BIDMC News and Notes
12/29/2008 (2:16:03pm)Tags: Iraq baby Freedom CallsComments: (0)
Yashira Paredes was hoping her husband Edwin would see the birth of their first child. But with Edwin stationed 8,000 miles away at a military base in Iraq it seemed unlikely.
That's when Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center offered it's technical support to make it happen.
The day after Christmas as 20-year-old Yashira was in labor, the media services department at Beth Israel Deaconess, assisted by the non-profit Freedom Calls, established a live connection via the internet to Taqaddum, Iraq. It was the first time the two had seen each other since Edwin, a Marine Lance Corporal, left for duty in August.
For six hours, Edwin talked to his wife as she went through the birthing process.
"Are you ready?," Yashira asked her husband as the contractions got closer.
"The question is, are YOU ready," he joked.
Just before 5a.m. on Dec. 27, Mia Victoria Paredes made her way into the world-- 7 pounds, 11 ounces with a full compliment of black hair.
"I was so happy Edwin was able to be there." said Yashira, who lives in Medford. The two were high school sweethearts in East Boston.
They've been married for two years. "It was just like having him in the room with me."
Media coverage of the story here, here, here and here.
12/23/2008 (3:20:34pm)Tags: Beth israel Deaconess-Needham medical suppliesComments: (0)
He's pre-med at Vassar, and a former volunteer at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Needham.
NewsCenter 5's Liz Brunner reports Ben Crawford and classmate Jacquie Law are busy packing donated medical supplies to take to Uganda, a medical mission with help from his community.
Check it out here.
12/17/2008 (1:47:19pm)Tags: transparency Paul LevyComments: (0)
BIDMC President and CEO Paul Levy had a conversation with WBUR-FM's Robin Young on Here and Now today.
It's been a year since BIDMC announced a plan to eliminate preventable medical errors within four years.
One of the ways it's being done is by talking about those mistakes on his blog and with the media.
Levy says transparency will help control costs, but critics say the information will only upset patients.
Listen here.
12/16/2008 (10:25:53am)Tags: workforce development Comments: (0)
For Marie Bruno, Biomedical Research Associate, being named a 2008 Chayet Scholarship recipient is helping her on a path to achieving a family milestone.
"I will be the first person in my family to finish college," Bruno told the crowd of recipients and guests gathered in the Rabkin Board Room.
The event was a family affair for another woman in the room. Eleanor Chayet, whose husband created the Chayet Scholarship in October 1983 in honor of the care his father received at BIDMC, marveled at the award's 25th anniversary. During the ceremony, she was presented with a plaque, marking her family's commitment to supporting the educational pursuits of BIDMC staff.
"This is very meaningful to me," Chayet said. "This is one of the highlights of my year. I look forward to receiving your letters and learning more about you."
The Chayet Scholarship is the only opportunity at BIDMC open to anyone who works at the medical center, according to Eric Buehrens, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Any employee seeking to advance their skills in a way that will improve care at the medical center is eligible to apply each fall. "We're a major employer and heath care is a major industry in Boston," Buehrens said. "This scholarship is a way to build better employees and provide better care."
Making the scholarship available to all staff is extremely important to Chayet, who is a retired nurse. "It's open to anyone because it takes everyone to make a medical center," Chayet said. "It's not just the nurses and doctors. This scholarship is good for the hospital because it means that everyone is appreciated and that everyone is important."
One by one, each of this year's 22 recipients stood and explained how the scholarship was enabling them to pursue a degree at a local college or university. Will Decaneas, a business operations administrator in research and academic affairs, is using funds from the scholarship to earn a master's degree in management from the Harvard University Extension School.
"During these economic times, making a commitment to school is difficult," Decaneas said. "Our mission at BIDMC is to care for patients and the Chayet Scholarship and BIDMC are also showing that they care for staff and their education. We're creating a community of care."
"This was an exciting year since we had over double as many applicants as we did last year and this year we were able to award 22 employees varying scholarship amounts up to $1,500," said Emily Beck, the program administrator in workforce development. "We look forward to many more enthusiastic and interested applicants who are looking to further their education and in turn give back to BIDMC."
Bruno will receive her associate's degree in June from Roxbury Community College, allowing her to enroll as a junior at UMASS-Boston in September. She hopes to eventually earn a bachelor's degree in nursing.
"As a nurse, I will touch people's lives like the Chayet Scholarship has touched mine when I needed support," Bruno said.
12/11/2008 (2:08:30pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
Manuel Gomes' check ups at Bowdoin Street Health Center just become a little easier. Instead of struggling to climb up onto the exam table, the 74-year-old now sits down and awaits a boost from his physician.
With the press of a foot peddle, Jean Alves, MD, is able to lift Gomes in place. The electronic exam table he uses was purchased with the proceeds from the Red Sox American League Division Series raffle held at BIDMC in October. The raffle raised $8,045.
"It's cumbersome for elderly patients to get onto the table," Alves said. "The electronic exam table scoops patients up and then lowers them back down."
This is the only electronic exam table at Bowdoin Street Health Center. Raffle sales for tickets to the American League Championship Series raised $6,750 for the Red Sox Nursing Scholarship. When the Red Sox made it to the World Series in 2007, raffle ticket proceeds topped $50,000 and went to support professional advancement for Medical Technologists, the Red Sox Nursing Scholarship and the Bowdoin Street Health Center patient services van fund.
12/5/2008 (2:34:09pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
"You need a lot of focus," said 11-year-old Roosemdy Saint-Fort as he practiced removing a computerized piece of tissue in the Carl J. Shapiro Simulation and Skills Lab.
Saint-Fort was one of two dozen members of the 2008 Red Sox Scholars program who toured BIDMC, visiting the skills lab and the NICU. The program, launched in 2003 and funded by the Red Sox Foundation, rewards 25 academically talented, but economically disadvantaged Boston Public School fifth graders with $10,000 college scholarships. BIDMC has been the proud "presenting sponsor" of the program with staff serving as Medical Champions. The students were inducted over the summer. Now sixth graders, they came from middle schools all around the city to tour the medical center.
In the skills lab, the students learned how medical students and residents practice procedures using computer programs and robots, honing their skills for surgery on actual patients. Alex Derevianko, MD, MA, Simulation and Skills Training Specialist, and Darren Tavernelli, RN, showed the scholars the operating room robot with 32 motors allowing it to exhibit symptoms of a variety of diseases.
"It's like a quiz for doctors," Phinix Knight-Jacks, 11, said.
Over in the NICU, the students learned about the hospital's tiniest and youngest patients with a tour led by DeWayne Pursley, MD, Chief, Neonatology. The scholars peeked in on three sets of twins and one set of triplets, learning that three factors determine when a baby will be discharged.
"They have to be able to eat, breath and maintain their temperature," Shadiyah Joseph, 11, said. "I also learned that ribs protect the lungs and heart."
For Saint-Fort, the tour gave him a sneak preview into a profession he hopes to someday pursue. "This is awesome - better than I thought," he said. "I want to be either a physician or a scientist."
12/4/2008 (2:22:47pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
Boston Magazine has published its annual "Tops Docs" issue, which includes more than 35 BIDMC physicians (see list and speciality below). Click here to search the magazine's full Top Doctors list .
Allergy and Inflammation: Javed Sheikh
CardioVascular Institute: Mark Josephson; Warren J. Manning; Roger Laham
Cancer: Michael Atkins; Glenn J. Bubley; Steven Come; Lowell Schnipper; Marc B. Garnick; Bruce Dezube; Jerome Groopman
Dermatology: Jeffrey Dover
Endocrinology/Diabetes: Martin Abrahamson; Richard Beaser; Alan Jacobson (primary affiliation is Joslin); Barbara Kahn
Gastroenterology: Adam Cheifetz
Gerontology: Lewis Lipsitz
Neurology: Louis Caplan; Daniel Tarsy
Neuroradiology: David Hackney
Ophthalmology: Peter A. D. Rubin
Orthopedics: Mark Gebhardt
Pathology: James Connolly; Stuart Schnitt
Pulmonology: Armin Ernst
Radiation Oncology: Irving Kaplan; Abram Recht
Rheumatology: George Tsokos
Sports Medicine: Lyle Micheli (primary affiliation is Children's)
Colon and Rectal Surgery: Deborah A. Nagle
Cardiac Surgery: Frank Sellke
Plastic Surgery: Sumner Slavin
Thoracic Surgery: Malcolm DeCamp
Urological Surgery: Abraham Morgentaler; Martin Sanda
12/3/2008 (9:28:38am)Tags: noneComments: (0)
BIDMC's Holiday Lights gift-giving program helps needy children and families enjoy the holidays by providing presents and grocery store gift certificates. Caregivers from Bowdoin Street Health Center identify families in need, and work with each family to develop a gift "wish list."
"Every little bit helps, especially in this economy," said Lakesha Allen, who together with her three children, Lajuan, 12; Anthony, 6; and KeMani, 81/2 months, have been sponsored by BIDMC staff this year. "I know that this year it's really going to help my kids a lot because it's hard out there."
Last year, BIDMC employees and board members provided gifts to nearly 200 families. This year, the number of families requesting assistance has grown to 275. Families range in size from two to 11, so there are easily more than 1,000 participants, said Carmen Mejia, an administrative associate at Bowdoin Street Health Center who is organizing this year's drive.
"This year's economy is a lot tougher," said Mejia. "We're lucky we still have so many people willing to sponsor. The families really appreciate it too - you can see it in their faces when they come in to pick up the gifts."
The Allen family has been coming to Bowdoin Street since 2005, and has found the services especially helpful since little KeMani was born with serious heart and bronchial problems requiring hospitalization three times. "This place really is a Godsend," said Lakesha, who praised the many staff she and her sons have come in contact with, including primary care doctors, nurses, family advocates and front desk staff.
Asked what he likes best about Bowdoin Street, Lajuan thinks for a moment and smiles before saying, "I love the cooking classes. I learned to make tacos!" In addition to services what you might expect to find at most health care centers, Bowdoin Street offers many additional programs for families and children, including nutritional cooking classes.
Despite a great initial response from BIDMC staff, there are still more than 50 families in need of sponsors, said Mejia.
"This is an excellent group activity for departments and is greatly appreciated by our patients," said Bowdoin Street Director Adela Margules. "Given the economic challenges many families face including increased heating costs, concerns about housing costs, and continuing high unemployment rates in our health center neighborhoods, your contribution this year is more important than ever."
If you are interested in purchasing "wish-list" gifts for health center patients, please contact Mejia for instructions on being matched with a family. She can be reached directly at (617) 754-0097, or via e-mail at cmejia@bidmc.harvard.edu).
12/2/2008 (2:15:15pm)Tags: noneComments: (0)
Whether it's the dedicated staff, the convenience of big city care in the suburbs, the many philanthropic events or the free parking, Beth Israel Deaconess HealthCare-Lexington is thriving and celebrating 15 years since opening its doors in 1993.
"We're a family," says Beatrice Ford, Director of Operations. "Having the Beth Israel Deaconess name is a big draw. It's brand recognition, first and foremost, and being in the suburbs makes it convenient for the people who live in Lexington and the surrounding area. But it's also our wonderful staff."
Through its affiliations with BIDMC and Children's Hospital Boston, Lexington offers a wide range of adult and pediatric services. From primary care to radiology to obstetrics and gynecology, the facility provides outstanding outpatient care for people living north and west of the city.
In addition to offering top notch care, the staff of BID HealthCare-Lexington have made giving back to the community a priority. From yard sales benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation to the annual November canned good drive for a food pantry in Bedford to the Giving Tree in December for a local domestic violence shelter, Lexington's staff take the word "community" in community health care to the next level.
"The Giving Tree is part of our culture," Ford says. "The cards listing what items are needed are gone within a couple of days."
Naturally, celebrating the 15th anniversary is also a community affair. On Oct. 3, the community was invited to mark this special milestone with a giant blue and white cake and a stroll through a photographic timeline of the facility. At the end of October, the annual pumpkin contest featured a 15 years of Disney movies theme. Each department created its own version of a Disney classic and the community, especially the local children, voted on the winner. Lilo and Stitch from the Pediatrics Department was this year's winner of a free breakfast.
"It's become a great thing for Lexington and Bedford that we are here," says Diane Hartwell who made a career change 13 years ago switching from working at a day care and waitressing for a job in Lexington's cafeteria. She then began filing paperwork for several departments before landing a position as the practice assistant in Adult Specialties. "Our ties to the community have grown."
11/26/2008 (10:05:46am)Tags: noneComments: (0)
We make choices throughout our lives - where we want to live, what types of activities will fill our days, with whom we spend our time. These choices are often a balance between our desires and our means, but at the end of the day, they are decisions made with intent. But when it comes to how we want to be treated at the end our lives, often we don't express our intent or tell our loved ones about it.
This has real consequences. 73% of Americans would prefer to die at home, but up to 50% die in hospital. More than 80% of Californians say their loved ones "know exactly" or have a "good idea" of what their wishes would be if they were in a persistent coma, but only 50% say they've talked to them about their preferences.
But our end of life experiences are about a lot more than statistics. They're about all of us. So the first thing we need to do is start talking.
Engage With Grace: The One Slide Project was designed with one simple goal: to help get the conversation about end of life experience started. The idea is simple: Create a tool to help get people talking. One Slide, with just five questions on it. Five questions designed to help get us talking with each other, with our loved ones, about our preferences. And we're asking people to share this One Slide - wherever and whenever they can...at a presentation, at dinner, at their book club. Just One Slide, just five questions.
Lets start a global discussion that, until now, most of us haven't had.
Here is what we are asking you: Download The One Slide (that's it above) and share it at any opportunity - with colleagues, family, friends. Think of the slide as currency and donate just two minutes whenever you can. Commit to being able to answer these five questions about end of life experience for yourself, and for your loved ones. Then commit to helping others do the same. Get this conversation started.
Let's start a viral movement driven by the change we as individuals can effect...and the incredibly positive impact we could have collectively. Help ensure that all of us - and the people we care for - can end our lives in the same purposeful way we live them.
Just One Slide, just one goal. Think of the enormous difference we can make together.
(To learn more please go to http://www.engagewithgrace.org/. This post was written by Alexandra Drane and the Engage With Grace team. )
