CBJ BALANCE Summer 2017

QUICK BITES
Ronald McDonald
Family Room opens at
UI children’s hospital
Ronald McDonald House Charities
of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois
(RMHC-EIWI) in June opened
the Ronald McDonald Family
Room at University of Iowa Stead
Family Children’s Hospital.
The service is designed as a respite
for visiting families of a child
being treated in the hospital’s Pediatric
Intensive Care Unit or Pediatric
Cardiac Intensive Care Unit.
The Ronald McDonald Family
Room at UI Stead Family Children’s
Hospital is made up of five
spaces: the Family Room Proper,
which includes a kitchenette,
dining area and living room; the
Family Shower Suite; a Family
Sleep Room for overnight stays
and naps; a Parent Respite Room;
and a lounge with snacks and
basic services provided at all times.
The Family Room also provides
self-serve breakfast and lunch and
serves fresh, homemade dinners
every night, prepared by volunteers.
“By the time a parent steps foot
in the Ronald McDonald Family
Room, they’re exhausted,” RM-
HC-EIWI Executive Director Barbara
Dee Werning stated in a press
release. “After spending a stressful
day surrounded by equipment and
doctors, it’s invaluable to have a
quiet, home-like space where you
can get away from the chaos and
take care of yourself.”
RMHC-EIWI increases the ability
of parents to spend more time
with hospitalized children, interact
with the clinical care providers and
participate in care decisions. Research
shows that RMHC bolsters
a family’s psychological well-being
by keeping them close together and
providing emotional and physical
comfort and support.
Iowa City VA Health
Care awarded for
environmental
excellence
In recognition for achievement and
innovation in health care sustainability,
the Iowa City VA Health
Care System received the Top 25
Environmental Excellence Award
from Practice Greenhealth, an organization
dedicated to environmental
sustainability in health care. The
award is one of the Environmental
Excellence Awards given each year
to honor environmental achievements
in the health care sector.
As a new addition to Practice
Greenhealth’s Top 25 award
winners, the Iowa City VA Health
Care System excelled in various
efforts, ranging from energy and
water conservation to reducing and
recycling solid wastes. For example,
the facility’s medical waste stream
was reduced by 24 percent from
2012-2016, and the facility’s overall
recycling rate in 2016 was 32 percent.
Further, with a goal to reduce
water consumption by 36 percent
by 2025, water reduction is a must
for all VA facilities. As a result, lowflow
faucets, shower heads, urinals
and toilets have been installed
wherever feasible.
“The Iowa City VA Health Care
System is committed to sustainable
practices in our day-to-day
operations and our planning for
the future,” Heath Streck, associate
director for operations, stated in a
press release. “It’s an honor to be
recognized for our commitment
to the health and safety of our
patients, staff, environment and
community.”
The award was presented May 18
at the conclusion of Practice Greenhealth’s
CleanMed Conference &
Exhibition in Minneapolis.
Q&A FROM PAGE 10
Q. You’re also well-known
for your philanthropy
in Cedar Rapids, such
as starting the Anna
Purna Ghosh Foundation
and providing financial
incentives for students
to take end-of-course AP
examinations. Why is that
important to you?
A. I know two things: health
care and education, so I focus
on those two things. It’s
an extension of the best way
to take care of the patients;
the community and society at
large need to improve. Quoting
from verses attributed to
Mother Teresa and framed on
the wall at The Ghosh Center,
he adds: “The good you do
today, will often be forgotten.
Do good anyway. Give the best
you have, and it will never be
enough. Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is
between you and God. It was
never between you and them
anyway.”
- Cindy Hadish
Dr. Chirantan Ghosh makes a point to give back
to the community and encourage education.
Photo Shuva Rahim
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