St. Luke's Health System

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.

Caring Heart Awards spotlight: St. Luke's Security team. The St. Luke’s Security team is recognized across the health system for their expertise, professionalism and unwavering commitment to keeping staff, patients and visitors safe. Among many responsibilities, team members are often found assisting visitors, escorting team members, deescalating challenging situations and completing training exercises to be prepared for wide-ranging events such as natural disasters. In 2023, the Security team was honored with the Excellence in Teamwork award — part of St. Luke’s Caring Heart Awards program. This award recognizes a team or workgroup that demonstrates St. Luke’s ICARE values and behaviors and works together to advance the health system’s mission to improve the health of the people in the communities we serve. The team also includes St. Luke’s Threat Assessment Team and Emergency Management team. They are always ready to help, leading with compassion, skill and precision to ensure the safety of all. The recognized team included: Ginger McCabe, Abbey Abbondandolo, James Maxson, Chad Huff, Karen Thomas, Craig Prescott, Pete Gray, Davie Turnbough, David Thornton, Susan Bass, Scott Smith, Lonnie Menges, Eric Banasiak and Dr. Katherine Stevens.

St. Luke's Magic Valley turns into a carnival to educate, entertain. With a putting green, a plastic axe throwing game, cotton candy, popcorn, pretzels and more, the hospital patio at St. Luke’s Magic Valley transformed into a carnival on June 12 for a day of food, fun and education! The “Care Always Carnival” was led by Arlen Blaylock, chief nursing officer of St. Luke’s Magic Valley. “We’re using a carnival setting to learn about four ‘universal behaviors’ that have been proven to enhance our patient care and experience,” said Blaylock, who dressed as a ringmaster for his carnival role. “We’re focusing on connection, curiosity, emotional safety and kindness.” Each employee was tasked with stopping by carnival booths to learn about humanizing health care from local leaders. Then they put what they learned into action — making connections and showing curiosity to get full credit.

You’re invited to St. Luke's Elmore Golf Classic and Silent Auction! Saturday, July 20, 2024. Desert Canyon Golf - Mountain Home, ID Silent Auction donations welcome. Items due by July 9, 2024. Sponsorship opportunities and perks available! Learn more at https://lnkd.in/gtv2Caj5

Earlier this month, St. Luke's Wood River supported the annual Girls on the Run Color Me Fearless 5K in Hailey.    Girls on the Run of the Wood River Valley is a 10-week afterschool program for third, fourth and fifth grade girls. They meet twice a week and use running to strengthen the way girls see themselves and their opportunities. Volunteers mentor the girls through an organized curriculum of lessons, discussions and workouts that culminates with the 5K.   “I always enjoy running this 5K with my sons," said Dr. Julie Lyons. "It's a great way to support girls in our community and to spend time with my own family. (The) chalk stations were a blast.”

Dr. Alejandro Necochea, a St. Luke’s hospitalist and community health advisor, recently received the advocate of the year award during the Latino’s Unidos Conference, hosted by PODER of Idaho. Dr. Necochea, who is bilingual, was recognized for his service and advocacy for the Latino communities in Idaho. Conference officials highlighted his volunteerism, community support and leadership. The conference, held May 31 at the College of Idaho, focused on policy advocacy. “The aim of the conference is to build a foundation for equity, justice and economic prosperity for the Latino community in Idaho,” according to the organization’s website.