|
Earlier this summer, Martha Eliot Health Center (MEHC) held its annual Summer Safety Fair in an effort to educate children, families and community residents on how to prevent injuries as well as how to properly handle emergency situations.
With key support from the Office of Child Advocacy, Children’s Hospital Primary Care Center and Injury Prevention, Children’s staff disseminated safety awareness information while having fun with community residents during a beautiful sunny afternoon.
It seems early to think of the winter holidays, but it’s time to start preparing for the Season of Hope event and Children’s annual recipe challenge. Start thinking of a healthful recipe you’d like to submit: It should be your own or something you’ve adapted. Winners will be awarded prizes at the Season of Hope Event on December 7. Watch the intranet and the next issue of Children’s News for details.
Maolis Lugo, a senior at Boston International High School, learned first-hand about a cystometrogram test, which measures how much your bladder can hold. Emily Regan, a junior at Milton High School, observed a lumbar puncture, a procedure to collect and evaluate the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Robert Mershimer, a senior at Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School, found how to weigh patients and take vital signs from the Emergency Department nurses.
These high school and college students from across Massachusetts, along with eight other interns, recently completed the six-week Student Career Opportunity Outreach Program (SCOOP)óa summer internship designed by Children’s nurses to introduce young people to nursing and health career opportunities. SCOOP is one of Children’s nursing initiatives to address the nursing shortage crisis.
According to Eva Gómez, RN, MSN, staff development specialist and SCOOP program coordinator, the program’s goals are to educate and inspire young people to enter the health care field. The program exposes high school juniors, seniors and college students who have an interest in the field to the various areas of the hospital. Since the program started in 2004, many interns have chosen a career path nursing and are enrolled in nursing programs.
"SCOOP gives each intern an opportunity to experience life at Children’s and the chance to consider a wide rage of opportunities in health care," she says. "For some, it confirms their passion for nursing. SCOOP teaches students about the importance of teamwork, taking initiative and becoming a leader in their work environment. We’re incredibly proud of our program and our interns."
During the program, SCOOP interns, dressed in dark green colored scrubs, shadowed doctors and nurses, and provided hands-on assistance, under the supervision of Children’s staff. They were also responsible for designing and managing a special project within their department to benefit patients. During a recent SCOOP celebration in Byers A&B, students presented a recap of their experiences and special project in front of their nurse mentors and family members.
For her project, Amanda Iwunze, a sophomore at Wheaton College, made certificates of achievements for patients when they were discharged from the Bone Marrow Transplant unit. "I feel as though I already have the heart and compassion to become a nurse, but SCOOP has given me the opportunity to learn the skills that are required to actually become one," she says.
Her outer beauty is obvious, but Alicia Zitka, Miss Massachusetts 2008, showed her inner beauty by visiting Children’s this summer. Zitka spent time with patients and gave them each a princess wand and tiara, or crown and badge. She dubbed them "princesses and heroes in the hospital."
Zitka’s visit was made possible through the Children’s Miracle Network (CMN), which has a nearly 20-year history with the Miss America Organization. CMN also has a long history with Walmart and Sam’s Club. They’ve worked together for 22 years to raise funds for CMN’s 170 affiliated pediatric hospitals, including Children’s.
Through customer donations at check-out and in-store fundraisers such as pot luck lunches and bake sales, associates from 63 local Walmart and Sam’s Club locations raised $269,796 over six weeks, for Children’s. That figure surpassed last year’s total of $238,000, raised during an eight-week campaign.
Pulsating sounds of Latin-American rhythms reverberated throughout the Patient Entertainment Center (PEC), Canobie Lake Park and Fenway Park, during the Trust-led Milagros para NiŅos, a three-day fundraiser.
Milagros para NiŅos (Miracles for Children) is Children’s first-ever Latino fundraiser in support of Children’s patient care and research for our increasingly diverse patient population. The event was made possible by partners Power 800 Radio, Univision Television, El Mundo newspaper and Canobie Lake Park.
The fun began with a two-day radiothon as Power 800 Radio broadcast live from the PEC. Latino patient families and staff inspired listeners through on-air interviews. Dozens of Spanish-speaking volunteers, including Children’s staff, answered phones. Then, the broadcast moved to Canobie Lake Park for Children’s Hospital Boston Day, where a portion of ticket proceeds supported Children’s.
The celebration capped off Sunday at the Comcast Latino Family Festival at Fenway Park, where Children’s served as charitable partner. Hosted by El Mundo newspaper and the Boston Red Sox, the festival drew thousands who enjoyed musical performances by local musicians and salsa legend Victor Manuelle. Boston Mayor Thomas Menino attended to show his support for Milagros para NiŅos, a first-of-its-kind initiative among New England hospitals.
You can help make milagros possible for kids battling disease. Visit childrenshospital.org/milagros. And look for more information this fall when we launch our Latino telethon with Univision.
Congratulations to Children’s Blood Donor of the Month for September, Michael Kelly. In the 1970’s, Berkeley’s oldest son was treated at the Jimmy Fund and Children’s Hospital Boston for rhabdomyosarcoma, which is a cancerous tumor that originates in the soft tissues of the body. Not long after, her second oldest son lost his leg to bone cancer, causing him to spend 190 nights at Children’s. In 1981, after her son’s surgery, Berkeley decided she wanted to give back ń and donating blood seemed like a perfect opportunity: "It’s an awe-inspiring thing to do," she says.
Years later, Berkeley’s second eldest son and granddaughter were in a car accident that caused her son to lose his life, and her granddaughter to be rushed to Children’s. She had broken several limbs and needed exceptional pediatric care. Robin Willis, a former staff member of the Blood Donor Center recalls how strong Berkeley was during this ordeal, "holding it all together for her granddaughter." This accident reinforced the special tie Berkeley feels with Children’s.
Berkeley feels that donating blood is her way of giving life back and showing her gratitude. She also believes that donating blood is "hereditary"; her grandmother was a blood donor for years after her son was injured in the Marine Corps. Today Berkeley has donated 115 pints of blood for the patients at Children’s. "I continue to donate because I can help other kids with just a little blood donation," she says.
| 
