Bulletin General Information Meetings scheduled “Sustaining the Mission” is the theme for the next round of General Information Meetings, which will be held in the East Tower Auditorium on Tuesday, Feb. 3., at 7:45 a.m., 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Join your colleagues for an update from President & CEO Dave Vellinga and other members of the Leadership Team, as well as a question-and-answer forum. Everyone is welcome and light refreshments will be provided. Join Mercy and help set Polk County’s health agenda Mercy is proud to be an official sponsor of Healthy Polk 2020 – a strategic community health plan designed to identify and prioritize the future health needs of those who live and work in Polk County. In an effort to engage a broad section of the community, the planning team is hosting a Community Caucus on Saturday, Feb. 7, from 8 a.m. to noon at the Hotel Fort Des Moines. Everyone is welcome to attend this free event and share their opinions about the future health priorities of Polk County. For more information or to register, please visit www.healthypolk.org. JAN. 30, 2009 Former Mercy patient leads project to comfort women with heart disease Born with Wolf-Parkinson-White Syndrome (WPW) – a heart rhythm disorder caused by an extra abnormal electrical pathway in the heart – Carol Spence has used her life experiences to become an advocate for women’s heart health awareness. “I took medication for my WPW from 1965 to 1999,” said Carol. “It was part of my life and caused me to think about things most children and young adults don’t usually have to worry about until later in life. I have always had an awareness of my heart health.” Over the years, Carol has also undergone an ablation, triple bypass surgery and, most recently, a stent placement procedure for two blockages. Today, she is an advocate for the Des Moines chapter of WomenHeart, a national coalition for women with heart disease. The group is committed to promoting women’s heart heath through advocacy, education and patient support. During the first week in February, which is American Heart Month, the chapter will kick off the HeartScarves Project, a program created by WomenHeart to provide handmade red scarves to women with heart disease as a show of support. “The scarves are a gift from the hands and hearts of the community meant to show our love and care for each other as women,” said Carol. “Our chapter’s goal is to give a scarf to every woman enrolled in Mercy’s Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program. As a former patient of the program, I cannot say Former Mercy patient Carol Spence is working with the Des Moines chapter of WomenHeart to distribute handmade red scarves to women with heart disease. T he group hopes to give a scarf to every woman enrolled in Mercy’s Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehab program to offer comfort and show support, and is accepting donations of handmade red scarves to help them meet their goal. enough good things about Mercy and I felt it was the perfect place to introduce the HeartScarves Project.” For more information about the HeartScarves Project or WomenHeart, call (515) 278-4318 or visit www. womenheart.org. Mercy Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehab is also accepting donations for the project. Scarves should be knitted, crocheted or woven, measure three to five inches wide by 60 inches long and be made of a soft, lightweight red material. CONGRATULATIONS TO... Diane DeWall, Rehab Services, and Matt, on the birth of their son, Thomas Ray. T homas was born on Dec. 22 and was welcomed home by Joseph, 5, and Andrew, 2. Michelle Dunblazier, 6 North, and Brian, on the birth of their son, Clayton. Clayton was born on Dec. 1 and was welcomed home by Colton, 1. Erik Hanson, Capitol ICU, and Sara, on the birth of their son, Jonah Timothy. Jonah was born on Dec. 20 and was welcomed home by Noah, 2. Nicole Hedrick, 8 South, and Eric Hedrick, Medical Imaging, on the birth of their son, Brody Michael. Brody was born on Dec. 13 and was welcomed home by Mason, 2. Erik Hovde, Clinical Engineering, and Melissa, on the birth of their son, Oliver Magnus. Oliver was born on Dec. 11 and was welcomed home by Henry, 2. Jennifer Lyon, Mercy South, and Michael, on the birth of their daughter, Katie. Katie was born on Dec. 24 and is the couple’s first child. Kristi Rike, Endoscopy, and Tim, on the birth of their daughter, Alexis. Alexis was born on Dec. 12 and was welcomed home by Valerie, 8, Kendra, 6, and Lauren, 2. Stephanie Sinclair, Mercy North, and John, on the birth of their daughter, Addison Mae. Addison was born on Nov. 18 and was welcomed home by Amelia, 5, and Alaina, 3. Amy Soper, 5 North, and Brian, on the birth of their daughter, Kallie Rae. Kallie was born on Dec. 16 and was welcomed home by Shyanne, 14, Shelby, 11, Dylan, 7, and Layla, 1. Julie Tuel, CCU, and Ross, on the birth of their son, Caiden Ross. Caiden was born on Dec. 19 and is the couple’s first child. Courtney Wagler, House of Mercy, and Michael, on the birth of their son, Finnean Michael. Finnean was born on Dec. 2 and is the couple’s first child. Brittney Westphal, Riverside Rehab, and Ryan Obermeier, on the birth of their son, Cayden Scott. Cayden was born on Dec. 24 and is the couple’s first child. OUR SYMPATHY TO... Sarah Kathman, Pharmacy, and Rob, on the birth of their son, Matthew Romaine. Matthew was born on Dec. 15 and is the couple’s first child. Diane Bomer, Surgical Affiliates, on the death of her mother. Melissa Kiefer, Surgical Affiliates, and Ben, on the birth of their daughter, Katelyn Rae. Katelyn was born on Nov. 4 and is the couple’s first child. Pat Nelson, Human Resources, on the death of her sister. Raven Perkins, 9 South, and Aaron, on the birth of their daughter, Aubri Jo. Aubri was born on Dec. 6 and was welcomed home by Makenna, 2. Kristin Wendl, Quality Management, on the death of her father. Wanda Gwinn, Patient Accounts, on the death of her mother. Stacey Wade, Home Health, on the death of her father-in-law. Mercy-sponsored health coach training program now accepting applications Mercy Clinics and Mercy College of Health Sciences have partnered with Des Moines University, the Iowa Chronic Care Consortium and the Iowa Healthcare Collaborative to offer a health coach training program beginning March 3. The program combines classroom sessions and teleconferences to train students as physician office-based health coaches who assist patients with chronic illnesses, oversee disease registries, enhance office workflow and improve heath outcomes. Participants who attend all sessions will receive a total of 2.49 CEUs (or 24.9 contact hours) and those who pass a written exam and skill assessment will be awarded a certificate of competency. The registration deadline is Feb. 16 and the class is limited to 24 participants. For more information and a complete list of dates, or to complete or download an application, please visit www.dmu.edu/continuinged/events/ healthcoach. Bulletin Vol 09 Issue 4 | January 30, 2009 The Bulletin is published weekly for employees and friends of Mercy Medical Center, 1111 6th Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa 50314-2611. Editorial Staff Erin Kennedy Kurth ..............................................................Editor Heather Hyatt ....................................................................Designer Lisa Jones .......................................................................Contributor Megan Jorgensen .......................................................Contributor Gregg Lagan ................................................................Contributor Sarah Todd ...................................................................Contributor Traci McBee .................................................................Contributor Kate Westercamp ....................................................Contributor Laura V anden Bosch .........................................................Director If you are interested in submitting an article or information to be printed in the Bulletin, send it to Erin Kurth, PR and Marketing, or call (515) 247-3050.