Mission: Possible - Children's Hospital Boston

news
August 2007
Children’s
Investing in
asthma education
Asthma is the leading cause of
Inside
hospitalization at Children’s Hos-
pital Boston and its rates in New
England are among the highest in the na-
tion. But some of the best ways to improve
asthma outcomes—education and home
interventions—are often not covered by
insurance. To help resolve this problem, Chil-
dren’s partnered with the Asthma Regional
Council (ARC) to make an economic case for
investing in asthma prevention programs.
With the help of researchers at UMass, Lowell
(UML), they conducted a study called Invest-
ing in Best Practices for Asthma. “We found
cost savings across our 20-year review of the
published literature from more than $7 for
every $1 invested in asthma education to as
high as $36 for every $1 invested,” says UML
researcher Polly Hoppin, PhD. The findings
released on July 6, revealing the following:
• Effective asthma education programs can
lead to fewer emergency room visits and
hospitalizations as well as improvements
in quality of life and lung function, which
can, in turn, result in cost savings.
• Home-based interventions are cost-ef-
fective measures that can result in im-
proved health outcomes for patients.
During a home intervention, a trainer
educates families about environ-
mental factors that trigger asthma
(including cockroach or mouse
problems, pet dander, mold, poor
ventilation and/or uncleanliness).
The trainer also educates fami-
continued on page 6
Mission: Possible
Kim Wilson, MD, MPH, a primary care pediatrician
at the Martha Eliot Health Center (MEHC)
and associate director of the Center for International
Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital Boston, knew she
had to go the extra mile to properly care for the Dominican
patients who make up more than half of her patient
base. But she faced a major stumbling block. Her
patients made regular trips back to the Dominican
Republic (DR) to visit family, sometimes staying for
months or even years at a time, making continual
care difficult. Adding to the problem was the different
ways doctors and patients approach health
care in the two countries.
When a Dominican mother asked if Wilson
could communicate with her child’s doctor
in Baní in the DR back in 2002, Wilson took
it a step further and started the Dominican
Health Alliance to bridge the communication
gap. “There were many things I didn’t
understand about their health care, beliefs
and traditional remedies that I needed to
learn,” she says. For example, in the DR,
preventive care is an unfamiliar concept,
and most families only seek care for
serious illness. So in collaboration with
Sue Torrey, MD, Emergency Department
physician, and other Children’s staff, Wilson
started to travel to
the DR to gain a better
understanding of their
patients’ native health
care system.
The group soon
learned that there was
more to be done than
simply learning about
their culture and health
care system. “The quality
of health care in the DR was
startling,” Wilson says. She
found that many hospitals
lacked basic supplies, relied
on an intermittent water supply
and didn’t have basic infection
control practices in place. She also
learned some sad statistics: Neo-
natal mortality is more than three times higher in the
DR than it is in the United States, and more than 70
percent of all childhood deaths there occur in the first
month of life. Since hospitals’ nurseries have limited
incubators and oxygen, infants must sometimes share,
or go without treatment.
Wilson and her team concentrated their efforts on
improving newborn and maternal care by educating
the public and local medical staff. In addition to
teaching courses on HIV, neonatal resuscitation and
pediatric infection and emergency care, they provided
equipment and medicine to the DR’s main regional
hospital, the Nuestra Señora de Regla Hospital Baní,
the only hospital for the province’s 170,000 people.
By last year, the program had blossomed into a nonprofit
organization called Infante Sano (www.infantesano.org),
Spanish for “healthy infant.” Infante Sano
focuses on improving the quality of neonatal and maternal
care by establishing several community outreach
programs in Baní and its surrounding areas designed
to help mothers realize when their pregnancy or infant
are in danger. The organization provides medical supplies
and works with the hospital to develop a plan
for equipment maintenance. Members also produced
videos for local television to train the community
about health issues, and staff make home visits to
Susan Torrey, MD, fourth from left, works with Dominican
nurses at Nuestra Señora de Regla Hospital Baní
with volunteer Luz Maria Davila, RN, BSN, far right.
continued on page 6
Hal turning 17
New Employee of the Month program • Children’s Website in Spanish • Mandy Moore visits

Newborn Medicine A simpler way to check catheter placement
Otolaryngology Neural stem cells may help regrow the cochlea
Hematology/Oncology A faster recovery from marrow transplants
First steps toward a
living cochlear implant
Most cases of deafness are caused by the
dysfunction or death of cells in the cochlea,
the snail-shell-shaped structure in
the inner ear. Douglas Cotanche, PhD, a researcher
in Otolaryngology, now reports that his lab has grown
all the assorted cell types in the cochlea from just one
source: neural stem cells. The study was published
online June 20 by the journal Hearing Research.
Neural stem cells were first isolated from mice
in 1998 by Evan Snyder, MD, PhD, formerly of
Children’s Department of Neurology. Cotanche’s
team implanted the cells deep inside the sound-damaged
cochleas of guinea pigs and mice. Six weeks
later, the cells had migrated throughout the cochlea
and formed satellite cells, spiral ganglion cells and
Schwann cells, which make up the cochlea’s nervous
tissue, as well as the hair cells and supporting cells of
the organ of Corti (the actual hearing organ). “Getting
these cells to integrate into the damaged ear and
make the variety of cochlear cell types is a big step,”
says Cotanche.
The researchers couldn’t show complete rebuilding
of the cochlea, but they believe that with more time
and more stem cells, most of the cochlea could be repopulated.
Cotanche’s next goal is to implant human
neural stem cells in animals and test whether the new
cochlear cells connect with the auditory nerve and
the brain, and whether they respond to sound stimulation—in
other words, whether they restore hearing.
Resident invents a glowing catheter
The placement of central
catheters, which deliver
lifesaving nutrition and
medicine to the most premature
infants, is a “blind” procedure.
The catheter is typically inserted
in the forearm or ankle and advanced
until it reaches a location
near the heart. Only an X-ray can
reveal whether the catheter has
gone astray, veering too close to
the heart, into the neck or even
winding back down the arm.
Adjustments are often required,
leading to delays, more X-rays
and exposure of the infant to
more radiation.
“I thought to myself, there
must be a better way to do this,”
says Farhad Imam, MD, PhD,
a clinical fellow in Newborn
Medicine at Children’s Hospital
Boston, who witnessed several
“misroutings” as a resident in
the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
(NICU). Imam’s solution was
intuitive: He threaded a central
Farhad Imam, MD, PhD
catheter with an illuminated
fiber-optic wire to make it glow, allowing its progress through the body to be tracked
with the naked eye. After night shifts during his residency and the first year of his NICU
fellowship, Imam spent afternoons testing his design on rabbits. The catheter’s red gleam
was visible through tissue—and even fur.
Initially funded by a Lovejoy Research Award for residents, Imam is now supported
by a Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center grant and he’s con-
tracted with two engineering firms to help build a prototype
Boosting blood stem cells Zebrafish show the way
light-guided catheter over the next year. “The catheter
By systematically screening more than ,500 chemicals in zebrafish, Leonard Zon,
will be most readily usable in newborns,” he
MD, Trista North, PhD, and Wolfram Goessling, MD, PhD, of Children’s Stem
says, “but it should also work in children and
Cell Program, have identified an available drug that ramps up production of blood
possibly in adults.”
stem cells, helping patients recover immune function more quickly after chemotherapy
or bone marrow transplants. The drug, a derivative of prostaglandin E ,
may be tested as early as next year in patients undergoing cord blood transplant for
leukemia. The paper appeared in the June 1 issue of Nature.
Jacqueline Armstrong and Monique
Yoakim-Turk of Children’s Intellectual Property
Office helped Imam file a patent, recognizing
that a light-guided catheter could save money
and time by replacing the current technique. “Residents
have cool ideas,” says Yoakim-Turk. “They’re new and tend to
question what others don’t anymore.”
Go to Children’s News’ Online Extras at
www.childrenshospital.org/chnews to read more research briefs.
Have research news you would like to share?
Email nancy.fliesler@childrens.harvard.edu or call ext. 5-2426.
Cheonil Kim, MD, attended medical
school in Seoul, Korea, where he was
born, but he knew that once he finished
his degree, he wanted to practice medicine
in the United States. But before he could
leave Korea, he had to serve in the medical
branch of its army. “It was just like that show
M*A*S*H,” he remembers, laughing.
After the army, Kim made the move overseas
and in 1980 began his fellowship at Children’s
Hospital Boston. From the start, he found
it to be a great fit. “I liked it and they liked
me,” he says. “The families make you feel so
good about working here.” One of the biggest
differences he noticed between American
and Korean hospitals was how patient-doctor
relationships worked. “People are more skeptical
of health professionals in Korea,” he says.
“Families here are positive because they trust
in you—and the institution. That motivates me
to give 100 percent.”
Kim trained in General Surgery for two
years before he decided to make a switch to
Gratitudes
Children’s News | August 2007 www.childrenshospital.org
The secret to his success
DESTINATION:
Children’s
The following letter was sent to Jennifer Finn,
general manager at Fitcorp.
The Nussenbaum family
South Korea
il Kim, MD
Anesthesiologist
Anesthesia. “It takes a certain type of person to
be a surgeon and that wasn’t me,” he says. But
that hasn’t kept Kim out of the operating room
(OR). As an OR director focusing on anesthesia
during otolaryngologic (ears, nose and
throat) surgeries, he ensures that the surgeries
run smoothly, while acting as a liaison between
surgeons, nurses, departments and families.
Despite his success, Kim still considers his
language barrier to be a big challenge. “I give
professional talks, but it’s on a basic level of
communication,” he says. “It helps that I’m
in the medical field, especially at Children’s,
since people really try to understand me in
context, despite my mispronunciations.” He
brushes up on his elocution from time to time
with English lessons and gets a fair amount
of practice talking to his three American-born
sons. Kim considers himself a family man and
attributes this to his heritage. “My cultural
identity is pretty strong,” he says. “I’m very
family-oriented and half of the food I eat is
from my culture—I like the spice.” Although
all of his sons are American, he says, “They
have stronger cultural connections to Korea
than I thought they would—their heritage is
always on their minds, and that’s reflected in
the food they eat.”
Being bilingual has been useful to Kim when
treating Korean-speaking patients over the
years, and many departments have sought his
Dear Jennifer,
translation help. “Even if the family speaks
basic English, they may need clear communication
to feel comfortable. I’m proud to help,”
he says.
Kim knows that the decision he made
decades ago to immigrate to the United States
was the right one. “In Korea, the medical
profession is about fame and prestige,” he says.
“Those weren’t my goals and that’s not my
style,” he says. “Here, it’s about respecting the
individual and quality of care. People appreciate
my work and my presence. I consider that
success.”
Five months ago my teenage son was hospitalized at Children’s
Hospital Boston. What began as a simple case of mono turned into
a serious illness that ultimately necessitated him having a bone
marrow transplant. My wife and I spent four months at Children’s
with our son, and we continue to return with him on an outpatient
basis during the long recovery period.
During my son’s hospitalization, I managed to set aside time every
day to come to Fitcorp so that I could work out, shower, shave and
try to clear my head. As difficult as this ordeal has been for me
and my family, I cannot even begin to imagine what it would have
been like had I not been able to retreat to Fitcorp. It is hard to put
into words just how important it was to have your club available
to me, even for this short time each day.
I just wanted to thank you so much for making this resource
available to me and other families of Children’s patients. It is a
wonderful service that you provide to parents who must endure
the nightmare of having a sick child.
Cheonil Kim, MD
Adam Nussenbaum

1
Time Capsule
5 Cottage Wards
10 Carnegie Building
The Time Capsule contains memorabilia pertaining to the history
of the hospital. It will be opened in 2069 to commemorate the
hospital’s bi-centennial.
2
Operating Room/Farley
Building
When Children’s moved to Long-
wood Avenue in 1914, the hospital
constructed a series of small build-
ings behind the Hunnewell Build-
ing. The Operating Room Building,
usually known simply as “Surgical”
or “The OR,” was one of these.
3
Fegan Building
The Fegan Building was built in
1967 for outpatient visits with
patient comfort in mind: More spa-
cious waiting rooms and play areas
replaced the crowded wooden
benches that served as waiting
areas in the old facilities.
4
Time Capsule
Laboratory Study Building
In 1921, a small laboratory build-
ing was constructed behind the
Hunnewell Building, and in 1926,
a second story was added. James
Lawder Gamble, MD, whose work
developed the scientific basis for
oral and intravenous fluid therapy,
worked here and his library has
been reassembled as the Gamble
Reading Room.
The History Trail A walking tour of Children’s Hospital Boston
Since its founding in 1869, Children’s Hospital Boston has been at the leading edge of patient care, medical research and teaching. Follow the new historic markers
along the Children’s History Trail to learn more about the people, places and achievements of the past—and learn how they inspire us to do great things today.
Operating room, ca. 1900
Outpatient clinic, 19 0s
Dr. Gamble
Wolbach Building
Several wards were constructed in the
area behind the Hunnewell Building to
house medical and surgical patients.
These “cottage wards” (sometimes
called “chicken coops”) were designed
to maximize air and light and to minimize
the spread of infectious diseases.
6
Wolbach Building
Built in 1914 as a hospital for infants and purchased in 1923 by the Harvard School
of Public Health, the Wolbach Building later became a part of Children’s and cur-
rently houses administrative offices. It features many of its original architectural
details, including marble floors and crown molding.
7
Prouty Garden
The Prouty Memorial Gar-
den and Terrace, designed
by the Olmstead Brothers
landscape design firm, was
donated to Children’s in 1956
by Olive Prouty as a memo-
rial to her two deceased
children. The garden, a reg-
istered site with the National
Association for Olmsted
Parks, was honored with a
gold medal by the Massachu-
setts Horticulture Society.
8
Bader Building
The six-story Bader Building
opened in 1930 primarily to treat
children with neuromuscular
diseases. Named in honor of Mr.
and Mrs. L. F. S. Bader, who were
major donors, this building was
one of the most modern hospital
facilities of its time in the United
States.
Silver from the School of
Nursing on display
9
Exhibit Case
This is the main display case of the Children’s Archives
Program. The hospital’s archives were established in 1993
to acquire, preserve and make available the historical
records that document the ongoing history of Children’s,
its staff, volunteers, patients and families.
The Ida C. Smith Building in the
19 0s, one of the “cottage wards.”
Circus Day took place in the 19 0s where
the Prouty Garden is now located
Bader Solarium, 19 0s
The Carnegie Building, built in 1907,
housed medical and surgical research
laboratories and was where doctors
John Enders, Frederick Robbins and
Thomas Weller did work with polio
and other infectious diseases that led
to their receiving the Nobel Prize for
Medicine in 1954.
11 Ambulances
Children’s has long used ambulances to
transport patients, inlcuding the horse-
drawn “barge,” at right.
12
Enders Building
The John F. Enders Pediatric
Research Laboratories, or Enders
Building, opened in 1970 and
was named for John Enders,
PhD, in recognition of his pioneering
work in the study of viruses, includ-
ing polio, mumps and measles.
13
Longwood Row Housing
In the early years after Children’s
relocated from Huntington to
Longwood Avenue, a series of row
houses were built on both sides of
Longwood that served as housing
for medical residents, nurses and
staff members.
14 Outpatient Visits
In 1938, the Outpatient Department was com-
posed of 25 clinics and handled more than
68,000 visits. Eighty-five doctors took turns
supervising the clinics, which were
available to all patients, regardless of
their parents’ ability to pay. The aver-
age cost to the hospital for each visit
was $1.50 and the average payment
made was 65¢.
Dr. Enders
Carriages outside Hunnewell, 19 0s
15 Hunnewell Building
The oldest continuously occupied build-
ing on campus, Hunnewell is named after
Francis Welles Hunnewell, a major donor to
Children’s and a real estate developer in the
Allston-Brighton neighborhood during the
mid-to-late-19th century.
16 Gardner House
The Gardner House opened
in 1930 and was home to the
School of Nursing through
1978. Nursing students often
gathered in its elegant living
room for high tea. Later, in
the 1980s, families of patients
stayed in the Gardner House’s
family hostel.
Set out on the trail
Take this map, or get a guidebook in the lobby, and walk
around the campus to learn more about each location.
Children’s News | August 2007 www.childrenshospital.org
5
Dr. Weller
Ambulance, 19 0
Longwood Avenue, ca. 19 0
5
4
6
15
7
9
3
16
8
14
2
Hunnewell Building, 19 0s
School of Nursing groundbreaking, 19 9
1
10
13
11
12
© Children’s Hospital Boston 2007

Dominican Republic continued from page 1
increase awareness. “These interventions are not high-tech or particularly costly,
so it’s very doable,” Wilson says. It’s been going so well, in fact, that she hopes
to expand to more outposts on the Haitian border by January.
When Wilson is back at the MEHC, she draws on her experiences in the DR to
provide more culturally aware care. She knows, for example, that since antibiotics
are available without prescriptions in the DR, her patients are used to taking
them frequently—even to treat minor
viral illnesses. So Wilson makes sure
to explain to patients why this isn’t
always beneficial. After seeing how
entire families, including infants and
young children, travel by moped in the
DR without helmets, she also began
educating her patients about safety
equipment like car seats and bike
helmets. She also learned how to adapt
Kim Wilson, at right, with
Dominican trainees.
medical treatment for patients with
diabetes or asthma, creating a regimen
that they can continue to follow while
they’re visiting family in their home country. This cultural awareness has had a
lasting impact on the many MEHC staff who’ve worked with Wilson.
Infante Sano now has offices in Bani and Boston, with 16 Dominican physicians,
nurses, support staff and volunteers. They’ve succeeded in renovating the
special care nursery and the pediatric section of Nuestra Señora de Regla Hospital
Bani, and opened two clinics in a rural part of the DR late last year. One
specializes in treating malnourished children and the other is a primary care
center. Together, their staff sees more than 300 mothers and children a week.
Still, there’s work to be done. “Our biggest challenge is to have a sustainable
impact,” Wilson says. “It’s very easy to do interventions with a temporary positive
effect, but we want to have a lasting one. We’ve struggled with how to do
that.” That’s why, for now, they’ve transitioned into having a sustained presence
there. But the hard work is gratifying. “What’s really rewarding is that it’s immediately
clear that we’re making a big difference,” Kim says. “I really enjoy seeing
the program grow and the enthusiasm of the people who are so excited to have
the opportunity to improve the care they deliver.”
Exceptional Care
Exceptional Service
Celebrating the first 100 suggestions
On July 9, Children’s Hospital Boston’s Exceptional Care, Exceptional Service (ECES) program
took a lunch break to honor the first 100 contributors to the ECES suggestions Web site. Since
January, 83 staff members have contributed a total of 110 suggestions on specific ways to improve
the hospital experience and its service. Those who submitted their ideas were invited to a tapas
lunch (replete with a Flamenco guitarist) in the Patient Entertainment Center.
Sandra Fenwick, COO, recognized the ECES team and those who shared their suggestions,
especially the 15 employees whose ideas have already been or are currently being implemented.
Their suggestions include department meet-and-greets for new employees and standardizing
telephone greetings and email signatures.
Christine Powers-Perry, executive assistant in Public Affairs, received a special award for
her six outstanding ECES ideas, three of which have already been put into practice. “No idea
is too small if it’s going to change someone’s experience at the hospital,” says Powers-Perry,
who created ECES training badges and designed and created ECES magnets. “The values of
ECES are all things we should be doing to work together and help support the hospital’s mis-
Asthma continued from page 1
lies by teaching them which cleaning products don’t worsen
asthma, how to seal off areas that collect moisture and offering
allergen-free bed and pillow covers or vacuums.
• Non-physician providers (such as nurses, respiratory therapists,
asthma educators and social workers) can provide
effective asthma education and environmental interventions,
often at a lower cost.
“Studies indicate that current approaches to managing asthma
aren’t working for a lot of people,” says Laurie Stillman, director
of the ARC. “This study shows we can improve asthma outcomes
in a cost-effective manner if high-risk patients are given
education and environmental improvements in the home.”
The study also calls on multiple sectors, including payers,
health provider groups, employers and policymakers to play a
role in implementing these programs.
Many of the study’s recommendations are contained in
legislation, filed this year by the Boston Urban Asthma Coalition
(BUAC) and Children’s, that would require insurers in Massachusetts
to cover asthma education and in-home environmental
interventions. At a hearing in May, parents of children with
asthma, community health advocates and hospital leaders and
clinicians—including Shari Nethersole, MD, medical director for
community health, and Susan Sommer, RNC, NP, nurse case
manager for the Community Asthma Initiative—testified in support
of the bill before the Joint Committee on Public Health.
With the study’s results to support them, Children’s will
continue working with its partners to bring about the necessary
changes to asthma care. “Too many families, particularly in
low-income communities, are struggling needlessly with the effects
of asthma,” says Lisa Mannix, coordinator of Child Health
Policy and Education at Children’s. “The evidence accumulated
in this business case shows there are interventions that work.
It’s time for decision-makers to take bold action to implement
them on a broader scale.”
Christine Powers-Perry receives her award
from Bess Andrews, director of Public Affairs.
In their own words
Kitty Scott, RN, retired coordinator of Patient Relations
A nurse looks back on 5 years at Children’s
In 1962, I came to Children’s Hospital Boston
as a young nurse with a plan to work at the
hospital for one year and then return home
to Nova Scotia. I’d written a letter to the Nursing
Department explaining my limited experience
and desire for a job. I received a letter
of acceptance with a start date. There was no
interview and I completed my application after I
arrived. My salary was $82 a week.
I was assigned to Division 35, the cardiology/cardiac
surgical unit. My head nurse did not
meet me until I had completed a few days of
orientation and I worked just a few days with a
senior nurse and then was on my own.
There were no intensive care units (ICUs)
at Children’s when I arrived. We cared for
patients who had open heart surgery in the
“Pump Room.” If patients required a ventilator,
they remained in the Recovery Room (now
the Pediatric Advanced Care Unit) but nursing
staff from Division 35 provided the care. In
some cases, patients were so unstable they
remained on the OR table while we cared for
them. Back then, open heart surgery couldn’t
be done until the child reached 45 pounds
because our heart-lung machine wasn’t adapted
for babies, so many children died waiting for
surgery. Some “blue babies” had palliative procedures
done in the hyperbaric chamber, which
was located in the basement of the Harvard
School of Public Health—now the Wolbach
Building. Imagine the challenge of transporting
a baby across the garden to the hospital following
surgery, sometimes in the dark.
In December of 1964, a very exciting thing
occurred. A Cardiac ICU (CICU) was opened
on Division 25, the first pediatric ICU in the
country. I assisted in transferring the first
patient into the unit. A month later, I became
Assistant Head Nurse for the night shift. In
those days, nurses didn’t apply for promotions,
but were chosen by nursing leadership. It
wasn’t unusual to work up to 10 shifts in a row.
In addition to a modest raise, this new position
gave me every other weekend off—regular
staff nurses worked eight-hour shifts and
worked two out of three weekends. Providing
adequate coverage was the priority, and the
nurses’ personal lives came second. As nurses,
we wore totally white uniforms, white shoes
and stockings, and, of course, the cap that
represented the school of nursing from which
we graduated.
Parents did not stay at
the hospital at night unless
the child was critically ill,
and at 8 p.m., all visitors
left. Parents were not
encouraged to participate
in their child’s care, so the
staff nurses provided all
care, except perhaps an
occasional diaper change
or bottle feeding. Except at
the highest level of nursing
administration, nurses were
not involved in decisionmaking
of the hospital. Staff
nurses did not serve on any
hospital-wide committees
and annual reviews were
done by the supervisors
with no peer input. Promotions
meant getting farther
and farther away from the
bedside.
Fourteen years ago, when I was the Nurse
Recruiter, I was asked to hire for a part-time
position in Patient Relations. A decision had been
made that a nurse should fill this opening. However,
it seemed that no nurses were interested
because no one applied. After a number of weeks,
my director came by to ask me if I would consider
the position. With much trepidation, I decided
to move into this new role while I continued to
do nurse recruitment.
After accepting the fact that an angry call
was not directed at me personally, and that
there are people one simply cannot please, I
learned as much as I could about billing and
insurance practices. I settled in and found
my last job at Children’s as challenging and
satisfying as caring for critically ill patients. I
have enjoyed the more complicated cases and
the challenges of situations involving Risk
Management and the Office of Legal Counsel.
Patient Relations allowed me to use my people
skills, clinical knowledge and familiarity with
the hospital and its players to address the ma-
jority of challenges that came my way. It was a
great job for an old nurse!
Since my early days, I have seen so many
changes—more than can be mentioned! In addition
to the fantastic advances in medical care,
we have gone from one small CICU and several
small “care rooms” to two large, state-of-theart
ICUs. Parents can visit 24 hours a day and
are encouraged to participate in their child’s
care. RN evaluations are done with peer input.
There is a Clinical Ladder that allows nurses to
advance but remain involved in direct patient
care. Most staff work 12-hour shifts and have
two out of three weekends off—not on. Now,
nurses wear brightly colored scrubs and there
is less formality than in the “old days.”
Children’s is an amazing place and I am
very proud to have worked here for so many
years. I have had eight different positions and
enjoyed the challenges and satisfaction of them
all, whether it’s been providing direct care to
the patients as a staff nurse or contributing to
the care in other ways. I’m leaving feeling very
good that I chose to be a nurse.
Do you know how many units (pints) of blood Children’s
collected in 006? Including donations from the Blood
Mobile and donations of whole blood, platelets and double
red blood cells from the Blood Donor Center, the total was
10,858 units!
sion,” she says. To make a suggestion, go to http://web2.tch.harvard.edu/eces/formESS.cfm.
6 Children’s News | August 2007 www.childrenshospital.org
7
Kitty Scott, RN

This month’s
En Español…Children’s Hospital Boston has just launched
a Spanish version of the hospital Web site for our Spanish
speaking patients and providers. The site features information
such as directions, how to prepare your child for a hospital
stay, health tips, descriptions of our main clinical services and
more. Check it out at www.childrenshospital.org/espanol.
Family Advocacy Day
It all happened at Children’s Hospital Boston!
Talking politics…Four patients from Children’s headed to Washington,
DC, for Family Advocacy Day, sponsored by the National Association of
Children’s Hospitals, in late June. The patients shared their health histories
with senators and congressmen from their home states of Maine, New Hamp-
shire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island to promote the reauthorization of the State
Children’s Health Insurance Programs, the passage of the Children’s Health Care
Quality Act and funding for the Children’s Hospitals Graduate Medical Education
Program.
Workouts for community
children…A new high-tech
fitness center for children,
GoKids Boston, recently opened at UMass Boston,
with Children’s support. The center will investigate the
science and practice of improving fitness in children
and provide exercise programs for children with health
challenges. At the grand opening, Sandra Fenwick,
chief operating officer, gave a speech and local chil-
dren got to test out the excergaming—kid-friendly
exercise equipment that has interactive, built-in games.
Latino youth
recognition…In
an effort to recognize high-achieving Latino middle schoolers, Children’s is
sponsoring a series of Latino youth recognition days at Fenway Park. The
first one was June 15 and the second was July 16; the last one will be held
Sept. 3. At the events, the students are recognized during pre-game, on-
field ceremonies and given certificates of recognition by Red Sox players
David “Big Papi” Ortiz, Wily Mo Peña, Julio Lugo and Alex Cora. El Mundo
newspaper and the Red Sox developed the project to encourage academic excellence and are giving out more
than 500 Sox tickets to inner-city youth.
More Mandy…On July 16, actress/singer Mandy
Moore wowed patients throughout the hospital,
including this young patient-reporter Ashley during
the Midweek Morning Show taping in the 10NW
playroom. Moore stopped by to visit patients before
giving a Mix 98.5 concert at the Prudential Center.
Online Extras at
www.childrenshospital.org/chnews…
Our new anti-violence art and poetry contest • Martha
Eliot Health Center’s Car Seat Checkpoint event • HIV
testing turnout at the Martha Eliot Health Center •
Research briefs • NASCAR’s visit • Transforming Care
at the Bedside project • National Kidney Foundation
donates Sox tickets
Editor: Erin Graham
Designers: Javier Amador-Peña,
Patrick Bibbins
Contributors: Louise Cobb, Nancy
Fliesler, Lisa Mannix, Sheila Spalding
Department of Public Affairs
and Marketing
Children’s Hospital Boston
21 Autumn St., 2nd Floor
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 355-6420
VP of Public Affairs and Marketing:
Michelle Davis
Director of Public Affairs:
Bess Andrews
Manager of Public Affairs:
Matthew Cyr
GoKids Boston gym
Ashley interviewed Mandy
Moore for the Midweek
Morning Show
More News online at www.childrenshospital.org/chnews
© 2007, Children’s Hospital Boston. All rights reserved.
Upcoming events
Employee
summer bash
Children’s Hospital Boston’s annual
summer party, Cowboys Around the
World, will take place August 1, 11 a.m.
to 5 p.m. in the hospital cafe. Stop by
for BBQ, music and entertainment. On
August 2, 10:30 p.m. to 12 a.m., there
will be an event for night shift employees.
Invitations were distributed with
your paycheck on July 27th.
MEHC health fair
You’re invited to attend the annual
Martha Eliot Health Center (MEHC)
health fair August 25, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
in the MEHC parking lot. This year’s
health fair will promote physical activity,
sports, healthy eating, education
and youth empowerment. There will be
free preventive and chronic disease
screenings for attendees and staff will
offer assistance in obtaining health
coverage, including Medicaid, Medicare
and Commonwealth Care.
Latino Heritage
Month celebrations
The first of many Children’s events
celebrating Latino Heritage Month will
be the Boston Harbor Salsa and Latin
Dance Cruise on Sept. 16, 7 to 10 p.m.
Enjoy the charge of Latin music and
dance, get some exercise, explore the
skyline from the harbor and mingle
with your coworkers at Children’s
private area on the top deck. The
cruise and post-cruise party, including
a salsa lesson, is $20; with a dinner
buffet it’s $30. Sign up for tickets for
you and guests at Human Resources
by Aug. 31.
Exceptional Service
Employee of the
Month
Human Resources (HR) is happy to
announce Employee of the Month, a
new recognition program as a part of
the Exceptional Care, Exceptional Service
(ECES) initiative. Nominating a coworker
or staff member is a wonderful
way to recognize the outstanding
performance, service and teamwork of
a fellow employee/staff who exemplifies
ECES standards. Visit the HR Web
page for more information.
Do you have news?
Email: news@childrens.harvard.edu
or call (617) 355-6420.