Walking into our hearts

The Spokane Shriners Hospital has 5 floors. The 5^th floor houses the OR and administrative offices like finance and performance improvement. The 4^th and 3^rd floors are home to patient care areas such as OPC, inpatient, rec therapy, social work, and nutrition. From the 5^th floor all the way down to the 1st floor with security and environmental services, all the staff had a singular experience, a singular unifying force.  This force was a 7-year-old boy from Gaza who stayed as a patient receiving prosthetic legs. His name was Wesseem, and “force” is an understatement.

Wesseem was born with a condition known as bilateral tibial hemimlia, a condition causing a malformation in his lower legs. Arrangements were made by the Washington State chapter of the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund, a non-profit organization created “to address the medical and humanitarian crisis facing Palestinian youths in the Middle East.” Working with the care management team at the Spokane Shriners Hospital, arrangements were made to bring Wesseem and his mother, Sadia from their home in Gaza to Spokane with the goal of giving the young boy the ability to walk.

When mother and son arrived in Spokane, neither spoke a single word of English. As Wesseem recovered from the bilateral amputation surgery to prepare his legs to fit into custom prosthetics, the staff (nurses and security guards alike) took to teaching the lad English words and phrases. Soon his legs were healed enough to fit into his first pair of prosthetics. As Wesseem’s coordination improved, so did his English. His world expanded at the same rate as his vocabulary. Neither could keep pace, however, with the growth of his confidence. It wasn’t long before the entire hospital was introduced to a personality that would leave its mark long after he was reunited with his father and three siblings in Gaza.

With an open floor plan from ground to 5^th floor, the voice they would all come to know could be heard from anywhere in the hospital. At any point, anyone could know where he was just by listening. He raced his physical therapists down the halls, narrowly missing a nurse walking out of a room. She would smile affectionately as he sped away on his wheelchair at first…then a walker, then crutches and finally on his prosthetics without any help! Wesseem was nearing his dream of walking; of playing soccer with his friends.

Wesseem didn’t know was that as he was racing he was also learning. As he walked down to the security desk, only to call someone from the 5^th floor to bring him water, he was growing in skill and strength. Finally, he was ready. He had made new friends, nay, family and learned a new language. He learned to walk. Staff watched Wesseem walk out the front doors. Then, they did what they always do. They wiped away bittersweet tears of joy and pride and turned back to the inpatient rooms ready to give their hearts to the next child, just now checking in.

 

Spirit of Children Program raises $48, 300 dollars for

Shriners staff accept check from Spirit representatives. Left to right: Angelique Heinzen, Lorene Roullier, Kelli Marko, Carol Kaczka

Representatives from local and regional Spirit Halloween Stores visited the Spokane Shriners Hospital to present a check exceeding $48,000. Since 2006 (with an initial donation of just over $3,000), the local Spirit Halloween stores have supported the Spokane Shriners Hospitals through their Spirit of Children program during each Halloween season. The program donates 10% of sales to the hospital. Because of their generosity Spirit of Children Program has raised more than $153,095.00 for Shriners Hospitals for Children – Spokane to date! In 2014, the fundraising initiative broke a record, totaling $48,300!

The stores contributing parts of their sales to the Spokane Shriners Hospital included stores in Spokane, Spokane Valley, Coeur D’Alene, Lewiston, Kennewick, Yakima and Wenatchee .

The money raised by Spirit of Children stays local and goes directly to Child Life activities and needs. The Child Life/Recreation Therapy Department at Shriners Hospital specializes in pain management through play and distraction, rehabilitation through activity and life-skills development.

Teen Lounge after remodel made possible by Spirit of Children program

In 2014, the Spokane Hospital used funds donated from the program to renovate the “Teen Lounge” in the hospital. Shriners Hospital’s Child Life Department manager, Carol Kaczka said, “Spirit’s continued support has been extremely beneficial for our patients. It has helped in many ways to keep up patients’ spirits through the Spirit of Halloween.”

Kelli Marko, Regional Zone Manager for Spirit Halloween added “The Spirit of Children program is the heart and soul of our organization.  Our goal is to bring the joy of Halloween to children in hospitals across the country and support the Child Life Departments.  The Spokane Shriners Hospital is one of over 100 hospitals that were chosen to participate in the program that started in 2007.  Over 5.8 million dollars in donations were collected in 2014 and we look forward to exceeding that number in 2015! “

Expanded Orthotics and Prosthetics Services

Shriners Hospital for Children – Spokane is pleased to announce the addition of our new Orthotics and Prosthetics lab. We are excited to welcome Peter Springs, Certified Prosthetist and Orthotist to manage this new in-house service, caring for our patients who have limb deficiencies or bracing needs.

Peter will operate as a part of a new Shriners Hospitals for Children network of hospital-   based Pediatric Orthotic and Prosthetic Services, also known as POPS. Through the formation of POPS, these orthotic and prosthetic labs (operating as independent LLCs) utilize the same extensively experienced staff and advanced facilities to provide superior, leading edge O&P care to thousands of pediatric Shriners Hospital patients.

Peter Springs scans a patient’s torso and works with the resulting CAD image

We are fortunate to add Peter to our hospital family. As the only clinician in the Inland Northwest exclusively devoted to pediatric orthotic and prosthetic care, Peter has the experience and dedication to meet the unique needs of our pediatric patients. Following his residencies, Peter worked at Shriners Hospitals for Children – Salt Lake City for seven years. He has been in Spokane for more than three years, working with the Spokane Shriners Hospital as an outside provider. He is delighted to be working in a Shriners Hospital again, providing comprehensive and state-of-the-art care to patients.

CAD mock up of a torso brace with their x-ray overlaid.

The Spokane Hospital POPS lab provides the latest treatment and materials and utilizes the latest in CAD technology to design and fabricate custom orthotic and prosthetic devices for your growing child.

Providing this service in-house creates a more streamlined coordination of care. Peter and his team will be able communicate face to face with your child’s doctor and care team assuring your child receives the best possible outcome.

Shriners Hospitals for Children – Spokane continues to add specialty services focused on providing the region’s expert pediatric orthopaedic care. If you have any questions about our orthotics, prosthetics or bracing services, please contact Peter Springs at 509-455-7844.

A Family Tradition

The sun was shining in late September when over 100 guests gathered to witness an important moment at the Spokane Shriners Hospital – the dedication of a special room on behalf of Al and Ruth Sanft, an extraordinary couple who were among our most loyal friends during their lifetimes.

As part of the Naming Opportunities program, the Sanft children elected to honor the memory of their parents with a significant donation to designate the third floor gym The Al and Ruth Sanft Rehabilitation Gym.

Al and Ruth were life members of the Nile Temple and Daughters of the Nile, respectively. Their four children, Barrie, Brina, Louie and Nettie, continue Al and Ruth’s legacy of philanthropy while also commemorating their loving parents, who were lifelong benefactors of the Spokane Shriners Hospital. While Al and Ruth’s legacy of giving spanned 50 years, son Louie has been an advocate for the past quarter-century, with donations from fund-raisers and personal contributions totaling more than $150,000!

Through the continued support and generosity of families like these, the Spokane Shriners Hospital is able to continue its 90-year tradition of providing life-changing treatment pediatric orthopaedic specialty care.

On that September day, there was a palpable sense of excitement as the Sanft Family and guests listened to a grateful patient express his appreciation for the hospitality and care he had received at the Spokane Hospital and the ways in which his treatment has affected him – his spine straightened, his pain reduced, his life forever changed for the better.

Following a ribbon cutting and celebration of the newly-named Al and Ruth Sanft Rehabilitation Room, guests travelled to the WSU Shrine Football Game in Pullman, Washington, where Louie Sanft presented yet another check for the benefit of the Spokane Shriners Hospital.

To learn more about available opportunities to commemorate someone special in your life, contact Angelique Heinzen, Director of Development, by calling 509.252.3370 or at aheinzen@shrinenet.org

Care Coordination: The Shriners Hospital Difference

Imagine this: you’re in the hospital.  You are there because your knee was injured and you have surgery scheduled for tomorrow.  That’s all you know.

I know, I didn’t give you much to work with.  The fact is that actual patients in actual hospitals don’t get much more information than this.

If you are like most people, you are probably nervous.  You have questions you want answered.  You want to know that your medical care providers are all on the same page when it comes to your care.  You want to know that everything will be managed with expertise, kindness and compassion.  Am I close?

Shriners Hospitals for Children® — Spokane recognizes that a hospital visit can be a vulnerable time for anyone, but especially for children, parents and families.  This is not a time for caregivers to simply deliver medical procedures.  That care must be coordinated so that it is seamless, giving confidence and comfort to patients and families.

The Spokane Shriners Hospital’s care coordination model is designed to deliver family-centered and patient-centered care.  In this model, a care coordinator oversees families and patients as long as they are under Shriners Hospital’s care.  Care coordination proactively works on a plan of care for each patient.  Coordinators communicate with the team to provide seamless care.  They facilitate transitions in care as the patient moves between departments and finally back home.  Additionally, care coordinators connect patients with community resources and align resources with patient needs.

What does this mean?  It’s simple.  The care coordination team consists of registered nurses and social workers.  The registered nurses work with your physician to plan the care for individual patients.  The social workers accommodate transportation, housing, community resources and financial counseling as well as patient and family resources. 

This benefits the patient by giving them confidence in always knowing who to turn to when they have questions.  They can get to know one person well by talking to the same person every time, creating a level of comfort that would otherwise not be present.  They know that their Care Coordinator will address any concerns and questions with everyone who has a hand in their care.  Ultimately, care coordination offers comfort to ordinary people in vulnerable situations.  Imagine that.