Vital Signs
®
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A Newsletter for Employees & Friends of Arkansas Children’s Hospital
5th Annual Beall & Lowe Awards
Recognize Those Who Work
Tirelessly for Kids
2011 Ruth Olive
Beall and Betty A. Lowe
winners (left to right)
Sam Smith, MD; Sister
Joan Pytlik, DC; and
Richard F. Jacobs, MD,
FAAP.
Physicians and community leaders who have advanced pediatric health care shined in April
at the Arkansas Children’s Hospital signature recognition ceremony, the Ruth Olive Beall and
Betty A. Lowe, MD, Awards.
The fifth annual event honored the tireless effort and dedication of physicians who serve on
staff, as well as of a community champion of pediatric health issues. The hospital presented 34
physicians with milestone service awards for periods ranging from five to 30 years on staff.
Held at Chenal Country Club in Little Rock, the awards ceremony also recognized two pediatricians and one proponent of children’s health with the hospital’s highest honors.
Richard F. Jacobs, MD, FAAP, received the Ruth Olive Beall Award, presented each year
to a physician who consistently displays the ACH Service and Behavioral Standards. Dr. Jacobs is
the chairman of the Department of Pediatrics in the College of Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and president of the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Research Institute.
He also holds the Robert H. Fiser, Jr., MD, Endowed Chair in Pediatrics and is pediatrician in chief
at ACH. In addition, he serves as a professor of Pediatrics in the UAMS College of Medicine.
Sam Smith, MD, received the Drs. Joanna J. & Robert W. Seibert Award, bestowed upon a
physician, clinical service, section or unit displaying outstanding teamwork. The honor is named
for physicians who epitomized and promoted teamwork at ACH. Dr. Smith is chief of Pediatric
Surgery at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, where he holds the Boyd Family Endowed Chair in
Pediatric Surgery. He also is a professor of Surgery and Pediatrics in the UAMS College of Medicine, and has served as interim chairman of the Department of Surgery in the UAMS College of
Medicine.
Sister Joan Pytlik, DC, received the 2011 Betty A. Lowe, MD, Award, an honor given by
the ACH Foundation to an individual who, through personal initiative, service and leadership,
has made a significant contribution to the health and well-being of the children of Arkansas.
Sister Pytlik started a health clinic in a rural part of the state, worked as an advocate for the disenfranchised and fought for programs and services for those without a voice. She was a major
player in the creation and expansion of the popular ARkids First program, and she worked to
advance services to children and others who couldn’t find care through traditional means, including immigrants.
Four Units Reach Outstanding
Milestone in Reducing CLABSIs
In April, Arkansas Children’s Hospital achieved a first in prevention of central line bloodstream infections. Four of the critical care units at ACH exceeded 100 days since they last experienced a central line bloodstream infection. Three of these areas (PICU, 3D Hematology/Oncology and the Heart Center) are part of NACHRI Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infection
Collaborative.
Evidence-based interventions such as appropriate skin antisepsis, maximum barrier precautions during line placement, daily assessment for need of central line, hand hygiene prior to
accessing the line and standard dressing change procedures are used in all these units.
“The frontline team members in these units are the ones who are making this happen,” said
Stephanie Rockett, nursing director of the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit. “They have taken
this on as a personal project and pushed hard for this change. They think about these issues
constantly every day and their tenacity is leading to better care for our patients. A tremendous
thank you goes out to them!”
At the unit level, the leaders for these efforts include Jerrill Green, MD, and Shannon Bolle,
RN, in PICU; Crystal Russell, RN, and Amir Mian, MD, in 3D; and Janie Kane, RN, and Adnan
Bhutta, MD, in Heart Center.
The Burn Center is not part of NACHRI collaborative; however, their success is now greater
than 200 days and the unit uses the same interventions.
These achievements are remarkable. Arkansas Children’s Hospital is very proud of the teams
that have gone above and beyond to ensure that kids have the safest experience possible on our
critical care units. Never in the history of ACH have four critical care units gone so long without
a central line bloodstream infection.
“This is a testament to evidence-based interventions and the teams that work so hard to
put them in place,” said ACH Director of Infection Control Craig Gilliam. “We’re glad we can say
that now more than ever Team ACH is creating a safe environment where children can recover.”
Nurses Show That Care, Love and
Hope are Better than Chicken Soup
Victories happen every day at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, and there is no
one who can document them better than front-line employees. In early spring,
team members submitted essays about the victories they had witnessed for the
annual Better than Chicken Soup writing contest that caps off Learning Fest. The
Victory Visions Committee, which chooses the weekly visions featured across the
hospital and promotes activities that highlight ACH’s service and behavioral standards, judged 10 heartfelt stories about team members who have changed lives.
The team named recovery room nurse Tonya Thomas as the contest’s winner at
a lunch reception. Her essay
featured a poignant moment
shared between a special patient and nurse. It is reprinted below. Congratulations,
Tonya!
Tonya Thomas receives a
customized ACH Better than
Chicken Soup print by ACH
graphic designer Shellee Robbins. The print was in recognition of the story Thomas
wrote about Jason Freeman,
RN (pictured at right).
Better Than Chicken Soup:
Victories to Feed the SouL Contest
By Tonya Thomas, RN
Nursing is a profession that requires patience, a caring attitude, nurturing, perseverance but most of all compassion. This is the draw that calls
most of us into the profession. Our daily tasks of paper work, schedules,
high census or the acuity level of our patients may put us in the mind frame
of a “job to be done” when it comes to our work. The years go by, and we
tend to forget or remove ourselves from the actual reason why we became
nurses in the first place. I love when I am reminded, ever so gently, of that
very thing: what it means to be a nurse.
We at Arkansas Children’s Hospital mainly care for a pediatric population with the exception of a few specialty areas. One of those areas is
ASC/PACU where we take care of patients requiring surgery, from infants to
those well past “grown-up.”
The recovery room is a great place to work. Most of us in the recovery
room have worked in other areas of the hospital and were able to spend
more time with our patients than just an hour or two after a sedation procedure. As a short term unit, we monitor until stable, address the pain issues,
wake patients up, call family to the bedside then discharge them on to their
next phase of recovery as an inpatient or post-op phase II.
One very busy day in the fall of 2010, I was in the role of team leader
and was paged to the desk to take a phone call. Station 15 in PACU is located directly across from the unit secretary desk and while I was on that
phone call, I found it difficult to focus. I was mesmerized by what I was seeing and had to force myself to look away in order to complete the phone
call. I hung up the phone and then stood in awe of what I was witnessing.
I looked around to see if anyone else was watching this compassionate act,
but everyone was busy taking care of their patients.
I stood there for the better part of 10 minutes and watched, smiled to
myself and then felt tears well up in my eyes. I was able to get the attention
of others as they passed by and soon there was a small crowd standing at
the desk enjoying the view.
The patient across from us looked slight and frail in the oversized adult
bed and although the nurse, Jason Freeman, was busy charting in the computer with his left hand, he was holding the hand of his elderly patient with
his right. Jason was totally unaware we were watching him. We all were
touched by his compassion and pure act of care, love and hope. It was
simply nursing at its finest. After all, it is one thing to comfort a child, but he
took it a step further to comfort his elderly patient when that person needed
it most. When called, Jason Freeman, RN, stepped in to give that healing
touch to a frightened patient in their time of need.
I have never been so proud to be a nurse. Jason not only renewed my
drive and desires to be the best nurse possible, but he did so with all who
witnessed his compassion that day. Thank you, Jason, for reminding all of us
why we do what we do!
H Hospital-Wide Disaster Drill Coming May 18 • For more details check “Vital Signs Daily” H
voLunteer Corner
“Everything I Wanted to Know about Using
Volunteers but was Afraid to Ask!”
Calling all ACH employees: Are you, your co-workers or staff overwhelmed? Have
you thought, “Hmmm … I wonder what I could do to lighten this load a little?” If so,
we have the training class for you!
Who are today’s volunteers? In this age, more than ever, volunteers can make an
important difference to ACH. Come learn about the many different roles that volunteers
play at ACH, explore new ways that you might use them, and most importantly, how to
supervise them.
Check ACH’s training website for the dates and times these classes are scheduled.
You can also contact Melissa Wolfe at [email protected] or at X41825 for more
information.
ACH and Piano Kraft Make
Beautiful Music Together
Have you heard beautiful music wafting
through the hallways of ACH? Patients like Shemaiya Gavin of CVICU, pictured at left, are making
those sounds thanks to Piano Kraft of Little Rock!
They generously donated a Kawai CL25 digital
piano for our patients and families to play and
enjoy. Thank you for filling the hospital with gorgeous notes!
ACH Takes You Out to the
Ballgame on June 14
for Travs Night
Come cheer on the Arkansas Travelers with
ACH on Tuesday, June 14 at Dickey-Stephens
Park in North Little Rock as they play the Springfield Cardinals. Show your ACH ID at the gate
and receive free admission for you and your immediate family until 8 p.m. A complimentary hot
dog and soft drink coupon is provided for ACH
employees and each family member. Gates open at 6:05 p.m. The
game begins at 7:10 p.m. A rain date is scheduled for the next
night, Wednesday, June 15. Parking on surrounding streets is free,
but there is a charge for the lot adjacent to the ballpark.
No Boredom ALLowed at Fit 4 Kids Camp
Sign-up began last month for the 2011 Fit 4 Kids Summer Camp held by the ACH
Fitness Center team. The camp runs June 20-24 from 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. The class is
limited to 40 kids aged 8-12. Come by the East Campus Fitness Center and register early
to guarantee a spot. Cost is $100 a child, and there is a $25 deposit due the day of signup. Kids receive a T-shirt and a gift bag. Many fun camp activities are provided, including
two field trips. Please call X41088 with any questions.
Bring the Family! Field Day is May 21
It’s an ACH tradition! Family Field Day is coming up Saturday, May 21, and we want
to see you there. All ACH team members are encouraged to bring their kids for a morning
filled with fun!
Date: Saturday, May 21
Time: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Location: ACH East Campus Fitness Center
Each child age 12 and under will receive a passport to be stamped for participation
at each recreation station.
Recreation stations will include:
Questions about the Joint Commission survey due in 2011? Click on the Road to
Readiness jump-to link on MyACH for access to resources, response plans, newsletters and more!
ACH in National Spotlight
as a Partner for Change
• Jump Zone;
• Basketball Drills;
• Shake, Rattle & Jump;
• Chex Mex Mania;
• Obstacle Course;
• Frisbee Challenge; and
• Dodge Ball.
Once a child’s passport is stamped at each station, he or she will receive a goody bag
and be entered into a drawing for a prize.
For more information, please contact the ACH East Campus Fitness Center at X41088.
Keeping the Pace! ACH Team Members
Compete in LR Marathon Events
Arkansas Children’s Hospital has been recognized as a national leader in environmental excellence as a recipient of the Practice Greenhealth 2011 Partner for Change award.
Team ACH, and especially the Safety department, spent many hours turning the hospital
into the kind of institution that sets an example for other medical centers on the environmental front.
“We are so pleased to have our accomplishments recognized at a national level,”
said Joe Knight, environmental management coordinator for ACH. “This award shows
we are committed to reducing our environmental impact and are continually monitoring
our progress to improve ACH’s performance. It is confirmation that we are on the right
track!”
The Practice Greenhealth Environmental Excellence Awards in eight categories were
presented in Phoenix in conjunction with CleanMed 2011, a global conference for environmental leaders in health care.
A few of the programs that led to ACH’s recognition with the Project Greenhealth
award include:
• Implementation of a reusable sharps container program in 2009. Since its inception,
regulated medical waste (RMW) generated in ACH’s total waste volume dropped by 5.2
percent. In addition, the volume of RMW itself declined by 38 percent when compared
to 2008, with a saving of $19,000 realized in 2010. Additionally, this program diverted
26 tons of plastics (that is three full garbage trucks) from landfills.
• Implementation of cardboard recycling in May of 2010. In a short time, ACH recycled
65 tons and increased its recycling rate by 9.7 percent of the total waste volume. Savings
are projected to be nearly $90,000 in 2011.
• Implementation of an alkaline battery recycling program in April of 2010. We have
recycled over 250 pounds of batteries so far.
• In 2010, ACH partnered with outside services to implement the first full comprehensive
pharmaceutical waste management program. ACH is the first hospital in the state of Arkansas to implement such a program that minimizes the discharge of medication to the
environment and ensures safe and regulatory compliant disposal.
• In 2010 and 2011, ACH celebrated Earth Day by hosting free paper shredding and
recycling events for the community and employees.
Future plans include recycling options for plastic bottles and metal cans for the hospital!
“I am excited about what ACH has been able to achieve over the past two years and
for what sustainability opportunities still lie ahead,” Knight said. “Thank you for helping
ACH to grow green!”
2
Arkansas Children’s Hospital is proud of the many team members who participated in
events associated with the Little Rock Marathon in March. They spent months training for
their miles, and it paid off. Each of these team members now has a medal to show for his
or her efforts.
Below are the team members who responded to a Vital Signs Weekly request to find
out how many staff participated in the races during marathon weekend. We are proud of
all our many team members for their discipline and endurance!
Little Rock Marathon Participants
Jason Deal, Allison Jones, Heidi Lenoard, James Miller and Matthew Pearson
Little Rock Half Marathon Participants
Greg Adams, Scott Allen, Bettye Baxter, Gwendolyn Bradford, Cynthia Brown, Suzanne
Carlisle, Denise Clark, Kelley Cooper, Tracy Davis, Barbara Gamble, Cindy Holland, Rose
Magby, Ashley O’Roark, Marilyn Randle and Melissa Wilcoxson
Half and Half Challenge Finishers
Jeanette Dyer, Rennie Karnovich and Wheezie Smith
Relay
Sherry Barnhart, Jennifer Cumming, *Stephen Erickson, Jo Greenhill, *Stewart Macleod,
Chris McCreight, *Stepan Melnyk, *Jerry Melnyk, Kila Owens, Ron Sanders and Jana Teagle
*Team M&M won the men’s open division and had the fastest time among all relay teams.
Hem/Onc Team Rolls Up Sleeves to Break Cancer
You might have noticed some new ink on several members of the ACH Hematology/Oncology team, as well as on other supporters across the hospital. In April, dozens of hospital staff rolled up their sleeves and applied temporary tattoos in a record-setting move
across the nation to “break cancer.” Thousands of people joined the effort, sporting “break cancer” tats in an initiative put together
by LIVESTRONG and the Association for Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses. Many other activities also generated attention for
cancer research as part of the campaign, including hugs for cancer and “beating up” cancer balloons. The Universal Data Recordbase
has verified several of the activities were, indeed, recording-breaking! Congrats to everyone who participated in the movement!
Building Miracles
for ACH:
Walmart and Sam’s
Club Kick off
Fundraising
Efforts
In April, associates from Walmart and
Sam’s Club locations across the region visited ACH for Miracle Day, an opportunity
to celebrate their fundraising successes and
kick off fundraising efforts for 2011. The
theme of this year’s event was “Building
Miracles,” as all money raised over the next
year by Walmart and Sam’s Club locations
will help fund construction of the South
Wing. During the event, top fundraising
awards for 2010 were given to stores and
associates. Last year, Walmart and Sam’s
Club locations in the ACH Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals market raised more
than $1 million for the hospital.
Your Benefits Open Enrollment
The FY2012 Open Enrollment period has already begun and closes on Friday, May 20. Your manager
has scheduled time for your department’s one-on-one enrollment meetings and will be communicating
those dates, times and locations to the department’s staff.
Please allow yourself some time to review the personalized information packet that you received in the
mail; this will help when you meet with the benefits enroller.
Your packet contains:
• A summary of your current benefit elections;
• Your copy of the newly updated Employee Benefit Guide;
• Details of the benefit plan changes effective July 1, 2011; and
• Benefit education pieces, a special flier and more.
You should review it and be ready.
After all, they’re your benefits, and they’re worth $11,645*. Isn’t $11,645 worth 30 minutes of your
time?
*The $11,645 figure represents the average employer benefit contribution per benefit-eligible employee to include medical, dental, basic term life and AD&D life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, retirement plan contributions (annual employer match and defined contribution), tuition reimbursements, Lifeworks access, paid leave, Social Security taxes (employer contribution share), Medicare taxes
(employer contribution share), Workers’ Compensation Insurance and Arkansas Unemployment Insurance.
This is based on the employee benefit elections and participation during ACH FY2010. Each individual employee’s share of the employer contribution is directly dependent on the individual benefit elections made
by each benefit-eligible employee.
May Springtime Ice Cream Parties to Celebrate Team ACH
Arkansas Children’s Hospital is proud of its team members and appreciates the
hard work they put in 365 days a year. In May, all team members are invited to participate in the annual ice cream parties to celebrate their service to ACH and the children
of Arkansas.
You can build an ice cream sundae complete with delicious toppings, sip slurpees,
grab some popcorn* and visit with friends. Low-fat frozen yogurt, sugar-free and
lactose free ice cream are available.
East Campus Children’s Hall: Hospital South Dining Room:
Capitol View Dining Room Evening:
Capitol View Dining Room, Weekend:
1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. – Thursday, May 5
1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. – Thursday, May 5
8 p.m. to 10 p.m. – Thursday, May 5
6 p.m. to 8 p.m. – Saturday, May 7
Thanks to everyone who volunteered to help with the parties. You are what makes ACH special!
* Popcorn and slushies served at East Campus location only.
(Above) During Miracle
Day, fundraising awards were
given to stores across the region. Here, distribution center
#8098 celebrates winning a
top award. The store raised
$46,545 in 2010.
(Left) ACH patient Haven
McCormack and her mother,
Deana, spoke at Miracle Day
about the importance of Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Haven
is the 2011 Children’s Miracle
Network Hospitals Champion
Child for Arkansas.
Mobile Dental Program Takes Smiles on the Road
Thousands of children across the state have nev Children at 49 Arkansas elementary schools visit
er visited a dentist, and Arkansas Children’s Hospital
the Mobile Dental program. A vehicle pulls up to their
has made a commitment to bring dental services dischool on a scheduled date, and students who visit
rectly to these kids at no cost to their families. The
have all their dental needs addressed while they are in
Mobile Dental program has taken off in a major way
the dentist’s chair.
since its launch in 2009, recently surpassing $1 mil Kids love the idea of receiving dental care right on
lion in dental care delivered to children from lowthe property of their schools.
income families who are at high risk for cavities and
“The majority of kids are happy to get out of class,
oral pain.
especially when they find out they are getting to go
There are now three mobile units visiting eleon the ‘cool’ dental truck,” said Cimone Rush, DDS,
mentary schools across the state: two Ronald Mcwho works with the central Arkansas Care Mobile.
Donald Care Mobiles – one servicing central Arkan“We focus on giving kids a good dental experience so
sas and one going to schools in northwest Arkansas
that they will continue to seek dental care as adults.”
– and another vehicle which will cover the state’s
One benefit of going directly to schools to deliver
southeast portion and helps with overflow from
fillings and sealants is that children are more comfortthe Dental Clinic at ACH. In addition, a statewide
able there.
school-based initiative is also helping kids get seal “Most have a sense of bravery and eagerness to
ants applied to their teeth.
(Left to right) Dental assistant Greg Martinez, Cimone Rush, DDS, try new things in that safe environment, surrounded
Rural towns surrounding Little Rock and inner- and patient information assistant Miranda Wiley stand outside the Ronald by their teachers and peers,” said Lara Phillips, DDS,
city schools in northwest Arkansas have most benefit- McDonald Care Mobile at Sheridan Elementary school on April 14.
who visits children with the northwest Arkansas Care
ted from the Mobile Dental program’s care, accordMobile.
ing to Craig Rechkemmer, DDS, who coordinates the
The majority of the patients who climb aboard the
program. He noted that the schools in northwest Arkansas often have at least 90 percent
Mobile Dental vehicles would never have access to the type of care they need otherwise.
of their students on free and reduced lunch programs.
“There is a reason that many of these children have not been to a dentist before,” Dr.
“The biggest challenge for us is the number of children who need dental care and
Phillips said. “Often transportation, lack of family dental education and lack of finances
not having enough time to fix all of them immediately,” Dr. Rechkemmer said.
play a large role. We provide the best treatment for children, regardless of ability to pay.”
In the program’s two years, it has grown to include four dentists, three patient in
As of March, the program had treated 3,500 cavities in more than 1,500 patients. Of
formation assistants, a dental hygienist, five dental assistants and one program manager.
those children, 60 percent had never visited a dentist before.
The mobile dental clinics also receive tremendous assistance from ACH’s clinic directors,
“That’s the best part of what we do,” said Dr. Rush. “Being a part of a team that
ACH Chief of Pediatric Dentistry James Koonce, DDS, and many other hospital departprovides an important service, especially when we are able to get a child out of pain.”
ments.
3
20
celebrating
years
Elissa Annesley-DeWinter • Burn Center
1. What is it about ACH that has motivated you to
work here for so long? The autonomy and opportunities
available to me over the years.
2. What are your special interests outside of work?
Cooking and gardening.
3. What are three words that best describe you? Determined, loyal and unique.
4. If you could have one super power, what would it
be? The power for children of the world be safe and happy.
5. What is one fun fact about you that few people know? Love to travel off the
beaten path.
6. If you could trade places with any other person for a week – famous or not,
living or dead – with whom would it be? Mother Teresa.
7. If you were a raindrop, where is one place you’d want to be? The Cotswolds.
8. What is the best advice you ever received? Be true to yourself.
9. What is your favorite memory from working at ACH? My first year at ACH
when we had our burn survivors get-together, it was so good to have the press there
focusing on the survivors and their stories. It was a joy to see those patients with whom
we worked so hard, with smiles on their faces despite their injuries.
Congratulations
Kudos to Michele Honeycutt of Infection Control and Hem/Onc Patient
Care Manager Crystal Russell on news that they will be presenting a poster on
successful efforts to reduce central venous line bloodstream infections on ACH’s
3D Hematology/Oncology unit. They will present at the Association for Professionals
in Infection Control’s 2011 Annual Educational Conference and International
Meeting in Baltimore in late June. Congratulations!
Maxwell Named Top
Social Worker for State
A leader known on the ACH campus for advocating
for families and improving social work services has been
named Social Worker of the Year by the Arkansas chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. Carol
Maxwell, LCSW, ACSW, received the honor in April at a
luncheon hosted by the organization.
ACH Social Work Supervisor Eileen Turner nominated Maxwell, noting in her letter that the ACH Social
Work department director’s “promotion of maintaining
ethical interventions is most noticeably evident in her
participation in the ACH Ethics Committee, the monthly
ethics presentations held at ACH, and her interactions
with her staff and other professionals.”
Maxwell joined the ACH Social Work Department in 1990, serving in the ED. She
quickly was promoted to a supervisor position and became director of the Social Work
Department in 1998. She now oversees Social Work, Interpreter Services and Family Services at ACH.
“Carol serves in leadership roles within the hospital such as the ACH Family Advisory
Board, CSR Steering Committee and the Patient Rights Joint Commission Committee,”
Turner wrote. “On the state level she is a commissioner appointed by the Governor for
the Commission on Child Abuse, Rape and Domestic Violence, a member of the Pulaski
County Multidisciplinary Child Abuse Team and is the ACH representative to the Baby
Sharon Catastrophic Illness Grant Program. Carol’s reputation as a national leader in Social Work was evidenced in her election this year as the national president of the Society
of Social Work Leader in Health Care.”
“Carol is an outstanding representation of the best of social work skills and professionalism. She is a leader in her field in Arkansas and across the U.S. She embodies
compassion for patients, families and staff and also has financial acumen regarding social
work acuity standards which are being reviewed and implemented around the country,”
said Jeanette Perdue, LCSW, BCD, vice president of operations, who hired Carol in 1990.
Congratulations, Carol, on a much deserved honor!
Julie Andrus
Paula Barnes
Nici Belknap
Sarah Bemis
Leslie Brooks-Jackson
Doug Brown
Kimberly Bynum
Candace Campbell
Jennifer Carlisle
5 years
Alexis Cooper
Clarice Davey
Darrell Dodd
Craig Everett, Jr.
Kristen Falls
Natalie Flores
Thomas Gibson
Kasheena Green
Lauren Hickey
Misty Jackson
Colleen Janota
Margie Johnson
Karen Jones
Joe Knight
Michael Newman
Kelly Quinn
Jo Reed
10 years
Leslie Alston
Allison Callahan
Veronica Danzie
Deverick Delph
Ben Downs
Debby Keene
Tracy Lewis
Dawn Morris
Marcus Murry
Vincent Partman
Shannon Ramer
Amy Schluterman
Tracy Short
Polly Tanner
Denise Traylor
15 years
James Barnes
Eric Bridges
Christina Clark
Cheryl Edwards
Tina Fleming
David Higginson
Erin Jackson
Judi Johnston
Jeanie Long
Renee Mitchell
Vickie Linam-Partridge
Gena Powers
Pamela Reed
Donald Webb
Lauren Willis
20 years
Elissa Annesley-Dewinter
Marilyn Brodie-Fowler
James Lewis
Joan Miner
Selina Porter
Johnny Schmidt
25 years
Jim Parks
30 years
Rosemary Robertson
Editor’s Note: Each month, employees and staff who are celebrating milestone
anniversaries at ACH are invited to share their experiences with Vital Signs. Those who
agree to be interviewed are featured on this page on a first-come, first-served basis.
New Arrivals
Staff Development Calendar
Congratulations to Keri Helmick of CVICU and her husband, Steven, on the birth of
their new son, Andrew James. He came in to the world on March 17, weighing
7 pounds, 10 ounces and measuring in at 20 inches long!
Staff Development is coordinating the following opportunities in May. If you have
questions or need more information, please contact a member of the Staff Development Team at X46511, X43529 or X43513. Sign up for courses through the ACH
Training System and check Vital Signs Daily for more information.
CVICU nurse Lametria Wafford and her husband, Jamie, welcomed their first child
on March 16. James Wafford IV was born weighing 7 pounds, 14 ounces, and he
measured 20 1/4 inches. Best wishes to the new family of three!
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
May
4
May Anniversaries
2
3
4
5
9
10
10
12
16
17
18
19
24
25
26
Traditions
Traditions (Day 2)
Basics of Human Resource Management Training
Policy Box – Policy Owner Training
Horizons
Coaching for Improvement
Policy Box – Policy Owner Training
I Know What You Know: Giving & Receiving Feedback
Traditions
Traditions (Day 2)
Policy Box – Policy Owner Training
Pathways to Excellence: Substance Abuse
Just Culture on the Frontline
7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Can You Hear Me Now? Communicating Effectively
Vital Signs
Vital Signs is published monthly for the employees, staff and
volunteers of Arkansas Children’s Hospital, 1 Children’s Way,
Little Rock, Arkansas, 72202-3591; (501) 364-1100.
Visit the all new archildrens.org.
President/Chief Executive Officer: Jonathan Bates, MD
Senior Vice President & Chief Operating Officer: David Berry
Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs & Chief Medical Officer: W. Robert Morrow, MD
Senior Vice President & Chief Business Development Officer: Carole Zylman
Director of Communications: Dan McFadden, APR
Manager of Publications: Michael Spigner
Editor: Hilary DeMillo
Photographer: Kelley Cooper