SCH honors local Nurse with DAISY Award
A Sparrow Clinton Hospital Nurse’s special care of her Patients helped earn her the hospital’s DAISY Award for exceptional nursing skills.
Kara George, BSN, of St. Johns developed a passion for Nursing at age 19 when she lost her mother in a tragic car accident.
“Helping Patients and their families through the healing process is part of the circle of life,” said George. “When you care for a Patient and you receive that first ‘thank you’ – that’s when you realize how awesome it is to be a nurse. That’s when it really hits home that you make a difference every day.”
George gained praise from her Patients for her kindness, listening skills, and ability to calm frayed nerves during stressful situations.
“Her demeanor and kindness put me at ease. All the staff at Sparrow Clinton was great, but Kara was phenomenal,” wrote one of the Patients who nominated her for the DAISY Award. Another Patient’s spouse commented, “What an angel of a nurse!”
The DAISY Award is an international program that rewards and celebrates the extraordinary, compassionate and skillful care given by Nurses every day. Nurses are nominated for the award by their Patients and families.
“DAISY Award nominees personify the remarkable Patient experience at Sparrow Clinton Hospital,” says Beth Daugherty, RN, Vice President of Patient Care Services and CNO at Sparrow Clinton.
“They provide extraordinary, skilled care with great compassion every day. As one of the Sparrow Clinton nurses who invested more than 2,000 hours in building our Pathway to Excellence application, Kara also was instrumental in our recent designation as a Pathway hospital.”
Daugherty joined DAISY committee nurses in presenting George with the award, a certificate of recognition, a DAISY pin, and a hand-carved sculpture entitled The Healer’s Touch. In addition, a DAISY Foundation banner signed by George will be posted in the hospital.
Nurse nominees Mary Rathbun, RN; Chad Piggott, RN; Laura Lewis-Tipps, RN; Cindy Nakfoor, RN; Amber Piper, RN; Regina Buhr, RN; Marcy Snyder, MSN; and former DAISY awardee Terry Simison, RN, also were recognized. Each received a DAISY pin and flowers.
George joined the Sparrow family eight years ago as a member of the Sparrow Clinton Inpatient Nursing team. Originally from Nebraska, she received her nursing degree from Clarkson College, a private nursing school affiliated with the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
She and her husband, Andy, live in the Pewamo-Westphalia area with their four daughters, Madeline, 8, Elliana, 6, Abigail, 4, and Josephine, 2.
Sparrow Clinton Hospital honors two nurses each year as DAISY Award winners. To nominate an exceptional Sparrow Clinton Nurse, complete and return a form from one of The DAISY Foundation displays at the hospital.
Announcing a New Toastmasters Club to form in St. Johns
You are cordially invited to attend a kick off meeting to form a new Toastmasters Club in the St. Johns area. The first meeting will be held at AgroLiquid, 3055 West M-21, St. Johns beginning at 6:00 pm. We are looking to charter a new club with at least 20 members to start. Come visit this new group – you won’t regret it.
What is Toastmasters?
Toastmasters International is an organization that was founded in 1924 by Ralph Smedley who was directing a YMCA in California and realized that the men he was working with lacked basic speaking skills.
Toastmasters currently has more than 334,000 members in 142 countries. Our new club will be just one of more than 15,900 clubs located all around the world. By learning to effectively formulate, organize and express your ideas to others, you will become more capable and confident when speaking in public. You will learn how to organize your speech, get to the point and incorporate persuasive skills to get your message across and be heard. Built-in perks include calming those butterflies, and eliminating sweaty palms and dry mouth when standing up to speak, networking, listening skills, receiving and giving positive evaluations, and making new friendships.
To find out more about Toastmasters International, its clubs, education programs and resources go to http://www.toastmasters.org/ and then attend our first meeting at 6:00 pm, Wednesday, January 18th at AgroLiquid Fertilizer.
For more questions or more information, please contact new club co-sponsors Jason Butler at 517-719-2797 or Lois Graham at 517-640-8603.
Habitat features volunteer
This is the house that God built, using the hands of our extraordinary volunteers. Jen, our home-buyer partner, will purchase the house when it is finished. She works 60+ hours per week caring for disabled folks in their homes; her own children, two of whom have disabilities themselves, are often in the care of others so that Jen can keep the family going.
She is completing her sweat-equity here in the ReStore, which has allowed us the privilege of getting to know how genuinely deserving she is. Your donation will help us complete the interior of the house as it becomes ready to be home for Jen and the kids. Whether you give a door-knob’s worth or a room’s worth, every gift will help.
Doors, windows, roof, buttoned up for the winter in Elsie.
Wanted: New Voices
The Mint City Singers begin new music in January and we invite you to join us.
We are a community choir, part of the Clinton County Arts Council Rehearsals for the new year begin Monday, January 9, 2017 at the First United Methodist Church in St. Johns from 7-8:30 PM.
Call Ellen at 989-233-5775 for more information.
AHA applauds Lt. Gov. Calley for signing CPR in Schools bill
Michigan has become 36th state to ensure that all students learn CPR before high school graduation.
The American Heart Association applauded Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley today for signing the CPR in Schools bill on behalf of Governor Rick Snyder. The law makes Michigan the 36th state to ensure students learn the life-saving skill of CPR before high school graduation.
“We applaud Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley and our lawmakers for making Michigan the 36th state to ensure students learn the life-saving skill of CPR before high school graduation,” said Sarah Poole, government relations director for the AHA. “This law will add 100,000 CPR-trained potential lifesavers to Michigan communities every year. We’re thankful for the support of cardiac arrest survivors, families impacted by cardiac arrest, healthcare professionals, emergency responders, and of course, our bill sponsors and heart champions, Senator Tonya Schuitmaker and Representative Thomas Hooker.”
The CPR in Schools bill, SB 647, passed the Senate unanimously on May 31 of last year and passed the House 98-8 on Dec. 14. Thirty-five states and the District of Columbia have already passed similar laws.
Four out of five cardiac arrests occur at home, so the people that students are most likely to save could be members of their own family. States and communities with high school CPR training have seen dramatic increases in survival rates for cardiac arrest victims.
Nearly 357,000 people suffer cardiac arrest outside of a hospital every year, and only 8 percent survive. Bystander CPR greatly increases a person’s chances of surviving cardiac arrest when performed in the critical minutes before first responders arrive.
Under Michigan’s new law, schools will incorporate at least one Hands-Only CPR training at least once during 7-12th grade, beginning with the 2017-18 school year. Districts have the flexibility to decide how and when to cover CPR in their health education courses. Hands-Only CPR can take as little as 30 minutes to learn, and can easily be incorporated into existing health classes.
Schools are encouraged to partner with local firefighters, EMT personnel and emergency responders, who are enthusiastic to share their knowledge and train students to be lifesavers. Teachers do not need to be certified CPR trainers to teach their students. Students can also learn CPR by watching a video and practicing on a mannequin, which replicates the sense of pressure and rhythm needed to effectively perform the procedure.
The legislation is supported by the American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology, Michigan Association of Ambulance Services, Michigan College of Emergency Physicians, Michigan Emergency Nurses Association, Michigan Fraternal Order of Police, Michigan State Medical Society, SaveMIHeart and more. Visit heart.org/CPRmi to learn more.
LAFCU fundraising efforts net more than $20,000 for United Way
LAFCU recently presented the Capital Area United Way with a check for more than $20,000 in donations raised and pledged during 2016. It’s a 12 percent increase over the previous year.
Throughout 2016, LAFCU employees held a variety of events to earn money for the United Way, including a book sale ($475), dress down days ($626), a live auction ($1,046), an in-house, online auction ($1,331), a sports auction ($295), cookbook sales ($580), candy grams ($545), a loose change war ($416), and a pallet party ($220). Employee pledge donations and a corporate donation make up the balance of the funds raised.
“Supporting our local community through giving to the United Way is a year-long endeavor for LAFCU employees,” said Pat Spyke, LAFCU CEO. “It exemplifies their dedication to the betterment of their communities, and it is especially rewarding to present the year-end check during this season of goodwill.”