www.mercycare.org SUMMER 2016

NURSES INSPIRE TEEN TO GIVE BACK, p.4

BIRTHPLACE

WORKS TO

SAVE BABY, p.8

THE LITTLEST HERO

BROKEN BONES DON’T BREAK A SPIRITRehabilitation teams help a survivor heal, p.12

FAMILY CAREGIVERS CENTERSurrounding caregivers with support, p.16

The Mercy Touch®

magazine is published as a community service for the

friends and patrons ofMercy Medical Center,

701 10th St. SE,Cedar Rapids, IA

(319) 398-6011.

Tim CharlesPresident and CEO

Kelli SandersManaging Editor

Lead Writer

Emily FettArt Direction/Design

Sherry CrawfordKaren Vander Sanden

Contributing Writers

Mike Schlotterback Von Presley Studio

Photography

The information containedin this magazine is notintended to constitute

individual medical advice.It is given for general

informational purposes only.You should consult your

healthcare provider todetermine the applicability

of such informationto your situation.

Mercy Medical Center Foundation is a nonprofit

corporation organized and operated exclusively to support

the mission and activities of Mercy Medical Center. Visit

mercycare.org/foundation or call (319) 398-6202 for donation information.

Copyright © 2016Mercy Medical Center

THE MERCYtouch 3

When the Sisters of Mercy opened Mercy Hospital in 1900, the Cedar Rapids Gazette reported the effort as “the beginning of a large and splendidly equipped institution.” Less than a year later, the sisters were writing a letter to the archbishop, informing him of the need to expand to a bigger facility. In that letter, they assured him they would not be content until Mercy was deemed a peer of the best. How prescient.

For more than 115 years, Mercy has continued to build upon the sisters’ vision of compassionate people delivering exceptional care. This is the fundamental promise of who we are as your healthcare provider. This is The Mercy Touch®.

On June 2, Mercy Medical Center’s culture of person-centered care achieved the prestigious honor of Planetree Gold Designation®. Planetree – an international not-for-profit organization – has been at the forefront of a movement to transform healthcare from the perspective of the patient for more than 35 years. After a rigorous five-year journey, Mercy has become the first in Planetree’s global community to have all levels of care designated – from our inpatient to our outpatient services, our specialty clinics to our Hallmar long-term care facility, to our behavioral health inpatient unit and clinics. We’ve joined an elite group of only 78 sites worldwide to have received Planetree’s Person-Centered Designation – a “peer of the best” indeed.

This award, simply put, is a testament to The Mercy Touch. It’s validation that at Mercy, you’re not a number, you’re a person. It’s a reflection of the types of stories you read about in this magazine.

Like Jodi, who went from wheelchair-bound to back to work in miraculous time with the help of our inpatient rehabilitation and home care (page 12). The quality of our inpatient rehabilitation was honored earlier this year among the top 10 percent in the country.

You’ll learn about our Family Caregivers Center, which is working to address the needs of our community’s family caregivers, a population that has, historically, been underserved (page 16). I hope you’ll consider learning even more about our caregivers center either as a resource, as a donor or as a volunteer (page 19).

Speaking of volunteers, I know you’ll enjoy Emma Parker’s story. She’s an inspirational teen living with three chronic conditions who receives her medication infusion at Mercy’s Pediatric Treatment Center (page 4). We offer advanced outpatient services in our inpatient setting – convenient and cost-effective for families. Emma’s Mercy caregivers have inspired her to become a pediatric nurse when she grows up and volunteering on our pediatric unit gives her a taste of what her bright future holds.

As always, I sincerely hope you find the stories and articles in this edition helpful as you examine your own healthcare goals and Mercy as your provider of choice.

Thanks for reading.

Making Mercy a peer of the best

tim's letterTim Charles, President and CEO, Mercy Medical Center

View Mercy’s 2016 Quality Report to learn how we’re raising the standard of care in eastern Iowa: mercycare.org/quality-report

touchKEEP IN

Mercy Medical Center provides healthcare services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, regardless of race, creed, sex, national origin, disability, age or ability to pay.

The Mercy Touch® magazine featuresinsightful and practical medical information, warm human interest stories, medical triumphs, medical breakthroughs and new technologies at Mercy Medical Center.

2 MAKING MERCY A PEER OF THE BEST

4-6 ADVANCED PEDIATRIC SERVICES OFFER CONVENIENT CHOICE

7 FACES OF MERCY

8-10 BIRTHPLACE AND NICU SAFELY SEE BABY THROUGH COMPLICATIONS

11 ESPECIALLY FOR YOU® RACE SET FOR OCT.9

12-14 REHABILITATION TEAMS HELP COLLEAGUE HEAL

15 NEW SPECIALITY CLINICS MAKE SOUND SENSE

16-19 FAMILY CAREGIVERS CENTER: A GUIDING LIGHT

20 THE MERCY TOUCH… OF GOLD: MERCY IS PLANETREE GOLD DESIGNATED®

Have you scheduled a school or sports physical for your child yet? Beat the rush and schedule an exam with your MercyCare family provider now.

Don't have a family doctor? Call us at (319) 369-4444.www.mercycare.org/clinics

2

5

The first signs of RA manifested when she was just 7.

“I remember one day, my family was messing around, playing games and stuff,” she says. “My dad was giving piggyback rides and we would chase each other. I couldn’t really chase anymore because my ankle hurt. It was swollen. My mom is a nurse, so she recognized that it didn’t look great.”

Her pediatrician suspected arthritis and referred her to specialists at the

University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics who confirmed RA. Crohn’s disease was diagnosed after Emma was hospitalized two years later, making the balance of treatments especially challenging.

“Combating both my RA and Crohn’s has been difficult,” she says. “They’d fix something and then the other would be out of whack. It was just really hard to manage it without being on steroids and I did not want to be on steroids.”

By the time Emma turned 13 she’d tried different therapies, but nothing seemed to help.

“I missed a whole trimester of school because I had a flare-up. I couldn’t move. I wasn’t drinking (water),” she recalls. “I hated to be on steroids because I hated the way I looked. I puffed up. I was grumpy. It was a weird time.”

Emma’s emotional health suffered, as well.

Sixteen-year-old Emma Parker has a special way with children. The Cedar Rapids Washington High School junior has a natural

ability to calm scared kids. They trust her. They should. She knows what being sick is like. Emma has lived with

rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and Crohn’s disease since age 9.

With the help of an advanced pediatric service offered at Mercy’s Pediatric Treatment Center, Emma Parker can continue to do something she loves – volunteer.

A

“For a while I was depressed,” she says. “It definitely took a toll on my mental, physical and soulful life.”

And Emma’s mom, JaneAnne, was ready for solutions.

“Her RA was out of control, as was her quality of life,” JaneAnne remembers. “She didn’t want to be on prednisone because she’s a teenager and she didn’t want the side effects.”

“We thought we might do better at Mayo,” she continues. “But she wasn’t getting better. So after talking about options with our pediatrician, we tried the University again and now she’s doing really well.”

Once every two weeks, an hour-long infusion of Actemra® controls most of Emma’s symptoms without her having to be on high-dose steroids. Because Mercy offers advanced pediatric services like intravenous infusions to children and teens in the Pediatric Treatment Center and Pediatric Inpatient Center, the Parker family doesn’t have to drive to Iowa City, saving time and travel expenses. And thanks to Mercy’s membership in the University of Iowa Health Alliance, information is seamlessly communicated between Emma’s University of Iowa specialists and her Mercy pediatric hospitalist Claudia S. Zavala, MD.

“From a scheduling standpoint, it’s so convenient,” explains JaneAnne, whose son also lives with Crohn’s disease and receives outpatient care in Mercy’s Pediatric Treatment Center. “I spend three to four hours of one day getting both kids taken care of, as opposed to three hours one day and three hours another day. If they couldn’t get their infusions here, they’d have to get them at the University, which is great care, but the kids have to miss school. Working with the staff in Mercy’s Pediatric Department, we are able to schedule their infusions at our convenience, which for us is on the weekends. The kids don’t miss school and I don’t have to miss work.”

Claudia S. Zavala, MDPediatric Hospitalist

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“After you get your infusion you’re not feeling the best, so you just want to go home and lie in bed instead of driving a half hour to come back home,” Emma says. “Also, I just love Mercy and I love the Peds Department. The peds nurses are some of my favorite people. I’ve developed a friendship with them. I really do love them.”

Mercy pediatric nurses like Brianne Thompson have made a lasting impression on Emma during the many years she’s received treatment on the unit. From instances like letting Emma make her own healthcare decisions, to personal thoughts like bringing her a cheesecake to celebrate her birthday.

“Emma is such a sweet girl,” says Brianne. “I have taken care of her for a long time. She has become very special to me.”

Brianne and her colleagues are special to Emma, too. In fact, they’ve inspired her to want to become a pediatric nurse when she heads to college in a few years. Her love of kids and her interest in the medical field make her a great Mercy pediatric volunteer in the meantime, giving her valuable experiences that will help her prepare for an amazing future career.

“I feel like I’m a nurse, but not, when I’m here volunteering,” she laughs. “The kids are cute and nice. It’s fun to make them happy.”

JaneAnne says her daughter has a knack for relating to kids, “I remember one time in a lab, a little girl was just crying and crying because of the pokes. She didn’t know what was going to happen. Emma went over to her and said, ‘Oh, I get pokes all the time. It feels like a little pinch.’ She can relate to kids who are scared or hurting because she knows exactly what they’re going through.”

“Been there, done that,” Emma agrees.

Earlier this year, Emma was diagnosed with a rare bone disease called chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis. She’s not letting this additional diagnosis get her down.

“On the bright side, I’ve learned a lot about medicine,” an area that fascinates her, she adds.

“I’m never excited to come in and get poked, but I don’t dread it,” Emma says. “I enjoy being here. If you’re going to be in a hospital, this is a great place to be.”

“I’m never excited to come in and get poked, but I don’t dread it. I enjoy being here. If you’re going to be

in a hospital, this is a great place to be.” – Emma Parker, Pediatric Treatment Center patient and Mercy volunteer

Care from Mercy pediatric nurses like Brianne Thompson has inspired 16-year-old Emma to become a nurse when she grows up.

Learn about Mercy’s Pediatric Treatment Center and Pediatric Inpatient Center at mercycare.org/pic or call the center at (319) 398-6551.

The faces of Mercy

The day before Thanksgiving 2014 is a day Mercy Intensive Care Center (ICC) Nurse and Shift Supervisor Jennifer Somerville, RN, MSN, Nurse Clinician V, will never forget. In her care that morning was an elderly woman with a raging infection and, unfortunately, a grim prognosis.

“This woman was very sick and an intensivist had just been consulted,” Jennifer says. “She had a distant look in her eyes and her vital signs were becoming unstable.”

She was not going to survive.

The woman’s children surrounded her. Her husband was also nearby but not at her bedside. He was clinging to his own life in the same ICC unit, a patient of Jennifer’s colleague Amber Arthurs, RN, BSN.

Mercy staff members recognized the gravity of this unique situation and were moved to action.

With the help of transporter Jodie Charipar and under the guidance of Gordon Baustian, MD, Jennifer, Amber and Melissa Griffin, RN, began moving the frail man’s bed into his

wife’s room – not an easy task due to the amount of critical care equipment each patient required.

“Finally, we were able to finagle the beds into a good position,” Jennifer remembers. “The husband grabbed his wife’s hand and, 20 minutes later, she passed.”

His loving touch gave her permission to let go.

“I knew I would never in my life forget that moment or that person’s name, whom I was assigned to for only two hours,” says Jennifer.

It’s not always about saving lives. Sometimes, it’s about contributing to lives in meaningful ways.

Healing is our purpose. Compassion is our promise.

That’s The Mercy Touch®.

Amazing, uplifting things happen at Mercy Medical Center and MercyCare clinics every day. These moments of inspiration embody our promise of compassionate people delivering exceptional care. These are the faces of Mercy, caregivers who live our mission in extraordinary ways, like this…

Read more stories about our outstanding caregivers, or join our team, at mercycare.org/faces-of-mercy

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Want to volunteer at Mercy? Visit mercycare.org/volunteer

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WELCOMING WALTER

While many were preparing holiday celebrations last December, Marla and Nic Berry were preparing for the birth of their

first child – a son. Right on time, 30-year-old Marla went into labor at home in the early morning hours of Christmas Eve.

“While I was standing in the kitchen making toast and folding laundry, I felt a new, weird pressure,” remembers Marla, a trained emergency room nurse.

Nearly 10 minutes passed and she began to feel “crampy.” Ten more minutes passed when she saw her amniotic fluid had changed from a normal color to the greenish tint of meconium (a baby’s first stool). When meconium passes in utero, it can be a sign the baby is under stress. A baby may also breathe the substance into his or her lungs at delivery, which can lead to complications.

And then, the unthinkable happened: umbilical cord prolapse.

“I suddenly had a handful of umbilical cord in my hand,” Marla says. “I felt that the cord was still pulsing.”

Simply put, a prolapsed umbilical cord means the cord was born before the baby – a serious occurrence when it happens at a hospital and can be deadly when it happens at home. Cord prolapse is extremely rare and can deplete or cut off a baby’s blood flow.

“Incidence of umbilical cord prolapse is estimated to be between 1.4 and 6.2 per 1,000 pregnancies,” explains Mercy Birthplace Neonatologist Roger Allen, MD. “Before modern medicine, up to half of babies with cord prolapse died and many of the survivors suffered severe brain injuries.”

“The biggest thing that kept me from panicking at that point was knowledge,” says Marla. “I knew that the cord had been pulsing, my contractions had not been very strong yet and panicking wouldn’t fix anything. This is also where my training as an emergency nurse came into place. I knew I needed to get my pelvis in the air and use gravity to push the baby back and off his cord.”

She also knew she needed to get to the hospital, fast. The family immediately set out for Mercy, only three to four minutes from the Berry home.

“Luckily, I had programmed the Birthplace phone number in my phone and I called them,” she says. “The woman on the phone told me to come to the OB entrance and that they would meet us outside. It was only another minute or so before we entered the parking garage. There were two women waiting for me, one with a wheelchair and the other wearing sterile gloves.”

The woman wearing gloves was Mercy Birthplace nurse Susan Brunow.

“From the moment we heard Marla was coming, we all worked at record speed to prepare for an emergency C-section,” Susan, a Mercy nurse for nearly two years, remembers. “When I was waiting for her to arrive, I reviewed everything I had ever been taught about prolapsed cords. I knew

it was imperative to provide counter pressure to the cord as soon as possible to allow perfusion (the flow of blood) from Marla's body to her baby though the umbilical cord.”

With gloved hand, Susan crouched on the bed with Marla and provided counter pressure by pushing the baby’s head away from his cord, inside the birth canal.

“To say the least, it was incredibly painful,” says Marla, but the pain was insignificant when it came to saving her son’s life.

“At the same time, monitors were being placed everywhere as they were attempting to find fetal heart tones with the doppler,” Marla says. “They couldn’t find any. I felt for sure my son had died and that I was too late. Before I knew it, they threw a sheet over me and started rolling my bed, with Susan on it, too, towards the operating room for an emergency C-section.”

“Before modern medicine, up to half of babies with

cord prolapse died and many of the survivors suffered severe brain injuries.”

– Roger Allen, MD Mercy Birthplace Neonatologist

Learn more about Mercy Birthplace and its Level II NICU at mercycare.org/birthplace. Schedule a personal tour online or call (319) 363-2229.

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You can help uninsured and underinsured individuals get the breast care services they need by registering

to walk or run in the 26th annual Especially for You®

Race Against Breast Cancer. This year’s race takes place on Sunday, Oct. 9, starting at Mercy’s Hall-Perrine

Cancer Center and ending with a post-race party at the finish line in NewBo.

Learn more or register at www.especiallyforyourace.org.

for a reasonWith its 25th anniversary now in the books, the Especially for You® (EFY) Race Against Breast Cancer is moving forward into a new quarter century with renewed focus and ambition.

This year’s race will capitalize on some of the most popular attractions from 2015, including the scenic course route. Runners and walkers will make their way along streets near downtown Cedar Rapids, traverse the 12th and 16th Avenue bridges and finish in the NewBo district. Participants will enjoy a bigger-than-ever, post-race party at the finish line, including live music, a pancake breakfast, photo opportunities and children’s activities.

Race director Michelle Cole is anticipating about 16,000 registrants for the 2016 race.

“It’s clear this has become a beloved event in our community, with a purpose that resonates with so many people,” says Michelle. “Breast cancer has touched countless lives. This is a way for people to come together and make a difference in the lives of people right here in our own community.”

Race proceeds benefit the Especially for You Fund, which provides breast cancer screening and other support services to individuals in need. Covered services include screening and diagnostic mammograms, ultrasounds, biopsies and more.

Since 2008, more than 5,000 people have received financial assistance with some 9,000 services.

For Terrie T. of Marion, the fund provided the help and peace of mind she needed after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015.

“The receptionist at Mercy’s Women’s Center told me about the EFY Fund and encouraged me to apply,” says Terrie. “I didn’t think I would qualify since I had a job, but I did and I’m so glad. I had high-deductible insurance and there were so many bills coming in after my diagnosis. The fund helped me so much and I’m really grateful.”

“I had a high-deductible insurance and there were so many bills coming in after my diagnosis. The fund helped me so much and I’m really grateful.”

26th

Terrie T., breast cancer survivor

“I kept hoping and praying for a favorable outcome,” states Susan. “I knew that every one of my co-workers and the doctors involved were working at top speed, as they all knew how terribly serious this event was. I was confident in my team as I stayed on the operating table with Marla, under the sterile drape.”

At 8:19 a.m., less than 30 minutes after arriving at the Birthplace, the baby was out – and he was alive.

The world officially welcomed Walter Berry.

Susan, who remained connected to little Walter through his mother’s birth canal until he was safely delivered, was relieved to hear him cry.

“It was the best Christmas present ever,” Susan exclaims. “I honestly was so excited for Marla to wake up after her cesarean and to tell her we did it, all of us – the nurses and doctors, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Marla stayed calm and allowed us to work at an extremely fast pace to save her baby. Marla and baby Walter are the true heroes; they were amazing.”

“Walter was covered from head to toe in meconium,” Marla says. “He had to be bagged for two minutes before he started spontaneously breathing. He had aspirated meconium into his lungs.”

Under the skilled neonatology care of Dr. Allen, medical director of Mercy’s advanced Level II NICU, baby Walter was placed on intravenous antibiotics and a CPAP machine to help him breathe. Little Walter stayed in the NICU for four days.

“Dr. Allen was wonderful,” states Marla. “I’m not going to sugar coat how delicate my mental state was after Walter was born. I was a new

mom, sleep deprived and recovering from major surgery. Dr. Allen saw all that and was so gentle with me and my husband. He was very optimistic about Walter’s prognosis.”

“When you care for pediatric and NICU patients, you’re working with a patient who’s going

to turn into someone special and go on and have a life,” says Dr. Allen.

Someone special, indeed. Today, Walter is a happy, healthy 6-month-old who hates carrots and loves to giggle. He’s meeting developmental bench marks and is sleeping through the night, a special treat for his mom and dad.

“Walter is a joy. I just love being his mom,” says Marla, who credits the doctors and nurses of Mercy Birthplace and NICU for helping bring her son safely into the world. “I’m so thankful to have my son, my little Walt. I am reminded how much my Heavenly Father loves me and my heart is full.”

Little Walter Berry made a grand – albeit frightening – entrance into the world with help from Mercy Birthplace last Christmas Eve.

“I was a new mom, sleep deprived and recovering from major surgery. Dr. Allen saw all that and was so

gentle with me and my husband.“ – Marla Berry, Walter’s mom

Roger Allen, MD Mercy Birthplace

Neonatologist

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July 9, 2015, was a day like any other for then 45-year-old Jodi Houser. She ran a few errands in Cedar Rapids and treated herself to a massage before starting the drive home to Walker. Then, in an instant, everything changed.

chance of50/50

9 MONTHS

is in the nation’s

TOP 10%for patient-centered care*

*Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation

MERCY INPATIENTC

REHABILITATION

“It took an hour and 20 minutes to get me out of the car,” Jodi says of the terrifying collision on I-380 that left her pinned inside a nest of mangled steel that was, just moments before, her beloved Mazda 6.

“We got that car shortly after I started X-ray school in 2007,” Jodi, an X-ray technologist at Mercy Medical Center, fondly remembers. “It went to all my clinicals with me. I had 223,000 miles on that car. I named her Bella. I loved that car.”

The dependable old friend that helped her achieve her dream of being in the medical field now imprisoned her broken body.

“The miracle of that accident is that I had no head injury, no spinal cord injury, no internal injuries,” Jodi explains. “I had a teeny tiny colon bleed that they weren’t worried about. All I had was 10 broken bones.”

Ten broken bones that devastated the left side of her body including her arm, ribs and vertebra. Her leg was close to amputation. Her nose was broken. A massive gash nearly detached her eye lid and she suffered a third degree burn on her right side.

As a helicopter carried her to the University of Iowa Hospital, emergency personnel at the scene gave Jodi a 50/50 chance of survival.

“I think they were pretty worried,” she says, but she wasn’t about to give up. Her journey was just beginning.

She underwent three surgeries in one week. Rods, pins and plates reconstructed her crushed

bones. Twelve days after the accident, she was ready to transition from the University to inpatient rehabilitation so she could learn how to move while she healed.

“They asked me where I wanted to go,” she remembers. For Jodi, there was no better place than

Mercy because the hospital felt like her second home and her colleagues felt like extended family. If she couldn’t be at home yet, Mercy was the next best thing. Wheelchair-bound and still struggling to manage the pain of her multiple broken bones, Jodi arrived on Mercy’s 7th floor with her husband, Chris, their two adult children, C.J. and Abbie, and son-in-law, Joe, by her side.

“My pain was never really under control. It was managed, but I was still in pain,” she says. “When we got to Mercy, one of the first things my husband told Joni Henderson was that my pain was not under control and she said, ‘We’re going to get that taken care of right now.’ Managing your pain is how you can do therapy. If you can’t manage your pain, you’re not going to be able to participate. That’s just a given.”

“Provider leadership by Medical Director of Inpatient Rehabilitation Tony Myers, MD, and the hospitalists were instrumental in Jodi’s pain control and medication management due to her multiple fractures,” says Joni Henderson, ARNP, who works with Mercy’s Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit and Palliative Care.

“Jodi had a team of rehabilitation nurses and physical and occupational therapists who assisted her in recovery by teaching mobilization, pain control and activities of daily living,” Joni continues. “The rehab team’s philosophy is that it’s always the patient’s plan of care, not ours, so we customize our program to fit each person’s needs.”

“They had to teach me how to get around on one leg and one arm,” says Jodi. “My pelvis was cracked on the right side, so I lost a lot of strength and movement the first couple weeks. I had to learn how to move a wheelchair with one side of my body and how to use a transfer bench.”

Cherishing life’s moments

"The miracle of that accident is that I had no head injury, no spinal cord

injury, no internal injuries... All I had was 10 broken bones.”

– Jodi Houser, former Mercy Inpatient Rehabilitation patient

Joni Henderson, ARNP Palliative Care

Tony Myers, MD Medical Director,

Inpatient Rehabilitation

Mercy X-ray Technologist Jodi Houser has turned the scar on her arm from a reminder of pain to a symbol of strength.

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A typical inpatient rehabilitation stay for a person with similar injuries is 10 days to two weeks. Jodi was ready for home in just seven days. With help from Mercy therapists, in addition to Mercy Home Care services, she transitioned from inpatient rehabilitation to the comfort of her own home to finish healing. She was absolutely determined to regain her independent life.

“Jodi has been the key to her success,” explains Joni. “She continued to be determined to make progress and she did not get caught up in why-me mentality. She worked hard without looking back.”

Miraculously, Jodi returned to her career in Mercy’s Radiology Department in April 2016, nine months after the devastating accident that crushed her left side.

“It was good to get back to some sense of normalcy,” she states. “My orthopedist said he didn’t know if I’d ever get back to work and at the earliest it would be a year. Tell me I can’t do something and I’m going to find a way to do it,” she says with a smile.

Jodi returned to medicine with a new, profound understanding of what it means to be a Mercy caregiver and what it means to be a Mercy patient. It’s a comprehension she describes as “humbling.” Her experience has influenced her caregiving approach, making her even more sensitive to the needs of patients than she was before.

A jagged scar on Jodi’s forearm has become a symbol of her resiliency. A tattoo follows the scar’s undulations and reads, “Life is full of ups and downs, cherish every moment,”

next to a cross containing the names of her husband and two young-adult children, whose support helped her stay motivated during recovery.

“We are very fortunate to live in a small town where we had the help and support of the entire community,” says Jodi, who credits her extended family’s support as well. “I had lots of family members visit me and keep me laughing, which helped me get through this.”

“I think the key to getting back is to surround yourself with good people, surround yourself with positive people,” Jodi advises others facing a long, harrowing journey. “You find something to stay positive about, because there’s always something good that comes out of every situation. You may not know what the purpose of something was or God’s plan for you today, but there’s a purpose.”

Jodi’s back to the career she loves after a life-changing accident, thanks to the support of family, friends and Mercy’s rehabilitation team.

Learn about all of Mercy’s Rehabilitation Services at mercycare.org/services/rehab

MERCY EAR, NOSE & THROAT (ENT) CLINICLocated at 901 Eighth Avenue SE, across the street from Mercy Medical Center, the ENT Clinic welcomes patients of any age. The clinic provides a full range of medical and surgical services, including allergy testing and treatment, as well as audiology services. Call (319) 398-6900.

MERCY BARIATRIC SURGERY CLINICAs part of Mercy’s General Surgery Clinic inside the 8th & 8th Medical Park at 788 Eighth Avenue SE, the Bariatric Surgery Clinic provides surgical weight-loss options to help with lifelong weight-control success.

Bariatric surgery patients are required to meet a number of criteria. The clinic offers a free informational seminar to discuss criteria and help an individual determine whether bariatric surgery is the best decision for his or her health. Learn more about the clinic or register for the free informational session at mercycare.org/bariatric or call (319) 398-6747.

NEW SPECIALTY CLINICS, NEW CHOICES FOR BETTER HEALTH

MEET SHANE GAILUSHAS, MDDr. Gailushas graduated from Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans, completed his residency in Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and obtained a fellowship in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery from Washington University in St. Louis.

MEET SAJIDA AHAD, MD, FACSDr. Ahad is one of the few surgeons in the U.S. trained

in obesity medicine and bariatric surgery

and is the medical director of Mercy’s

Bariatric Surgery Clinic. She is a board-certified general surgeon with fellowship training in minimally invasive surgery, including foregut and bariatric surgery. She completed her general surgery training at the Mayo Clinic and fellowship training at the University of Washington.

Because meeting your changing needs is our top priority, Mercy opened two new specialty clinics this summer, giving you greater access to the quality healthcare you deserve.

MEET AARON BENSON, MDDr. Benson graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School, completed his residency in Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Illinois and obtained a fellowship in Otology and Neurotology from the University of Minnesota.

Aaron Benson, MD

Shane Gailushas, MD

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“I passed it off as job stress,” Carole Butz says, remembering how difficult her husband’s career had become after a company merger and challenges with his physical health. The threat of losing his job as an insurance claims adjuster was looming.

“I was finding a thousand different reasons – stress, all kinds of things,” she adds.

Three years later, after neurological testing, Mick was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment at age 65. After a visit to the Mayo Clinic in 2008, Alzheimer’s disease was confirmed. There was no denying it anymore.

Carole retired from her career at Coe College to become a family caregiver (someone who provides unpaid care for another struggling with a chronic condition).

“Whatever we were going through – his personality changes, bizarre behaviors, he was difficult sometimes,” she explains, “I was all about not letting anyone know he had Alzheimer’s because I felt like people would judge him or treat him differently.”

It was a lonely, isolating road.

Then a close friend introduced her to Kathy Good, a fellow caregiver whose husband was also living with Alzheimer’s. Carole was moved to tears after meeting Kathy.

“I remember walking back to my car and barely holding it together, because for the first time someone understood what I was dealing with,” she reflects. “Somebody got it.”

Kathy, a social worker with a vast understanding of human services, became Carole’s lifeline, brainstorming with her through the trials of Alzheimer’s across the years. She helped her through the maze of home-care options including home health and adult day services.

In 2011, Carole was called out of town for a week and the Butzes were introduced to facility care. Mick loved the company there.

“Mick was a very outgoing guy,” explains Carole. “He had been a volunteer chaplain at one time, which was probably his real calling. He just loved meeting with people, talking with people. He enjoyed that so much.”

Mick volunteered his time at the facility in order to stay connected to the people there. And a year later, while Carole recuperated from surgery, he settled in for a 10-day stay. As the visit drew to a close, with his usual home-based services waiting, Carole asked Mick if he was ready to come home.

“And his response was, ‘I hate that,’” she recalls. “He hated home care. He hated it and he would prefer to stay at the facility.”

Carole was stunned.

“It absolutely blew me out of the water,” she says.

“He felt he understood the people there and he could relate to them,” she continues. “I looked at him and said, ‘So, Mick, this feels like a calling to you? This feels like a ministry?’ And he looked at me and said, ‘Yes, it does.’”

Mick, always drawn to ministry, always connecting with people in remarkable ways, had found an outlet to uplift others. Through the darkness of Alzheimer’s, there was light.

Carole, too, found light in the darkness of an ugly disease. She draws from her family-caregiving journey to help other caregivers navigate around obstacles. Today, she co-facilitates an Alzheimer’s support group and is an active volunteer caregiver coach at Mercy’s newly established Family Caregivers Center where her friend Kathy Good serves as director.

The Family Caregivers Center of Mercy, which opened in December 2015, is the only comprehensive resource for family caregivers available in Iowa. With the help of volunteers like Carole and Kathy, the center connects individuals to the supports and resources they need to provide the best care for their loved one, improving everyone’s quality of life.

When Marion resident Mick Butz began struggling with memory problems in 2001, his wife began finding reasons to explain it away.

in the

“I remember walking back to my car and barely holding it together, because for the first time someone

understood what I was dealing with. Somebody got it.”

– Carole Butz, family caregiver and caregiver coach

Learn more about the center at familycaregiverscenter.org

LightsFamily Caregivers Center illuminates paths

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THE MERCYtouch 19S U M M E R 2 0 1 618 www.mercycare.org

Kathy explains, “The stress of caring for someone with a chronic condition like Alzheimer’s, diabetes, heart problems – all chronic diseases – can cause caregivers to be depressed and anxious, to develop their own chronic conditions. They may have weakened immune systems. They may be at risk for their own mental decline. That’s just a few of the major things that could happen to a family caregiver when they start having to live life for, in essence, two people.”

“Caregivers often find themselves in their roles unexpectedly, with no understanding of services available or how to navigate the systems they’ll encounter,” she continues. “The Family Caregivers Center’s 24 trained coaches build off their personal experiences to help other caregivers understand their options, alleviate some stressors and validate the overwhelming emotions that can accompany any caregiver’s daily routines.”

Carole adds, “I think caregivers carry two gunnysacks. Sometimes they’re heavier, sometimes they’re lighter, but they’re always there. One is guilt and the other is grief. So how do you lighten that? How do you give people permission to set it down for a little while and how do you live, truly live, in the midst of it?”

Living in the midst is exactly what the Butzes try to do. And it’s what Carole hopes others can learn to do through the help of the Family Caregivers Center. She knows the center will change countless lives as its vision continues to take shape throughout 2016 – a vision that’s forming with the generous help of donors working to raise $2.5 million to support the center.

“I think that, in time, we’ll have lots of lifelines down there,” Carole states. “And the gift that Kathy was for me, I think the Family Caregivers Center will be for a myriad of people.”

LOCATED ON MERCY MEDICAL CENTER’S CAMPUS: 901 Eighth Avenue SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401 Phone: (319) 221-8866

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY CAREGIVERS CENTER OF MERCYSERVICES (*expanding as 2016 continues)

ü Therapeutic outlets: art, journaling, music, coffee conversationsû Visit www.familycaregiverscenter.org

to view the monthly schedule of events

ü Educational sessions

ü Caregiver coaches providing support and helping caregivers connect to community resources

ü Resource library

ü 24/7 care line*

ü Respite*

FAST FACTSü 24 trained (volunteer) caregiver coaches as of

June 2016

ü More than 160 families served since opening in December 2015

ü Services are provided regardless of hospital affiliation or whether a loved one is cared for in a home or facility setting

The Mercy Medical Center Foundation has a fundraising goal of $2.5 million to support the Family Caregivers Center; it’s less than $500,000 away from reaching that goal. The Mercy Foundation’s support will make it possible for the center to serve everyone, regardless of ability to pay.

A variation of this story appeared in Partners magazine of the Mercy Foundation. Read the

spring edition of Partners to learn more about foundation efforts: mercycare.org/partners.

Support the Family Caregivers Center, or any Mercy Foundation effort, through a secure, online gift at givetomercy.mercycare.org/donate or call the foundation at (319) 398-6206.

THE MERCYtouch 19

Kathy Good, DirectorFamily Caregivers Center of Mercy

Carole Butz, Caregiver Coach Family Caregivers Center of Mercy

NON-PROFITORGANIZATIONU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDCedar Rapids, IAPermit No. 253

701 10th Street SE Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52403(319) 398-6011 www.mercycare.org

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