Tips for Losing Big

I have heard many of you saying that you would like a place to go for information. Let's share our tips for weight loss!

You know Marianne is encouraging us to make sure we are being smart, eating right and exercising too. It is no good to be thin and not be able to walk up a flight of stairs (Jessica Krill told me that!).

So what are your tips for taking the weight off and staying motivated?

Accomplishments All Around

Wow! I have heard of several amazing feats lately by our staff, family, and friends, which made me wonder how many more there are that we don’t know about. Warren Moore's son won the National Toshiba Science project for his team’s creation of a bionic ear - and he is in only in high school. Victor Vena's son is now ranked third in the country for top scores in shot put, having thrown 75 feet. He won four gold medals at the Penn Relays, which almost never happens. Rose Allsop’s son came in sixth in a National Collegiate competition where he and his team created a vehicle that works on both land and water, and had to hit a goal time as well.

Kelly Lynch and Ellen Brennan (PT's, Stevens Road) are both completing their doctoral program - while working FULL TIME! It is just amazing!

These things made me wonder what else great stuff is going on. Do you have wonderful things to share about you or your family?

Please share. We all love to celebrate great things that are happening for the people we work with each and every day

What Do You Think Makes a Hospital Great?

This article called “What Makes a Hospital Great” appeared yesterday in the NY Times. Click here to read it.

It talks about what makes a great hospital. Now I know we have talked about this many a time but it was so interesting to see that the "little things" are as important to people as the big things. This also coincides with me attending the AIDET training hosted by Family Faculty this week. You need to attend the training to find out what AIDET stands for but so much of all of the best practices are common sense.

I often think about needing the fancy equipment and the best of everything for our patients. What the article basically asserts is that customers expect that you will have all of those things but what makes you stand out and gain their trust is the basics - communication, respect, and a focus on listening.

I would be interested in what you think makes a great hospital - either from your experience here, or as a patient, or what you have seen in caring for family members.

Clearing the Skies

I have been back 48 hours from vacation and I have already had 5 people say to me that there is a black cloud over us because so much sadness is happening. Deaths, personal illness of staff, really tough cases with our patients who are struggling with their anger and lashing at staff - Just a lot.

When I got divorced, there were days that I literally didn’t want the sun to come up the next morning. I didn’t want to face one more day. Of course we all know that time is the ultimate healer, but it also took the support of family, friends and church, commitment to keep running to clear my head and seeking outside expertise to help show me the skills I had that I couldn’t see because the pain was so hard to work through.

How do you find your way through tough times? Are there things you could share that might help others?

Thanks for taking the time to post. You never know when your advice could be that suggestion that gives someone else strength that they so desperately need.

Winter Weather and Responsibility

Many of you know both my parents are retired teachers. So when winter came around, they would have their snow chains out and they would to call all of the teachers to make sure they picked them up on the way to school. The biggest issue was trying to decide whether or not to cancel school and what the implications for meeting state mandates on school days attended and the safety of the children. It never dawned on me until I married a police officer that in some worlds, such as police and hospitals, there are no such things as snow days.

I have had a couple of questions on the rumor mill, but more I have heard on the under current and grumbling about why we don't close sites and why we won't just give you the days off. Obviously you assume it is because we don't care about your safety as to why we have this policy.

So let's put it out there - we are a hospital.

While some of our services are emergent, for that family has waited 6 months to see Dr. Janvier, our decision to keep the centers open is not an insignificant decision.

Like it or not, we signed on for a higher order - we care for children. As an outpatient therapist, many of you proactively reschedule patients when you know the weather is bad. For those of us who don't have clinical function, our clinical staff depends on us to be there to be able to do the clinical work if needed, or assist in any way possible to maintain the appropriate level of care.

So, it is not that we don't care about your safety. We do and we give you the chance to make the decision about taking TOP, with your supervisor approvals.

At the end of the day, we are here to serve the kids and like me to support the people who serve the kids

Proud to be at CSH

Recently one of your colleagues shared with me that after reading a weekly wrap up, that she wanted to let me know the CSH Autism program “Friends Like You, Friends Like Me” has reached her neighborhood.

Her daughter came home from school not too long ago with a book all about autism and how children should treat each other. She was so excited about this for two reasons: first she was clearly excited because as she said to her teacher and class "My mom is a nurse at Children's Specialized Hospital and she helps kids there!"

I loved that! Secondly, their family has a relative with a mild form of autism and her daughter was very happy that other kids would be taught how to properly interact with children with autism without as she put it "making them feel like they are different.” Her daughter read through the book given to her and questioned her mom on what she was told and was really happy with what her class was taught.

So it made me think - do you all have a way CSH may have touched your personal life when you least expected it and it made you proud to work with your colleagues?

True Spirit of the Season

Well my last few wraps up had to move to twice a week to accommodate all of the amazing things that you did for the people in the community and then the things that people did for us. I have another wrap up to fill with more things that were done Christmas and through our terrible snow storm but I thought it would be fun to ask you to share your favorite holiday story at the hospital. It can be something you participated in, something you saw given, or just something you want to share.

There were so many to choose from but for me it was Christmas eve when Lori Velasco and her family brought dinner for the inpatients in New Brunswick. Lori had already told me that she had made a promise when her son was in the hospital over Christmas, she promised herself that she would come back and help patients and parents through the holiday. Her family brought in all the food and then she introduced to her family friends. These weren't people who were related, but really close friends. When I thanked them for joining the Velasco's, this particular Mom said to me, “we sat on the other side of the bed praying for a miracle following the accident. Our prayers were answered and now there is no place we should be on Christmas eve.”

Of course I was fighting back tears. I get it. I am the one who tells everyone I can that you guys create miracles, but to hear it from someone who had been a visitor and supporter in the Velasco's journey reminded me of the amazing impact we have on people's lives.

So what is the story you would like to share? It can be silly or serious. Thanks in advance for sharing!