St. Luke's Health System

“There’s always been a great connection, obviously with how it was founded, but also through a shared mission of wanting to help people, whether they could afford it or not,” said Missy Swajkoski, the chairperson for the 160th anniversary planning committee.

Nonprofit organizations are a critical resource to help support, educate and foster health throughout our communities. St. Luke’s helps to support partnerships with local nonprofits each year through Community Health Improvement Fund grants. In 2024, 85 nonprofit organizations across the Treasure Valley, West Treasure Valley, Elmore, Valley, Adams and Valley counties received CHIF grants from St. Luke's to support specific efforts that benefit our communities. (Additional grants are also awarded in the Magic Valley area.) In June, the St. Luke’s Community Health and Engagement team hosted an event to celebrate this year’s CHIF grant recipients at JUMP in downtown Boise. “We are all better because of St. Luke’s,” said Crystal Kuhn, director of philanthropy for the Nampa Family Justice Center Foundation. The Nampa-based organization provides wrap-around services for those affected by abuse. Kuhn says the grant from St. Luke’s has been instrumental in allowing them to support those in the community who need safety, hope and healing. The center applied grant dollars to grow its own fundraising efforts. “The money provided by St. Luke’s provided seed money so we would have our expenses met, so when we actually had the gala, we were able to use all of that money to directly back to client services,” Kuhn shared.

Boise RN Emily Scheideler was presented with the DAISY Award on June 26. Boise CNO Marle Hoff, director Liz Jorgensen and Scheideler's team joined in celebrating.   A patient’s daughter who was impressed with the care her mother received nominated Scheideler, noting the following.   “From our first interaction with her you could tell that my mom was in the safest hands possible. The attention to detail Emily provided my mom was next level and the genuine concern she had for her, no other RN has displayed that.    "We were fortunate to have Emily for two nights during my mom’s stay. Unfortunately, after being released from the hospital, we found ourselves back in the ED waiting to be admitted again. When we were told that Emily would be our nurse, we were all ecstatic. When we arrived, Emily was eagerly awaiting my mom with a warm smile. She had flowers in the room since my mom loves flowers and even pronounced her name correctly.    “She was beyond thorough with checking my mom in and addressing any concerns. Emily is the nicest, sweetest, nurse ever and we are so thankful for her. The care and love she has shown my mom during her time in the hospital is something that any family hopes for.”

Vivian Smith, an occupational therapist at St. Luke's Nampa, was recently recognized by a patient for the excellent care she provided.    The patient was admitted following a suicide attempt and was on a hold with 1:1 supervision. As a result of the patient's medical course, she was unable to perform activities of daily living independently.   The patient commented to Dr. Alok Desh that she felt significantly better, “like a real person,” after working with Smith one day. Smith assisted the patient with activities of daily living, such as being able to bathe herself, clean her face and brush her hair. She also provided a delirium journal and behavioral activation techniques.   Smith is less than two years into her position as an occupational therapist, and, according to her team and leaders, she has a bright future, frequently going the extra mile for her patients and demonstrating unmatched kindness and compassion working with those who have behavioral or mental health challenges.

St. Luke's Wood River recently hosted a group of high school students from the nonprofit group Far + Wise, which provides educational and enrichment programs in Blaine County.   Over three days, they learned about dieticians, nursing, surgery, lab, family medicine physicians, medical imaging, building services/security and more. They also had a resume workshop with the Talent Acquisition team.    Sarah Seppa, Wood River director of community engagement, and CNO/COO Almita Nunnelee were pivotal in helping organize the unique opportunity.   Many of the students have been in the program for years, so the same group gets to experience the same learning opportunities as they grow from elementary school into high school.

St. Luke's team honors newest citizen by gifting a special flag. On the last day of April, Berenice Crowder passed her exam to become an official citizen of the United States. The bilingual outreach coordinator for the St. Luke's Center for Community Health in the Wood River Valley first fell in love with the area working at Sun Valley on a student work visa during her summers attending college in Peru.   Last week, following the St. Luke's Wood River Community Board meeting, Community Health and Engagement leader Theresa McLeod presented Crowder with an American flag that had been flown over the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.    Along with the flag, Crowder was given a certificate authenticating that the flag was flown over the Capitol, along with a note that it was flown in her honor of becoming a citizen, a request aided by Sen. Mike Crapo.   “When I had the flag in my hands, my maternal instinct kicked in and thought ‘I will protect you!’” Crowder said. “I am a proud American, I worked hard to become one and I am working even harder to honor the philosophical principles this country was created on: natural rights, liberty, equality and justice for all.”   Congratulations, Berenice! We are proud to have you on the St. Luke's team!

Wishing you a happy and safe Fourth of July!

‘Kindest’ Nampa ICU RN Bland earns DAISY Hailey Bland, an RN with the St. Luke's Nampa ICU team, received a DAISY Award on June 19 after a nomination from one of her patients who praised her unwavering positive attitude and rationale, plus expressed his appreciation for her anticipation of his health care needs.   Zachary Carter, assistant nurse manager, added: “Hailey is one of the kindest people I know. She recently has been recognized by leadership for great safety callouts regarding patient care and always having a positive attitude and smile. One of Hailey’s most recognizable traits is her positive mentality, positive outlook at work and overall positive influence on people. Whether at work or at home, Hailey has a gift for helping others live healthier and happier — a trait that makes her recognized by patients for representing the DAISY Award!”

Pat Burton, manager of nursing and patient care at St. Luke’s Eagle, will retire July 1 after 32 years of leading at St. Luke’s. Pat led the Boise Emergency Department for her first 16 years at St. Luke’s. This included redesigning the workflows and staffing processes, as well as implementing the ED’s first electronic medical record in 2001, one of the biggest challenges in her career. She served on the Emergency Medical Services board and help initiate the EMS breakfast held during EMS week each year. In 2008, she was ready to take on a new challenge and helped open Eagle Medical Plaza. She’s seen it grow from 20 patients a day in Urgent Care to more than 80, while the Medical Imaging Department has grown to more than 100 exams a day and expanded CT and MRI hours to evenings and weekends. “Eagle has been amazing, a great team, we have risen to many challenges,” Pat said. “Our clinics at Eagle continue to see more patients as we meet the challenges of our growing community. All the above, without a physical expansion.” Pat worked with American Red Cross blood drives at Eagle and on many of our United Way Workplace campaigns, organizing some successful auctions. She serves on the Meridian Medical Arts Charter High School Advisory Board. Pat said she appreciates the way teammates cared for her and her family in times of need as well. “I have felt incredibly supported as I lost my husband to cancer almost five years ago,” she said. “Due to the generosity of a co-worker, my youngest daughter received a kidney transplant almost three years ago after developing a rare autoimmune disease.” Though she will miss St. Luke’s team members, she hopes they’ll remember how much she cared about them. “I truly believe if we choose great staff and care for them, they will deliver outstanding care to our patients and each other.” A retirement celebration was held last week. Thank you, Pat!

Staff travel to cover ED shifts, allowing Wood River team to attend O'Connor funeral services. St. Luke’s team members are driven to care for the people in the communities we serve — and that includes each other.   On June 20, a group of St. Luke’s emergency department team members from the greater Treasure Valley arrived at St. Luke’s Wood River Medical Center to help cover the shifts of local staff, enabling them to attend the public memorial service for the late Dr. Terry O’Connor, St. Luke’s emergency department physician.   The supportive crew included Kelli Winward, assistant nurse manager, and Shawna LaFollette, nurse manager, from the St. Luke's Fruitland Emergency Department and Aldo Rivas, RN from the Boise ED.   "We're a team across the health system, and I’m proud of these team members for stepping up and being there for each other," said St. Luke’s Nampa COO/CNO Misty Robertson.   Dr. O’Connor, a beloved and respected member of the Wood River community, died in an avalanche on May 10. The public service included a procession of emergency service vehicles traveling from St. Luke’s Wood River to River Run Lodge.