Spotlight On: Mammography & the MMU

Kudos to the staff of the Mobile Medical Unit, including Mammography Tech Denise Hammerquist,  for her excellent work not only as a technician, but also for delivering compassionate, personalized patient care.

In Fiscal Year 2009, the MMU provided 505 screening mammograms. In 2010, Denise and the MMU provided 993. What’s more, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October 2010, Denise did 203 screening mammograms – double the number of mammograms from last October!

A patient recently offered this testimonial about Denise:

“I have walked out of mammogram after mammogram in tears. This woman was so wonderful. I could hardly tell she was giving me a mammogram, and then it was over. She was so great and she needs to be acknowledged for her care.”

Thank you Denise for increasing prevention and early detection of breast cancer to so many in our community. Thank you for being a wonderful representative of SJRMC!

Learn more about the MMU at http://www.sjmed.com/medicalservices/mmu/

Real Stories: A Letter of Thanks

The following is a letter sent to Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center from Dr. Carol Ecker, Director Humane Society of St. Joseph County, in thanks of supplies donated from the former SJRMC/South Bend.

When I received a phone call from Sister Laureen Painter, I was in seventh heaven, if there is such a place. She graciously told me that the Humane Society could have articles from the former Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center/South Bend that would be of possible use to us. Since we were building our new shelter for the animals, this was great news. Little did I know that it would be thousands of dollars worth of savings for us. My Aunt Mary always told me “Good things that go around come around.”

Sister Laureen took precious time out of her schedule to show some others and me around the hospital so that we could see exactly what items we could use. It was like Christmas at Wal-Mart. I found so many things that we could put in our new shelter that would diminish the cost tremendously. The stainless steel sinks, lights, cabinets, furniture, IV stands, stainless steel instrument stands, tool cabinets, paper towel holders, vanities and many more things.

So one Wednesday morning, we again toured the facility, after an okay from Sister Laureen. I brought men from Casteel Construction Company, the folks building our new building, and we marked all of the prizes that we were allowed to take. They brought a plumber and we were in business. I have 24 sinks, enough for my surgery, treatment and triage areas. I have vanities for the bathrooms, furniture for the grieving room. The grieving room is where people will be allowed to say good-bye to the animals before they are put to sleep by owner request. The other rooms that need furniture are the play areas where we have people come and visit with their potential pet to get to know them better and to make sure that it gets along with their family members.

In the cattery, which will have outside porches, we need all kinds of plastic items so that they can be cleaned readily. So chairs, tables, benches and milk carton boxes will be used in these rooms for the cats to climb up on and play. We are on a constant hunt for these items.

The Staff has never had any place to really relax and eat their lunch and now will have a staff room. It has tables and chairs from the cafeteria. A refrigerator and a microwave will be used to make their lives better. We do not have a high pay scale here but we will try to make the work conditions improve. The staff is so dedicated to the animals and their well being, that little amenities are really all that we can offer aside from the joy when animals are adopted into the community.

My surgery is being put together little by little. I now have to load the animals in a van, take them to Michigan to a friend’s hospital, spay or neuter them, wake them up and load them in the van and bring them back to our shelter. It is a laborious task and can only be done a few times per month. The surgical supplies that I received from you are most precious to us. Suture material, gowns, drapes, gauze and the many other items that you all bring on a regular basis are most valued. Thank you!

Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center, we owe you so much for all you have done for us! We will keep you posted as to what we are doing with the materials that you so graciously donated to our facility. The gift from the hospital will keep on giving to a really good cause - the animals that have so little. 

Feedback from the Community

Big thanks to everyone on our Saint Joe team for working so hard to provide an excellent patient care experience. Below read some recently received letters commending your quality, compassionate care:

Mishawaka Campus Associates
I am very pleased to thank you for the thorough care and treatment I received at your new facility. Everyone I encountered, from the Emergency Entrance to Surgical Room to Critical Care through to my exit out the front door with my stent, treated me with courtesy and kindness. I am amazed at the great skill and talent of the highly committed army of people serving directly one to another to save, improve and extend human life.

Plymouth Campus Critical Care
It’s so very difficult to find the right words to tell each of you just how special you truly are. Over and over again, you have shown compassion and excellent care. How can we ever thank you enough? God bless each and every one of you.

Mishawaka Campus & Valet Service
The new hospital is beautiful, I took my husband there yesterday for outpatient surgery. Everyone was very friendly, I got a good feeling from the moment I approached the door and the valet said "Good Morning.”

To all of our patients - thank you trusting us with your health care needs.

Feedback from the Community

At SJRMC, we receive so many letters of appreciation from our patients. In addition, we encourage our Associates to share their "Kudos," recognizing each other for displaying excellence and compassion in our work. Here are some recent Thank Yous and Kudos we have received...

Dawn Brammer, RN, Four North, South Bend Campus
Dawn is so in tune to our Diabetic patients. The patients love her energy and smile as she takes time to clearly educate the patients. Dawn goes beyond the call of duty and she consistently does it with a smile. I have asked Dawn to see patients that have been newly diagnosed and when the patients see me the next day they tell me how appreciative they are. Kudos Dawn!

Center for Spiritual Care, In God's Arms Program
We have written this letter to send a very special thank you. Our baby was one of the many babies remembered at the “In God’s Arms” Memorial Services held on April 26, 2009. Even through the rough time, what a delight it truly was to attend the service. It is such a blessing for wonderful people like yourselves and the staff of Palmer Funeral Home to make such a beautiful service like this happen! We are blessed to know there is such a beautiful and peaceful place we can go and reflect and rejoice the life of our precious child, as we truly believe life begins at conception, as we lead our way down the road of recovery. We have not only been blessed with such a wonderful and precious angel, but we have been blessed with God given people like all of yourselves! You all will always hold a very special place in our hearts! This has been such a true wonderful blessing to our lives and we are sure it will be a blessing to many more families. In loving memory of our child.

Denise Pitts, Pediatric Therapy
At the age of 20 months my son Ryan started Pediatric Physical Therapy here at SJRMC South Bend. He could not walk and was in the process of diagnosis. Within 2 weeks of PT with Denise Pitts my son was walking. She gave us the avenue to make it possible. He ended up with a diagnosis of mild Cerebral Palsy. He’s had PT at SJRMC for six year now and we have been fortunate to have Denise as our PT the entire time. Denise takes her patients and works with them in such a way that they are totally unaware of how hard they are working. Part of PT is showing me how to motivate him at home and get the exercise in. She rises to this challenge and helps me with new and fun ideas. She brings so much humor, genuine caring and creativity to her job. She has even shared toys of her own children to help motivate my son. We only see Denise once a month now. My son is 8 and still is excited on the day that he has PT. The work is very hard and it says a lot that he wants to come. He doesn't remember his life before PT and I think there are many kids that come to PT in that same situation. I feel so fortunate that SJRMC and Denise Pitts have been there to guide and help my son. Enough cannot be said for Denise and the entire Pediatric Therapy Department here at SJRMC.

Kate's Hope
Many of our Associates were part of Kate’s Hope, the group that recently walked in the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s MS Walk in memory of former SJRMC Associate Kate Coleman. Kate’s Hope was by the far the Walk leader, raising more than $10,000 in support of the fight against MS.