FALL 2012
5
Abound @ UMMC When the Cure Comes with a Price
Excerpt From a Letter Written by Tonja Marell-Bell, MSN, RN
Jacob Schwaab wears a medal given to him by Deborah Hicks, a UMMC nurse and marathon runner, when he was a patient at the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Clinic. When running, Hicks often wears a cap that Jacob gave her, with the words, “Cancer Fears Me.”
There is a young lady who is a nurse in the Supplemental Staffing Department — Deborah Hicks, BA, RN. She is a marathon runner and she found an organization that gives marathon and half-marathon medals to critically ill patients — especially children. In the past, she has given her own medals away to various family members but she wanted to do something special for the children at UMMS. I got her connected with our Child Life Department and on Tuesday, November 8, 2011, she will meet with Becky Halagarda, Child Life Specialist, to present the children in the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Clinic with medals. She is giving away some of her own personal medals and she has also collected medals from other runners to give to the children. In total, she has over 25 medals to present to the children on Tuesday. I think this is a wonderful gesture and a great story.
Deborah Hicks, BA, RN, with her children, Zoey and Dylan
Tonja D. Marell-Bell, MSN, RN Nurse Manager, Supplemental Staffing
Excerpts From Letter Written by the Davis Family On September 3, at our family reunion, the matriarch of our family, Rita Davis (age 76), fell off a zip line head first onto the ground below. She was unconscious and was having difficulty breathing. The state police flew her to your facility. The nurse who cared for her, Blake Smyle, was phenomenal. She was efficient, professional, compassionate and focused. Her demeanor made a very worrisome situation almost easy for Mom and much less fretful for the rest of us. The rest of Mom’s care was just as good. Those who stood out were the X-ray girl (radiographer Kelly Sturman), the orthopaedic team (Dr. Sciadini, Ellyn Tennyson and Alicia Williams), Dr. Agnant and Dr. Fang. The “Boss” (Dr. Scalea) of the unit stopped by to check on Mom and spent a short time with her showing genuine concern. Thank you so much for providing such excellent care for us and for the whole state of Maryland. You are a blessing to so many. The Great Stories event this summer was doubly meaningful for Jim Brown (above, left). He is the uncle, by marriage, of the patient, Rita Davis, and was at the family reunion when she was injured. And he is the grandfather of Blake Smyle, MSN, RN, CEN (above), who was one of the nurses who cared for Davis at the Shock Trauma Center.
With Gratitude, The Davis Family Caring for Rita were Joanne Agnant, MD
Blake Smyle, RN
Raymond Fang, MD
Kelly Sturman, RT (R)
Thomas Scalea, MD, Physician-in-Chief,
Ellyn Tennyson, CRNP
R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center
Alicia Williams, CRNP
Marcus Sciadini, MD
August employee of the month
September employee of the month
As a quality assurance specialist in the Laboratories of Pathology, Ashley Hurst, MT (ASCP), CHT (ABHI), works with health professionals throughout the hospital to continually refine the laboratories’ performance in providing patient care. “Ashley has the ability to work in collaboration with others and to come to a consensus with any and all departments within the Medical Center,” says John Rooker, the department’s administrative director. “Her communication skills are exceptional. She is highly organized, and she uses common sense and genuine care for patient outcomes in order to identify problems and seek solutions.”
People suffering from dental problems are often in pain, so Trina Dickey, scheduling and preauthorization coordinator in the Oral Maxillofacial Clinic, does everything she can to make them feel comfortable when they come in for a procedure. “Trina is the first one to interact with our patients; she understands them, relates to them, understands their needs and helps them through the process,” says Nichole Strong, MBA, senior operations manager for the Department of Ambulatory Services. “She has a knack for being observant and picking up on when someone is in need. She’s an extremely valuable team player who helps keep up the morale of the department.”
Ashley Hurst, MT (ASCP), CHT (ABHI)
Quality Assurance Specialist Laboratories of Pathology
Trina Dickey
Scheduling and Preauthorization Coordinator Department of Ambulatory Services, Oral Maxillofacial Clinic
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