Vim & Vigor - Summer 2012 - Community Healthcare - (Page 3)

Community Briefs a tiny Miracle How one family’s generosity is helping to raise awareness about SUIDs O ne of the smallest patients to have been born at Community Hospital in Munster is leaving a big mark in the hearts of healthcare workers and residents of the community. Thanks to Kim and Phillip Splant and a contribution from the Nathan C. Splant Foundation, nurse educators at the hospitals are raising greater community awareness of sudden unexpected infant deaths (SUIDs). For their efforts, the Splant family has been recognized by Community Healthcare System staff with the first Community Pillar Award. When Nathan Splant arrived 15 weeks prematurely on Jan. 10, 2004, he weighed less than 2 pounds and was only 12 inches long. “Our family couldn’t have done it without the dedication and compassion of all those involved with Nathan’s recovery—the doctors, nurses, therapists and special program aides,” Nathan’s mom, Kim Splant, says. Today, Nathan is a healthy, happy 8-year-old. In appreciation, the Splant family still returns to Community Hospital to make special deliveries on behalf of the Nathan C. Splant Foundation, the organization the family founded to honor their son and give back to others. “We’re taking this opportunity to give back,” says Phillip Splant, Nathan’s dad. “We hope that others will benefit from our story—our miracle.” With a $2,500 contribution from the Nathan C. Splant Foundation, hospital staff has been able to spread the message of safer sleeping practices and provide HALO sleeper sacks for babies in the NICU. On hand for the presentation were (seated, left to right) Phillip, Nathan and Kim Splant, and (standing, left to right) Michelle Cherry, nursery manager, and Mary Puntillo, nurse educator. Working to Prevent a tragedy Nurses began raising awareness in the community after a sobering statistic was brought to their attention: In 2009, Lake County recorded the highest number of SUIDs compared with the rest of the counties in Indiana. SUIDs, for the most part, are preventable and are a result of unsafe sleep practices, according to First Candle, one of the nation’s leading nonprofit organizations dedicated to the survival of babies through the first years of life. First Candle recommends a wearable blanket, called a HALO® SleepSack™, to reduce risk factors associated with SUIDs and replace loose blankets in a crib. Neonatal nurse clinician Mary Puntillo helps to spread the message of “baby ‘Back’ to Sleep; By Myself; in a Naked Crib” in the hospital’s nurseries and in classes offered to the public. “Safe sleep practices are taught from the get-go,” Puntillo says. “And we’re teaching it in our communities with Taking Care of Baby and Grandparent classes,” she says. With the latest $2,500 donation from the Splant Foundation, HALO sleeper sacks will be provided to babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, where By Elise Sims Nathan was born. online You can make a difference, too. To learn more about the Splant Foundation and how you can help, visit www.ncsplantfoundation.org. Want to Give Back? Vim & Vigor • SUm mer 2012 3 http://www.ncsplantfoundation.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Summer 2012 - Community Healthcare

Vim & Vigor - Summer 2012 - Community Healthcare
Vim & Vigor - Summer 2012 - Community Healthcare
Contents
Contents
Community Message
Community Message
A Tiny Miracle
A Tiny Miracle
Over the Rainbow
Over the Rainbow
Home Is Where Hartsfield Is
Home Is Where Hartsfield Is
Get RIPPED
Get RIPPED
The Breakfast Club
The Breakfast Club
Arthritis Answers
Arthritis Answers
A TV Guide to Radiology
A TV Guide to Radiology
Take Aim
Take Aim
It Might NOT Be Cancer
It Might NOT Be Cancer
Colin Firth
Colin Firth
Step Up to the Plate
Step Up to the Plate
Life After Cancer
Life After Cancer
Get Dad to the Doc
Get Dad to the Doc
Getting His Groove Back
Getting His Groove Back
SPOTLIGHT ON: Community Hospital
SPOTLIGHT ON: Community Hospital
SPOTLIGHT ON: St. Catherine Hospital
SPOTLIGHT ON: St. Catherine Hospital
SPOTLIGHT ON: St. Mary Medical Center
SPOTLIGHT ON: St. Mary Medical Center
Balancing Act
Balancing Act

Vim & Vigor - Summer 2012 - Community Healthcare