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What I do at CCH:
When I arrived at CCH, I fell in love with our Emergency Department, not just for the adrenaline-fueled, high-stakes cases that change and save lives, but also for the skilled and dedicated people who staff it: the nurses, secretaries, support staff, and of course the endlessly cool emergency doctors (I was never cool growing up…).
From 2014 until 2022, I worked in that department full-time, proudly accepted a partnership, and thrived on Emergency medicine. Recently, I was offered a new opportunity – leading a project to help transform CCH’s hospitalist program. I’m enjoying this challenge, helping evolve a department with a central role at CCH, working to leave a legacy of improved care right here at home. It’s an incredible feeling.
If you’re an adult admitted to the hospital for medical care unrelated to surgery or having a baby, you’ll be taken care of by a hospitalist. Hospital medicine has really become a specialty unto itself. We’ve worked to create a more efficient team-based model, increasing efficiency and quality of care for patients, while improving the professional experience for our hospitalists. I still spend a lot of time in Emergency helping with the care and flow of admitted patients so it’s a great fit.
A little about me:
I love working and living in this community. My husband and I have lived in big cities, but here and now we love everything life has to offer us. We have great local restaurants, and an exceptional quality of life. There’s a big advantage to being close to family, being close to a hospital in a small town, having our child grow up near her grandparents, and able to learn in French. We are so proud to be here and to give back to the area. We’re invested in our community, and we want to help others.
A few years ago, I was at an appointment in Ottawa when I spotted posters for the Ottawa Hospital Foundation’s Dancing with the Docs fundraiser and I thought to myself, hey, why can’t we do that at CCH? I contacted the Foundation team, who were thrilled to bring the idea to life in a unique way. There’s been a lot of planning involved – not to mention a pandemic – and I’m so excited our event is almost here!
Growing up, I watched Dirty Dancing and just knew that I wanted dance to be a part of my life. I’ve watched that movie at least a hundred times, and I took ballroom in high school. I still love everything about dance – the movement, the spinning, the costumes, the music. Dancing is something you can call back on throughout your life, something you’ll always have a chance to experience and enjoy – alone or with others. I’m loving training at Powell School of Dance and I’m so excited that my daughter is joining their school to learn ballet and tap.
Why I’m dancing for CCH:
Professionally speaking, CCH is my home. I’ve worked at other hospitals and honestly wouldn’t want to work anywhere else. It’s the kind of place where you can create change because everyone is motivated to make things better. In bigger hospitals major change is more difficult and complicated: there are so many more layers required to make transformation happen. I’m excited to support our hospital through this fundraiser.
My project:
I’m fundraising and dancing to win $50,000 in new equipment for our Emergency Department to support trauma cases and patient monitoring. When critically ill patients come into Emergency with cardiac issues, seizures, strokes, or massive trauma (like from car accidents) their airways must be secured so they can breathe – that’s the cornerstone of resuscitation, so we can save lives.
My project includes:
- A new Glidescope Laryngoscope System with an additional pediatric light. This equipment provides the best standard of care using video to help intubate and open airways for patients of all shapes and sizes, from the largest adult to the smallest baby. Most critically ill children who arrive at CCH come because they can’t breathe. When you have a small child in distress, you need to be ready for immediate intervention. This equipment helps us prepare for all patients and all scenarios.
- A new carbon dioxide module add-on for bedside monitoring of patient vital signs. This type of monitor allows us to check how well we’re managing a patient’s breathing and see how their lungs are doing.
Please consider pledging me in my efforts to support local healthcare. CCHF will provide an official charitable receipt for any donation over $20 that contributes to my fundraising.
https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?name=E920168QE&id=64
