Intermountain Health’s Post

Every year, nearly 40,000 babies are born at Intermountain hospitals — and many of them have connections to you, our caregivers! A recent internal poll found that 62% of the nearly 900 caregivers who participated in the poll were born at Intermountain hospitals and 76% had children born at our hospitals! This week, we're sharing some of their stories! Jessica Foutz was born at Orem Community Hospital and frequently came to the hospital to volunteer with her grandma as a child, which started her passion for healthcare and was the reason she became a nurse. “Working at OCH was my dream job, and I was ecstatic when I was offered a job as a Women's Center nurse there right out of nursing school.” Jessica delivered all three of her children at Orem Community and was on shift when her water broke with her first two babies.

As a large rural hospital, Cassia Regional Hospital helps its community in Burley, Idaho access safe, best-in-quality care. Carly Nelson, environmental services manager, meets patient needs by taking care of them and their families, and by making sure her team and the whole hospital know they have each other's backs. “I come to work with the expectation that I’m going to do the best possible in my job and support other caregivers by giving them the tools to give 100%,” she said. #TogetherForTheHealthiestLives

Select Health’s chief medical officer, Dr. Heather O'Toole, keeps a busy work schedule. Despite her meeting-filled workdays, Dr. O’Toole finds time for some of her favorite hobbies. She enjoys cooking and learning to prepare a variety of culturally diverse foods. During the pandemic, she took virtual cooking classes that ranged from pasta to soul food. These varied cooking classes were right up her alley, she loves to try new types of foods from all over the world. This seems to be a character trait of Dr. O’Toole; she seeks to learn and try new things. One of the greatest influences in her life is her father. Dr. O’Toole credits her father, a retired Air Force pilot, for instilling in her a strong work ethic. After his career in the Air Force, her father retired to the family farm and worked long days. She learned from him during this time that there will never be a smooth road in life, and to expect obstacles. Whether it is a hailstorm that destroys the crops, a disease passing through the livestock, or farm equipment that breaks down, she learned from her father to think creatively and differently about problems. Dr. O’Toole’s father was influential in her decision to join the Air Force after completing her family medicine residency. As a military officer and primary care physician, she cared for active duty, dependents, and retirees at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona for three years. The advice that she would give to all Select Health caregivers is to never stop learning. She is a big proponent of learning, even if you don’t know what you want to do for a career. She suggests just beginning by picking something to learn about it. Dr. O’Toole has found that there have been project assignments that she did not think she was interested in, but once she dug in and learned about the project, she found it fascinating. These opportunities opened her eyes to other opportunities and fields of interest. She also advises to always be open to trying something new, whether it is food, music, cultures, new locations, or work assignments. Always be open to learning, even if it doesn’t sound interesting, it may turn out to be the best decision you have ever made. #TogetherForTheHealthiestLives

WEEK 10 Mental Health Exercise Drawing attention to the sense of touch brings us into the present moment. It is in these moments we can reduce stress and anxiety. 1-Minute Meditation with Sense of Touch Close your eyes and pay attention to your body’s sense of touch. Notice what your body feels like, what sensations you can feel, and what different parts of your body are feeling or touching (hands, arms, feet, legs, etc.).

If you hear growling coming from Riverton Hospital’s NICU these days, it’s not cause for concern; it’s probably just a caregiver demonstrating a lion’s roar or an elephant’s trumpet. Little Rori was born in March, but had lingering health issues and hasn’t been released to go home yet. Most infants in newborn intensive care units don’t stay long, but Rori has spent more than three months in Riverton’s NICU. That has given caregivers there a unique opportunity to watch her develop, and they have gone out of their way to foster that development and bond with her. Nurse coordinator Leanna Immenschuh said she tries to visit Rori daily, whether or not she is assigned to her care. On one beautiful spring day, Leanna asked if she could take Rori to the zoo. It wasn’t possible to leave the care site, so Leanna decided to bring the zoo to the hospital by cutting out and laminating pictures of animals to put up around the baby’s crib. Leanna rotates in new animals for variety, and caregivers take turns introducing Rori to the new animals and teaching her what sounds they make. AnnJanette Jenson, the Riverton NICU nurse manager, said that her staff members have essentially adopted Rori. It is not, however, the first time AnnJanette’s team has made special efforts for a patient. When the older brother of a newborn was sick and couldn’t visit the NICU, a nurse dressed the baby as a whale and drew a card with a message for the brother: “I whaley love you.” With 19 beds, a staff of 42 nurses, and an average daily census of 10 (and rising), Riverton’s NICU is somewhere between small and medium, but its impact on patients and families is large. #TogetherForTheHealthiestLives

As a clinical communications manager at Intermountain Health, Jef Otte gets to talk to a lot of caregivers who are doing extraordinary, life-saving work. But it’s not that often he gets to talk to the doctor who saved his own life. In early February, Jef was in a bicycle crash that crushed his helmet and fractured his skull in three places. A runner found him and called an ambulance, and the ambulance took him to Good Samaritan Hospital in Lafayette, Colorado. Around midnight, Jef's condition took a turn for the worse. Neurosurgeon Chih-Ta Lin, MD, was on call that night. Within the hour, he performed a procedure he’s done dozens of times – one Jef needed to survive. A few months later, he was kind enough to chat with Jef about how he became a neurosurgeon, what he remembers about that night, and why neurosurgery is really a team sport.

First aid isn’t just for the body – with Stress First Aid, our caregivers are learning to check on themselves and each other and to connect with resources to help cope with stressful periods. Learn how two Intermountain Health caregivers helped their fellow caregivers during challenging times. #WeServeWithEmpathy

Kim Plaggemeyer has dedicated her entire career to clinical practice management, first as a clinic manager, then a practice administrator, and most recently as a manager of ambulatory quality under clinical excellence. She recently celebrated 23 years with the organization (which was St. Vincent Regional Hospital in Billings, MT when she started). Here, she talks about closing care gaps, planning a good scrapbook, and why her favorite Intermountain Health value is “We do the right thing.” #WeDoTheRightThing

Today, crews placed the final beam on the new, family-centered Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital Behavioral Health Center in Taylorsville, Utah. Starting in 2025, the new Intermountain Primary Children’s Behavioral Health Center will expand access to critically needed behavioral health services for young children and teens. Why is this access so important? Here is Liz's story.