It’s not often that a living organ donor meets the person who receives that organ, but Shaylin Crandall and Erika Morton not only met, they became close friends. Shaylin, a social service worker at American Fork Hospital in American Fork, Utah, began to look into becoming a donor after the topic came up in a work huddle, and her application was approved after half a year of testing and lab work. She chose to donate part of her liver because that organ regenerates itself within a year. Following the transplant, the women continued to communicate as they went through their shared recoveries. Erika said that it has been “nice to have someone in the same boat, healing at the same time, and be able to talk about the things you’re going through. We work out together and just hang out, so it’s fun. The transplant turned out to be a lifesaver in more ways than one for Erika — her surgeon, Dr. Richard Gilroy, Intermountain Health’s director of liver transplantation, found a previously undiagnosed liver cancer. “Had I waited six months or a year, I wouldn’t have made it,” Erika said. Erika said that thanks to Shaylin, “I get to live my life." “I’m really thankful for Shaylin and her decision to be a living donor,” she said. “I don’t take that lightly for her or her family. I’m sure it was scary for them as well. I still have a hard time talking about it without getting emotional, because I don’t know where I’d be without her.”
We are thrilled to offer our caregivers another way to obtain their degree debt-free and grow in their career! We have collaborated with Capella University to align the cost of select degree programs to our tuition assistance policy. Our caregivers have the opportunity to earn a degree without taking on debt to pay tuition, thanks to our debt-free degree pillar. In order to qualify for a debt-free program, caregivers must be benefits eligible and select from the tuition assistance aligned programs.
This Health Risk Management Week, we recognize the professionals who navigate the complexities of healthcare risks. Your strategic insights and proactive measures ensure a safer, more efficient healthcare system for all. Thank you for your commitment to excellence and for protecting the health and well-being of our communities! 🌟 #HealthRiskManagementWeek #HealthcareExcellence #RiskManagement
The stories of the individuals we reach truly underscore the reason our work matters and why we stay committed to doing the right thing. Hear from Lisa Nichols, on how she sees our value of We do the right thing in action in her role as vice president of Community Health at Intermountain Health: "Doing the right thing requires actively listening and acting on what we hear — that’s the reason we do Community Health Needs Assessments in every community we serve. For us to fulfill our mission, we must understand our communities’ experiences. We serve diverse communities across 600,000 miles, and yet, we hear similar things from all of them. They are concerned about mental health, housing, food insecurity, and access to care. Based on what we learn, we develop programs tailored specifically to meet their needs. For example, we’ve distributed more than 66,000 gun locks — helping to prevent suicides. We’ve invested in building or preserving more than 2,000 units of affordable housing. We collaborate with more than 400 community-based organizations to improve access and to build trust in our communities. We recently heard about a refugee family that fled Afghanistan and resettled in the United States. While recovering from the trauma of their immigration experience, the parents told us, “We feel safe for the first time in our lives.” These stories are just some of the many we hear in response to our Community Health work. We do the right thing by listening, caring, and acting!"
When Gena Christensen thinks of why she chose to work in healthcare, she reflects on hanging out at the hospital with her grandpa. He was a surgeon. Now as Intermountain Health's executive clinical director of the acute and ambulatory medical specialties clinical program, Gena seeks to continue a tradition of delivering safe, best-in-quality care - especially for nurses. Clinical excellence is an Intermountain value that resonates deeply with Gena. She said it captures the fundamental principles of nursing practice and our commitment to our patients' well-being. “As a nurse leader, I am invested in cultivating a culture of clinical excellence within our organization. This involves setting and maintaining high standards of care, continuously evaluating our practices, and adopting and spreading evidence-based approaches to drive positive patient outcomes," she said. “This value reflects my dedication to upholding the highest standards of excellence as a healthcare professional.” For 26 years at Intermountain, Gena is grateful to have worked with so many great people in so many different areas whose values align closely with her own. “These are important to me,” Gena said. “As a nurse leader, I feel supported when I put the patient's and caregiver's needs first. I believe that Intermountain has a strong commitment to delivering exceptional care, fosters personal and professional development and has invested in me and my success.”
Before she started as a medical assistant apprentice, Cherry Lockman did not like hospitals. Since she was a kid growing up in the Philippines, she associated hospitals with trauma and loss. She didn’t even like to hear the word “hospital.” That, she says, is precisely why she went to work as a food services team member at St. Vincent Regional Hospital in Billings, Montana. And when 90-Day MA, a paid medical assistant apprenticeship and education program, came to Billings, it’s why she knew she needed to apply. It was all part of her plan – not just to face her fears, but to tackle them head-on. Learn more about Cherry's career journey thus far, what she plans to do next, and how she's taken advantage of her education benefits at Intermountain Health to professionally grow and develop.
Our mission of helping people live the healthiest lives possible begins with our caregivers and their families. At Intermountain Health, we are proud to support the personal, work-related, and community well-being needs of our caregivers through a variety of programs and resources, including our Caregiver Relief Program. Learn more about how our Caregiver Relief Program helps support our caregivers below. ⬇️
Congratulations to our Desert Region chief nursing officer, Keyona Cole, and our care management manager in ambulatory care, LaTeisha Morgan, for being recognized as 2024 Health Care Headliners by Vegas Inc! 🎉 Vegas Inc established the Health Care Headliners awards in 2006 to highlight the phenomenal talent of the finest medical professionals who are leading the way. “Intermountain Health is proud to serve the Las Vegas Valley to ensure patients have access to affordable, high-quality health care,” said Mandy Richards, chief nursing executive for Intermountain Health. “The recognition by Vegas Inc for our caregivers Keyona Cole and LaTeisha Morgan underscores their commitment to providing leadership for our teams for providing compassionate care our patients and strengthening opportunities to improve and sustain the overall health of our communities.”
This CNA Week, we extend our gratitude to all Certified Nursing Assistants for your unwavering dedication to providing compassionate patient care. Thank you for every moment you spend ensuring the well-being of those in your care! 🩺💙 #CNAWeek
Intermountain Logan Regional Hospital in Logan, Utah is bringing cancer care close to home for more residents of the Cache Valley with a new state-of-the-art expansion of the nationally-recognized Gossner Cancer Center’s Radiation Oncology department. Intermountain Health cancer caregivers, clinical leaders, patients, donors and community leaders officially broke ground on the new expansion on Thursday, June 6. Construction for the expansion is set to begin in Summer 2024, with completion planned for 2025. This expansion includes additional clinical space and equipment for a brachytherapy program, a radiation isotope treatment center, a new CT scanner, a high resolution/real-time ultrasound system, and a new linear accelerator. “The 3,717 square-foot cancer center expansion is supported by a generous donation from the Gossner Foods family and will make radiation treatment services available to more patients with the increased capacity and more services not currently offered in our community,” said Brandon McBride, president of Intermountain Logan Regional Hospital. “Our expansion will not only serve patients within Cache Valley, but those throughout Northern Utah, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. We will truly become a regional cancer center.”
