of EVENTS - Enloe Medical Center

Emergency Room LiaisonsVolunteers bring calm to crisis situationsIt’s not every volunteer who has the privilegeof witnessing a birth, so Raynor Gimbalconsiders his experience as an EmergencyRoom Liaison exceptional.“One night, a man came in and said his wifewas having a baby,” Gimbal recalls. “I helpedhim get his wife into a wheelchair and I wasabout to push her to maternity when thetriage nurse decided it would be best towheel her right into the ER, since there wasn’ttime to spare. As we pushed her through thedoor to the ER – shoom! – she had the baby.It was incredible!”A more typical day for a volunteer EmergencyRoom Liaison at Enloe Medical Center is spenthelping assuage the fears and concernsof emergency patients andtheir families by actingas a communicationTo learn more aboutvolunteering at EnloeMedical Center, contactRoseanna Galindo-Kuhnat 332.4575conduit between theemergency roomstaff and visitors.“Our Emergency Room Liaisons keep patientsand their families in the loop,” explainsRoseanna Galindo-Kuhn, Volunteer ServicesDirector. “They can check a patient’s statusfor families in the waiting room. They can helpkeep people calm by explaining triage andwhy others may be seen before them. Theyhelp make the visit more understandable.”Studies show Emergency Room Liaison programsimprove patient satisfaction. Emergency ServicesDirector Marty Marshall recognized the benefitsof strong volunteer involvement when he askedEnloe’s Volunteer Services department to helpresearch and coordinate the liaison program.Today, there are 10 active Emergency RoomLiaisons, with plans to recruit more.“We look for volunteers with strong customerservice and communication skills who arepersonable, compassionate and patient,”explains Galindo-Kuhn. “And because the ERis a 24/7 operation, it’s one of the few volunteerpositions we can staff late into the evening.”Sandra Sim, an active community memberand mother of five, had plenty of experiencein the emergency room before she decidedEmergency Room Liaison Margaret Rupert.to pursue a liaison position. “I liked the ideaof improving the emergency room experienceand giving patients and families someone totalk to, to vent to, to help them out. It fit rightin with what I like to do. I love Enloe MedicalCenter, and I love helping people when theyhave nobody.” zFind the Perfect Fit for your shape at annual fundraiserIf you like the idea of learning about style, enjoying a tasty lunch andhelping Enloe Medical Center all at once, then you may want to attend theannual Omega Nu Ladies Luncheon, Saturday, April 5, 2008, at ManzanitaPlace (Chico Elk’s Lodge) at 11 a.m. Tickets cost $35 and are available atPIP Printing, 970 Mangrove Ave., in Chico. Proceeds will benefit Enloe’snew Mother & Baby Care Center, which will be expanded as part of theEnloe Century Project’s forthcoming patient tower.This year, Omega Nu presents “The Perfect Fit: Fashions for Each BodyType,” a fun and helpful guide for dressing to look your best. Attendees willenjoy a 45-minute presentation from Teresa Gay Morisco, a certified imageconsultant through the Association of Image Consultants International andfounder of Wardrobe 911, a style consultancy that educates and providesfashion and style services nationwide. In her “Dressing for Your Best Self”presentation, Morisco will describe four body types and explain howwomen can dress for their body type to make the most of their shape. Afashion show featuring women of all shapes dressed in fashions donated byChico shops will follow the presentation. Morisco’s newly released book onvaluable style tips will be available for sale at the event.8 Stethoscope - winter 2008“This event is extremely popular, and we have been very successful with it inthe past,” Alicia Ahlswede, president of Omega Nu, says. “It usually sells outwithin weeks.” Omega Nu members decorate the facility and help preparelunch for the attendees.Benefiting women and the communityOmega Nu is an organization of 40 women who organize philanthropicendeavors to benefit women and children in Chico and Butte County.The Beta Chapter of the group, established in 1920, holds two majorfundraisers per year. This is the first Ladies Luncheon that will benefitEnloe Medical Center.“Omega Nu is all about women, children and their needs,” Ahlswede says,which is why Enloe’s Steve and Kathy Nettleton Mother & Baby Care Centerappeals to the organization. To be located in the new patient tower, the centerwill create a relaxing, family-centeredenvironment for mothers and babies,and will feature labor, delivery andrecovery rooms with whirlpool tubsand private bathrooms.For moreinformation aboutOmega Nu’sLadies Luncheon,contact Jana Baberat 332.4550.