The Nebraska Medical Center

From Caps to Quilts

OR staff was thrilled to present their quilts to our pediatric transplant team on May 7. The quilts were made from the OR staff’s cloth surgical caps and will be given to pediatric transplant patients. “Our patients will remember that someone wanted to make their time in the hospital better,” says Wendy Grant, MD, transplant surgeon.

Operating room staff hopes quilts provide comfort for pediatric patients

Pediatric transplant patients at The Nebraska Medical Center are resting a bit more comfortably these days, thanks to the creativity and selflessness of the hospital’s OR staff. That’s because a group of nurses decided to take hundreds of their surgical caps and create quilts for these young patients.

It all started in February, when the OR team learned that due to recommended practices, they needed to start wearing disposable surgical caps and not the cloth ones they’ve been wearing for years. "We’ve all accumulated many of these caps over the years," says Linda Marcum, OR staff nurse. "I have ones for every season and I can remember all the times I wore it."

That’s when she got an idea. "I thought ‘I really like these caps. Wouldn’t it be cool to make a quilt out of them?’" Everyone jumped on board, donating money and more than 200 caps to the cause. Marcum offered to rip the caps to get them ready, as sewing isn’t her thing. "I said ‘I’ll rip the caps, just don’t give me a sewing machine!’"

Her colleague, Kathy Donovan, surgical technologist, together with other staff members, sewed the quilts together. Donovan also belongs to several quilt groups who sewed the backing. "It was so nice to use the caps," says Donovan. "They made really colorful quilts." So far, more than 20 quilts are completed, with more in the works.

The team decided the quilts should be given to our pediatric transplant patients. "We hope they can bring some joy or maybe brighten their day," says Marcum. "They have their whole life to adjust to their new normal. I have five kids and a few were really attached to their blankets. We just felt these kids would benefit."

Wendy Grant, MD, transplant surgeon, was honored to accept the quilts on behalf of her team and patients. "I think it is remarkable the wonderful operating room nurses think so much of our kids," remarks Grant. "They have limited exposure to our patients, but can have a huge impact on their lives and the lives of their families. The operation is just a few hours in the whole transplant process and I know each patient and parent is treated as if they were the only transplant patient ever. It can make the most stressful event in their lives a tolerable one – in an environment where they are reassured their child will be taken care of in a professional and loving manner."

Linda Marcum, OR staff nurse (left) and Kathy Donovan, surgical technologist, are happy to see their idea to turn surgical caps into beautiful quilts come to fruition.

Properly Dispose of Unwanted and Unused Prescription Drugs

Drug Take Back Day is April 27

It is spring cleaning time! The rite of passage when we say good riddance to winter and look forward in anticipation to sunny spring days giving way to warm summer nights. But spring cleaning can entail much more than dusting, vacuuming and cleaning the windows. It can also include going through medicine cabinets that have been neglected over the years. What do you do with all the expired or unused pharmaceuticals?

The Drug Enforcement Administration is providing an opportunity to dispose of any unwanted pharmaceuticals by hosting Drug Take Back Day April 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the following locations:

• Walgreens – 8380 Harrison St., LaVista, 3005 Lake St. and 15525 Spaulding Plaza
• Westroads Mall Safety Expo
• Hy-Vee – 1000 S. 178th St. and 11650 S. 73rd St., Papillion

Prescription drugs can be brought in their original bottles. Once turned in, they'll be sealed in a cardboard box which will be incinerated. Area Hy-Vees have already began taking back medications. The only drugs not accepted are controlled substances, which require the presence of law enforcement.

Having the pharmacy drop-off locations is a big step toward addressing the prescription drug abuse problem. "Hats off to Hy-Vee," says Joan McVoy, public education specialist for the Nebraska Regional Poison Center. "This is on their own dime."

Why can't we just throw away or flush unwanted pharmaceuticals? At one time those were recommended methods to dispose of the drugs – not any more. The problem with both of these options is the drugs will eventually find their way into the water supply. Pharmaceuticals in landfills will leach into the ground water, while the flushed drugs will pass through waste water treatment plants into watersheds, aquifers and city water systems. The free/no questions asked, Drug Take Back event is the best way to prevent abuse and protect the environment.

Hormones and antibiotics have been detected in aquifers near feedlots and landfills. Antibiotics have been found in vegetables grown in fields fertilized with a sludge product derived from waste water treatment plants. Treatment plants are not designed to filter out pharmaceuticals. Some pharmaceuticals are made more toxic by interaction with the chlorine and enzymes designed to kill bacteria.

Drop Off Your Used Eye Glasses and Spent Batteries

Each Americans discard about eight dry-cell batteries every year. With a population of more than 312,000,000 people in the U.S., that’s about 2.5 billion batteries that find their way to landfills across the country annually. That is approximately one battery for every dollar that Dallas Cowboy owner Jerry Jones is worth. While most of us will never become billionaires, we do have the opportunity to decrease the number of batteries that end up in our landfills.

On April 18, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., an eye glasses and alkaline battery collection will be held at various locations on The Nebraska Medical Center campus as a part of our Earth Week celebration. Spent non-rechargeable alkaline AA, AAA, C, D, and 9 volt batteries may be dropped off at any of the five collection locations and the Earth Week team will donate them to the Cross Training Center, a local non-profit organization whose goal is to provide life skills, vocational training and job experience. You can help improve the lives of disadvantaged and undereducated men and women by taking the time to drop off spent batteries.

Eye glasses can also be recycled and given to those who may not be able to afford them. Drop off gently used eye glasses to any of the five collection locations and the Earth Week team will donate them to UNMC Ophthalmology where they will given to patients at a monthly free community clinic.

Drop-off sites will be at the following locations on April 18:

• Culture Fest, Sorrell Center for Health Science Education, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• The East Campus Corporate Pavilion inside the Mutual of Omaha Bank Building, 2nd floor break room, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (employees only)
• Clarkson Tower, main entrance, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Nebraska Café, main entrance, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Durham Research Center, near room 1007, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

New Support Group for LVAD patients

The Nebraska Medical Center is excited to announce the formation of a support group offered to ventricular assist device patients. This group is dedicated to education and discussion regarding the unique challenges that come with living with such an innovative device.

Open to anyone currently living with or has ever had a ventricular assist device, patients should feel comfortable discussing concerns and asking questions in an open and supportive setting. Develop an outside support network among others who have a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) or a right ventricular assist device (RVAD). This public group is open to all current, former and prospective LVAD and RVAD patients. Family members and caregivers are also encouraged to attend.

John Rod (LVAD, 2011) and Linda Leonard, both from Omaha, have volunteered to be our patient coordinators for this group. The physicians and staff of The Nebraska Medical Center cardiac team will have a role in providing topics and assistance for presentations.

On Thursday, March 21 from 3 to 4 p.m. the first official meeting will be held. The topic for this meeting will be introductions and discussion about future event presentation. A light snack will be provided. In the event of severe weather, if OPS cancels evening activities, this event will be cancelled.

The support group will be hosted at The Nebraska Medical Center, University Tower, Third Floor, Private Dining Room C. Utilize the free valet parking services offered by the hospital in the circle drive of the Durham Outpatient Center near 44th and Emile Streets. Take the escalators to the third floor, turn right after passing the Convenience Store. The Private Dining Room will be located halfway down the hall on the right side.

To register for the event or to add your name to the mailing list for additional information about the support group please call Please call The Nebraska Medical Center Social Work Department at 402-559-4420.

A Treasure in a Time of Sadness

Precious keepsakes offered thanks to generous donations

This necklace will be sent to a mother who recently lost her pre-term baby at our hospital. Our staff took the tiny baby’s handprint to create this irreplaceable keepsake for the grieving family.

Sometimes, the words are just not there to explain how it feels to lose a child. Whether it’s a pre-term baby, too young to survive, or one in the NICU, too sick to survive, it can be one of the saddest times in a family’s life.

Five years ago, our hospital began a program to create a precious keepsake for the grieving parents. It’s often referred to as “Thumbprints.”

“When a baby dies, we take their fingerprints, footprints and sometimes their handprints,” explains Michelle Bomer, manager, Women and Infant Services. “We take the best image and send that off so a special necklace can be made.”

Once the necklace is ready, usually a month or so later, our team sends it home with a special note. Thanks to the generosity of the University Hospital Auxiliary and other donations sent to the hospital, this beautiful, silver necklace is a gift to the parents.

“This is part of the grieving process,” says Bomer. “They can look at this necklace as a way to remember.”

It’s a program one Omaha family is passionate about. In October 2011, Donald Rasmussen and Tanya Stover lost their son Thomas, after he spent 91 days in the NICU. They, too, received a necklace with Thomas’ thumbprint. “My necklace is the world to me,” shares Stover. “I feel like my son is right next to me. Looking down and seeing his tiny thumb reminds me my Angel is not far away.”

In the Healing Gardens, you’ll find a stone with Thomas’ name as well. The family also donated the memorial money they received to help fund this program. About a year and a half ago, a formal process was put into place to offer this keepsake to young children who lose a parent in one of the Critical Care units. Anna Pike, administrative assistant for Critical Care, oversees the program.

“In a situation where a parent is leaving behind young children, the lead nurse will discuss it with the unit’s manager, who then contacts me,” explains Pike. “If the family decides they’d like to do it and we have the funding, the lead nurse will collect the fingerprints and send them to me.”

“This is a gift for young children, usually under the age of 12, who may one day not have a memory of that parent,” says Pike. “I think this helps them cope and remember their loved one, especially in a situation where it happens very fast.”

“This is a great example of why philanthropy is so important,” explains Judy Booth, gift officer in the Office of Development. “While clinical needs may be met, programs like this allow us to treat the emotional needs of our patients.”

For more information on how to make a donation towards this program, contact the Office of Development at 402-552-2029 or visit the website.

Chronic Pain No Longer Controls My Life

Seven years ago, I was in a car accident which resulted in a splintered vertebrae in my upper back. The bone splinters pierced a root nerve causing me extreme and constant pain. The pain was so excruciating it began to affect all aspects of my life. This state of being had a negative impact on my family, friends and co-workers. At the time I was in law school at Creighton University and I struggled greatly with my school work.

When I heard about the Pain Management Program at The Nebraska Medical Center I was skeptical. I felt like I had already seen every doctor and been to every physical therapy session. I really didn’t think there was any way to get rid of the pain that I was in. At the urging of friends and family and in an almost desperate last attempt to help myself, I enrolled in the program.

My four-week program was very structured and the treatment plan was specific to my needs. Each patient there was working their own plan which was a personalized combination of massage, stretching, group exercise, medication reduction and counseling.

The experience was a progressive one that I compare to learning to ride a bike. The first week, I was on my bike with training wheels and dad was behind me. The second week, dad was no longer there, but I still had my training wheels. The third week, the training wheels are off, but I struggled at times to keep my balance. By the fourth week, I was riding on my own, but if I didn’t practice, I would have to bring back the training wheels.

Along the way, the staff was incredibly supportive and quick to offer additional support to help me move forward. The whole experience really opened my eyes to how much the pain had interfered with my life. I learned a new way of thinking about myself and my pain.

The difference in my life now versus how it was then is night and day. The program changed how I feel, how I thought and how I faced life. I became a different person when I graduated from the program, both physically and mentally.

I still live with chronic pain but it no longer controls me. I have the tools and strategies in my hands so I can show up at work and be effective. I can be a good husband and a good father. It’s really amazing!

Matthew Saathoff
Pain Management Program Graduate, 2009

Visit The Nebraska Medical Center website for more information about the Pain Management Program

The Science Behind Lasting Behavior Change

What is it about the New Year that gets us so motivated to make the changes in our lives that we couldn't seem to make a month earlier?

It's been just a little over a month since many people made their New Year's resolutions. And according to a recent Newsweek article, more than one-third of Americans made New Year's resolutions in 2013. But as you might guess, most of them will fail to keep their resolutions. So what's the secret to creating lasting behavior change?

This is a question the Pain Management Program staff has been helping patients answer for almost four decades at The Nebraska Medical Center. Our patients come to us because they want to reclaim their lives from disabling chronic pain conditions.

Treating pain is surprisingly similar to the work of keeping a New Year's resolution. The latest results of pain-related research indicate that in order to treat chronic pain, the brain's “old habits" of sensing pain need to change. In order to change how the brain perceives pain, thoughts and behaviors need to change. That's right! Neuroscience research indicates that if behavior changes, whether it be sticking to a New Year's resolution or learning to think and function differently with pain, the neural wiring of the brain creates a new pathway.

Although rewiring the brain sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie, it can be as simple as setting small, attainable goals on a daily or weekly basis.

For example, someone with chronic pain may want to get back into a regular exercise routine. That person will be more successful if they start with small, bite-sized goals. It may seem unnatural to take small steps, such as just walking for five minutes once each day, then adding a minute the next day and so on. However, these kinds of small, incremental changes are easier to make, less likely to flare up pain and give that person a regular boost of motivation that comes from accomplishing the goals they set. Establishing a new habit in this manner actually creates a new neural pathway in the brain. The creation of this pathway makes it easier to stick with the behavior in the long-term. It's this ability of the brain to change, also known as neural plasticity that forms the foundation of chronic pain treatment as well.

The Nebraska Medical Center Pain Management Program is celebrating 40 years of effectively treating chronic pain in 2013. This program is one of the first and longest running chronic pain treatment programs in the country.

Make a resolution to get rid of chronic pain! Let the specialists at The Nebraska Medical Center help.

Due to overwhelming response to the subject, the chronic pain management seminar scheduled for Feb. 21 is has reached attendance limit. Please email us if you would like information on future free chronic pain management seminar events or a brochure about the Pain Management Program.

Adrienne Connor, Physical Therapist
Pain Management Program
The Nebraska Medical Center

Visit our website for more information about the Pain Management Program at The Nebraska Medical Center. To make an appointment or to register for the seminar, call 800-922-0000.

Campus Saves Enough Energy to Run a Small Town

Imagine the electricity a town of more than 2,200 people or approximately 560 households, consumes in one year. Anyone care to venture a guess? That number would be about 7 million kilowatt hours (kWh). To help further explain, a 1,000 watt heater operating for one hour will use one kilowatt hour.

In the past three years, The Nebraska Medical Center campus has realized a reduction of 7,049,860 kWh. That is a 17.36 percent reduction in electricity which is equivalent to saving $388,447 annually – more than a quarter of a million dollars in savings! Including the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), our education and research partner, we have reduced our campus kWh usage by almost 20 percent.

Both the hospital and UNMC committed to working together to optimize efficiencies in the central utility plant, install new building control systems to better manage energy use and recommission air handling equipment for more efficient air flow are among the initiatives that led to the energy conservation.

More efficient LED lighting is being utilized where appropriate, including signage and elevator lighting. In public areas of the hospital, LED lamps are now replacing incandescent lamps. Moving forward, all building upgrades will include an energy assessment.

The coordination of efforts between the two organizations for the benefit of the entire campus has been a driving factor in the savings. Each month, the Energy Management Team, consisting of Facilities leadership from The Nebraska Medical Center and UNMC, meet to discuss and generate energy-saving ideas. On a smaller scale, the hospital’s Energy Advocate Team (EAT) and UNMC’s LiveGreen team have also been responsible for campus energy reduction. EAT implemented its Lights Off campaign, while LiveGreen has a similar Flip the Switch initiative.

UNMC also has a variety of projects planned and underway to help continue the energy-reduction trend. The university is completing upgrades to the Durham Outpatient Center and by this time next year, should have completed upgrades to the Lied Transplant Center and Eppley Science Hall. Future upgrades to the College of Nursing, UNMC Administration Building and Munroe-Meyer are also scheduled.

Facility leaders for both organizations agree the campus-wide attempt to reduce energy consumption has long-range ramifications. Without these energy saving projects, the new Cancer Center and Ambulatory Care Center project might have needed a third utility plant. Since the current projects have been so successful, it will likely be five to 10 years before another utility plant, estimated at about $30 million, is needed on campus, barring extensive, rapid growth.

Take it in Stride

Your walking speed is a good indicator of how long you will live.

Gait speed, or walking speed, is calculated by how many strides are taken each second. This measurement is considered by many to be the new and sixth vital sign. It is a test that can assist clinicians to predict mortality and determine health status in the elderly population.

In the same way that blood pressure is an indicator of being at risk for stroke, heart attack and even kidney disease, Gait speed can indicate issues with the cardiovascular system, muscle strength, joint mobility, balance, cognition and ambulation surface. Treating high blood pressure means to find the cause of the high blood pressure. Similarly, assessing gait speed can quickly help clinicians identify a health problem and address the cause. While the short term goal is to increase gait speed, the long term benefits can have an impact on the overall health and longevity of the individual.

Gait speed, or walking speed, is calculated by how many strides are taken each second. This measurement is considered by many to be the new and sixth vital sign.

When an individual’s gait speed is lower than normal for their age range and gender, it could signify the presence of arthritis or perhaps an injury of which the person is unaware. If the condition currently or eventually limits their ability to go for walks, ride a bike or swim, long term impacts of inactivity losing balance, decreased muscle mass, falling and even obesity.

It is important to monitor gait speed as any other vital sign and look for changes. Differences in this measurement can be addressed establishing treatment for the condition causing the change or offering alternative activities to remain active while the cause of the problem is being corrected. Addressing the underlying cause to a change in gait speed may help individuals to remain independent longer, reduce hospitalizations and improve overall quality of life.

The University of Pittsburgh researchers looked at data from nine studies involving nearly 35,000 seniors and found that only 19 percent of the slowest walking 75-year-old men lived for 10 more years compared to 87 percent of the fastest walking ones. Only 35 percent of the slowest walking 75-year-old women made it to their 85th birthday compared to 91 percent of the fastest walkers.

Gait Speed Averages Indicating Good Overall Health

Age 20 to 50

1.4 to 1.5 meters/second

Age 50 to 80

1.1 to 1.4 meters/second

Age 80 to 85

1 meter/second

Normal walking speed in adults is 1.2 to 1.4 meters per second. Gait speeds less than 1 meter per second could indicate a condition or problem. For question about gait speed analysis, please contact The Nebraska Medical Center Sports Medicine Program by calling 1-800-922-0000. Ask for Sports Medicine Program Coordinator, Rusty McKune.

Reference for statistics in this blog can be found in the following website from University of Pittsburgh researchers: Gait Speed and Survival in Older Adults

Rusty McKune, ATC
Sports Medicine Program Coordinator
The Nebraska Medical Center

To make an appointment with the sports medicine team of experts at The Nebraska Medical Center, call 800-922-0000 and an operator will transfer you to the program coordinator, Rusty McKune, ATC. Visit us online at NebraskaMed.com/sports-medicine

Blue Wrap Fashion Contest

The Nebraska Medical Center staff puts their creativity on display

Contest winners Emily Holstein and John Elsaesser.

The "Going Green" movement continues to gain momentum on at The Nebraska Medical Center. The hospital's Energy Advocate Team (EAT) has been encouraging employees to be good stewards of the environment and recycle whenever possible. Perioperative Services has taken the message to heart.

Last month the Hixon-Lied and University Tower operating room (OR) departments enhanced their internal recycling program. A portion of the enhancements included the collection and recycling of "blue wrap," a disposable blue sterile wrap used in the sterilization and covering of surgical instruments prior to procedures.

Blue wrap makes up approximately 20 percent of waste produced by an OR, according to Practice Greenhealth, a non-profit organization founded on the principles of positive environmental stewardship and best practices by organizations in the health-care community. The blue wrap is collected separately from other hard plastics. We receive a rebate from our vendor to collect blue wrap for recycling. The ORs recycle hard plastics, cardboard, paper and now blue wrap.

To enhance awareness of blue wrap recycling and to have a little fun, Perioperative Services hosted a costume contest Nov. 7. The caveat being the costumes had to be made from blue wrap (they could also use tape, staples, etc., to hold the costumes together). The contest encouraged individual OR "pods" (teams) to create an outfit out of used blue wrap.

Two key OR Energy Advocates, Kathy Donovan and Katie Williams, surgical techs, along with other key nursing staff and the three nursing OR managers, played a vital role in helping improve the recycling program and starting to collect blue wrap. "The OR produces so much waste every day," explained Donovan and Williams. "To help reduce this, we started recycling. First, we started with paper, then hard plastics and now finally blue wrap. For the contest, each surgical team received a pack with various pieces of blue wrap and other recyclables and was asked to make an outfit. It was a fun idea and it was a great way to get our teams involved and to express our creativity."

The contestants from the first annual "blue fashion contest" all represented themselves proudly. Taking part were (left to right) Deb Allen, Surgical Services patient care tech, Amy Breitkreutz, Surgical Services surgical technologist, Tim Sunderman, Surgical Services lead staff nurse, Holly Bragg, Surgical Services staff nurse, John Elsaesser, Surgical Services staff nurse, Emily Holstein, Surgical Services staff nurse and Lou Fleming, Surgical Services surgical technologist.