Winter Spring 2018

18 » A magazine for and about Oregon Community Hospitals. HOSPITAL SPOTLIGHTS Kaiser Permanente  KAISER SUNNYSIDE MEDICAL CENTER STAFF GENEROUSLY HELP KIDS AND FAMILIES  KAISER PERMANENTE NORTHWEST—GIVING THANKS BY GIVING BACK The holidays are a time for family, friends, and sharing good fortune with others. The Surgical Services team at Kaiser Permanente Sunnyside Medical Center did just that recently when they “adopted” an employee and her family from Kaiser’s hospital in Santa Rosa, Calif. who had lost everything—including their home—in the Northern California wildfires. Sunnyside Administration and Nursing Leaders also contributed to the family’s donation, which consisted of more than $1,500 in gift cards, new clothing and shoes, and a few household items. Ally DeGataga, charge nurse, explains how it all happened. “We were aware of the devastating fires here in the Pacific Northwest, and could barely imagine how the people in Northern California were managing. We spread the word to our team and they responded with great generosity and love, raising more than we ever thought possible.” She also says, “Kaiser Permanente is one big family—that’s why it was so important for us to reach out and help our colleagues from Santa Rosa.” Generosity was also evident throughout the hospital as teams collected items for families and children in the KPNW service area. A few of the many examples at Sunnyside included: • The Medical-Surgical Intensive Care Unit held a Winter Wear Drive for Davis Elementary School and donated 35 pairs of boots and four linen bags full of We’ve seen the images from Puerto Rico—buildings smashed into kindling, homes with roofs violently ripped off, uprooted trees, snarled power lines, flooded streets, undrinkable water, and extreme harm to the health and well-being of the island’s 3.4 million inhabitants. The damage inflicted by Hurricane Maria’s 154 mph winds on Sept. 20, 2017 was heartbreaking, especially for six Kaiser Permanente nurses from the Northwest Region who witnessed the aftermath firsthand. As one nurse puts it, “Images of Puerto Rico will stay with me forever.” With just a few days’ notice, each answered the call to join a 14-day humanitarian mission to Puerto Rico. AFL-CIO coordinated the trip in October with help from an airline, which donated use of a jet and crew to transport 300 nurses, truck drivers, carpenters, and supplies. Caring is in our DNA “The purpose of the trip was to relieve local health care professionals working ‘round the clock to provide much-needed care,” says Adrienne Enghouse, OFNHP president. “We’re nurses. Caring is in our DNA.” The Kaiser Permanente Northwest nurses who went to Puerto Rico are Andrea Gentile, Susan Gillespie, and Maureen Upton from Interstate Medical Office urgent care; Misty Richards, RN, Sunnyside Medical Center medical- surgical progressive care unit; Kate Salinas, Cascade Park Medical Office urgent care; and Tammy Tally-Ingrao, RN, Sunnybrook ambulatory Surgery Center. All are heroes for lending their knowledge, skills, and compassion to the people of Puerto Rico—and so, too, are the Kaiser Permanente Northwest staff whose support and backfill made the mission possible. hats, gloves, and other items for kids in need. According to the principal, about 98 percent of families in the school fall below the poverty level. • The Emergency Department collected toys, coats, socks, and other items for a Head Start preschool. The Project Management and Training team volunteered at, and donated to, the Goose Hollow Family Shelter. • The Critical Care Float Pool donated dog food to an organization that helps homeless and low-income families feed their pets. H Nurses from Kaiser Permanente Northwest prepare for their journey to provide aid and assistance in Puerto Rico.