goals.

How did you two meet?

Christy: We met through mutual friends. We knew of each other in high school, but we didn’t start dating until college. My parents moved to Michigan my first year of college. I came down to visit a friend of mine who was dating a friend of Matt’s. We spent the Fourth of July weekend together.

Matt: I remember, at Christy’s 15th birthday party, my friend drug me over to her house to say hi to her and another friend. We contemplated saran wrapping her car as we left. (She’s never heard that.) Little did I know a few years later we’d meet again, and that was the start of it all. 

What year did you get married?

Christy: We got married in December 2001. We had a big Christmas wedding. The church was still decorated with poinsettias; it was really pretty. I think it was the coldest day of that season, but it was a lot of fun.

How does working for the same healthcare system impact your home life?

Christy: We do talk about work at home, bouncing ideas off of each other. Matt helps me work through different ways of organizing projects and how to utilize our technology to my advantage. I think I can provide him with a unique perspective that he wouldn’t normally have as an IS coworker.

Matt: It all blends together now.

How do you achieve work/life balance?

Christy: We have four kids at home, so we have a lot going on. When it’s not 12 degrees outside, we spend a lot of time outside walking in our neighborhood, playing catch, and shooting baskets. Matt is good at gardening, too.

What excites you about the future?

Christy: It’s exciting to watch our kids grow. The last 12 (almost 13) years have gone by so quickly already. I’m hoping that out of the four, one is bound to be a nurse, right?

Matt: Seeing our kids grow up is exciting and sad at the same time. 

What is your greatest passion outside of work?

Christy: I love working with my hands sewing, painting and doing crafts. I could spend hours in a fabric store.

Matt: Trying to travel, being outside, kids, Purdue and the Cubs.

If you could tell people to read one book in their lifetime, which would it be and why?

Christy: It sounds silly, but when the kids were younger, my favorite book to read to them was “The Little Blue Truck”. It’s a simple book about kindness and teamwork, but it gets the message across. Now that they are getting older, I excited to share “To Kill a Mockingbird” with them.

Matt:“I Can’t Accept Not Trying” by Michael Jordan. It’s only like 36 pages long but very impactful. 

What would we find on your bucket list and what do you plan to check off next?

Christy: Snorkeling in Hawaii. Matt and I are taking a trip this year!

Matt: Trying to travel more! I’d love to work for Disney and live in a warmer climate, too.

What’s the best piece of marriage advice you’ve ever received?

Christy: Don’t go to bed mad. If you go to bed angry, neither one of you can sleep anyway!

Matt: If your wife ever says, “What?”, it’s not because she didn’t hear you, she’s giving you a chance to change what you said. I’m really good at that. 

At Parkview, we don’t just give compassionate caregivers a job. We come alongside them to support their career goals. While it’s certainly important to have dedicated nurses, we also feel it’s important to support an individual’s professional journey toward achieving their occupational dreams.

See what these Parkview nurses had to say …

Ready to join the team? Join us at the Parkview Career Expo for Registered Nurses Tuesday, March 27 from 3 p.m.-7 p.m. at the Parkview Mirro Center for Research & Innovation, and experience the Parkview difference.

Details:

• Qualify for a welcome bonus of up to $10,000, as well as a relocation package.

• Learn about our initiative for a 1:4 nurse-to-patient clinical care ratio.

• Learn Parkview’s nurse competency clinical ladder program.

• Explore Parkview’s enhanced clinical nurse residency program.

• Meet n’ greet with key leaders and on-site interviews.

• Nursing opportunities for hospital-based areas, home health, hospice and Parkview Behavioral Health throughout northeast Indiana.

• Hotel stay on March 27 and a $25 VISA® Gift Card toward dining costs for those traveling 75 miles or more one way for the event. Guests traveling 50 miles or more one way, but not staying overnight, will qualify for a gas card valued at $50.

• Hors d’oeuvres

•Raffle drawing for opportunity to win giveaways

Register HERE

Name: Nick Patterson, RDN, CD
Name: Lauren Mullins, RDN, CD

Official title:

Nick:Clinical Dietician
Lauren: Clinical Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

Describe your education and career journey:

Nick:I actually started here, in my hometown of Fort Wayne, in the fall of 2012 at IPFW and then transferred to Purdue University in the fall of 2014 to complete my coursework and my dietetic internship. For my internship, I was placed at Parkview Health for three of my rotations and IPFW for my last rotation. I graduated in the spring of 2017 from Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science with Academic Distinction. From there, I accepted a position at Parkview Regional Medical Center as a Clinical Dietitian and took my national exam to officially become a Registered Dietitian.

Lauren: I went to Bowling Green State University to study Food and Nutrition Sciences. I graduated from BGSU in May 2009 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Dietetics. In April 2010, I was accepted into Ball State University’s graduate program. The beginning of 2011 was the start of my internship experience with Parkview Hospital. I began my clinical rotation at Parkview Hospital Randallia. After completing my clinical, food service and community rotations, I began studying to take the national exam to become a Registered Dietitian. I passed the exam in December 2011 and began working with Parkview as a Clinical Dietitian covering the Continuing Care Unit at Randallia in April 2012.  

What inspired you to pursue this profession/specialty?

Nick: Growing up, I played basketball and eventually became interested in exercising and lifting weights to improve my performance on the court. While I was seeing progress, I was very sore after my workouts and I felt my performance wasn’t always at its best. That’s when I started to become interested in nutrition and read everything I could on the topic, and I saw drastic improvements. Ever since then, it has always been an interest of mine.

Lauren: I have always had an interest in health, wellness and possessing a true passion for helping others.

What are your daily responsibilities?

Nick:I mainly cover the fifth and third surgical floors and I also cover the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Some of the daily responsibilities include:

• Collaborating with physicians to diagnosis malnutrition by identifying risk factors and performing nutrition focused physical assessments.
• Initiating and managing enteral nutrition (tube feedings) for patients.
• Calculating the nutritional needs for patients receiving parenteral nutrition (IV nutrition).
• Providing nutrition education to improve the quality of life for patients with diseases such as diabetes, chronic kidney disease, heart disease and more.
• Participating in collaborative rounds with physicians, pharmacists and other specialties to provide excellent care to every patient.

Lauren: My daily responsibilities include addressing consults we receive from doctors and nurses, following up on patient’s appetites and supplement intakes, initiating tube feedings or parenteral nutrition, educating patients and their families on therapeutic diets, ensure adequate nutrition for wound healing and assessing patients for malnutrition risk.

What are some of the unique challenges of your position?

Nick: While my job responsibilities are fairly consistent, each day brings new challenges as new patients are constantly coming in. With this, there are many factors that are involved in developing an appropriate plan for each patient and making sure each patient has the best experience at Parkview.

Lauren: It can be challenging when I encounter a patient or family that is not ready to make lifestyle changes to better their health. It makes me happy when I see patients eating well and healing, but occasionally I encounter patients that have poor appetites that have resulted in weight loss and prolonged illness.

The most rewarding?

Nick:Being able to communicate with patients and knowing how much of an impact I can have on their lives is very rewarding. Even if it is just speaking to them briefly in their room, just knowing a Registered Dietitian is there to help them recover makes a tremendous difference. 

Lauren: I truly enjoy working to help patients identify which goals they would like to achieve first and what changes they are willing to make rather than overwhelming them with info. I find it rewarding when I see a patient feeling motivated to change and asking questions on how I can help them further on their journey to better health.

What is the most surprising fact about nutrition?

Nick: While not exactly a nutrition fact, something that fascinates me is that 45-65 percent of the adult human body is composed of water. This shows the importance of adequate hydration throughout the day. Even a 2 percent reduction in body water can leave you feeling fatigued.

What is the best advice for achieving a healthy relationship with food?

Nick: One of the best ways to achieve a healthy relationship with food is to avoid labeling foods as “good” or “bad”. Instead, take time to understand what a healthy eating pattern looks like and build habits from this.

Lauren: Listen to your body’s hunger cues. It can be easy to overeat or avoid eating when experiencing different emotions such as feeling stressed, happy, bored or sad.

What role does food play in healing the body?

Nick:Some of the most important nutrients for healing include protein and an array of vitamins and minerals. If our bodies are deficient of these nutrients, the healing process will be slowed and may even stall completely until we consume the appropriate amounts.

What is your greatest passion outside of work?

Nick:Anything that keeps me active, including exercising, going to the lake, fishing, traveling and being outdoors in general.

Lauren: My beautiful family which includes my loving husband, Nate, my adorable daughter, Norah, and my feisty dog, Jasper. In my spare time, I enjoy playing volleyball and volunteering at my church.

If you could tell people to read one book in their lifetime, which would it be and why?

Nick:This is a tough one. Personally, I really enjoyed reading “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey because the information in the book can be applied to so many different areas of your life.

What would we find on your bucket list and what do you plan to check off next?

Nick: One thing I would like to do is travel to new places. I have only traveled the east coast of the United States and the only time I have been out of the country was to Canada for a camping trip as a kid.

Lauren: I would love to take a trip to Europe someday with my husband as well as plan a summer vacation with some of my closest friends.

What’s the best piece of dietary advice you’ve ever received?

Nick: Always make sure to find eating habits that line up with your lifestyle and preferences. If it doesn’t, you will have a difficult time developing good habits and kicking bad habits. Remember, there is no “perfect” plan. You just have to find what works best for you and your lifestyle.

Lauren: There is no need to exclude any food group or restrict yourself so much that you don’t enjoy the food you are eating or the life you are living. Food should taste good! It is important to educate yourself and learn what it means to eat a balanced diet in order to live a long, healthy life.

There are more than 800 physicians practicing in the Parkview Health system. They cover a broad range of specialties and expertise. They impact an impressive number of communities and populations. They represent the marriage of research and execution. They deliver resolution and comfort and hope.

They are our doctors, and today we are thrilled to celebrate each and every one of them for their dedication to healing and commitment to their patients.

We invited Iwona Podzielinkski, MD, PPG – Gynecologic Oncology, Kenneth Pennington, MD, PPG – Oncology and Infusion, Matthew Pfister, MD, PPG – Weight Management and Michele Helfgott, MD, PPG – Integrative Medicine to share their journey to becoming a caregiver. Four practitioners, four completely different paths, one shared mission. Each doctor has a story. Ask them to share theirs with you sometime. 

Happy Doctors’ Day to our phenomenal network of Parkview physicians and to doctors everywhere!

Tyler Davis, Flight/EMS Operations Specialist

In 2015, Dan Garman, former SVP of pre-hospital and Emergency Department services, had a vision. It started with a simple request for new radio equipment. Over time, that initial inquiry led to the discovery that Parkview Health and area patients could benefit greatly from a more effective communication system for area hospitals, dispatchers, bed management and phone operators.

Dan wanted to identify a way to integrate all of the radios used by the aforementioned teams together, so that if a disaster were to occur, each hospital could still communicate with one another without telephones. Garman’s dream – which snowballed into an all-inclusive emergency communications space – became a reality, but first it needed a secure, safe location.

The Logistics Center had to be located in a space where critical functions could take place and the structure would be hard to break apart, or in other words, virtually indestructible. Parkview Hospital Randallia was the final choice. Randallia had several features, such as city water, multiple power sources, generators and a concrete basement.

Today, all of the staff at the Logistics Center interact with people via phone, but also with each other, making the process of transferring patients to area hospitals much more effective. Dan has since retired, but his vision is carried out today by a dedicated team, including Drew Hoskins, manager, EMS and Flight Communications, who walks us through the departments housed in the Logistics Center and the roles they play in the patient journey.

Phone Operators

Any call that comes in from the public to the main hospital lines at all Parkview hospitals, comes here. They will transfer the patient or family member to the correct department they need. During peak hours, there are five phone operators on duty.
 

Left to right, Catherine Mackin, Bed Teletrack and Decentral Coordinator & Janci Springer, RN, Admission Facilitator

Bed Management

The bed management team, comprised of between 4-5 staff members, oversees every bed in the Parkview healthcare system. This includes Parkview Hospital Randallia, Parkview Regional Medical Center, Parkview Wabash Hospital, Parkview Noble Hospital, Parkview Whitley Hospital, Parkview Warsaw Hospital, Parkview Huntington Hospital and Parkview LaGrange Hospital. In total, they manage 543 beds.

At least one registered nurse in on hand 24/7 in the Logistics Center to work with doctors in the hospitals to determine the care the patient needs and where to send them to receive the necessary treatment.

When there is a wait list for beds, the bed management team must prioritize patients based on their current health status. The more serious the patient, the higher up they go on the list.

The status of each bed is updated in real-time on monitors displayed at the Logistics Center 24/7. If a nurse updates a bed status in the system at the hospital they are working in, it only takes seconds for it to update at the Logistics Center.

Bed management can see/monitor:

• If a bed is open
• If a bed is in the process of being cleaned
• Occupied beds and the gender of the patient
• If a wing is under construction
• If a patient is being discharged
• If a patient is being discharged the next day

Parkview Behavioral Health Psychiatric Emergency Services

Calls from patients experiencing a mental health crisis who call the Parkview Behavioral Health HelpLine come first to the Logistics Center. They receive between 100-150 calls daily, Monday through Friday. There are 2-3 phone operators working at all times. Almost all staff members are registered nurses or have a master’s degree. Each staff member has extensive knowledge handling behavioral health crises and helping patients connect with community resources available to them.  

Parkview Police Department

Parkview has its own police force and a group of non-sworn public safety officers. When someone calls for public safety assistance, they call dispatchers in the Logistics Center. The dispatcher will then send police or public safety officers to the location at the hospital where they are needed. If a helicopter is requested, officers are asked to secure a helipad location. To secure a location, officers will block traffic to ensure a safe landing. They will also turn on the lights at helipad locations, such as the roof at Parkview Regional Medical Center.
 

Right to left – Steve Combs, Rick Yenser, Tyler Davis. All Flight/EMS Operations Specialists

EMS and Flight Communications

Often times, a 911 operator will transfer callers with medical emergencies to the Parkview EMS/Flight Operations Specialists. They are all trained EMS paramedics who can go through a series of questions with the caller to help provide care even before an ambulance arrives. They receive, on average, around 100 calls a day that require an ambulance and 3-4 that require a helicopter.

“It takes a very mentally strong person to do this job,” Drew said. “All of our staff are paramedics and they have been on the street and they know what certain health situations look like.”  

One example of this resiliency would be the flight crew. “The initial call to a helicopter pilot is to say the location of the scene and what hospital we need the helicopter to land. That is it,” Drew explained. “The pilot doesn’t know if it’s a trauma accident or if it involves a child or an adult. We leave out these details to first make sure the flight is possible. If a pilot knows the details first, that might affect their flight judgment. Our first priority is safety for both the pilot and the patient.”

If a Parkview helicopter is unable to make the flight due to weather conditions or availability, the Logistics Center EMS/Flight Operations Specialists will work with other medical helicopters. “It doesn’t have to a be a Parkview ambulance or helicopter. We will get you the care you need because the patient’s needs come first.”

One man’s vision for a collaborative communications hub is now a fully functional nerve center, supporting efficient, exceptional patient care. The Parkview Logistics Center is a crucial component to our healthcare system because, while the quick decision-making skills of the teams housed within its walls only take moments, those moments are certainly saving lives and improving outcomes each and every day.  

There are an estimated 980 volunteers throughout the Parkview healthcare system, including the community hospitals and those who give their time to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northeast Indiana, located in Parkview Regional Medical Center. In many cases, they are the first smile our visitors and patients see, the arrow that points them in the right direction, and the bearer of gifts and well wishes for the sick or grieving. They play an essential role in the heart of our facilities, and each is as important as the next.

In celebration of National Volunteer Week, we invited Kesha Jones, a greeter at Parkview Hospital Randallia, to tell us a bit more about her motivation for giving back. Described as a “firecracker” and “ray of sunshine”, Kesha’s presence is a rainbow on others’ stormy day. With a contagious spirit and dedication to serving, she is just one of the eternally optimistic, magnanimous, wonderful People of Parkview.

How long have you been volunteering at Parkview?
Almost 3 1/2 years

What inspired you to start volunteering?
My motivation to volunteer came about when I was seeking out different ways to be more involved with the community.

What are some of your responsibilities?
My daily responsibilities consist of greeting and showing people where to go in the hospital.

What are some of the challenges of your role?
A unique challenge of volunteering is, with all the remodeling that’s going on at Randallia, I have to keep up with the changes so that I’m able to properly direct someone where to go without getting lost.

What are the rewards?
Helping someone and being able to put a smile on someone’s face.

Is there any instance that stands out to you?
One exchange that has stood out to me is one between me and this lady who comes in every week. She’s usually pretty tired after getting her treatments, but before she leaves she makes sure to let me know that my smile always puts her in a better mood.

What’s your personal motto?
“Let your smile change the world, but don’t let the world change your smile.”

What’s your greatest passion outside of work?
Voice Acting with a bit of photography on the side. I’ve always been passionate about telecommunications and have always wanted to be a movie director. But since I don’t have a steady team yet and I’ve been fascinated with animations lately, I decided to get more involved with voice acting first then work my way up to directing movies.

If you could tell people to read one book, what would it be?
Being a young adult, some of my book selections might not suit everyone, but one book I’d suggest people to check out would be “Everything, Everything” by Nicola Yoon. It’s about a young teen who is “supposedly” allergic to the outside world, so her mother doesn’t allow her to leave the house. Until she meets the new neighbor boy. This book reminded me of the movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, with a romantic twist.

What’s on your bucket list and which item do you hope to check off next?
Some things that you would find on my bucket list would be to travel more, become successful in either voice acting or movie directing, and to inspire as many people as I can. As I keep working hard, I plan to check off becoming more successful in voice acting soon.

At Parkview Health, we have a lot to celebrate, and we’ll take any excuse to do so. World class teamwork, innovative solutions to everyday problems and the opportunity to provide great patient care are just a few of the excuses we have on a daily basis to give each other a nod for a job well done. So, for National High Five Day, we invited people to go up high, on the side, down low, super slow, down the row and every way in between, and recognize a team member that’s awesome to work with and making great things happen.

Who are you high fiving today?

It’s Thursday morning at the Parkview Education Center and a classroom full of new nurses are filling chairs arranged in a tight oval in the middle of the room. One clinician stands at the head of the assembled caregivers. She leans down and places a box of tissues in the middle of them.

“I'm going to place these here, just in case you need them. This is a safe space. My name is Brianna Graham. I was born at Randallia, came to work at Parkview at 18 and never left,” she began. “I have stories to share with you today, but I want to hear your stories, too. We’re going to talk about a dangerous trend in nursing and I want to address it because you are now a Parkview nurse. And the Parkview way is a different way. It’s evidence-based and it’s better. We bleed green.”

Brianna, BSN, RN, ONC, supervisor, clinical staff development, Parkview Health, is kicking off her empathy exercise with the latest group of newcomers to the health system. It’s a one-hour presentation she developed after noticing that nurses were susceptible to  emotional fatigue due to their experiences, the demanding workload and exhaustion of the tasks that nurses are responsible for. “I wanted to remind them why they answered this calling, and return them to their purpose,” Brianna said. The talk is part of 32 hours of onboarding that takes place over four days. 

It’s certainly a captive audience. “New nurses to the organization are perfect for this message,” Brianna explained earlier that morning, “because this sets them up for the culture and expectations of what it means to be a ‘Parkview nurse’ before they ever set foot in their own departments.”

The bottom line: “Empathy matters. For our patients, for our coworkers, for ourselves. We have to remember why we are here and our purpose. Parkview nurses are truly held to the highest standards of professionalism, patient care and excellence. I’m not just saying that because I am one. We truly don’t settle for mediocrity. We want to give our patients everything we have.”

And what does that everything look like? To the group of new coworkers, she poses the question: “If you cannot fix the patient, how do you make it better?” A few answers come quietly from the nurses, each of which Brianna agreed with. “You are part of a family and a club earned from years of blood, sweat and tears,” she continued. “I have five rules to share with you today and, I promise, if you remember them and apply them, you will have a fulfilling life and better career.”

For the next 55 minutes, Brianna stood up, boldly and vulnerably, and shared her personal stories of both her own chronic health struggles and those of others who have left an impression on her soul. At several points, people in the room were brought to tears, the pauses so profound and so silent you could hear the heartbeat of the person next to you.

While the majority of the details of and moving recounts from Brianna’s presentation are destined to stay private for the intimate groups of nurses who come through her onboarding curriculum, she does, as promised, cover a handful of principles:

1) Don’t just trust you patient’s words. Pay attention to more than just what they’re saying.

2) Don’t assume, because you’ll assume wrong.

3) Don’t judge. Get the story, the why. If someone is broken, they came to you to be fixed, not judged. As a nurse, you need to be who the patient needs you to be.

4) Find your help.

5) Cherish your team.

She closes by saying, “You came to the right place and you chose the right profession. The day you forget, call me. I’ll remember you.” 

When she finishes, no one is quite sure what to do next. A few get up to hug her and share their appreciation. Others stay in their seats for a few minutes, the weight of Brianna’s moving words running through their minds. It is an exchange with the promise of sticking to the ribs of those on the receiving end. It’s an emotional torch being passed on to the next generation of caregivers who will pass their empathy on to the patients and families who walk through the doors of a Parkview facility. It’s one woman’s Cliffs Notes for how to build trust and make a difference in the lives of those who need it most. It’s a gift. Her legacy.

It’s the Parkview difference.

Praise and Blessings Journal
“Praise for heart scan and cholesterol screening – thankful for early diagnosis of lung nodules. Blessed by Mark being in the medical field, having knowledge and access to the system.” – Laura

Praise and Blessings Journal
“We are blessed to have each other; our strengths, faith and commitment to each other. Loving patients being there for us, not even knowing the comforting words of affirmation they are saying. One patient said, ‘You are my guardian angel,’ thanking Mark for giving her more time with her family.” – Laura 

Praise and Blessings Journal
“Very supportive office. Roy [Robertson]’s friendship and support will always be remembered and Mark will always be grateful. The firefighters are a blessing, being able to give back to such a wonderful group. Blessed that God encouraged me to journal with thoughts, prayers and scripture. Looking back, I was gaining strength and wisdom to trust God and do good.” – Laura

Mark’s Medical Journal
The adventure began innocently enough on Valentine's Day. Wouldn't it be fun for us to go as a couple to get our heart scans and cholesterol checks? Even though I had a positive coronary calcium score, 12, and was initially pissed, I was able to find some silver lining and have chosen to use this to my advantage when I speak with the fire department to convince ones with positive scores to begin therapy. This is where I thought it ended. Positive heart scan, begin Lipitor®, bing, bang, boom. Then I came home late one evening, not in a great mood because of the hectic day, and Laura tells me I need to go look at my scan. Something’s not right on the chest portion.

Convinced I would only find the usual non specific nodule, I dutifully raced back to my office and find this is not the case. I have multiple ground glass ill-defined nodules bilaterally. Well this isn’t good! So ends my sleep for the next several weeks. What could it be? Knowledge is a blessing and a curse. I can't help but go dark.

I confide in Roy Robertson, a great friend and outstanding physician. who orders the CT scans I want. I’d never experienced the IV contrast before. It does warm one from head to toe. Unfortunately the CT's document multiple pulmonary nodules and virtually nothing else except an incidental renal stone. Labs? All stone cold normal. Symptoms? Hate to disappoint, but none. Now that I see the nodules on the CT, maybe I am short of breath when I run. But no, not really. I had an awesome run this weekend. Weight loss? Not an ounce. The only symptom is sleeplessness and this is just my anxiety. I ask Srinivasan Devanathan to look at the scan for his expert pulmonary opinion and he told me he will and will get back this weekend.

He calls me back within the hour and tells me I shouldn’t wait for a repeat scan in 3 months as recommended by radiology,but proceed with an evaluation immediately. He has already called Eric Peterson who will arrange it for Friday. My PET scan is Monday with my visit to the Cancer Center on Tuesday. PET lights up like a Christmas tree with the lung nodules throughout and lesions in my clavicle and left pelvis. Well blow me down. Have to get some tissue in order to make a diagnosis.

The waiting is killing me. I literally feel like I am crawling out of my skin. Of course, I have to keep up an appearance of calm. All the while I am screaming inside, “Help me! Get me off of this ride.” Next, it’s biopsy time. The MA told me she would try to arrange it and that Radiology would call me in a couple of days. Wait, I want to know now! I don't have any patience, so, I go from the Cancer Center to find a Radiologist. Guess who I find eating lunch with Eric Peterson? Mike Kinser. "Mike, can I talk to you confidentially?" I explain the story and tell him that I really need an answer. He calls me an hour later and I'm on for Friday afternoon.

They’re taking a piece of my Ileum/pelvic bone with a CT guided needle. That's going to be fun! I just hope they get enough tissue to make a diagnosis. "First, name the problem" - Rolly McGarth. I've got a lot of fight in me, I just need to know my foe. It is the unknown that is the most disconcerting. We are just beginning. Am I scared? Hell yes.

Praise and Blessings Journal
“Laura! That’s it, nothing more needs said. I am so blessed. Wouldn’t, couldn’t do this without my rock. Early identification! Had it not been for the heart scan who knows when we would have found this thing. Sleep. I slept most of the night last night. Only up once and for a short time. Yea sleep! Diversions. Being busy at work caring for others takes the focus and worry off myself.” – Mark

Mark’s Medical Journal
Still no news, but perhaps some clarity tomorrow, biopsy day. Not really looking forward to this. The plan is to aim for the Iliac lesion on the left where it lights up on PET. I must be honest, I do fear the pain. Not really sure what to expect. Right now, I just want the name of this adversary. It's almost impossible to fight an invisible and anonymous opponent. Like fighting a mythical creature that has no form or substance. We swing wild through the air but strike emptiness. One of my biggest fears is that we get no answers from this biopsy tomorrow and have to start over from square one.

Mark’s Medical Journal
Another 3 a.m. morning. I dreamt of procedures all night. I was doing them, or watching them, or having them performed on me. Don't need Jung to tell us what they represent. I am anxious! I want answers, but I am afraid of what the answers might be. I'm afraid of the pain of the procedure. I'm afraid I will embarrass myself because of the pain, or worse, as I come out of sedation. I'm afraid they won't get answers. Is this the right approach? I don't want to go through all of this to find out that it was normal or nonspecific. I really just want it to be over. I worry about work; how am I going to work around my schedule? I worry about Laura, the kids, friends.

Praise and Blessings Journal
“Supportive and caring colleagues offering me support. Roy and Pete offering concern, assistance and support. People asked me if I was angry at God, and my reply was that I am better positioned to deal with it then many because of my job; being able to navigate the complicated system is a blessing. Feeling God’s and all of our parents’ presence. I mean I literally feel their warm embrace. We are not alone! I think about end of life discussions with patients and know my work there is not done. Rae Harris-Davis, a Southside grad, was my nurse in prep for the procedure. Wonderful person who prayed prior to them taking me back. Amazing.” – Mark

“Just took you back. Staff could not be any nicer. Feeling powers surround you. Oh my gosh, another gratitude. Dr. Devanathan just called (you’re still back in surgery) to say that he was thinking of you at this very moment and he and his family are praying for you. He spoke of the support you have given him. Praise for the staff – Rae, Tiang, Brenda, Marissa, Julie, Rad tech and Dr. Jeff Birn.” – Laura

Praise and Blessings Journal
“Sleep! I got 11 hours and awoke with the confidence that no matter what happens, God is with us. While it’s a bit preliminary, (still don’t have a name) I’m thankful for this illness. It has allowed us to pause and witness God’s love in and around us daily. It was always there but we covered it up with the busy of our lives. Rae praying for us before procedure, Srinivason [Devanathan] calling out of the blue, this morning’s devotion. God speaks to us daily, we just have to be willing to listen.” – Mark

Praise and Blessings Journal
“I’m armed and mentally ready for Mark and I to handle anything that life puts in front of us. Praise for Mark asking in church for prayers of unknown health concerns. Beautiful walk to the other side of the lake and back. Able to share our love and fears totally. I love our walks.” – Laura

Praise and Blessings Journal
“Another God wink that came in an unexpected package – a kidney stone! Unbelievable pain for Mark. Praise for counting on one another. Being there for one another. Kindness in the ER staff. Pain relief! We found out the bone biopsy was benign! A huge joy was the nurse, Brittany. She shared with us that her daughter had genetic issues. She wanted to ask Mark questions. We listened to her concerns, Mark explained what is happening and our own experience with our daughter. We felt joy comforting her. Felt blessed to be present and an extension of your perfect love.” – Laura

“Praise for the LaGrange ER staff and pain meds – oh what a relief it is. Knowing the system and our friends at Parkview Heart Institute. I met a sweet nurse, Brittany, in prep who is more stressed in life than we are right now. Laura ministering to Brittany took our anxiety away. Satish Velagapudi, Amazing! He is all the clinical skills wrapped in one of the most compassionate souls I have ever met. The procedure went well and stone pain is gone. Not sure the emotional pain is completely gone. Laura is a bit stressed. Normal MRI last night. And, we have a name: Sarcoidosis and not ever sure if it is active. No baseline to compare but compared to the alternatives we are relieved. Who would have thought a kidney stone could be a blessing? Home now, alone so I can write and reflect on the last weeks. So many blessings packed into so little time. Must not slip back into our old ways once life gets back to normal. It is an opportunity to reprioritize!” – Mark

“It is official - our children all know of our journey since Valentine’s Day. I’ve dreaded telling them since we did not know with any certainty what was going to happen. I could never be more proud of them. All three reacted with love, concern, empathy and a strong sense of family.” – Laura

“Praise for a good night’s sleep! I can face a new day and begin the work on the problem when I’m well rested. Each of our children have God’s gift of love, compassion and empathy. Each of them, in their own way, are true healers. While their paths are diverse the end goal Is the same: love. Thankful for Laura’s laugh. Even when it comes at somewhat inappropriate times (Like when I’m trying to take tape off a sensitive area). The joy does lift my spirit. Being back at the lake sitting in the sunroom waiting for the sunrise knowing that God is with us always.” – Mark

Mark’s Medical Journal
Now that we have a name to our foe, I have a pseudo-plan of action.

Some of what I have learned …

1) Life is always better shared. Not a new philosophy but definitely reinforced this past month.

2) Look for God’s presence in my life daily. Open my heart to the possibility and welcome it with open arms.

4) Value my free time more and become more selective when agreeing to do extra-curricular activities.

5) Redefine health and fitness and create a more rounded regimen.

Mark’s Medical Journal
Slowly getting back to normal. Urinating is no longer excruciating. Initially it was like peeing fire and severe cramping in the right kidney. I have a constant back ache, which I assume must be the stent, which comes out tomorrow. I have convinced myself I’m going to do it myself! We shall see. I don’t want to use it as an excuse but I do want to choose activities that will leave a lasting legacy. When we are faced with our own mortality, real or imagined, we begin to critically dissect our life work and legacy and wonder if we have left the impact we could have.

Praise and Blessings Journal
“The last week is a whirlwind. The days, times, events, names are still a jumbled mess in my mind. To think the simple joys that I took for granted, but now I see a new joy with a renewed soul. My heart jumps and skips a beat when I hear Mark playing the guitar and singing. I give thanks to you, God, for your journeys, trials, tribulations and successes. Looking back, I never thought there would be such joy from pains and sorrows but we must trust your timing and trust you will do good.” – Laura

Mark’s Medical Journal
It’s amazing how quickly one slips into established behaviors. At work one day and I’m right back to old patterns. I worry about little aches and pains. I have multiple muscle cramps and wonder if this is somehow related to the sarcoidosis. I am basically committed to a conservative approach to this condition, no plans to begin treatment, assuming the CT shows no progression. Then I worry about inconsequential things. Is my tongue sensitively because of sarcoid. The muscle cramps, the bruise on my arm from the IV … is it too big? I’m almost lost.

Took the stent out yesterday. Went to the shower with Laura in the bedroom in case I passed out. So now I’m basically back to normal physically but I have changed morally and spiritually. I want the transformation that occurred last week to last.

Praise and Blessings Journal
“These past several weeks have confirmed that joy is a choice. We must pick joy over sorrow, anger and frustration throughout the day. Where the mind leads, the body will follow. I give ultimate praise to both of our parents. They were great examples. They always chose love, hope, faith and joy. May we be examples of finding and choosing joy through faith, hope and commitment.” – Laura

Praise and Blessings Journal
“Praise for sharing our experience with others, witnessing how amazing God has been in our lives these past several weeks, helps place this whole thing in perspective. Visiting our caregivers from last week to hand out thank you cards to express our gratitude, having the experience together to allow us to minister to others who are going through similar problems. We have a whole new ability to empathize.” – Mark

Mark’s Medical Journal
I can’t tell if my physical exhaustion is just let down from a month of worry, a week of real illness with the stone, statin-induced, a URI or something more. Perhaps the “sarcoid” is active or something a bit more. Presently, I don’t have the energy to worry. My run yesterday was a real struggle. Am I just out of shape or is it something more? The only way to tell is to just keep pressing onward. Dwelling on what could be doesn’t fix or solve anything. Put one foot in front of the other and see where we end up.

Praise and Blessings Journal
“I am so very tired. Tired beyond description, physically, emotionally, spiritually. I worry we missed something or that the sarcoid is more active than we felt. Then the devotions today – I don’t need to worry because God has this. Worry gets me nowhere. God is with us always. I’ve got work to do.” – Mark

“My heart hurts that I can’t take away your fear, or your physical, mental and spiritual exhaustion. You have tried to be all to all people. Feeling that you would be letting people down – and killing yourself in the process. Let me be the strong one for a while. As for lack of sleep, I’ve been training for this since the kids were born. You rest. As for the worrying, I’ve been training for that for years, too. The miracle is that I’m calm, because God has told me that He’s got this and I feel it in my very soul. Let me take away your worry for you. Emotionally, I’ve already had my meltdowns. They are not news to God. There is something lifted from my shoulders. When you are in a heap, confessing, ‘I have nothing left to give. I’m physically, mentally, and emotionally spent. I am broken and I can’t do it alone,’ you can feel the Holy Spirit inside and hear Him whisper. ‘You rest. I’ve got this.’ I find joy in knowing that when one of us is down, the other will carry them. Let me be there for you.” – Laura

“I have praises for this journal. Placing it on paper somehow sets it free. After my pity party yesterday, and despite a very busy day, I was reminded of God’s presence and love. Focusing on others helps me to stop worrying about myself. Brittany taught us that.” – Mark

Praise and Blessings Journal
“’Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers. For some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it.’ Hebrews 13:1-2

Think of all the angels we have entertained in the last month. The names blur but the memories of our interactions will never dull. Yes, I still have fear creep into my daily thoughts but I find incredible solace and comfort as I share our experience with others and I see God’s perfect love mirrored in their faces, reflecting directly back to us. I wouldn’t sign up for this to happen, but I wouldn’t give back a single minute.” – Mark

Mark’s Medical Journal
With all the acute “crises” at our backs, I am left to deal with the aftermath. While we still are not sure exactly what we will do as therapy, I personally prefer watchful waiting, assuming that we don’t uncover some other manifestation or progression of disease in the upcoming testing (eye exam, Pulmonary Function Test, 48h urine, repeat CT). Watchful waiting is much more challenging as doubt creeps into my thoughts often. Do I really have no symptoms? Has my running suffered because the sarcoid is indeed more than we thought? Is this really sarcoid? We simply must get back and work. Suppress the doubts, trust in God to work with us. I have so much to do before I go Home.

Mark’s Medical Journal
First weekend call since the crisis began. Can I live in God’s peaceful love and grace in the midst of the chaos? This is my task. My goal. It is easy to rest in God’s presence when we are on vacation and not stressed but a whole lot more challenging when our backs are against the wall. Open myself to the wonder.

Mark’s Medical Journal
PFTs are supra-normal. One more hurdle successfully crossed. If the eye exam is OK and repeat CT shows no progression or perhaps regression, my plan is for no treatment. This is the best of all possibilities. I find myself using this “Illness” as an excuse to back away from things I really didn’t want to do. I need to continue to try to free myself of things that are not as important to me or don’t help ne accomplish my life goals.

Praise and Blessings Journal
“Not every day can be a mountain top experience. Being back, it takes a bit more work to squelch the chaos and look for God’s still, small voice. I praise and am thankful for the mundane. Daily life and routine without the extreme highs and lows has a lot to offer. There is a certain peace and security in the mundane. I wouldn’t trade our life for anything.” – Mark

Mark’s Medical Journal
It is interesting how I longed for a name to my nemesis and now that we have one I find myself avoiding its use. I always qualify my answer “it’s probably sarcoidosis”. I can’t’ even bring myself to say it in an unqualified manner. While most of the studies have been normal to date, I am consumed with anxiety that perhaps my new knee pain is related. What about the hip pain and the heart palps that I have had for years? Could they be related to the sarcoid? In a certain sense, it would have been easier to have a diagnosis of cancer, a curable one, in that we would have a clearly defined treatment plan and end game. The nebulous nature of this diagnosis serves to create more questions than answers. Now I have to turn this uncertainty into a positive with my interactions with my own patients.

Mark’s Medical Journal
As I settle into a new reality with a label hanging around my neck, I have some difficulty truly grasping this new normal. I have always been healthy. I was the marathon man. I was invincible. Father Time was chasing me, but I still was able to do things people half my age couldn’t imagine. Now I must face my own mortality, truly for the first time. I’m not planning on dying any time soon but the label in and of itself has had a profound effect on me. I am mortal. There will be a time that my life will end, and just that realization changes things. We spend the majority of our lives never really thinking about such topics. When it occurs to others we are able to place distance between them and us. When it hits home with our own illness, even a minor scare, it is much harder to shake. It causes us to pause, reprioritize our life, find which is important and hold onto that for all that we are worth.

Mark’s Medical Journal
I’ve got these nagging issues that continue to keep my thoughts and anxieties on this illness. My palpitations that have been present for years seem to have increased in frequency. Or, am I just more aware? Sarcoid can affect the heart. Now I think I need an ECHO and ECG. I somehow thought that once we had a name to this thing that all would be fine. Turns out that’s not the case. Sometimes having medical knowledge is a curse. I have too much info and I entertain all the possibilities. Turns out ignorance is bliss. How do I move forward? I guess time and focusing on others rather than myself can go a long way to bring back the inner calm.

Praise and Blessings Journal
“Helping others really is the salve that soothes the wound. Yesterday I committed to be the light in others. Visiting the hospice patients in their homes, praying for Brittany. It is amazing what this does. My personal worries, anxieties and self-pity melt away, replaced by God’s love mirrored in others who have real need. My woes are petty in comparison. Love is meant to be shared with everyone we meet. I am uniquely positioned to share this love because of my profession, but, I must look beyond the obvious to find ways to share this love.” – Mark

What is sarcoidosis?
Sarcoidosis is an immune response to exposure to some poorly defined toxin and the body’s attempt to wall off the toxin. It can be aggressive and cause injury to multiple organ systems or can be completely benign.  

This post was written by Courtney Leach, digital/social media manager, Parkview Health.

I remember shortly after I started at Parkview, I heard the term “servant leader” for the first time. It was a title I wasn’t familiar with initially, but once I knew how it looked, felt, sounded, I started seeing it everywhere. Selfless souls walking around a universe with others at the center of it. It’s the people who stay without looking at a clock and hold someone’s hand when the hospital hallways fall silent and everyone else goes home. Once you know what to look for, you can’t miss their impact. Changing this place, changing the people in it.

Altruistic and soft spoken, Heather Cagnet, a community paramedic with the Parkview Mobile Integrated Health team, is one such soul, propelled forward by her shining servant’s heart. It only took me one shift with her to see it.

7:30 a.m.

I stood in the Emergency Room waiting area for just a few minutes before she came down the hall, prompt and polite. We shook hands and walked out to the ambulance bay where the Honda CRV wrapped in sharp Parkview green was waiting. Heather called dispatch on her phone – community paramedics don’t carry radios – while the car warmed up in the chilly shade and unseasonably cold April air.

As we pulled onto the road, it became clear that, while she was happy to oblige, having a copilot with a lot of questions isn’t something Heather’s used to. Nor is presenting, which she would be doing this morning for The Senior Health Committee, meeting at Parkview Hospital Randallia. The committee was assembled by the system’s care coordinators to fuel collaboration on Parkview’s offerings and opportunities for senior citizens in the area. Within the healthcare system, parties from population health, social workers, RNs and now community paramedics focus on treating individuals with chronic conditions so their disease won’t advance and they can stay home, rather than the hospital, when possible.

“The Mobile Integrated Health team came in to help with care and to put them in touch with the right resources,” Heather explained on the drive. “A lot of times Medicaid/Medicare won’t cover everything and these people end up in debt. We’re an entirely free service for those referred to us. A good deal of our patients are seniors, yes, but it could also be an expecting mother or even a child. We’ll help anyone the healthcare system believes needs us, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”

8 a.m.

We went to the lower level of Randallia where the meeting was just getting started. Along with Jeff Knee, another member of the Mobile Integrated Health team, representatives from the Center for Healthy Living, Seniors Clubs, Population Health, Trauma Services and Health and Well-being were at the table.

When it came time for Heather to present, she offered an overview of the community paramedicine initiatives. Although the program has been in place for a few years, and earning national attention, the team is still familiarizing others in the system with their role in patient care. It was Martha Bushman, RN, clinical supervisor, Population Health, who spoke up, “For example, we had a patient who just really wasn’t doing well. Finally, a community paramedic and one of our nurse practitioners went to his home and discovered he wasn’t taking his meds correctly. They kept him out of the hospital,” she said. “Really, we’re all just investigators trying to figure out how to keep people home when we can. We have a lot of patients who just need a little something, and that’s where this team is just so great.” Others in the room nodded.

“Absolutely. You know, there are times I’ll just go sit and talk to someone,” Jeff added. “because that’s what they need that day. If it makes them feel better, then that’s great.”

9 a.m.

We walked out toward the twin vehicles waiting in the parking lot, and Heather and Jeff chatted about the day ahead. Heather was anticipating a call or two from one of the five nursing homes in Allen County utilizing the community paramedics for any decline in a resident’s condition.

Jeff, a paramedic of almost 30 years, who covers Huntington, Whitley and Wabash counties, would head back to his home base at Parkview Huntington Hospital. As we spoke, it grew apparent that Jeff had established an approach to care that fit perfectly with the spirit of the smaller communities he serves; personal and accommodating.  

“I’ve met people in my car outside their home because they were self-conscious and didn’t want me to come in,” Jeff shared. “I’ve met them in restaurant parking lots, the hospital church chapel. I’ve run out to get special formula for babies and taken people to the bus stop and picked up prescriptions. I’ve done it all. I get them what they need or connect them with someone who can.”

It’s a testament to the personalization this program permits. In 2016, Dan Garman, former SVP of pre-hospital and Emergency Department services, who’s now retired, identified some potential for community outreach and in-home care for those with limited financial means. Initially, the initiative was focused on reducing instances of sepsis in nursing homes and “super users” in the Emergency Department. Over time, the day-to-day workflow has evolved quite a bit. Heather pointed out that no two community paramedicine programs are the same across the nation. In fact, they aren’t even the same in our healthcare system, as demonstrated by Jeff’s tailored approach.

“I also offer respite care,” he said. “A person’s health can deteriorate so rapidly when they’re focused on caring for a loved one. I tell them to get out, go get their hair done or just take a walk.”

The ability to help those in need was only part of the appeal for Jeff. He and others relished the chance to pioneer a new program. Heather included. As a mother with two young girls, the opportunity for regular hours and a little less stress was highly attractive, though she admits she sometimes misses the rush of her former 911 runs. “But something needed to change,” she said. “This is a great balance for me.”

Jeff, Heather and the other mobile integrated care team members – Gary Dyben, Chris Moehlenkanp, Toni Wyse and Betty Schroeder – all bring at least 14 and as many as 30 years of experience to the job. They work 7:30-7:30, 36 hours one week, 48 the next. Why is 24-hour access so important?

“We get a lot of social needs; people who are depressed, suicidal,” Heather said. “They call in the evening, when they hit a low. They want to talk it out a bit. Once you walk them through their medications and empathize with their situation, then they start to feel better.”

As for the workload, in many ways the team is still making strides to strike a balance in their services and communicate those efforts to the right touchpoints in the system. “You know, we’re not home health, but we can fill in if it’s taking someone some time to get their home health care set up or if they have an immediate need. It’s defining the best use case and then serving as a resource for the right patients.”

Currently, referrals come in through care coordinators, who identify if it’s a good fit. “If they would come to us, we’ll go to them. We do home safety assessments and see people in the nursing home with complications from a UTI, upper respiratory condition, pneumonia, etc.” The team typically gets around two calls to local nursing homes. “If a resident falls, we’ll go and examine them so they don’t have to come into the ER. It gives the family peace of mind. We also do additional home visits for cases as appropriate,” Heather explained.  

11 a.m.

Once back at PRMC, Heather checked the equipment before heading in. The backseat of the car is well organized with boxes of gloves, a sharps container, rolls of gauze and towels. The trunk holds an AED machine, scale, blood pressure cuff, a cardiac monitor, intubation equipment and plastic drawers, stocked with resources on financial assistance, medication cards, advanced care directives, smoking cessation and more.  

“How did you end up as a paramedic?” I asked, as we made our way up to the 8th floor.

“It was 100-percent God’s sense of humor. I was always super shy. I didn’t want to branch out. I wanted to work with deceased people, actually. But some things happened and I decided to take a basic EMT class. That turned into volunteering at the fire station, then advanced EMT then I decided to become a paramedic and go full time. Now I’m 14 years in and I love it. I never thought I would do something like this but I can’t imagine being anywhere else.”

“And the shyness?”

“It’s funny, I have no problem walking into a stranger’s house and talking to them, as long as the attention isn’t always on me,” she said. “I remember when Scott Yoder was training me, he told me, and I’m paraphrasing here, that if I could make a connection with the patient and I was doing what I could, all the clinical knowledge paled in comparison. If you can make them feel like they matter, that helps more than anything.”

Heather lit up talking about her humanitarian lifestyle. Her enthusiasm was confirmation of what I’d suspected since meeting her. She’s focused on one thing, exclusively, and that’s the well-being of others. Even as I prompted and prodded with questions, my subject was far more comfortable when I offered something about myself. When I asked her about her time at the fire station, she mentioned how wonderful it was to educate the children. When we spoke of her time with TRA (10 years) she spoke of the ability to do good for others. Her favorite type of call? Bee stings/anaphylactic shock. “It’s something I can fix, right then and there. Instantly.”

Timid though she may be, Heather was answering the call to serve. Her heart was leading her back to the work of healing day after day, person after person. Her unassuming draw and relatable character play well for such work.

1 p.m.

We walked down the hallway lined with pictures of Samaritan I and II, and turned right to go into the Mobile Integrated Health office. Heather took off the sizable backpack the team shares to check the equipment. The hands-free backpack comes in handy with no partner or cot, and includes more equipment than one might guess at first glance. It includes intubation equipment, a pulse ox monitor and, perhaps most impressive, an iStat machine that allows the team to administer bedside labs for immediate results. They can run two different sets of labs: 1) Lactic acid and blood gases. Lactic acid is a huge indicator of severe sepsis, which, as you might recall, is how this whole program started. 2) Chem 6 (also called Chem 8 or BMP), which shows sodium, potassium and electrolytes. This is an indicator of kidney function. The iStat machine is stored in a thick, protective black case. Heather opens it and checks the equipment and counts the testing kits.

Once the equipment is all squared away, Heather moves on to referrals. The team gets anywhere from 3-7 a day. They will triage the cases and then decide the best course of action, which usually begins with a call to the patient. “Typically if the situation seems complicated or someone sounds tired or like they’re struggling, or if they say something like, ‘I don’t know what to do anymore,’ we know we need to go see them. Environment plays a role, too, so it can be beneficial to see where they’re living.”

There were four calls on the docket this day. I could only hear her end of the conversation: “We wanted to see if there’s anything we can do for you.” “Do you have food, transportation, a safe place to stay?” she asked.“Yeah, it can really add up.” “It sounds like you have a positive attitude.” “Please call if you need us. Anytime.”

After the conversation, the community paramedics are added to the patient’s MyChart account so they can follow up that way if they prefer.

Between calls, Heather also explains a new innovative collaboration taking shape between Parkview Heart Institute and the Mobile Integrated Health team. Recently, the paramedics began seeing all heart bypass and valve replacement patients. They first go and meet them while they’re still in the hospital, which helps give them a baseline to gauge if the patient is getting better or worse.

“A lot of times, the patient gets home and realizes they didn’t understand what the doctor said or didn’t want to ask at the time,” she explained. “Some refuse home health. They might be from out of town and staying with family and not sure where things are. They can call us any time a day. We also go to their home and follow up for a few days or weeks following their release from the hospital. We listen for an irregular heartbeat or pleural effusion. If we can catch these things early they won’t have to go through readmission. If they hit a speed bump in the healing process, we’re there for extra help. We want to keep people in their home where they’re comfortable and can heal as often as possible.”

This is the type of world class teamwork Heather predicts will only become more common for the Mobile Integrated Health program in the future.

3 p.m.

As Heather reviews patient files and referrals, she often references a large binder brimming with resources. “Isn’t this great?” she asked. “The care coordinators started just before us and had a lot of great resources already pulled together. They were kind enough to share. There are so many people and so many resources. They just don’t always meet each other.”

Together with several other teams at Parkview, this group is working tirelessly every day to cross that bridge and introduce possible solutions to those health, social and financial dilemmas.

And, as I saw countless times throughout our day together, education is a huge part of this role. Heather gave several examples of this:

• The diabetic patient who was put on a new kind of insulin. A community paramedic came to his home the same day to walk through his new medication with him.
• The woman who called because her husband was having trouble navigating his new medications, but she didn’t want him to know she called. A community paramedic went out and directed questions to him and in a short period of time, had him all squared away. “The wife recently called back and now she has cancer,” Heather said, “so we’re helping her navigate that system.”
• The gentleman who needed injections before a procedure, so a paramedic sat with him and taught him how to do them.

And on and on and on the examples went.

The community paramedicine program isn’t just about fixing the immediate problem, though that plays a part. It’s about facilitating long-term solutions and empowering patients to manage their health care. “Everyone on this team’s heart is in the right place. They care so much about the patients. And each has their own style for care. Different strengths. Betty’s good with data, Chris is good with policies and procedures. It works really well.”  

4 p.m.

One of recurring themes of the day was time. The community paramedics feel privileged to have more time to spend with each patient than a typical clinician. That time might be spent giving them an exam, going over their condition in depth, reviewing medications or just listening. The minutes might seem obsolete to some, but there beyond precious to those in need of an empathetic ear and a thoughtful caregiver.

Often if a patient is still admitted when the referral comes in, someone from the team will go down for an initial introduction. At 4:15 we took materials down to a patient in the Admission Staging Unit (ASU). He was in pain, curled up and constantly twitching. As he spoke, I could hardly make out his words, though I felt every syllable from his desperate tone. He was facing his mortality, though no official diagnosis had been offered at that time. He felt something looming. He was staring regret in the face and frantically grasping at grace. Heather stood, her servant heart wide open, and kept her eyes on his. “Sometimes it’s harder to forgive ourselves,” she offered, providing the medicine he truly needed in that moment … compassion. He exhaled and closed his eyes, resting them only for one peaceful beat, before continuing his plea to her. After some time, Heather placed the resources on his side table and touched his hand. “I’m going to let you rest now, OK?” she said. And because of her, for possibly for the first time in a long time, he truly could.

When a call light blinks, when a hand needs held, when the situation demands a particular type of compassion, our nurses are there. Millions of people come through the doors of our healthcare system every year, seeking care and healing. One by one, our dedicated team of men and women mend what hurts; both the pain they can see and the pain which they can’t. They listen and console and restore what’s broken.

Nursing is not a profession, it’s a call to serve. This week and every day we celebrate those who’ve devoted their lives to this selfless work.
 

I am a nurse.

How do I measure my impact? I can tell you the times that I know I have saved a life. I can tell you the room number, the location, the circumstances. That’s easy, because those are the big moments I can never forget, even if I tried. I know when I have saved a life, but how do I know when I have changed one?

As nurses, time and experience shape us. At some point, we begin to believe that we are life-changers only through the profound moments – the big moments. I would argue that no moment needs our presence any less than another. Our paths crossing with the people we serve is no mistake, no coincidence. Every moment is perfectly orchestrated and predetermined to shape us, and for us to shape others.

As we look back over a career of these connections, both profound and ordinary, we can see clearly the path we have taken in becoming who we are today. Like a constellation, we find our way again the moment we identify it.

There are no mistakes. We were made to change lives with every connection we make. With every new day, we are molded by the connections of yesterday, and we should be inspired by the connections we know we will make tomorrow. We are life-changers. In every moment.

How can I think of doing anything else? How can I think of being anything else? I am a life-changer. I am a nurse.
 

Happy Nurses Week to the thousands of Parkview nurses who are called to change lives, one moment at a time.

“Maybe this one moment, with this one person, is the very reason we’re here on Earth at this time.”  ­– Jean Watson

Mothers certainly know how to nurture. They have a calming sway … a healing touch … a soothing voice that they’ve refined over countless boo boos and late night emergencies. There’s just something about a mother’s touch. This, combined with countless other skills and experiences make these individuals exceptional caregivers. And when passionate caregivers connect with members of the community, amazing things can happen.

This plays out within the Parkview Health system in team members like Sheri Waite and Stephanie Bourounis, a mother and daughter who partner to teach new parents and grandparents about safe care for newborns. Both respected and skilled in their own rights, the women come together beautifully to support others entering a sweet new phase of life. In celebration of Mother’s Day, enjoy this Q&A with these warm, encouraging People of Parkview.

Sheri Waite, International Certified Child Birth Educator (ICCE) and PCT

Stephanie Bourounis, RN

Sheri:  I started at Parkview in 1988 as a house orderly. I helped open the New Life Center in 1989 as a UA. I became certified as a child birth educator within a few years, and have been teaching childbirth education and grandparenting classes for 25 years for Parkview Health. For the last 5 years I have been at the Parkview Ortho Hospital as a PCT. 

Stephanie: I was a PCT throughout nursing school. In 2009, I worked in the coronary/medical ICU at Parkview Hospital Randallia. In May 2010 I started as an RN in Labor and Delivery at Parkview Regional Medical Center and eventually began teaching childbirth classes.

Sheri: I spend my day with orthopedic patients and expectant mothers or grandparents-to-be. I love working with the patients and their families, and with a wonderful group of co-workers at the Ortho Hospital and in the Family Birthing Center.

Stephanie:Always busy! I get the kids up and ready for school, drive them to school, help out with our family businesses – Cosmos House of Pancakes and Graber Roofing  – pick up the kids from school, make dinner, help with homework, play outside and then off to bed.

Sheri: Everyone says that we sound alike and that we "look like sisters".  I love teaching Grandparents Class with her; we complement each other perfectly.

Stephanie: I love it! Someone always recognizes me through her. People love that we work together. I think it’s something fun and unique for our patients to see a mother/daughter team working together in the family birthing area.

Sheri: She was fun, entertaining and never a dull moment!

Stephanie:She was amazing! Super dependable; She studied with us all the time, made us dinner every night, had us eat as a family, took us to church every week, worked to send us to private schools. She’s an awesome grandma, too!

Sheri: She had a prayer corner that she created in the corner of her playroom. She would also share her play time with her sister, even if she didn't want to participate in that particular activity.

Sheri:I love working with new moms and sharing all of my experiences as a mother, good and bad. 

Stephanie:  It really means a lot to me. It’s super rewarding. I find it to be one of the most positive and happy areas to work on the hospital.

Sheri:We enjoy family dinners and going to Parkview Park and the zoo with my grandkids.  We also enjoy shopping and baking together.

Stephanie:Playing with my children and going out to eat at new restaurants.

Sheri:It is watching my daughters’ careers grow as a teacher and a Registered Nurse, following in my footsteps in teaching others and caring for others in the medical field.

Stephanie: Being able to nurse my son for his entire first year of life even after a disease I had as a child left me wondering if I could have children, let alone be able to nurse them.

Sheri: The Bible, it has been a lifeline for me through difficult times, especially during Stephanie's cancer journey.

Stephanie: The Bible

Sheri:  “Good Night Moon”. I read this book to my daughters all of the time when they were children.

Stephanie: “Love You Forever”

Sheri:I would love to go to Napa Valley's wine country, as soon as possible!

Stephanie: I would love to take a winter vacation and go skiing! 

Sheri:We will have dinner at my house, or my daughter's lake cottage, with my family.

Stephanie:  I plan to be up at our lake cottage planting flowers and playing with my children. Then I will meet up with my mom, dad and sister for a nice BBQ at my house.

Kende Hare, paramedic, Parkview Huntington Hospital, Brittany Bard, paramedic, EMS training coordinator, DeKalb Health EMS, Dan O’Shaughnessy, education coordinator, Three Rivers Ambulance Authority (TRAA), Alex Honigford, RN, paramedic, Parkview Samaritan, Tyler Treesh, EMS Chief, paramedic, firefighter, Huntertown Fire Department and Kat Dunkel-Carr, paramedic, Steuben County sat down with Katie Law, Digital Communications Specialist, for a special National EMS Week discussion on the challenges, rewards and collaboration that make this field so outstanding.

In this first installment, we explore teamwork, how consistency and a standard protocol benefit the patient, the passion for positive patient outcomes, making a difference, and more.

Don't miss Pt. 2 of this conversation, coming later this week!