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Physician Assistants week
When Sue Fernandes, PA, first joined Children's Hospital Boston as a physician assistant (PA) 13 years ago, she was one of the very few. Now, around two dozen PAs work in a wide range of departments, such as Otolaryngology, Orthopedics, Sports Medicine, Cardiology, Plastic Surgery and Research. PAs work with the supervision of physicians to perform history and physical exams, order and interpret tests, diagnose and treat illnesses, counsel on preventive health care, assist in surgery and write prescriptions. Fernandes says there's been a move to hire more advanced practice clinicians over the past 10 years, which include PAs and nurse practitioners, to work throughout the hospital.
Disty Pearson, a PA for the past 27 years, joined Fernandes in the Children's Cardiovascular Program 10 years ago. Pearson worked on legislation establishing PAs in Massachusetts back in the 1980s. "Children's is a wonderful place to be a PA," she says. "The acceptance across the board by physicians, nursing, support staff and most importantly, patients, has been overwhelmingly positive."
"We have a close working relationship with physicians," says Fernandes. "It's really collaborative." She adds that PAs allow physicians to have more time to spend on more acute services. Brenda Cooney, PA, was hired in July as the first PA in Cardiac Surgery at Children's. "Everyone's been really welcoming and accommodating," says Cooney, who has been a PA for 13 years. She says that in her experience, PAs can work well in all branches of medicine. Like nurse practitioners and other mid-level clinicians, she says, PAs are especially good at spending time with patients and bridging the gap between patients and families.
Chief of Otolaryngology, Gerald Healy, MD, agrees. "Physician assistants have proven to be a major asset to the care our patients," he says. "Their commitment to patients and families, as well as their professional attitude, has been a major addition to our program. I am not sure how we existed without their capable contributions to the care team." |
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New Balance donates $1 million
The New Balance Foundation aims to reduce childhood obesity in Boston with a $1 million grant to support Children's Optimal Weight for Life (OWL) program. Led by David Ludwig, MD, PhD, OWL is one of the largest pediatric obesity programs in the United States. The grant will be given over three years and will expand the program's clinical research and support OWL's services that aren't covered by insurance, including behavioral/mental health care, case management, child/parent education, community resources and ongoing nutrition and physical fitness guidance. |
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World Series trophy photo gallery
On Wednesday, Sept. 10th the Boston Red Sox brought the 2004 and 2007 World Series trophies to Children's. Employees enjoyed Brigham's ice cream, and over 700 people had their photos taken with the trophies.
To find your photo, please browse through the galleries below.
World Series Gallery 1
1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
World Series Gallery 2
2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
World Series Gallery 3
3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. |
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| Click here to view a slideshow of the MA-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team in Louisiana. |
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Braving the storm
In late August, while hordes of people in Louisiana were hastily evacuating due to Hurricane Gustav, Eric Fleegler, MD, Division of Emergency Medicine, and Shannon Manzi, ED clinical pharmacist, were heading there with the volunteer group MA-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT). DMAT teams are groups of professional and para-professional medical personnel who are deployed to provide rapid-response medical care during a disaster.
This was Fleegler's first deployment. "It's really intense," Fleegler says. "We were notified we would be deployed the next day and had to just get it together."
Once they got to their location—a track and field gymnasium at Louisiana State University—they set up a 500-bed medical shelter and attempted to prepare for all medical scenarios. "You never know what kinds of patients you're going to see," Fleegler says.
The hurricane hit on Monday. On Sunday, 150 evacuees arrived by helicopter and bus, primarily from New Orleans. "It was the first time I'd ever off-loaded a helicopter while it was running," says Manzi. Many of the patients were from nursing homes and needed full-time assistance. Some patients came with only one day's clothing, or without their needed medications. The building was on lockdown during the storm. "You just kind of stayed put," says Fleegler, who could hear the hurricane raging outside the gym.
According to Fleegler, patients were calm and appreciative. "I never heard anyone complain," he says. Manzi says she had a hard time saying goodbye to some of the patients, after being in such close quarters. "There's attachment," she says. With long hours and unexpected deployments, the work is not for everyone, but Manzi loves it. "It's unbelievably rewarding," she says. |
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Gift from the heart
Every year, on the anniversary of their son Ryan's heart surgery, the Kelly family returns to Children's Cardiology Intensive Care Unit. As a token of their appreciation of Ryan's care and treatment, the family donates several suitcases full of books, CDs, audio and puzzle books, which they presented this year to Emily Margolis, Child Life specialist. |
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