Intermountain Health

June 27th was already a hectic day at Sevier Valley Hospital in Richfield, Utah, with an at-capacity floor and ED, before clinical operations manager Bree Bastian received a call from her daughter's church youth leader. “The leader was distraught," Bree said. "She said my daughter was OK, but that a terrible thing had just happened, where their youth group was struck by lightning while on a hike.” Different reports were coming in, some saying up to 50 people would need to be seen. The strike occurred an hour from Sevier Valley Hospital, and EMS was coming. Sevier Valley was ready. As those affected by the lightning strike began to arrive, some in their vehicles and some by EMS, Bree said, “We had nurses ready on the floor and in the ER, and they were figuring out how to cover the needed care. The OR crew typically is done by that time of day, but they all stayed to support the patients coming in. Dr. Jesse Spencer brought in apples, oranges, and donuts for everyone; we also brought in pizza. Sara Pace and Jesse Lewis, our emergency preparedness leads, were called in and helped support. Broox Anderson was leaving town but turned back around and came in to help support the media. Dr. Michael Ivan offered to open his schedule up later than planned to accommodate any low-acuity patients from the ED who did not want to wait or asked if there was anywhere else they could be seen.” The Sevier Valley team evaluated 16 patients following the lightning strike, and all were treated and released. As one could imagine, the youth on the trip were scared; their leaders, parents, and loved ones were scared. “But there is such a good feeling when you come to Sevier Valley,” said Bree. “What I know, and what our entire community knows, is you are going to be cared for just like it was your own family. We are there for each other. It’s a tight-knit community.” #TogetherForTheHealthiestLives

Since its introduction, hundreds of caregivers have been making use of the Intermountain Health mentorship program. Mentoring is a benefit for all Intermountain caregivers from day one and can help anyone at any stage and any level of their career achieve their goals and feel supported in their growth. Mentorship is an intentional, developmental relationship in which a mentor with a high level of knowledge and experience supports the development and growth of a mentee seeking those competencies. For Aida Penunuri, social worker at Select Health, she is using Intermountain’s mentorship program to set a track for the next steps in her career. “I’ve always been a person who wants to learn and try new things,” Aida said. “The mentorship program has helped me navigate obstacles in my way and continue to challenge myself.” “Mentorship is for everyone,” said Rachel Jost, talent and career development consultant at Intermountain and Aida's mentor. “There is so much value from both being mentored and serving as a mentor. The human connection, relationship, and being exposed to different thoughts, ideas, experiences, and resources has a way of opening doors for people. We really want people taking advantage of this great resource.”

Summer is a busy time with many local celebrations, and you never know where Intermountain Health will show up! We asked our caregivers to share stories of where they, their team, or their care site are sharing our mission and inspiring health this summer, and they showed up. It’s clear our caregivers embody wellness in countless unique ways — from concerts to Thunderbird planes to wild trails in the mountains — and Intermountain’s mission and vision support these activities and communities, large and small. Check out some ways we’re connecting with our communities this summer. #TogetherForTheHealthiestLives

The patient wasn’t yet having swallow difficulties when they were referred to speech-language pathologist Jess O’Neil, CCC-SLP. Because of their course of radiation and chemotherapy, though, it was likely they would. “One of our best tools is the oral mechanism exam, where you essentially have people stick out their tongue, move it side to side and pucker their lips, just to see if there’s any obvious weakness that could be contributing to dysphasia,” says Jess. “Honestly, this patient was swallowing completely normal, so this was just part of my routine. I was not expecting to see anything out of the ordinary.” But when the patient stuck out their tongue, it pointed toward the left. Jess knew that a tongue deviation like that could indicate an irregularity with the hypoglossal nerve, one of the cranial nerves that controls the tongue. She carefully documented the finding in her notes and asked the patient to mention it to their radiation oncologist, Ari Ballonoff, MD. Dr. Ballonoff reviewed the patient’s previous imaging and ordered new images for comparison. As it turned out, the patient had developed brain metastases – which, without Jess’s workup, would most likely not have been discovered. “We work as a team to make sure we are looking at all options,” says Dr. Ballonoff. “In this case, Jess made a great catch that led to a new diagnosis and resulted in better care for this patient.” #TogetherForTheHealthiestLives

“The benefit of this technology is like having a 3D map before you go into a maze. You will know when and where you can be fast and efficient, as well as when and where you have to go slow and deliberate to make sure you get all the cancer." Dr. Tae Kim, surgeon at LDS Hospital. Intermountain Health is the first health system in the nation to use a new innovative tool that uses a 3D computer model to guide surgeons during robotic rectal cancer surgery making the procedure more effective and accurate for cancer patients.

WEEK 14- Make the Call Call or Facetime someone you love. @thedefensiveline

MacKenzie Bean, a dietitian in clinical nutrition, recently met with an individual in an outpatient setting at Riverton Hospital in Riverton, Utah who shared their challenge with a severe eating disorder. Although MacKenzie doesn’t specialize in eating disorders, see how she built trust with the patient and provided a referral to a dietitian who could help in the article below. #WeArePartnersInHealth #TogetherForTheHealthiestLives

As the team at Lutheran Medical Center in Colorado is getting ready to move patients to a brand new facility, a reminder that this isn’t our first rodeo! Over the last several decades, Intermountain Health facilities have grown, requiring a great migration of patients from old to new facilities. Here’s a look back at some—were you a part of any of these moves? Photo 1: December 10, 1980, Logan Regional Hospital staff moved 48 adult patients and 12 infants to the new Logan Regional Hospital with the help of seven ambulances and a large truck from surrounding cities. Ten minutes after Logan Regional Hospital opened, the first baby was delivered. Photo 2: In 2007, teams transferred an estimated 200 hospital patients from Cottonwood Hospital and LDS Hospital to Intermountain Medical Center. Each of the 14 ambulances, donated by Gold Cross for use in the move, was outfitted with GPS devices that allowed the teams to monitor the vehicle's precise location at all times. Photo 3: Saint Joseph Hospital in the heart of downtown Denver will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of its big move later this year. On 12-13-14, the hospital with its signature radial towers, completed in 1961, moved to the beautiful facility right next door where it continues to serve the Colorado community today. Photo 4: On April 23, 1990, a fleet of ambulances moved 114 patients to the new Primary Children's Hospital on the University of Utah campus. The hospital opened in a beautiful new building with 186 beds. Today, PCH SLC has expanded to 289 beds as well as a campus in Lehi! Photo 5: In 2018 all major hospital services, including labor & delivery, where finally under one roof at the River Road Campus in St. George. The new campus opened in 2003. Declan Mitchell, the smallest baby born in the 400 East Hospital, cut the ribbon for the new expansion to open.

What do bubbles and color-coded prescriptions have in common? No, it’s not the start of a bad joke, but some of the ways we at Intermountain Health reimagine how we care for our patients. People often come to our care sites in difficult circumstances. They may be experiencing life-altering symptoms or illness, or someone they care about is. Our mission of helping people live their healthiest lives possible includes healing the whole patient — their mind, body, spirituality, and caring for their support system. #WeServeWithEmpathy #TogetherForTheHealthiestLives

Katie Swenson always knew she wanted to go into medicine. As executive director of our surgical specialties and digestive health clinical program, she certainly draws on her years of experience as a physician assistant in pediatric transplant and pediatric general surgery-trauma. But she finds, too, that she draws just as much on the leadership and teambuilding skills she acquired as a U.S. Air Force aircraft maintenance officer. We caught up with her recently to talk about military leadership skills, innovation through collaboration, and empowering patients to take control of their health.