Aaron Jencks
Madisonhealth Blog
Story by Jeremiah Kalb Hospitalist Jack Clark has found that long days of treating patients have conditioned him to conquer multiple mountain passes in Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming (LoToJa) on his endurance road bike in just half a day. “I see my work here as mental training for the endurance sports stuff I do,” Clark says. “It’s rare that I feel burned out and have to get out of the white coat. And I rarely have to get off my bike.” He has participated at LoToJa, the longest one-day USA Cycling sanctioned bicycle race in the country, four times as a solo rider and multiple times on relay teams since 2008. LoToJa’s website states it is one of the nation’s premier amateur cycling races and continues to be a grueling test of one’s physical and mental stamina. The doctor just rides to cross the finish line. Clark, a hospitalist at...
Story and Photo by Jeremiah Kalb When patients visit Madison’s Behavioral Health Unit, they work with several professionals to help them return to good mental health. The most well-known professionals involved in this care include a psychiatrist, social workers, and nurses. A recreation therapist is a lesser-known professional who is equally vital to a patient’s success. Emily Johnson, a full-time certified recreation therapist, describes recreation therapy as “helping people discover their zest for living because it’s those activities that you do every day that make you who you are.” Simply put, Johnson helps patients help themselves. “But more with a purpose of mindfulness and intent,” she adds. The roots of recreation therapy first appeared during World War II when the Red Cross provided hospitalized soldiers with recreation therapy programs. Leisure, recreation, and play make up the foundation of recreation therapy. Without recreation therapy, a patient may find it challenging to...
Story and Photo by Jeremiah Kalb The late co-founder of Apple, Steve Jobs, once said that it’s not a faith in technology. It’s faith in people. Pharmacy Director Dorsie Sullenger, one of Madison’s longest continuously-serving employees, credits his team for the technology innovations he’s helped bring to the hospital’s pharmacy over the years. “I’ve had a brilliant staff,” Sullenger says. “I’d put them up against anybody in the state. They’ve all embraced technology.” During his time, Sullenger has seen the typewriter give way to computers. Computers and phones shrank down to devices his team carries in their pockets, and the internet means work is always with them, for better or worse. Raised near or below the poverty line in Rigby, Idaho, there was only one car in Sullenger’s household, so he walked everywhere as a teen. “I paid for most of my school clothes,” he says. His first job at...
Story by Jeremiah Kalb On a chilly evening in March, Anna Struhs loaded a bag of slip leashes and dog collars into her Honda Pilot in preparation for a two-and-a-half-hour drive to Utah. The following day, two furry animals named Misty and Queenie waited at the I-15 Exit 344 in Ogden for the next three legs of their “freedom ride,” and Struhs was their driver. In the “rescue world” where Struhs has played a part since 2019, a “freedom ride” is a magical carpet ride out of an animal shelter and eventually into the loving arms of a new owner. “They are there because some human failed them miserably, by surrendering or abandoning or dumping them,” Struhs says. Approximately 3.1 million dogs enter U.S. animal shelters nationwide every year. About 390,000 of those dogs are euthanized each year. For this transport, Struhs received a text asking her if there was...
Story and Photo by Jeremiah Kalb Prolific poet and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson once proclaimed, “In my walks, every man I meet is my superior in some way, and in that I can learn from him.” Ambulatory Services Executive Director Kyle Loveland has found great success in striving to live this principle throughout his career. “I have benefited greatly by realizing that every person I work with is better in at least one way, often many than I am,” Loveland says. “I always learn something from each person I work with.” He has used this success principle several times to get where he was as a hospital intern to presently providing Ambulatory Services leadership to about 100 employees and support for about 40 providers. Raised in Colorado and Wyoming, Loveland did not grow up thinking he would find a career in healthcare. “It wasn’t until my last few semesters of...
Story and Photo by Jeremiah Kalb Each year in the United States, there are approximately 53 million outpatient surgical procedures and 46 million inpatient surgical procedures. All of these procedures introduce a significant risk to the patient – infection. Bacteria like Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, and Pseudomonas left on surgical instruments can infect the surgical site and lead to patients becoming gravely ill and requiring further medical attention following surgery. If surgical instruments are not sterile, this may also mean spreading serious illnesses or diseases such as HIV/AIDs, Hepatitis, and more. Central Sterile Processing Supervisor Margaret Wood’s job is to lead a mighty team of three technicians that help eliminate all pathogenic microorganisms. Sterilization ensures that infectious pathogens do not transfer to the patient. “Because of our work, patients can safely undergo surgery,” Wood explains. She sees Central Sterile as a critical part of the hospital’s backbone. It’s safe to say that...
Story and Photo by Jeremiah Kalb There’s a line from the 1971 musical Fiddler on the Roof where Tevye’s second daughter, Hodel, voices her wish that Yente looks through her book and make her a perfect match. The story is set in early 20th century Russia but is not unlike the story that unfolds every day at the desk of one particular employee in the hospital. Instead of the “matches” living in or around the little town of Anatevka, the “candidates” Human Resources recruiter Abigail “Abby” Caldwell is looking for can be found visiting Indeed.com or a few other job websites. Caldwell’s applicant tracking software quickly posts jobs to the Indeed site, where 250 million people visit every month, giving her a link to the most talent in every field. “We’ve been happy with the reach it can give us,” Caldwell says. Before she posts a job, Caldwell makes sure...
Maggie Wilkins was born in Argentina. She later moved to the US, where she was raised in a healthcare-centric environment in the Boise area. As a grade-schooler, she often sat in the local hospital’s nursing station after school, listening to her mother as she translated doctors’ and nurses’ instructions into Spanish. After witnessing firsthand how instrumental healthcare professionals could be in changing lives, Maggie decided to join the medical field herself. She enrolled in the University of Washington School of Medicine’s WWAMI satellite program and is now excited to add some hands-on experience to her classroom learning. “I feel like I’ve learned more (shadowing Dr. Packer) in the past 3 days,” she said, “than I have in the past year of med school. Med school provided a foundation to work from, but being with patients every day is great because I can actually apply what I’ve been taught.” Dr. Packer’s...
DIJON-HERB TURKEY KEBABS Serves 3-4 Ingredients: 1 pound turkey tenderloin cut into large chunks 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 3 tablespoons coconut aminos 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 3 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary 3 cloves garlic minced 1 bad Baby Spinach (Optional) 1 package chunked mushrooms 1 sliced zucchini 1 chunked onion Sliced bell peppers (Optional) 1 package chunked mushrooms 1 sliced zucchini 1 chunked onion Sliced bell peppers Instructions: Whisk together olive oil, coconut aminos, Dijon, rosemary, and garlic. Pour into a ziplock bag with turkey and let marinate for at least 1 hour. Thread turkey onto skewers (option to add chunks of mushrooms, zucchini, onion, or bell peppers to turkey kebabs for colorful variety). Grill over medium heat, turning throughout until turkey is cooked through. Serve over a bed of fresh baby spinach. Nutritional Info (Per 1 Skewer): Calories 292, Carbs 1.39g, Fat 20.6g, Protein 29g, Sugar 0g...
April 29 ,2021 – Madison Memorial Hospital was given a 5-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the largest federal agency under the US Department of Health and Human Services. The Rexburg-based hospital, with its 69 staffed beds, was one of only 3 hospitals in the state of Idaho to receive the coveted 5- star award. The other two were St. Luke’s Magic Valley (213 staffed beds) and St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center in Boise (578 staffed beds). Altogether, Idaho’s 47 registered hospitals were awarded CMS star ratings as follows: * (1 star: No Idaho hospitals) ** (2 stars: 5 Idaho hospitals) *** (3 stars: 7 Idaho hospitals) **** (4 stars: 7 Idaho hospitals) ***** (5 stars: 3 Idaho hospitals) (No stars: 25 Idaho hospitals) TOTAL (47 Idaho hospitals) Nationwide, of 5,382 hospitals registered with CMS, only 8% (455 hospitals) were given a 5 star rating,...
The winters here in Madison County are long and bitterly cold, and it’s usually a challenge for most to stay fit. The days are short, and daylight doesn’t seem to last long enough.So what can you do to keep your fitness levels up during Rexburg’s seemingly longest season?How about some indoor exercise ideas to keep you motivated and fit all winter long? Give these indoor exercise ideas a try, and you may even improve your fitness this winter:Get a yoga mat and practice yoga.Most people think yoga just means stretching, but yoga can also be a vigorous workout if you practice challenging poses or do a vinyasa flow. Try starting with 20 minutes of continuous yoga and work your way up to a 90-minute session. Your body and your mind will both benefit.Do HIIT training.HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training and it’s exactly what it sounds like: short bursts...
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