THE SPIRIT Newsletter for the Bon Secours Richmond Health Care Foundation www.bsvaf.org Kids Create Calendars to Help Kids In 1997, Richmond-area pediatrician, Bob Archuleta, M.D., attended a school auction and couldn t resist purchasing a colorful Noah s Ark collage created by a kindergarten class. After displaying the artwork in the busy waiting room of his pediatric practice, he received countless compliments on the art. At a meet the artists session to spotlight the children s creativity, Dr. Archuleta suggested that prints of the collage be made and sold in the community. The children requested that any money raised be used to help sick and dying children. Calendar, continues page 3 A student-designed page for the 2011 Noah s Children calendar. The Road to Nursing Excellence Defined as the state of being exceptionally good, superior, or worthy of merit, excellence is a word that appropriately describes the goal of the Nursing Excellence CARE Fund. Donations to this fund support advanced nursing education and professional development as nurses strive to attain the highest quality of patient care. To meet the growing demands of the nursing profession, which include the increasing complexity of patient care as well as the availability of a highly trained workforce, Bon Secours has committed dedicated funds to attracting and retaining the best and brightest and ensuring their continued growth and development in the ministry. Through our many nursing programs, Bon Secours is at the forefront of promoting the nursing profession in our communities, said Jill Kennedy, Vice President, Patient Care Services and CNE, Memorial Regional Medical Center/ Richmond Community Hospital. Last year, contributions to the fund helped giving makes good happen. 50 nurses from Memorial Regional Medical Center and St. Mary s Hospital to attend the International Magnet Conference. Additional laptops were also purchased for training and nursing support. The Nursing Excellence CARE Fund s goal is to contribute to the following funding priorities in the area of Professional Career Nurse Development: Continuing Education: $800 supports one nurse to pursue professional development. Clinical Scholars Program: $1,000 supports one nurse in this program to analyze current practices and strategize for improved efforts. Magnet Resources: $1,500 sends one nurse to the conference, to learn best practices. Specialty Education & Training: $1,200 allows one nurse to pursue a specialty certification. Every donation made to the Nursing Excellence CARE Fund continues Bon Secours road to excellence and delivery of world-class care to our community. To donate, go to bsvaf.org and click make a gift to use our online donation form. Jill Kennedy, Vice President, Patient Care Services & CNE, Memorial Regional Medical Center/Richmond Community Hospital. BON SECOURS RICHMOND HEALTH CARE FOUNDATION
An enthusiastic crowd of runners and walkers lined up for the start of the Jack & Abby 5K Race. A Show of Support for St. Mary s NICU The nurses and doctors who staff the Bon Secours Richmond NICUs (Neonatal & Intensive Care Units) witness the fragility of life and the deep bonds between parents and their babies. Two recent events were held to demonstrate support for the caregivers of our smallest patients. Proceeds from the two events directly benefitted Bon Secours St. Mary s NICU, one of the NICUs in the network of Bon Secours facilities. Jack & Abby 5K Race Promotes Awareness of Preterm Labor & Preemies The sight of a butterfly often prompts thoughts of beauty, fragility and innocence. The pink and blue butterflies that decorated the shirts of more than 150 walkers and runners on June 26 were a tribute to Jack and Abby Smith, a brother and sister born at 25 weeks who lost their fight to survive in the NICU at St. Mary s Hospital in July 2009. Since losing their twins, Stefanie and Karl Smith feel the need to help other families by increasing awareness of preterm labor and raising money to support families who have a baby in a Richmond-area NICU. Thus, the Jack & Abby Fund at Bon Secours supported by the Smiths own Jack & Abby Neonatal Foundation was created. Karl and I wanted to honor Jack and Abby by creating the fund to help other babies who are in the NICU, Stefanie explained. Babies can spend anywhere from one to 180-plus days in the NICU, and this is a burden on any family s finances. If these families are away from home, hotel and food expenses can add up quickly. Preemie products can be very expensive and not something a family ever planned on needing. The fund and our Foundation are meant to help these families by easing their financial burdens during a very emotional and trying time. The 1st annual Jack & Abby 5K Race raised more than $7,000 that will be used to stock preemie products as well as for hotel and food expenses for families with babies in the St. Mary s NICU. With a large number of participants, The Jack and Abby fund and Foundation are meant to help these families by easing their financial burdens during a very emotional and trying time. - Stefanie and Karl Smith including Bon Secours staff, friends and family of the Smiths and many who believe in the mission of the Jack & Abby Neonatal Foundation, the 5K was a huge success. The second Race for the NICU has already been scheduled for June 25, 2011, which would be the actual day of the twins second birthday. Each time a butterfly crosses the path of a supporter of the 5K Race for the NICU, they are likely to pause and remember Jack and Abby along with all the other preemie babies, preterm laboring moms, and the families who love them. For more information please visit jackandabby.org or bsvaf.org to see the good work being done to help babies and families in need. Crop & Care: Scrapbookers crop to benefit NICU In addition to the Smith Family, the NICU has another cheerleader in Lisa Cheney, Director of Research and Constituent Management in the Bon Secours Richmond Foundation office. The nurses and doctors are like angels to those tiny babies, said Lisa. They help make miracles happen, and they bring such compassion and care to their patients and families. Lisa, who enjoys scrapbooking, organized a Crop & Care event when she discovered that the staff often creates albums to give to parents whose babies have an extended stay in the NICU. In NICU, continues on page 5 THE SPIRIT 2 page 2
THE SPIRIT Sister President, Bon Secours Richmond Health Care Foundation Board A message from Sister Anne Marie Mack, C.B.S It is my sincere pleasure to extend greetings on behalf of the Bon Secours Health System family. The Spirit newsletter gives us an opportunity to share updates on our latest philanthropic initiatives and show you, our donors, that your giving makes good happen. This issue contains several articles on a subject dear to my heart nursing. As a former nurse and nursing administrator, I realize the value of having a Nursing Excellence CARE Fund to support our frontline caregivers and supply our patients with the highest quality of care. It is refreshing to witness young people developing a love for health care in the Nursing Explorers Camp article. With fall approaching, October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month and November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month. Through the Foundation, the Cancer and Hospice CARE Funds support programs, new technologies, and world-class physicians and staff needed to serve our patients. I truly believe that the smallest act of generosity can turn into a tremendous service. Compassion has always been our hallmark at Bon Secours, and Noah s Children, led by Dr. Bob Archuleta, ministers to some of our most precious patients children facing end-of-life diagnoses. The work being done by local young people to help Noah s Children widens the circle of care and embraces the real spirit of giving. I hope you enjoy all the articles in this edition of The Spirit newsletter. There is so much good at work because of the support our community graciously gives. Calendar from page 1 Gala to benefit Noah s Children Dr. Archuleta made a promise to those kindergartners, and six months later Noah s Children became a licensed hospice and palliative care program. Serving a critical need as the first and only pediatric hospice and palliative care program in Central Virginia and one of the first across the United States, Noah s Children used an interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, social workers, spiritual care experts, and volunteers to assess the needs of the child and family and then develop a plan of care. Twelve years later, Dr. Archuleta should feel proud. Not only has Noah s Children provided compassionate care to children and their families facing life-limiting and life-ending illnesses, but his vision of kids helping kids has flourished. To mark the 12th anniversary of Noah s Children, students from 14 area schools designed calendar pages inspired by the original 1997 Noah s Ark collage. Led by volunteers Dr. Felice Archuleta, Alexis Kennett, and art teacher Sue Drudge, each participating art class created a piece of art to express their idea of family. Thus, working as a family, the students produced a beautiful and whimsical array of pages that have been compiled into a 2011 calendar to be sold to the public with proceeds benefitting Noah s Children. The 2011 Noah s Children calendars will be available for purchase online (noahschildren.com) or in the Noah s Children offices (St. Mary s Office Building North, Suite 409) at a cost of $12 per calendar or $50 for five calendars. Here s a chance for adults to help the kids and families of Noah s Children: The 3rd annual Noah s Children gala, forty one, will be held at 7 p.m., October 16, at the Hilton Richmond Hotel & Spa in Short Pump. This event raises money to support children with life-threatening or lifelimiting illnesses. Last year s gala raised more than $153,000. The evening promises a lively and memorable time with a silent and live auction, hors d oeuvres, wine pairings and dancing. The funds raised will provide promised comfort and care to children and their families. Tickets for the event are $100 per person and can be purchased online at www.fortyoneevent.org or by calling Peggy Wilson at 287-7309. THE SPIRIT 3
THE SPIRIT Hospice CARE Fund Ministers to Patients and Families therapy session. Sharing a meal was also part of the experience for these families. Madelyn Williams, Operations Director for Bon Secours Hospice, explained the value of such a program, It allows children to share grief in non-verbal means through art and music and realize there are other children experiencing the loss of a loved one thereby reducing their feelings of being different from their peers. The program leads the parents to gain communication skills to use with their grieving children and to take care of themselves as well. -Madelyn Williams Hospice aide, Durcellia Baylor, packages gift bags for patients As a faith-based health system, Bon Secours strongly supports the philosophy of hospice care. In fact, the first Sisters of Bon Secours practiced palliative care as they offered physical, emotional, spiritual and social care to both patients and families in their homes. The Hospice CARE Fund supports the nurses, social workers, chaplains and aides who form a personal bond with terminally ill patients and their families. Hospice is a special concept of care that offers peace and soothes the spirit for patients and their loved ones. The Foundation s Hospice CARE Fund offers a resource to be used in a myriad of ways, all of which lead to the most compassionate care a reflection of the mission of the founding Sisters of Bon Secours. Please visit bsvaf.org to learn more about the Hospice CARE Fund. On recent home visits, hospice aides observed that many patients needed basic personal care items such as towels, lotions, gels, and soaps. After seeing their patients without these necessities, which Medicare does not cover, the caregivers felt moved to contact the Foundation and request money from the Hospice CARE Fund to purchase some of these personal items. Hospice aides hoped to treat their patients with a gift of little indulgences, so they packaged the lotions, gels, and shampoos in colorful gift bags and tissue to deliver on their next visit. This gift, which seems basic, clearly communicates that comfort can be administered in many different ways. In the tradition of hospice care, the patient as well as the family receives support. The Hospice CARE Fund recently purchased art and music supplies to use during a six-week after-hours support group for families. The children in attendance met in art and music therapy groups while their parents gathered in a group Hospice aide, Latisha Hayes, helps with the gift bags. THE SPIRIT 4
THE SPIRIT Teens Explore the World of Nursing of the camp activities such as Jell-O brain surgery, suturing pigs feet, relays, and forensic nursing. The onsite nurse ensures the campers have all of the answers to their questions. The childcare teacher ensures they get what they need from a childcare perspective... food, meds, fun, friendship. Although she is just a rising eighth-grader at Manchester Middle in Chesterfield County, Destini Walker is already thinking about a future in the medical field after witnessing the impact caregivers have on patients and families. Dr. Bonnie Makdad, Director of Neonatal Services for Bon Secours Richmond NICU from page 2 addition, the staff invites families to use the supplies to mark milestones. Even in the most tragic cases, the staff presents the families with mementos to memorialize their child. The Crop & Care event raised donations that will be used to purchase albums, stickers, paper and other supplies. Many attendees of the event also donated some of their own personal supplies to help the cause. The 20 women in attendance spent the day working on their own personal family albums while generously supporting a great effort. Everyone has a journey to travel in a lifetime, and every step of that journey deserves to be remembered. - Lisa Cheney When donors designate a specific department or unit for their contribution, the Children s Services CARE Fund can allocate funds appropriately. This CARE Fund gives every child in the community an opportunity to receive quality, ageappropriate health care. Please visit bsvaf.org to learn more about the Children s Services CARE Fund. THE SPIRIT 5 Destini Walker takes a turn at the CPR station. A Day in the Life. This was a perfect description for the rising sixth-, seventhand eighth-graders throughout Richmond who experienced a week on the job of a medical professional during the fourth annual Nursing Explorers Camp sponsored by Bon Secours Virginia Health System. After completing an application process, 96 campers were accepted to attend the week-long camps in July at Memorial Regional Medical Center, St. Mary s Hospital, Richmond Community Hospital, and St. Francis Medical Center. These camps, funded by a grant, aim to educate teens on how to prepare for a future career in the medical field. Special guests, experiments and projects expose these young minds to life inside a hospital as well as the College of Nursing. These camps are structured in a way to set everyone up for success, said Wendi Hughes, Facility and Education Coordinator for Bon Secours Family Center. Each camp has a Facility Champion, a nurse, and a childcare teacher assigned to it at all times. The Facility Champion sets up all I will feel happy after helping them, knowing that in the smallest way I may have changed their lives. I learned you have to feel passionately about your job and love it. - Destini Walker Destini learned much more including the options available for jobs in the medical field. She described her favorite camp adventure, Me and the other campers went to visit the College of Nursing. When I was there, we were divided into groups and went to stations. There was a station for CPR, taking care of babies and how to treat cuts and burns. The fourth annual Nursing Explorers Camps held at all of the Bon Secours facilities place value on the future of teens in the community. The success of the camp is apparent. The children walk out with a sense of empowerment every day, said Wendi. The camp s concept of A Day in the Life has inspired future compassionate caregivers who will make health care a lifetime career.
BON SECOURS RICHMOND HEALTH CARE FOUNDATION Bon Secours Richmond Health System 5875 Bremo Road, Suite 710 Richmond, Virginia 23226 (804) 287-7700 www.bsvaf.org Good Help to Those in Need THE SPIRIT UPCOMING EVENTS Tuesday, Oct. 5, 5:30 p.m. The Mammologues a one-woman show about her journey with breast cancer Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens To register call 804-287-7241 or visit www.bsvaf.org/mammologues for more information. *Proceeds to benefit the Bon Secours Cancer CARE Fund Sunday, Oct. 10, 4-7 p.m. 10-10-10: A Fleur~de~Lis Celebration hosted by Carmella Bladergroen Dover Lake, Manakin-Sabot, VA To register call Ada Warren-Roots at 804-287-7241 or visit www.bsvaf.org/10-10-10 One-Woman Show Chronicles Personal Breast Cancer Journey Virginia native, Gene Glave, is coming home to share an intimate look at how breast cancer changed her life. A registered nurse and Pediatric Services Manager for Roper St. Francis Healthcare in Charleston, S.C., Gene was diagnosed with breast cancer almost five years ago. A woman of many talents, Gene used her writing and acting skills to create a onewoman show called The Mammologues. The play has touched audiences and critics, winning Best Play and Best Actress in 2008. For her commitment to raising awareness for breast cancer, Gene was also named Health Care Hero by the Charleston Regional Business Journal in 2008. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, The Bon Secours Cancer Institute is hosting Gene and her one-woman show beginning at 5:30 p.m., Oct. 5, at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens. A silent auction, wine and heavy hors d oeuvres will kick off the evening. In addition, the garden will be open to guests starting an hour before the performance. Tickets cost $35 and can be purchased online at www.bsvaf.org/mammologues or by calling Ada Warren-Roots at 804-287- 7241. Ticket sales will directly benefit the Bon Secours Cancer CARE Fund. Saturday, Oct. 16, 7-11 p.m. Noah s Children s forty one Gala Richmond Hilton Hotel & Spa Short Pump, VA www.fortyoneevent.org Gene Glave (pictured above) recently experienced a recurrence of her cancer that has motivated her to share the message that early detection and education are integral to battling the disease. BON SECOURS RICHMOND HEALTH CARE FOUNDATION