Community Connections
In Your Neighborhood
Going Green Goes to the Dogs
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Norman Regional Health System is turning trash into treasure for man’s best friend. Used packaging material from the health system’s operating rooms is being donated to animal shelters to line the cages of dogs waiting for adoption.
The program started at Moore Medical Center when executive secretary Julie Robberson read about a national hospital that had a similar program. Operating room supplies are packaged and shipped in sterile, disposable pads. There is no use for these packaging materials and the health system had been throwing them away, until Robberson stepped in.
Now operating rooms at Moore Medical Center, the HealthPlex and Norman Regional Hospital are collecting the packaging and donating it to local animals in need – including those at the City of Moore’s animal shelter.
Staff at the animal shelter said they had been using newspaper to line the cages. The donated packaging is perfect for animals because of its absorbency and soft feel. The donated material also cleans up easier and faster than soiled newspapers.
This is one of the projects implemented by Norman Regional Health System’s Eco-Care Committee. The Committee has been in place for two years and has established several environmentally friendly initiatives.
NICU Nurse Reunited with Patient, Named Guardian Angel
Friday, April 16, 2010
September 2, 2008 was the most exciting, exhausting and emotional day in the life of Abby and David Hudgins. Abby was to give birth that day to the couple’s first born child, a boy they named Horus Lee.
It was supposed to be an easy delivery for this professional dancer. But after more than ten hours in the delivery room, doctors decided her son was too large to be born vaginally and took her into an operating room for a cesarean section.
“The doctor told us the baby was getting tired and of course he didn’t want that to happen. So we had the c-section,” Abby remembered. “From that point on, everything happened so fast.”
Horus Lee Hudgins was born at 3:55 a.m. on September 3, 2008. Shortly after his birth Horus stopped breathing.
“After he was delivered, the baby’s heart stopped beating. They had to resuscitate him. He eventually cried. I remember them flashing him to me and then they whisked him off to the NICU.”
The doctors were concerned Horus’ lungs might collapse. So he was taken to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Norman Regional Hospital. Lesa Lewis, RN, was assigned to baby Horus and from the moment she saw him, she loved him like her own. That meant the world to Abby.
“As soon as I woke up from recovery, I went to see my little baby. He was hooked up to so many wires but Lesa was right there with him. She was taking care of him and made sure I got to hold him right away.”
It took nearly a week for Horus to get strong enough to leave the hospital, but thanks to the help and comfort from Lesa, he did. Now Horus is a healthy, happy and rambunctious 19-month-old.
The Hudgins have made a donation to the Norman Regional Health Foundation’s Guardian Angel program in honor of Lesa. The Guardian Angel program is a way patients can say thanks to a health care provider by making a monetary donation to the NRH Foundation. The employee is recognized among his or her peers. The donated funds go to support the award winning health care programs the Health System provides the regional community.
“As soon as I learned about the Guardian Angel program I jumped at the chance to thank Lesa,” said Abby. “Lesa was a light spot in a very dark time for us. We’re forever grateful.”
Students Deliver Toys to Hospital Playroom
Friday, February 26, 2010
“We all know what it feels like to be sick, but not really sick,” says McKinley 5th grader Kate Kemmet.
Wanting to make sick kids feel better is why Kate and other peer mediators from McKinley Elementary raised money to donate to the Women’s and Children’s unit at Norman Regional’s HealthPlex hospital.
Kate got the idea to donate to the HealthPlex from her grandmother, director of Emergency Services, Joan Greenleaf. “My grandmother told me that there was a new hospital being built and that they could use extra money for toys,” said Kate. “So I made a presentation to my peer group about the hospital being built and how great it would be to help out and my project was chosen.”
By baking cookies, cupcakes and pies and making lemonade to sell at a school function, the group raised nearly $200 to give to the unit. The money donated was used to purchase a radio flyer wagon and a table and chairs for the playroom. “The kids can enjoy these new toys anytime they want to get away from their hospital room to relax and maybe sit and watch a movie,” said Mari Newcomer, manager of the Children’s unit. “It’s such a nice donation these students made.”
“We wanted to make it feel more comfortable and more like home for the kid patients,” said student Amanda Wilkins. “We hope it helps them feel less scared and more relaxed. We’re lucky enough to not be in the hospital and sick. It’s the least we can do.”
HealthPlex Dedication
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
A dedication ceremony was held for the HealthPlex hospital on Wednesday, October 28. More than 300 people attended the ceremony which celebrated the opening of the new building. Speakers included Cheryl Parsons, Chair of the Norman Regional Health Authority Board; David Whitaker, CEO and President of Norman Regional Health System; Daryle Voss, Chief Administrative Officer of the HealthPlex, and Lieutenant Governor Jari Askins.
Many other local dignitaries attended the ceremony and ribbon cutting. At the ceremony a plaque was revealed that recognized all the people who helped mold the HealthPlex from its beginning vision to its concrete reality.
The 152-bed specialty hospital is located off Interstate 35 on Tecumseh Road. It houses the Heart & Vascular Institute, the Orthopedic & Spine Center and the Women’s & Children’s Pavilion.
Free Skin Cancer Screenings Offered
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Save your skin and save yourself. That’s the message for 2009 Norman Regional Health System’s free skin cancer screening day. From 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday community members received free skin cancer screenings at Norman Regional Hospital’s Cancer Management Center, located through the southeast entrance of the hospital. It was a first come, first served event. No appointments were taken so people were encouraged to come early to ensure a screening.
The screenings were conducted by local dermatologists; Dr. David Duncan, Dr. Thomas Urice, Dr. Paul Gillum and Dr. Joel Holloway. People of all ages were encouraged to attend this free screening which was made possible by the generous donation of the four dermatologists.
According to statistics, it’s estimated that 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime. The American Cancer Society says the 5 year survival rate for people whose melanoma is detected and treated before it spreads to the lymph nodes is 99 percent. It’s time to get tested, don’t wait any longer.