Sammy Madsen is the definition of driven. Starting her career with Intermountain Health four years ago as a picker, she now serves as a coordinator II for the Supply Chain Organization’s Fulfillment Center in Salt Lake City, UT. In the past, Sammy often defined herself by her battle with both dyslexia and ADHD, two conditions that caused her to struggle throughout high school and made her feel that she would never be smart enough for college. Sammy’s manager noticed what a hard worker she was and approached her with an opportunity to attend a Lean Six Sigma class, a bi-annual program offered at the Supply Chain Center that focuses on improving processes in the workplace by eliminating delays, errors, and waste. Thinking back to her struggles in high school, Sammy felt her nerves nagging her to back out. Despite her learning challenges, she signed up and immediately found a passion for process improvement. Sammy earned her Yellow Belt in just under a month, completing several projects to demonstrate her knowledge of the material. “This is not an easy course,” said Brent Wigington (instructor). “Many class attendees delay earning their Yellow Belt certification, while Sammy was engaged and driven to implement the tools she learned.” More than the belt placed around her waist in a ceremony in front of her fellow caregivers, Sammy earned self-confidence. “This class showed me my self-worth and gave me confidence that I am smart enough to go to college,” said Sammy. “Before th
It's not too late to join us on #LeapDay for our Utah County hiring event! 📅 Date: Thursday, February 29th, 2024 ⏰ Time: 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. MT 📍 Location: Utah Valley Hospital Sorenson Clinic Tower, 2nd Floor (Classrooms 1, 2 & 3), 395 W Cougar Blvd, Provo, UT 84604 Come learn more about the wide variety of clinical and non-clinical positions we're currently hiring for at: 🏥 American Fork Hospital - American Fork 🏥 Orem Community Hospital - Orem 🏥 Spanish Fork Hospital - Spanish Fork 🏥 Utah Valley Hospital - Provo Visit https://forms.office.com/r/tWCZ91wDY5 to RSVP for this in-person event today - we hope to see you there!
On Dec. 31, 2023, a carbon monoxide exposure at a church in Monroe, UT sent 63 patients to the emergency department at Intermountain Sevier Valley Hospital in Richfield, UT. Emergency physicians quickly determined 49 patients needed to be transported to Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Intermountain Utah Valley Hospital in Provo, and Intermountain St. George Hospital in St. George for specialized hyperbaric chamber treatment. The need for so many patient transports – late at night on New Year’s Eve – complicated efforts to find EMS crews. However, Sevier County EMS, Piute County EMS, and Gunnison Valley EMS answered the call for help when contacted. In honor of their service that went above and beyond the call of duty, the Intermountain Sevier Valley Hospital trauma program awarded 22 of the first responders an Intermountain Challenge Coin during a ceremony on Monday, Feb. 12. “Sevier Valley Hospital is indebted to our local EMS agencies that assisted in this incident, showing great accountability to our communities,” said Brent Schmidt, administrator of Sevier Valley Hospital. “The challenge coin isn’t presented as just a way of saying thanks for a job well done, but a prestigious token that shows our gratitude for their efforts of going above and beyond the call of duty.”
Rattana, an advanced pharmacy technician in the Heart Failure and Transplant Clinic at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, UT, understands she can make a lasting impact on a patient’s life through her day-to-day work. As an advanced pharmacy technician, Rattana’s role can’t be understated. During routine appointments, which include vaccinations, workups, and an overall health check, pharmacy technicians ensure patients are taking important medications and aren’t experiencing any barriers to life-saving medications as part of their overall care. So, when Rattana found out that Dave, a heart failure patient at the clinic, had been paying for one of his important medications out-of-pocket, she sprung into action. Read more about how Rattana used her vast experience, rapport with community health providers outside of the Intermountain network, and understanding of preventative care to dramatically reduce the financial impact of Dave's life-saving medication.
Adam Espinoza, a COVID-19 survivor, spent 34 days in the hospital in the spring of 2020. With a 30% chance of survival, he beat the odds and is now showing his gratitude to the caregivers who saved his life by creating custom portraits of them. This is a beautiful tribute to the heroes who risked their own lives to help others, and a final step in Adam's healing process. In January, Adam and his wife Trish returned to Platte Valley Hospital in Brighton, CO to present Chasity Starman, an occupational therapist at Platte Valley, with her custom portrait.
At Intermountain Health, our values are core to our culture. They reflect the behavior and attitudes that are important to us, are an agreement for how we treat each other, help us make decisions on how to act, and are a promise of what people can expect from us. One of our values is, "We are leaders in clinical excellence." What does this look like from a nursing perspective? How do our nurses help Intermountain remain a leader in clinical excellence? And how do our patients benefit? Hear from Mandy Richards, RN, MSN, chief nursing executive, as she addresses these questions in a recent interview.
Following more than three years of construction and decades of planning, the second campus of Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital was dedicated in a special ribbon-cutting ceremony last Friday, ushering in the most significant enhancement in pediatric health care in Utah and the Intermountain West in more than a century. Philanthropist and civic and business leader, Gail Miller, a Primary Promise Executive Campaign Cabinet Co-Chair, joined patients, caregivers, and leaders from Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital, Intermountain Health, and the community to cut the ribbon on the hospital campus that bears her family’s name. The Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital, Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Campus in Lehi opens for patient care on February 12, 2024. “It’s been nearly four years to the day that we announced the second campus of Primary Children’s Hospital, and we’ve all been anxiously awaiting the moment we open the doors to serve the children and families in the rapidly growing southern Salt Lake County and Utah County,” said Lisa Paletta, president of Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital, Miller Family Campus. “The day is almost here, thanks to our generous supporters, and the expertise and passions of our construction teams, caregivers, and communities.”
We are excited to celebrate Angela Luther, Chealcae Crnkovich, and Alishea Waite as the first graduates from our in-house surgical technologist training program at St. Vincent Regional Hospital in Billings, MT! 🥳 The first class of students started the program in April 2023. This rigorous program consists of 18 weeks of online training in partnership with an outside educational provider, as well as daily hands-on skills training in the classroom and practice lab alongside the instructor and staff preceptors. Jenna Haacke, instructor of the program and St. Vincent OR nurse educator and surgical technologist, shared, "Being able to invest in our dedicated internal employees and provide them with an educational opportunity along with advancement in their healthcare careers has been very rewarding. With the shortage of surgical technologists nationwide and difficulties filling surgical technologist positions, we are able to help fill those openings with staff who are committed to patient safety and the St. Vincent Intermountain Health organization." The second group of students began in October of 2023. "With the success of the program we hope to continue to build and grow more surgical technologists in the future. These students are valuable members of our surgical team and it has been fun watching them develop their skills and thrive under the guidance of our very talented OR team," Jenna shared.
Nearly all parents need help with a new baby. In fact, 95% of parents said that they needed support after their babies were born, but couldn’t find it. To help fill this gap, families in Jefferson County, Colorado now have a new, free resource to support them through the many joys and challenges of welcoming a new baby. Family Connects, a partnership between Jefferson County Public Health (JCPH) and Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge, is a program that connects all new parents with a highly-trained registered nurse at no cost. Unlike the traditional post-birth experience, Family Connects nurses visit the family in their home to support everyone’s health and wellbeing in the household. “It’s great to have a program that focuses on the mother,” said Amanda McCoy, a family ambassador with the Family Connects program. “Up to delivery it’s all about you, and then as soon as the baby is born, it’s all about them and you are left reeling. Family Connects is exactly what I needed, a program that focuses on the mother as well as the baby and helps you understand what is normal to experience as a parent.”
This #BlackHistoryMonth and every day, we celebrate the rich tapestry of achievements, resilience, and contributions that Black individuals have made throughout history.
