Nurse's Aide Nabbed for Elderly Abuse

An article in the Staten Island Advance shows what can happen when a caregiver just doesn't care. According to the article, a nurse's aide at Golden Gate Rehabilitation and Health Care Center twice dropped a 67 year old patient with Parkinson's Disease and Dementia. The aide was moving the elderly patient into another room without assistance (contrary to facility rules). The aide is charged with endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person in the second degree, and willful violation of the public health law.

The aide was caught on camera which led to the arrest.

New York Nurse: A Sea of Tranquility?

Well maybe not a Sea of Tranquility, but at the Albany Medical Center there is at least a Room of Tranquility. According to the Albany Times Union, the Center has spent $15,000 on a feng shui breakroom complete with full body massage chairs, blue painted walls sprayed with aromatic oils, an illuminated salt lamp representing fire, plants and 350 pounds of rock symbolizing earth. A stark contrast to what you see in shows like "E.R."

Maybe this will become a trend. We could sure use a little Tranquility at our hospital.

"Docs Day for Kids"

Check out this article I found in The Buffalo News about doctors seving up suds to help babies born prematurely or with other health problems. According to the article, doctors and other medical professionals from the Catholic Health System became bartenders for a day at the Buffalo Brew Pub in Amherst, New York. The money earned through tips went to help fund the neonatal intensive care unit at Sisters Hospital.

Apparently the doctors have been doing this every year for the past 13 years. The article attributes the beginning of this tradition to a Dr. Andrew M. Gage. According to the article Dr. Gage was killed in a motorcycle accident in 2005. This year's organizers anticipated earning more than $22,000.

Would this be considered "drinking responsibly?"

Health Care: Yoga for the Elderly

The Visiting Nurse Service of New York is all about caring for Senior Citizens. According to an article in the New York Daily News, the VNS runs an Adult Day Care Center for Seniors. The Center offers, among other things, yoga classes, free door-to-door transportation, computer classes, art and music therapy. There is a yoga class for Seniors with Alzheimer's as well as for the wheelchair-bound.

New York Nurse: Blood Needed

To my knowledge there are no vampires in New York State. But that does not diminish the state's need for blood. According to the Poughkeepsie Journal, the cold weather has caused a number of blood drives to be cancelled. The drives were needed to keep up the state's supply of blood used for medical procedures. The New York Blood Center has a need for all blood types. You can call 1-800-933-2566 to get more information on donating blood today.

Med Students and Nursing Students Training Together?

Med students and nursing students training together? An interesting concept indeed. And at the University of Rochester that concept has found its way to fruition. This according to an article written in the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle. After reading the article I have concluded that someone at UR has a good dose of something I like to call "Common Sense." Although the term "Common Sense" gives the impression it is something that everyone already knows, it has been my experience that such is not the case. At least that seems to be the situation with UR's new med student/nursing student training.

Observed in the article is the fact that med students and nursing students are usually trained separately. However, when the graduate and enter the working environment they are often thrust into working side by side with each other. So why not train them in the same way they will be working after they graduate? UR answers that question "Why not." The article details a simulated heart attack victim in a hospital requiring the assistance of a med student and a nursing student. Probably not a stretch from what the two students will face once they graduate.

Good job UR. Way to think outside of the box.

Boy Shot in the Face at an E.R. in Syracuse

If you think shows like "E.R." overly exaggerate what goes on in emergency rooms across the country an article in the Syracuse Post-Standard might just change your mind. According to the article, a 14 year old boy shot another teenage boy in the face after chasing him to the entrance of MedCentral/Mansfield Hospital's emergency room. The shooter was caught and arrested while the victim was taken to Columbus Children's Hospital in critical condition.

How's that for a script "E.R."?

Albany, New York LPN Feeds Addiction With Nursing Home Meds

Thanks to lax med monitoring procedures at the Albany County Nursing Home, Soynette S. Somerville, a licensed practical nurse, was able to steal prescription drugs from the nursing home over a period of several months. That according to an Albany Times Union article. According to the article, the med thefts were detected when the nursing home tried to order a new round of Lortab (a drug containing a highly addictive painkiller) from a local drug company.

The drug company questioned the nursing home on why the prescription was being refilled. The questioning led to an investigation which led to Ms. Somerville's arrest for med theft.

Thumbs down for the nursing home for not picking up on the med theft sooner. Thumbs up for the drug company for questioning the request for a med refill. Who says drug company's care more about money than patients? Well, that may be an overstatement but good for the drug company anyway.

New York Nurse News: Salaries Rising

Check out this article in the Long Island Press about new incentives for nursing professionals in Suffolk County. In summary, the article says that Suffolk County want to entice Public Health Nurses, Registered Nurses, Jail Medical Attendants and Licensed Nurse Practitioners to get an "advanced educational degree" which will be offered at a local community college. Upon completion, they will receive an increase in pay and other incentives to continue their educations.

The article says that Suffolk County has received a $378,000 grant to help health care workers advance to Licensed Practical Nurses.

Nurse News: Nurse Raised in Foster Care Gets Valentine's Treat

I found this heartwarming story about a 21 year old female nursing student who was raised in foster care. According to The Buffalo News, Harriet Ndagire, a nursing student at the University of Buffalo, was raised in the Buffalo, New York foster care system. Because of her age, she is now ineligible for the foster care system and, like many other orphans and foster care children, is now faced with making the transition from youth to adulthood.

That is where the Orphan Foundation comes in. Started by a former foster child, the Orphan Foundation was set up to help in the transition. With the approach of Valentine's Day, the Orphan Foundation sent out candy, cards and hand knitted scarfs to many of the areas orphans. Ms. Ndagire received her package as she passed the mid-way point of her junior year. In the package was a card reading, among other things, "I wish you well in your studies." The package and card let Ms. Ndagire know "that there are people who care..."

New York Nurse News: Will Brooklyn's Victory Memorial Hospital Be Shut Down

Brooklyn's Victory Memorial Hospital is a "117-year-old not-for-profit facility that served nearly 200,000 people last year." That according to an article in the New York Daily News titled "Hospital's long road to Victory." Despite the length of time the Hospital has been around (or maybe because of it) and the number of people helped last year, authorities are considering shutting the Hospital down.

According to the article, the New York State Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century recently conducted a study into the Hospital's profitability. The study found that the Hospital is "serving too few patients" and "losing cash." On the other side of the coin, the Hospital has 1,200 employees, including 402 doctors and delivered 1,600-1,800 babies in 2007.

A quick read through the article leaves the impression that whether the Hospital remains open or closes will come down to whether the economists or the humanitarians prevail on their respective arguments. Sometimes the decision that makes the best economic sense can be detrimental to a community's morale.

Nurse News: A Niagara Falls Memorial ER Nurse Battles Cancer

How would you feel if you found out you had cancer tumors in your liver, spleen and pancreas? The term "thankful" doesn't immediately come to my mind. But thanks to the knowledge she has gained during her thirty year nursing career, some wonderful friends and an optimistic attitude, that is how Norma Kudela describes her experience with cancer. This according to an article in The Buffalo News titled "Benefits aids nurse battling cancer."

I love articles like this one. According to the article, when Mrs. Kudela's daughter, Heather Kobrin, found out her mother had cancer she felt helpless. Instead of resting on her laurels, though, Mrs. Kobrin organized an auction benefit for her mother resulting in hundreds of people donating to her mother's cause. The show of support has inspired Mrs. Kudela.

Nurse News: Nurses Honored for Vietnam Military Service

Have you ever heard of the Foundation of New York State Nurses' Center for Nursing History in Guilderland? Recently that Foundation honored two female military nurses for their service in Vietnam. This according to an article in the Albany Times Union titled "Combat zone nurses' legacy is honored." The two nurses honored were Retired Maj. Helen A. Vartigian and Lt. Col. Frances Liberty who died in 2004, according to the article.

The two nurses were honored with a portrait depicting them in their jungle fatigues in Vietnam.