B A Y L O R S C O T T & W H I T E

Stories

A Letter from Joel Allison

Sometimes it’s hard to believe that more than a year has passed since Baylor Health Care System and Scott & White Healthcare came together to form Baylor Scott & White Health, the largest not-for-profit health care system in Texas. With the merger have come many changes. Add to that the changes from national health care reform, and it feels like nothing is the same as it was even a few years ago.

One thing I know will never change is the compassion of the entire team of men and women who serve the patients and families at Baylor Scott & White Health. They are driving the success of our new organization, and changing the way health care is provided in our communities and our country with a never changing focus on the patient.

From small acts of kindness to sacrifices that can never be repaid, each day those who serve at Baylor Scott & White are changing lives both inside the hospital and out.

Baylor Scott & White Health Stories is our way of highlighting the goodness of those who work at our facilities across North and Central Texas. These individuals and their stories are exceptional in many ways. At the same time, they are also representative of our entire team’s commitment to servanthood, and their efforts brighten the world and inspire others to pay it forward.

Joel Allison Chief Executive Officer, Baylor Scott & White Health

Baylor Scott & White Health operates 49 hospitals and more than 800 patient access points, and serves a a population larger than the state of Virginia. Now, from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex to the Texas Hill Country, advanced health care is well within reach for everyone.

More than 35,000 employees at Baylor Scott & White facilities and corporate offices dedicate their careers to advancing Baylor Scott & White’s mission to provide personalized health and wellness through exemplary care, education and research as a Christian ministry of healing. It is from these compassionate hearts that so many patients find hope each day.

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ContentsOur Locations . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2The Smile that Glanced .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 4A Save Among the Waves .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 5My Story, Clint D. Barnett, MD .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 6Patient Turned Practitioner. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 8Picture-Perfect Compassion .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 9Responding to a National Tragedy . .. .. .. .. .. .. . 11In Command .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 12No Patient Left Behind .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 15Taking the Drama Out of a Trauma .. .. .. .. .. .. . 16Home Away from Home. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 17My Story, Keli Schulte .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 19From the Heart to the Head .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 20Face to Face .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 21My Story, Alistair MacDonald .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 22Dialing Up a Solution . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 24Roadside Rescue.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 25Coming Together as a Health Care Community .. .. . 26Watching a Walk Down the Aisle . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 28

You smiled one day to a face you met,And you gained an answering smile,You feel the balm of its benison yet,And you deemed it a deed worthwhile;

Yet it glanced to a face nearby,To one you did not know,And it cheered his heart that was all but dead,And it set his spirit aglow;

Till he cried as he straightened up straight and tall,This world’s not so dreary after all,Then he braced his soul with a newborn hope,And started his climb with a will;

Till he mastered each foot of its strenuous slope,And stood on top of his hill,And this chorus he put in his victor song,Heaven bless the stranger who smiled me along.

– L.M. Waterman

Louis M. Waterman was a chaplain at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas in the 1920s.

The Smile thatGlanced

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A Save Among the WavesSCOTT & WHITE M c LANE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL , TEMPLE It’s not uncommon for Danny to find himself playing the role of lifesaver when he goes to work. After all, he is a surgeon at Scott & White McLane Children’s Hospital in Temple. But it’s certainly not a situation he expected to find himself in while relaxing at the beach with his family. Danny and his son were enjoying a beautiful afternoon on North Padre Island, when they suddenly heard screaming about 300 yards offshore. The riptide had pulled a man and his daughter apart, and they were drifting further and further away. The girl was in real trouble, bobbing

up and down in the water, while her father was panicking. Danny told his son to rescue the little girl, while he went after the father, who was even further from shore. “The riptides didn’t seem all that strong, but for them it was strong enough,” Danny says. It was an extremely risky move. Not only did they risk getting swept up in the tide as well, but sometimes people who are drowning pull their rescuer under with them. Nonetheless, Danny decided it was the right thing to do. The father and daughter whom Danny and his son saved were pretty emotional once back safely ashore. However, they were alive and unharmed, thanks to two strangers turned heroes.

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As a physician and joint replacement surgeon, I have been blessed to receive the education and training to perform hip and knee replacement surgery. These surgeries can be life-changing, often allowing people who are in severe pain to walk and function without joint pain. In late May and early June of 2014, I joined Dr. Duane Anderson and his team at Soddo Christian Hospital in Soddo, Ethiopia, to perform 21 total hip replacements over a seven-day period. I first became connected with Dr. Anderson through his son, Lucas, during my fellowship training. Dr. Anderson and his wife, Jackie, had retired from a busy orthopedic practice in Idaho nine years earlier and became full-time missionaries in Ethiopia. They helped establish the 120-bed hospital in East Africa, which serves over 30,000 patients a year. Due to the prohibitive cost of implants and the difficulty importing the devices, joint replacement is a service that is only available to the very wealthy in Ethiopia. However, one medical device manufacturer made a very generous donation of more than 30 total hip joint implants to the hospital. Many of the patients we served had been on a waiting list for over four years. Several patients suffered from tuberculosis – a condition virtually

unknown in the U.S. – which had destroyed their hips. One gentleman had his hip obliterated from a gunshot wound 10 years ago. Another patient had fallen and broken his hip. Had he broken his hip in Texas, he would have had surgery within 24 to 48 hours of the injury. In Ethiopia, this man patiently waited 24 years for his hip surgery. In a country with a population of about 95 million people, there are only about 50 or 60 orthopedic surgeons. There is only one orthopedic residency training program for the entire country. During my visit, I had the chance to work with and train five of the Ethiopian orthopedic residents in hip replacement surgery. All of the people I encountered on my journey were very welcoming, and I quickly bonded with my surgical team. They worked tirelessly and selflessly to ensure success for our campaign. The most difficult part of the trip was turning patients away, which I had to do for various reasons. But I hope to return to Ethiopia sometime next summer to continue serving the people there.

FROM SCOTT & WHITE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL TO ETHIOPIA

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Clint D. Barnett, MD, is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon at Scott & White Memorial Hospital in Temple, Texas, specializing in hip and knee replacement.

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Patient Turned PractitionerSCOTT & WHITE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL , TEMPLE Janet, a young mother, could never have imagined the tragedy that lay in her future. In 1999, her left arm was nearly severed in a car accident that also claimed the lives of her two young sons. After initial treatment, Janet decided to have her follow-up surgery at Scott & White Memorial Hospital in Temple. Scott & White surgeons performed a bone graft, taking a piece of her right fibula and grafting it to the bone in her upper left arm.

But Janet had just begun to show her bravery. Her injuries were so severe that she had hand therapy for seven months with a Scott & White hand therapist. “I couldn’t brush my daughter’s hair or put it in ponytails,” she says. “That really bothered me.”

Through the teamwork offered by surgeons and occupational therapists, Janet recovered. “I feel blessed that I even have an arm, much less one that’s functional,” she says. “I was even able to hold my new baby when he was born.”

Because of the care she received, Janet was inspired to attend nursing school. She is now an operating room nurse at the same hospital where she was cared for, helping with procedures similar to the ones that saved

her arm. She also is a champion for blood drives at the hospital and recruits donors in addition to giving regularly herself. She knows first-hand the immense importance of having an adequate blood supply available for trauma patients. After all, that’s how her journey in health care began.

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Picture-Perfect CompassionBAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE H ILLCREST MEDICAL CENTER, WACO Pregnancy is an exciting time for moms- and dads-to-be, especially when twins are expected. So when that time comes to a tragic, early end, it can be doubly devastating not only for the expectant parents, but for the entire health care team caring for them. Tim, a Baylor Scott & White Health chaplain in Waco, was called to the Women’s and Children’s area of the hospital to minister to the parents and staff involved in one such tragedy.

The twins were less than 20 weeks along when they were born. While no words could bring solace to the family suffering the loss, Tim’s actions, with assistance from other caring staff, helped with the grieving process.

The first baby never breathed and was taken to Pathology per hospital policy. But Tim asked the pathologists to hold off on any testing until after the birth of the second twin. Hours later, the second baby was born, lived briefly and then also passed.

The Labor and Delivery staff helped Tim plan how to prepare a special photo of the twins for their parents. After counseling the parents on their choices, Tim went to Pathology to gather the first twin, to reunite

the newborn siblings. At the suggestion of a Pathology employee, Tim placed the twins facing each other on a blanket decorated with a bow, and he had a picture made for the parents.

When the parents received the photo, their sadness and loss was joined by a deep appreciation for Tim’s and his teammates’ kindness.

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Responding to a National TragedyFORT HOOD, TEXAS

On April 2, 2014, at around 4 p.m., an unwanted spotlight shone on

Central Texas when a gunman opened fire at Fort Hood, killing three people and himself

and injuring more than a dozen others. Injuring…not killing…thanks in large part to the

combined efforts of the staff at Darnell Army Hospital in Killeen and Scott & White Memorial

Hospital in Temple, where many of the most gravely wounded were treated.

The next two stories are remarkable tales of unwavering response in a tragic time of need.

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In CommandSCOTT & WHITE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL , TEMPLE It was near the end of Justin’s trauma shift when the call came in regarding the mass casualty event at nearby Fort Hood. Nine critical injuries and several less seriously injured were on their way to the hospital via helicopter. As a surgeon and the assistant trauma medical director for the hospital, Justin went to the trauma bay to prepare multiple teams of surgical residents and trauma staff for the coming wave of injured soldiers.

Upon the helicopters’ arrivals, four of the most severely wounded were taken to the operating room. Justin, in coordination with the vascular team, worked on a soldier with a gunshot wound to the neck. By the time all the patients had received initial triage, operative management and were stabilized, it was after 2 a.m. But Justin’s work and the work of the surgical trauma intensive care unit (STICU) and trauma teams was not finished. “No one goes home until every injury is accounted for, and we make sure nothing is missed,” says Justin. “The STICU and trauma teams rounded on the injured soldiers in concert. We re-examined each one and discussed their treatment plan with them if they were awake.”

After rounds wrapped up, the trauma team held a debriefing to make sure all the nurses, surgeons and other relevant units and personnel were aware of what needed to be done. It was vital that everyone knew the plan, and that the families had been informed of their loved ones’ injuries and treatments. “We have a great relationship with Fort Hood,” says Justin, who didn’t make it home until 5 a.m. “We are honored to be their servants. They take care of the country, and so we enjoy taking care of them.”

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Justin Regner, MD, FACS, is a surgeon and assistant trauma medical director at Scott & White Memorial Hospital in Temple, Texas.

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Rachel Sibley, BSN, RN, is a staff nurse II at Scott & White Memorial Hospital in Temple, Texas.

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No Patient Left BehindSCOTT & WHITE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL , TEMPLE Rachel had only been a registered nurse for a few months. She was participating in a 16-week emergency nursing internship program when the shooting occurred. Her preceptor informed her that the hospital was on mass casualty alert.

However, as a major trauma and emergency center, the hospital had to continue to care for other patients in need – not just those who were victims of the mass casualty. Besides the shooting, there were two car accidents and another traumatic injury the team had to manage that evening, as well as a host of non-trauma cases. Immediately, the emergency room staff began transferring patients into Rachel’s area as they prepared for the new, more serious arrivals. “Everyone was moving as fast as possible,” says Rachel. “I was nervous initially because I was still a new nurse and was basically responsible for keeping the emergency room running.” Nonetheless, Rachel did a remarkable job of caring for eight patients, including a patient who had been hit by a car, one who needed to be admitted for possible sepsis and an individual experiencing chest pain.

“The televisions were on, so patients knew what was happening,” Rachel explains. “I just had to let them know that everything was going to be okay and they were still a priority.” Rachel eventually asked another nurse to help her, and together the pair delivered quality care in spite of the difficult circumstance. “Everyone knew what they had to do,” she says, “which helped me serve each patient in the way they needed.”

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SCOTT & WHITE HOSPITAL – COLLEGE STATION Marcella, an assistant operating room manager at Scott & White Hospital – College Station, rarely leaves the hospital during lunch or while on a break. But her decision one afternoon to run a quick errand, then drop by a nearby bookstore, illustrates that being a Baylor Scott & White Health caregiver doesn’t stop at the hospital doors.

Marcella was walking toward the entrance of the bookstore when an older woman fell in the parking lot, badly lacerating her face. Marcella rushed over and quickly assessed the situation, discovering that while there was a lot of blood, the woman was still coherent and didn’t display any signs of brain injury.

“She was a very attractive woman and was really worried about what was going to happen to her face,” Marcella explains. “Since I work in surgery, I knew it was going to require stitches.”

Since she was already traumatized by the injury, Marcella didn’t want the woman to deal with the drama and expense of an ambulance ride. So Marcella drove her to Scott & White Healthcare’s local TodayCare Clinic.

Marcella patiently waited for hours while the woman was stitched up, and then offered to drive her home an hour and a half away in Burton. Fortunately, the woman was able to reach her daughter-in-law to take her home, but for most of the afternoon, it was Marcella who treated her like family.

Taking the Drama Out of a Trauma

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Home Away from HomeTHE HEART HOSPITAL BAYLOR PLANO Providing five-star service is something that Rosalinda, an access services representative at The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano, takes very seriously, no matter the challenges. That characteristic translated into immeasurable relief for one seriously ill patient and his wife, who were a long way from home.

The Oklahoma couple’s insurance provider initially said that the husband’s visit to the Plano hospital would be covered. However, when he suddenly had to be readmitted a short while later, the provider said that they had made a mistake.

But Rosalinda stayed on the case to make sure the company honored its previous commitment to cover the stay. She then took it a step further by speaking to the patient’s physicians about not discharging the man until he was completely ready. She knew his insurance wouldn’t cover another readmission.

Since the couple live in Oklahoma, it wasn’t feasible to return home for clothes. Without hesitation, Rosalinda brought the wife home to do laundry and, over the course of the next few weeks, took her shopping and out to run errands and even made dinner for her.

“At one point, she looked at me and said, ‘Why are you doing this?’” Rosalinda says. “And I just said ‘because it’s the right thing to do.’”

To top it off, Rosalinda even sold the couple a car she was planning on getting rid of for well below market value, so that the couple had a safe, reliable means to return to Oklahoma.

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Keli Schulte, CPhT, is a pharmacy technician at Baylor Medical Center at Irving.

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There is a verse in the Book of James that stood out to me during my Bible study one day: “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says (James 1:22).” By the grace of God, my first job after graduating college was at Baylor – a place that encourages you and supports you in doing just that.

Last year, I was blessed to receive Baylor’s Faith in Action Initiatives Fred Roach International Missions Scholarship to go on my first mission trip to Piura, Peru, with a church group. For eight days, we joined the staff of Santisimo Sacramento Parish in their daily serving of the people there.

In Piura, 63 percent of people live in poverty with 22 percent living in extreme poverty (lacking daily bread). Our main focus was constructing homes for families. We built houses out of woven bamboo with tin roofs – a simple home, but an immeasurable blessing in a place where dirt floors are the norm and mosquito nets are a luxury. We also had the privilege of delivering food to families, visiting the sick in hospice, teaching English at the school, visiting the girls at the local orphanage, and assisting at the Vacation Bible School for children.

Life in Piura is simple. It is focused on faith and family. Some families walk from a mile outside of town to attend daily mass. I was able to have

a long conversation with a teacher at the school. Her first question to me about America was if people truly eat in their cars! She could not imagine a society in which there was not even enough time in the day to sit down with your family to enjoy both the company and the meal.

The more I interacted with the people there, the more I was forced to reevaluate my attitude about the entire trip. In the weeks leading up to Peru, I was thrilled to be a part of God’s work and be a blessing to the people of Piura. Once there, however, I couldn’t help but feel that I was the one benefiting from the experience – not the other way around.

As our time in Peru drew to an end, our team spent a final evening gathered together on the rooftop of the church. My fellow missionaries and I discussed being back in America and hoped we could continue this level of service in our daily lives. I was reminded again of what a privilege it is to work in health care. Every day I get the opportunity to serve the people around me and to aid in healing the sick. I’m looking forward to many more mission trips in the future, and will continue to take full advantage of the opportunities offered to me by Baylor to serve and grow in my faith.

BAYLOR MEDICAL CENTER AT IRVING

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From the Heart to the HeadBAYLOR MEDICAL CENTER AT CARROLLTON As a caregiver, it’s never easy to see a chronically ill patient struggle. It tends to be even more difficult for clinicians, though, when the patient is similar in age and circumstances. Tiajuan, a nurse care coordinator at Baylor Medical Center at Carrollton, found herself in the presence of one such patient as she was doing her rounds.

The woman was in her early 40s and was married with children. She suffered from lupus and multiple sclerosis. In addition to the internal damage the diseases were causing, her appearance also was declining. She had lost all her hair, which was causing her tremendous angst.

“Before leaving the room, I asked her if there was anything else I could do,” Tiajuan recalls. “She said if she had hair she would feel so much better.”

As it so happened, Tiajuan had recently bought a fancy wig that she had yet to wear. So the next day, she brought the new hairpiece to the patient.

“When she put the wig on, it was like it was made for her,” says Tiajuan. “It fit perfect on her, and she started crying.”

The woman had a visitor with her, who took pictures and sent them to her husband and children. She was so grateful for the wig, and for the blessing of having Tiajuan come into her life.

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Face to FaceBAYLOR ALL SAINTS MEDICAL CENTER AT FORT WORTH Due to pregnancy-related complications, a young mother had to be hospitalized for 10 weeks in the antepartum unit at Baylor All Saints Medical Center at Fort Worth. To make matters more difficult, her toddler daughter was in a nearby pediatric hospital battling a serious illness. The circumstances made it impossible for the two to see each other, and for the mother to do what every mom wants to do for her sick child – provide care and comfort.

It was heartbreaking for the family, as well as the staff caring for the woman. Elizabeth, a social work supervisor assigned to the antepartum unit, was determined to do something about it, especially after learning how sick the child was from a palliative care social worker at the pediatric facility. Knowing that the mother would be unable to visit, she worked with the social worker at the pediatric hospital to set up an online chat.

That might not seem extraordinary in this day and age. However, privacy laws prohibited allowing the mother to simply borrow a hospital laptop, which might contain protected health information of other patients. So Elizabeth spoke with the hospital’s tech team and came up with a solution: to build a laptop with a webcam.

“She was very emotional the first time she saw her daughter and began weeping,” Elizabeth recalls. “It was very moving to be able to see their interaction and to see her child recognize her face.”

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After witnessing some paramedics in action as a teenager back home in Scotland, I knew that was what I wanted to do in life. Unfortunately, back then you had to be 21 years old to join the ambulance service.

When I finally turned 21, though, I ended up moving “across the pond” to Dallas. So I put my dream of becoming a paramedic on hold as I had no idea how “things” worked over here. Eventually, I discovered that the local Garland Fire Department (GFD) held an EMT class in the evenings, so I joined.

We had to do clinical rotations, and I did mine at Baylor Medical Center at Garland. Everyone was so friendly and helpful, and the more I showed an eagerness to learn, the more they were willing to teach. When I passed my state exam, I immediately applied for a position in the Baylor Garland emergency department. That was nearly 16 years ago.

One night, I helped transport a patient having a heart attack to the Cardiac Cath lab. It was a real eye opener. To see a patient that sick, who had a sense of impending doom, tell his loved ones he didn’t think he was going to make it was hard to witness…but then seeing what happens in the Cath Lab was amazing. An hour later the patient was in the ICU, sitting up in bed laughing with the family to whom he had just

said goodbye. It was one of the most satisfying things I’ve seen. That was when I knew I wanted to be a part of that team.

I have worked in the Cath Lab for almost 10 years now, and they have been the best years of my life. The team really cares about what they do, and their dedication is second to none. We have built a very strong relationship with all of our local EMS agencies, and GFD in particular. Thanks in part to these relationships, we achieved Chest Pain Accreditation and have some of the best “door-to-balloon” times in the Metroplex.

I believe it takes a village to get these results, so I came up with the idea of the “STEMI Emmy” award to recognize the EMS, engine crew and dispatcher for the best overall 911-reperfusion time for each quarter. It’s our way of saying “thank you.” Another relationship builder we participated in is the GFD Citizens Fire Academy, which allowed us to see what the fire department is really all about. It was an awesome experience for everyone.

But the relationship between Baylor Garland and the community goes beyond the GFD. The Cath Lab team and I have also been heavily involved with the Dallas Heartwalk, raising tens of thousands of dollars over the years for cardiovascular awareness and research.

While I feel fortunate to have received several awards over the years for community outreach, it’s my coworkers that truly deserve the credit. They are why I feel so lucky to call myself part of the Baylor Garland family.

BAYLOR MEDICAL CENTER AT GARLAND

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Alistair “Hedgy” MacDonald, CVIT/EMT-P, has been a member of the Cath Lab team at Baylor Medical Center at Garland for the past 10 years, serving in multiple capacities.

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Dialing Up a Solution BAYLOR UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER AT DALLAS Caring for the underserved and giving back to the community have been themes throughout Latora’s career as an advanced heart and lung disease coordinator with Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas. Not only did she earn her doctorate in public health, but she helps members of her own community – where heart failure is widespread and

few local resources are available – manage their disease and navigate the complex health care environment.

One shining example of her willingness to do whatever it takes to make sure those in need receive care, regardless of their circumstances, was what she did for a homeless heart failure patient. A coworker who was caring for the man told Latora that he didn’t have a phone, meaning there was no way to check on him. That didn’t stop Latora.

She did some investigating and found that the man regularly stopped by a certain fast food restaurant in downtown Dallas. So Latora connected with the restaurant’s manager, and arranged for the homeless man to be able to use the phone to speak with his nurse at the clinic. This would help him keep his appointments and take better care of himself.

“She never gave up on this person,” says a co-worker who recounted the story, “truly believing that every human being deserves to live the best life that they can no matter their financial resources.”

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Roadside RescueBAYLOR MEDICAL CENTER AT IRVING It was the Friday after Thanksgiving. Hayley, a nurse at a Baylor Medical Center at Irving, and Richard, a Baylor Scott & White Health corporate employee, were expecting little more than a leisurely drive to visit family. However, thoughts of leftovers soon took a back seat to some commotion on the side of the highway.

Their confusion over the situation turned to action when Richard saw an elderly man lying on the ground. “I hit the brakes, threw the car in reverse, and it seemed before I had fully stopped, Hayley had jumped out and ran to the victim,” explains Richard.

The man was in cardiac arrest. One of the bystanders was attempting CPR, but wasn’t doing it properly. Hayley looked at the man and thought, “This could be my father.” She took over, kneeling down in the dirt and gravel on the side of the road, pressing, counting, and continuing her efforts for minutes that seemed like hours until paramedics transported him to the hospital.

Unfortunately, the 84-year-old man did not survive, but because of their efforts, his son was able to say goodbye before he died. His family was grateful for their compassion and service. The State of Texas was as well: Hayley and Richard received the Department of Public Safety Directors Award for their actions, though neither believes an award was in order. “I don’t know if we’re really that deserving of it,” says Hayley. “Stopping was just something we needed to do.”

Ebola StoryBAYLOR UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER AT DALLAS In most industries, a competitor is simply that, a competitor. On the surface, the health care industry may seem no different. But when the nation’s first-ever case of Ebola impacted another Dallas hospital, the staff at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas showed that health care in North Texas is about community more than competition.

Two nurses at Texas Health Resources Presbyterian Hospital contracted Ebola from a patient who eventually died of the virus. Dozens of the patient’s caregivers had to be quarantined, away from their families for weeks. On top of it all, some media reports seemed to place blame for the spread of the virus on the care team and nurses of the first Ebola patient.

“We wanted to show them that we know it could have happened to any of us, that we support them, and know that they are doing the best they can do,” says Rae, an ICU nurse at Baylor Dallas. So Rae reached out to a handful of her co-workers via Facebook, asking if they were interested in doing something special to “show

some love,” as she put it, for the caregivers at Presbyterian. The response she received was overwhelming, and not just from the group of co-workers she initially contacted. It wasn’t long before staff members from across the Baylor Dallas campus, representing a wide range of job roles and departments, began calling to see how they could pitch in and help. “Everyone in the hospital wanted to be involved,” says Rae. “What started as a gesture that was just going to be from some of our nurses to their nurses, turned into a gesture from our whole hospital to their whole hospital.” It went even further when employees from Methodist Health System heard about what the Baylor Dallas team was doing and joined the effort. The robust show of support involved several elements. The Baylor Dallas team put together gift baskets for each of the two nurses infected with Ebola, as well as a gift basket for one of the infected nurse’s dog who was in quarantine. Additionally, Baylor Dallas staff purchased and packaged snacks, bottled water and gift cards for

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Coming Together as a Health Care Community

food, scrubs and more, for delivery to their Presbyterian counterparts to distribute throughout the hospital. However, the centerpiece of the effort to show solidarity was a banner filled with messages of love and support. While no one is sure of the exact number of messages and signatures the banner garnered, it was filled from end to end and, by the time it was delivered, it measured 35 feet.

Without fanfare, a group of Baylor Dallas staff organized and delivered the goodies and banner to Presbyterian staff on a Sunday evening. The appreciation they received in return came not only in the form of words, but in the form of tears and hugs as well. “The only reason this became as big and awe-inspiring as it did was because it was so much bigger than a few people,” says Rae. “This was the health care community coming together to take care of its own.”

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Watching a Walk Down the AisleSCOTT & WHITE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL , TEMPLE

A wedding is a special time for the bride and groom and their families – especially the parents. When the mother of one bride-to-be suffered a bad fall a few days before her daughter’s wedding, she not only had a broken hip, but a broken heart as well, after her doctors at Scott & White Memorial Hospital in Temple told her that she was too badly injured to attend the wedding.

“You can only imagine the heartbreak in a woman’s heart when you know you will not get to see your daughter walk down the aisle, nor experience all the wonderful things a mother-of-the-bride is afforded,” her sister says. “Those are memories you can never replace.”

With out-of-town guests on the way, the wedding had to move forward. When a nurse education coordinator notified Bob, a member of the hospital’s IT department, about what had happened, they were determined to find a way for the mother to experience the wedding

Bob set up a laptop and camera in the mother’s room. Using the nurse education coordinator’s phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot, they established a dedicated online video feed at her bedside. Thanks to their efforts, the

proud mother was able to watch a live stream, complete with audio of the entire wedding and even parts of the reception.

Bob and the nurse education coordinator may have started the day as hospital staff, but by the end of it, they had become the best wedding planners any mother could hope for.

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Physicians provide clinical services as members of the medical staff at one of Baylor Scott & White Health’s subsidiary, community or affiliated medical centers and do not provide clinical services as

employees or agents of those medical centers, Baylor Health Care System, Scott & White Healthcare or Baylor Scott & White Health. © 2014 Baylor Scott & White Health BSWADMIN_12_2014