Jewish Hospital’s 2008 Health Care Heroes

Each year, the Business Courier of Cincinnati honors people who have made an impact on health care in our community through their concern for patients, their research and inventions, their management skills, their innovative programs for employees and their service to the poor and uninsured.

Read on to find out why, out of more than 300 nominations, three very special members of the Jewish Hospital family were recently selected as finalists for the 2008 Cincinnati Health Care Heroes awards:

> Cathy Beumer, R.N.C., M.S.N., clinical nurse specialist on 6 South
> Karen Behm, chaplain, finalist in the Provider Category
> Michael Swank, M.D., medical director of The Joint Replacement Center

Cathy Beumer, R.N.C., M.S.N., clinical nurse specialist on 6 South,
finalist in the Provider Category

“Cathy has been a nurse at Jewish Hospital for a remarkable 32 years, and in that time has emerged as a shining example of what a nurse should be: knowledgeable, compassionate, caring and always going the extra mile. When a person is dying in a hospital, the focus of care is often on the comfort of the patient. Most individuals prefer to die at home so Cathy started the comfort cart, which provides patients who are dying with a home-like environment that is soothing and encourages peace and reflection. The comfort cart, which resembles a nightstand, includes a small table lamp, a CD player with a selection of soothing tapes, sacred scripture, soft tissues, snacks, teas, coffee, and calming lotion. A popular item also found on the cart is a homemade quilt or knitted cover for the patient. The quilt brings warmth, color and comfort to the room. Families often tell us how much they appreciate the comfort cart and the environment it brings, says Cathy. They also say that the quilt serves as a reminder of their loved ones final moments. Thank you, Cathy, for bringing additional comfort to patients in their last moments.”

Karen Behm, chaplain,
finalist in the Provider Category

“Karen Behm has been a caring and nurturing chaplain for visitors, families, patients and staff since her arrival at Jewish Hospital. Her enthusiasm is contagious, always upbeat, and she is positive and supportive despite the many crises she encounters. At Jewish Hospital, she is the chaplain on units that often support patients who are critically ill with life-threatening concerns. She has been an important part of teams that create guidelines and protocol for end of life issues and palliative care.

In our healthcare community, we often grow very close to patients, visitors and families that we care for each day. Karen has the ability to instantly connect with all in a friendly, non-threatening manner with respect and sensitivity. Though small in stature and young in years, Karen is a pillar of strength to our hospital community. She always takes time to listen and offer encouragement, wisdom and compassion. Her impact on our hospital community has been great! She is committed to our hospital's core values of caring for all the RITE way.”

“To watch Karen provide spiritual care and counseling for patients at The Jewish Hospital is simply inspirational. She puts her everything into helping patients and their families through every spectrum of the human experience and emotion. She's responsible for the spiritual care needs of some of the most critically ill patients (and their families) in the hospital, including intensive care and bone marrow transplant patients. She also has been especially proactive in helping with end of life care and palliative care issues. Karen has been instrumental in launching the Red Rose program for dying patients. A red rose placard is placed on the door of a dying patient so that interruptions to the family and patient are kept to a minimum during this time. It also allows the chaplains, if the family desires, to provide more intensive counseling and spiritual support to the family. Karen’s dedication is awe-inspiring and her work is second-to-none. Greater Cincinnati is very, very fortunate to have her in our health care ranks.”

“Facing an illness or hospitalization can be a crisis for patients and families on an emotional and spiritual level. As professional caregivers tend to patients and families, they too face spiritual crises and grief that few outside of the hospital could ever imagine.  We are so fortunate to have Chaplain Karen Behm to minister to the spirits and hearts of our patients and caregivers.  Chaplain Karen has been instrumental in creating and nurturing a support system for our caregivers to deal with their own grief.  She serves on the Holistic Team and assists the Diversity Council in educating staff on diverse spiritual care needs of patients.  She has created a Comfort Cart with soothing music, readings and other items to be brought to a patients room as needed.  She has helped our hospital family to deal with the grief weve experienced when we have lost loved ones.  And all of this directly impacts the care our patients receive.  As health caregivers we become more sensitive to our patients as we grow in caring for the emotional and spiritual health of our professional caregivers.  Chaplain Karen, with deep sensitivity, has helped us as an organization to grow in this important area.”

 

Michael Swank, M.D., medical director of The Joint Replacement Center,
finalist in the Innovator Category

“Dr. Swank is breaking ground in computer-assisted orthopedic surgery (CAS), minimally invasive surgery and robotics. He performs the most computer-assisted orthopedic surgeries in the United States. He oversaw the design of Jewish Hospital’s CAS operating room, the first one in the world. Surgeons from around the globe come to him to learn the technique. CAS acts as a navigation system for the surgeon and can result in shorter hospital stays, quicker recovery and less blood loss. He performs more than 500 total joint surgeries per year, and trains five residents from UC’s orthopedic program – in addition to one fellow – every year. He is also a pioneer in resurfacing techniques, and was among the first surgeons in the U.S. to travel to Birmingham, England to learn the technique. Under his direction at the Cincinnati Orthopedic Research Institute, 10 clinical trials are performed every year. He has lectured on CAS in Paris, Munich, Glasgow and Edinborough in the past year alone. He is a compassionate, dedicated practitioner who individualizes his patient care, as evidenced by the number of past patients who refer friends and family to him. Dr. Swank travels to the Ohio State Board of Appeals to request reimbursement on behalf of Medicare patients so that they may benefit from precision of navigation techniques. He is improving patient care and shining the international spotlight on our region.”