Emily Sherwood, MS, RD, LD, Clinical Dietitian, St. Thomas More, has always been an advocate of vaccines as raising herd immunity is the best and easiest defense for protecting people with weakened immune systems against preventable illness.

Across our connected ecosystem, we each have a unique voice and story about why we received the COVID-19 vaccine. Click here to share your “why.”

“I got my vaccine to help protect my loved ones and patients at high risk of COVID-19 complications, and so I could see me dad again safely,” Emily shared.

Emily says she is especially mindful of the importance of vaccinations ever since her father was diagnosed with end-stage congestive heart failure after being exposed to Agent Orange in the Vietnam War. Agent Orange was a mixture of herbicides used during the Vietnam War by the U.S. Military to clear vegetation. This herbicide was deployed in areas of Vietnam to expose the North Vietnamese Army and destroy crops. Exposure to Agent Orange can cause type 2 diabetes, immune system dysfunction, nerve disorders, muscular dysfunction, hormone disruption and heart disease.

“Against all odds and with diligent compliance with his health care team, he has managed to survive for 23 years with a disease that has a prognosis of 20% survival after 5 years,” Emily explained. “My dad's cardiologist told us that a case of the flu could very likely kill him, so everyone in my family gets a flu vaccine every year; likewise, there was never any question in my mind that I would get vaccinated for COVID to protect him.”  

“Since my dad has always been my favorite person to hang out with, it was very hard not seeing him for over a year, and I know that every day is precious borrowed time that needs to be taken advantage of,” Emily added. “As soon as the COVID vaccine became available to us, my dad and I got our shots. I'm so grateful that we can see each other again without fear.”

In partnership with the Centura Health Foundations, Walden University generously donated 30 scholarships of up to $15,000 to Centura Health associates who enroll in a bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral program.  

With the heavy burden of finances taken out of the equation, we hope this generous gift will help these caregivers achieve their goals and improve health outcomes in our communities:

• Robert Abercrombie, RN, Mercy Regional Medical Center, will pursue his Bachelor of Science in nursing (BSN).
• Leah Alford, physical therapy assistant, St. Francis Hospital, will pursue her Bachelor of Science (BS) in health care management.
• Jalissa Alvarez, occupational health tech, St. Anthony Hospital, will pursue her Master of Business Administration (MBA).
• Shelley Archuletta, RN, St. Thomas More Hospital, will pursue her BSN.
• Holly Bank, patient service representative/perioperative scheduler, Littleton Adventist Hospital, will pursue her Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in health care management.
• Tinsae Berhe, RN, BSN, Parker Adventist Hospital, will pursue her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) with a concentration in family nurse practitioner studies.
• Christina Bernard, RN, Mercy Regional Medical Center, will pursue her MSN with a concentration in executive studies.
• Julie Boyle, nurse manager, Avista Adventist Hospital, will pursue her MBA.
• Crystal Branham, clinic supervisor, St. Anthony North Health Campus, will pursue her MBA in health care management.
• Brandi Catron, RN, St. Francis Hospital, will pursue her MSN with a concentration in nurse executive studies.
• Cynthia Collins, patient access supervisor, Enterprise, will pursue her master's in organizational and industrial psychology.
• Abbey Cooper, speech language pathologist, Littleton Adventist Hospital, will pursue a MBA in health administration.
• Laura Goggans, RN, St. Francis Hospital, will pursue a BSN.
• Stephanie Gomez, RN, Parker Adventist Hospital, will pursue her MSN with a concentration in nurse executive studies.
• Jennie Gomez, clinical informaticist lead, Enterprise, will pursue her MSN with a concentration in nursing informatics.
• Beverly Jackson, group corporate responsibility coordinator, Enterprise, will pursue her MBA.
• Jeannie Jones, Medical Laboratory Tech, Penrose Hospital, will pursue her Bachelor of Science in health studies.
• Alicyn Klein, patient access representative, Meridian Emergency and Urgent Care, will pursue her Master of Science in information technology/software engineering.
• Magdalena Knight, supervisor of IRF Therapy, St. Anthony Hospital, will pursue her MBA.
• Katelyn Loftis, RN clinical coordinator, St. Anthony Hospital, will purse a Master of Science in nursing education.
• Rob Mansheim, marketing advisor, Enterprise, will pursue an MBA in health care administration.
• Elma Muminovic, RN, Parker Adventist Hospital, will pursue an MSN with a concentration in adult/gerontology primary care.
• Visha Patel, nuclear medicine tech, Parker Adventist Hospital, will pursue a MS in information technologies with a concentration in information systems.
• Chelsey Reed, interim clinic supervisor, St. Thomas More Hospital, will pursue a MBA in health care administration.
• Aleta Summers, patient services representative, Penrose Hospital, will pursue a BS in health care administration.
• Laura Syme, medical speech language pathologist, Littleton Adventist Hospital, will pursue a MBA in health administration.
• Jennifer Vanaman, RN, Oncology, Penrose Hospital, will pursue a MBA with a concentration in nurse executive studies.
• Brittani Varela, clinical informaticist, St. Catherine Hospital, will pursue an MSN with a concentration in nursing informatics.
• Katharine Walsh, RN, Bristlecone Home Health & Hospice will pursue a MSN with a concentration in nursing education.
• Tanya Wood, clinical coordinator, Penrose Hospital, will pursue a BSN.

This year we’re proud to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Centura and to continue to amplify our centuries of care across our connected ecosystem. Planning is underway now for our next marketing campaign that highlights the care our remarkable people provide each day and the personal connections we have to our communities. Our goal is to showcase our healing ministry through the stories and the passion that our caregivers bring to work and to life. We’ll highlight the kind and compassionate faces, caring actions, and commitment to whole person care.

That’s where you come in! We’re looking to you to partner in helping us launch this campaign and help us amplify the Centura story!

If you’re interested in representing Centura by being featured in upcoming photography, TV commercials, and radio spots, please share your information in this form. We will regularly review submissions and reach out with more details to those who have expressed interest. A couple of notes to support your decision: The time commitment required may vary depending on the need (up to one day for filming, a couple of hours for photography or a shorter time to share your passion for the work you do). We expect to start producing the campaign in August.

Questions?
Please reach out to Maggie McMonigle, director of Brand and Creative Services, maggiemcmonigle@centura.org.

Medical library services are available to all Centura Health associates and providers via My Virtual Workplace – and the support of Teresa McGinley, our new Medical Librarian, makes it even easier to find the information you need!

Based at Porter Adventist Hospital, the Harley E. Rice Medical Library licenses journals, maintains a print collection, provides literature searches and education, and retrieves articles. Previously, electronic journal access was very limited and associates and physicians at some of our care locations had difficulty accessing licensed material. Our journal licenses and library services expanded to include all Centura Health associates and providers beginning in January 2019. Now, a website with a single point of entry provides streamlined access to licensed databases, electronic journals and librarian services.

The website and information about services are accessible under the Reference tab on My Virtual Workplace – under Library/Reference, select Library Resources and Services - Centura. Access through methods other than My Virtual Workplace is available by request. Teresa is also available to answer questions or provide search help. For assistance, email PorterLibrary@Centura.org or TeresaMcGinley@Centura.org

Questions?
Please contact Teresa McGinley, Medical Librarian, at TeresaMcGinley@Centura.org.

We value the insightful feedback and dialogue our incredible people have shared through our associate engagement survey and Focus on Action sessions, and we are committed to taking tangible action to reimagine nursing practice across our connected ecosystem. To date, we have completed Focus on Action sessions at more than half of our facilities, and will continue through September as we work to hold sessions with nurses from all Centura care sites. As we continue this dialogue across the enterprise, we are taking immediate action on some of the concerns and requests that have been shared with us most frequently.  

We have heard our nurses’ requests to be involved in their unit staffing plan (matrix), and we know the voice of the clinical nurse is imperative in this process. We are pleased to share that we will be holding a series of Staffing Summits designed to include clinical nurses in discussion and development of staffing plans. These two-day collaborative working sessions will be held at each of our hospitals over the coming months, beginning with Avista Adventist Hospital in mid-August.

Each summit will kick off with a mandatory education session to provide brief education on the FTE budgeting process for variable nursing units, as well as an overview of the tool we will use for unit-specific planning sessions. Unit planning sessions will follow, and will include nurse leaders, assistant nurse managers, and four clinical nurses from each unit representing both the night shift and day shift. Enterprise nursing, finance and human resources leaders will also be available onsite to support this work.

Unit sessions will have the following objectives:

• Clinical nurse involvement in staffing plan development
• Validate current FY22 staffing plans
• Validate position control to staffing plans by shift and skill

Information Technology (IT) is excited to implement the Parachute Home O2 ordering software within Epic at our acute hospital locations and associated free-standing Emergency Departments across our connected ecosystem.

• The Parachute application, which will go-live in Epic on Tuesday, Aug. 17, will increase efficiencies in the Home 02 process. Benefits of the application include: Provides real-time communication with O2 suppliers
• Decreases the average time per order for O2
• Improves accuracy and timeliness of orders (no more faxing and minimizes telephone calls between the hospital and vendor)
• Directly sends all required documentation/order information to the O2 suppliers
• Integration with Epic enables supplier updates visible in the Electronic Health Record
• Sites with unique Home O2 supplier relationships will utilize an e-Fax process

Centura Health’s Mineral and Havana locations are supporting the F.R.E.S.H. 101 Initiative (an acronym for Free School Supplies and Haircuts). This initiative hosts a back-to-school drive at the start of every school year, with the hope of providing essential school materials to underprivileged children in the Denver community.

The Mineral and Havana buildings will serve as donation sites for this initiative. A focal point of the drive is backpack donations, however, school supplies (notebooks, pencils, folders, etc.) will also be accepted. Donation boxes will be located in the front lobbies of each location from Aug. 3 to 18.

The F.R.E.S.H. 101 Initiative looks forward to your support!

Coming soon to the Mineral building: Diversity and Inclusion Council! The intention of the council is to connect associates from various backgrounds, interests, and departments in furtherance of Centura’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. If you are interested in being part of this new group, email co-chairs Jasmine Gonzalez and Brandon Okezie to be included in future communications.

The Mineral Diversity & Inclusion Council is excited to support the F.R.E.S.H. 101 Initiative (an acronym for Free School Supplies and Haircuts). This initiative hosts a back-to-school drive at the start of every school year, with the hope of providing essential school materials to underprivileged children in the Denver community.

Centura’s Mineral and Havana buildings will be donation sites for this initiative. A focal point of this drive is backpack donations, however, school supplies (notebooks, pencils, folders, etc.) will also be accepted. From Aug. 3 to 18 boxes will be in the lobbies of Mineral and Havana to accept donations.

The Mineral D&I Council and the F.R.E.S.H. 101 Initiative looks forward to your support!