Tina Dixon Attends State of the Union

As the cameras rolled Wednesday night, Tina Dixon had an insider’s view of President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address. Dixon, a technical partner trainee at Lehigh Valley Health Network, received a special invitation from Michelle Obama and viewed the proceedings from the first lady’s box. Television cameras and an Associated Press photographer captured scenes of Dixon viewing the address, which included a mention of Allentown, Pa., by Pres. Obama. Dixon wore a black suit provided by an anonymous Lehigh Valley Health Network colleague who allowed Dixon to use her Talbots store credit.

Dixon, who met Pres. Obama at Allentown’s CareerLink last Dec. 4, recently joined the health network. She is taking clinical classes at Northampton Community College while working in Lehigh Valley Hospital—Muhlenberg’s nursing float pool. Her eventual goal: obtaining a master’s degree in nursing. “Lehigh Valley Health Network is the happy ending to a rough story,” she says.

Media coverage of Tina Dixon’s trip to Washington:
NBC 10: Girl's Letter Earns Mom Trip to State of the Union
Fox 29: Local Mom At Speech, Family React
Morning Call: A remade Ms. Dixon goes to Washington
Express-Times: President Obama tells Americans 'I don't quit' in State of the Union address
Meadville Tribune: Sens. Casey, Specter; Rep. Dahlkemper and senatorial candidate Sestak respond to Obama address

Nurses Recognized by Senator

Anyone who has surgery receives specialized care from a perianesthesia nurse. These professionals are specially educated to care for patients before, during and after surgery and many medical procedures. They play a critical role in health care. In recognition of PeriAnesthesia Nurse Awareness Week, perianesthesia nurses were honored by Lehigh Valley Health network on Feb. 1. Sen. Bob Mensch (R-Pa.) delivered a special proclamation.

Top Performer

For the ninth straight year, Lehigh Valley Health Network is being recognized as one of the top integrated health networks (IHN) in the country. The health care data company SDI ranks the health network 21st on the list of the top 100 IHNs and number two in the northeast. The health network received three perfect scores out of eight performance categories including services and access, and integrated technology. What does this mean for our patients? It means a dedicated team of experts works together to provide the highest quality care in a safe environment.

Terry Capuano, R.N., Receives Girl Scout Award

Terry Capuano, R.N.., has been named a recipient of a Take the Lead award from the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania. The award recognizes role models who support the Girl Scouts mission of developing girls as leaders of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place. Capuano is the chief operating officer of Lehigh Valley Health Network. Four other local women also will receive the Take the Lead award at a ceremony in April.

Special Delivery

Our health network recently helped coordinate a delivery of toys and stuffed animals to the children of Ghana. The effort was spearheaded by Eva Levitt, wife of Larry Levitt, M.D., Lehigh Valley Health Network's first neurologist. In all, 13 duffel bags were delivered to the children.

A Source of Comfort

Spot makes them smile. Scooter makes them laugh. On the pediatrics unit at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest, some children squeal in delight while others prefer to sit quietly and simply pet the therapy dogs that visit twice a month. Bree, 7, chose to hug Nelly, a registered therapy dog that visited recently. Nelly is a member of the Greater Lehigh Therapy Dogs group. No matter the reaction, it's clear patients are comforted when therapy dogs come to visit.

Bringing High-tech Health Care Into the Schools

Lehigh Valley Health Network is working with the Allentown School District and the Dorothy Rider Pool Health Care Trust to bring telehealth services to the school district. A Pool Trust grant will help to pay for a pilot program in the Cleveland, McKinley and Central elementary schools to increase access to care for about 1,200 children through telehealth technology like "George" pictured here. Officials say the partnership will help parents and guardians avoid lost work time to take a child to the doctor and will improve the management of chronic diseases in school-aged children.

Tina Dixon Invited to Attend State of the Union

When President Barack Obama arrived at Allentown, Pa.’s Career Link last Dec. 4, Tina Dixon was ready, envelope in hand. Inside was a letter from her 10-year-old daughter, Allison, explaining the family’s struggles. Tina, a stay-at-home mom for 13 years, had gone through a divorce and needed to get back into the workforce to support her three daughters. She relied on Career Link services for job and interview training.

Allison’s letter inspired Obama so much he invited Tina Dixon to attend Wednesday night’s State of the Union address. When she does, the 41-year old Northampton, Pa., resident can talk about her new job: she joined Lehigh Valley Health Network on Dec. 21. She’s part of the technical partner trainee program, taking clinical classes at Northampton Community College while working in Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg’s nursing float pool. Her eventual goal: obtaining a master’s degree in nursing. “Lehigh Valley Health Network is the happy ending to a rough story,” she says.

Watch Tina's story as told by the following media outlets:
Fox 29: Local Mom To Be Obamas' Special Guest
WFMZ-TV 69 News: Local Woman To Attend President's Address
Washington Post: Struggling Families, Wounded Troops Obama's Guests
Morning Call: Northampton Woman to Sit with First Lady at State of the Union
USA Today: Obama's Guests at the State of the Union

Award-winning Author

When Elissa Foster's grandmother died from lymphoma 15 years ago, Foster was left with many questions. "I wondered, 'Did I say the right thing; did I do the right thing?" she says. That's why she explored the topic of talking to the terminally ill while pursuing her Ph.D. at the University of South Florida. Her work there led to her book, "Communicating at the End of Life: Finding Magic in the Mundane," which received the 2009 Distinguished Book Award from the National Communication Association. "I've learned that talking about the ordinary things in life is meaningful and powerful," says Foster, now a medical educator in Lehigh Valley Health Network's department of family medicine.

Holiday Helpers

Sometimes Santa needs a little help, and this year Lehigh Valley Health Network colleagues answered the jolly old elf's call. We adopted more than 100 families this holiday season, buying them gifts ranging from warm coats and food, to bikes and televisions. Sixty-eight families from the Professional Excellence Council's campaign and 43 families from the Perinatal Partnership, led by Damarie Lugo, benefited from the generosity of our colleagues. "In a year when we've all had some form of financial hardship, it was nice to see everyone work together to help those who really need it," Lugo said.

Sweet Home LVHN

A decade ago, former local radio personality Dave James (Dave and Diane in the Morning) received an on-air phone call from his wife, Tammy (top left). "Are you ready to be a daddy?" she asked. The couple rushed to the health network's labor and delivery unit, where they met Lynn Grischott, R.N. When Dave, a University of Alabama football fan, saw an Alabama barrette in Grischott's hair, "it put me at ease," he says. Grischott helped welcome the couple's daughter, Skyler (lower right), into the world. Recently, as Alabama wrapped up the national football championship, the family, including son Austin (lower left), planned to reunite with Grischott. "The way she helped Tammy that day is something I'll never forget," Dave says.

Greening the Way

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says Lehigh Valley Health Network is a role model for other hospitals because we’re creating a "green" health network . As a result, we received the EPA's Trailblazer Award which recognizes hospitals showing leadership in reducing their carbon footprint. President and chief executive officer Elliot Sussman, M.D., received the award from Virginia Thompson, sustainable healthcare manager for EPA's mid-Atlantic region. The EPA commended our extensive recycling program, LEED-certified buildings, power management and conservation programs, sustainable food practices, wellness programs and other environmentally-friendly initiatives.

Spirited and Spirit-free

Bethlehem Police Commissioner Stuart Bedics (left) serves a sampling of Angel's Kiss to Lehigh Valley Health Network employee Marybeth Maly during the Lehigh Valley Regional DUI/Highway Safety Task Force's annual spirit-free holiday mix-off. The non-alcoholic beverage was one of four served by police officials at this year's mix-off. Lehigh Valley Health Network hosted the event for the ninth straight year to alert the community about the dangers of drinking and driving by suggesting enjoyable alternatives to using alcohol during the holidays. Bedics was joined behind the bar by Salisbury Township Police Chief Allen Stiles, Hellertown Police Chief Robert Shupp and Allentown Police Chief Roger MacLean, whose Yule Log Cider was voted the winning drink. Click here for all four of the spirit-free drink recipes.

Tchaikovsky Would Be Proud

Five aspiring ballerinas who attend Lehigh Valley Health Network's early education center gave a spectacular and impromptu recital of Pyotr Tchaikovsky's famous "Nutcracker Suite" during the holidays. The rest of the center's children were treated to twirls, pirouettes and little smiles as the ballerinas danced in tune to the music. The girls, who take ballet lessons outside of the early education center, wanted to bring some holiday cheer to their friends at the education center.

Deck the Halls!

Creativity certainly isn't in short supply at Lehigh Valley Health Network's early education center during the holiday season. These two children, as well as the rest of the center's children, helped to decorate the center's tree and even made their own ornaments. This year's theme was Pyotr Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker." The result: A work of art.

Saying Thanks

Lehigh Valley Health Network recently donated a truckload of school supplies to Colonial Academy. The alternative education school was this year's recipient of the network's third annual Stack the Pack program in which school supplies are collected and donated to a local school that needs them. As a token of their appreciation, the school's principal, Bill Vitulli, and several other staff and students, came to the health network with gifts of their own— two framed photos of students and faculty holding thank you notes. The Stack the Pack donation is coordinated annually by the health network's Professional Excellence Council's Community Outreach Committee.

Happy Holidays from Epi

Epi, the Lehigh Valley Health Network MedEvac mascot, was the star of a holiday card sent to regional first responders. Short for Epinephrine Nitro—two life-saving drugs—Epi is an English bull dog owned by MedEvac flight paramedic Mark Walck, and his wife, MedEvac flight nurse Veronica McMichael Walck, R.N. The bulldog makes special appearances in her flight suit at emergency and trauma-related events throughout the year.

Help For Your Heart

Interventional cardiologist Nainesh Patel, M.D. (right), tells a group that Impella®, the world’s smallest mechanical heart pump, is used at Lehigh Valley Health Network. Implanted with a catheter, Impella temporarily supports a patient’s weak heart following a heart attack or while waiting for a high-risk heart procedure or surgery. Click here for more photos from our Annual Health Expo.

He's a Hero

IronPigs mascot Ferrous may be a hero to Zachary, 9. But the boy himself is a hero to his grandmother and pets, whom he herded to safety when their home caught fire recently. Zachary's mom is a long-time Lehigh Valley Health Network employee. When her family's home burned in an electrical fire, colleagues at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg rallied to help the family get back on their feet. They arranged this visit with Ferrous too, hoping to put a smile back on Zachary's face – and it looks like it worked!

Bienvenidos

Patients and visitors to Lehigh Valley Physicians Practice at Lehigh Valley Hospital-17th Street now are greeted by a hearty "Welcome" in many different languages. This mural, the work of local artists Michele Strader, Yasmin Arastu, Rachel Winchester, Carol Zimmerman and Nathan Marzen, recently was installed in the hallway of our internal medicine community practice. Inside the Allentown, Pa., practice, patients can see "Los Continentes" – a series of art depicting different continents. "This artwork lets every person know he or she is welcome here," says case manager Cindy Atamian, leader of the mural project.

One of America's "10 Best Hospitals"

Becker's Hospital Review, a leading business and legal health care publication, recently named Lehigh Valley Health Network as one of the 10 Best Hospitals in America for 2009. According to Becker's, the hospitals that made the list "establish the bar for excellence, quality care and innovation." Our health network also is one of 41 "top hospitals" recognized by The Leapfrog Group for quality and patient safety. Leapfrog collects information from hospitals nationwide to find the ones that are taking "big leaps" in health care quality, safety and customer value.

A Stately Visit for Our Simulation Center

Senator Bob Mensch (right) of Pennsylvania's 24th senatorial district, recently learned about Lehigh Valley Health Network's tele-medicine program and toured the network’s new Interdisciplinary Simulation Center. Emergency medicine physician William Bond, M.D., showed the senator how the simulation center works. The center is a virtual hospital where caregivers work through health care scenarios to help simulated patients. It includes real health care technology and training mannequins that react to the care administered by caregivers.

Warming the Hearts of the Community

Giving back to the community comes in many different shapes. For Lehigh Valley Hospital—Cedar Crest’s in-patient pharmacy, that meant warming the necks (and hearts) of students at Central Elementary School in Allentown. Although pharmacy technicians (l-r) Veronica Stoeckel, Laura Jacob, Chantal Jones and Jordan Sodl knitted the more than 100 scarves that were donated, the whole pharmacy department chipped in to provide supplies and encouragement for the effort.

Snooze, or You Lose

Joseph Schellenberg, M.D. (left), Lehigh Valley Health Network pulmonologist, was a guest of Eve Tannery on WFMZ-TV Channel 69's News at Sunrise to discuss sleep and sleep disorders. Dr. Schellenberg talked about the most common problems, like sleep apnea, that keep people up at night, or that cause them to feel tired and drowsy during the day. Sleep issues often bring patients to the Network's Sleep Disorders Centers at Lehigh Valley Hospital-17th Street and Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg for testing and treatment.

Nursing Excellence

Lehigh Valley Health Network nurse Erin Brazil, L.P.N., (right) was recently named a recipient of the Nightingale Awards of Pennsylvania for 2009. The awards recognize and honor exceptional nurses who practice in the state. Health network nurses June Kelly, R.N., (center) and Megan Snyder, R.N., (left) were also finalists for Nightingale Awards this year. The health network has had at least one Nightingale Award finalist in 18 of the 19 years the program has been in existence. Fifteen Lehigh Valley Health Network nurses have been named Nightingale Award recipients during this period.

Nursing Graduates Return to Their Roots

Members of The Allentown Hospital School of Nursing class of 1959 recently toured Lehigh Valley Hospital–17th Street (formerly The Allentown Hospital) where they spent many hours as students. Each day, as they entered the hospital, they walked over the tiled seal on the floor (located in what will soon be a Chronic Care Center, currently under construction). They ended their day with dessert at the Ritz, a favorite hot spot for students. Their 50th class reunion was a nice journey down memory lane.