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Gov. Whitmer celebrates YOU — our health care heroes

As we continue with our second day of celebrating Health Care Week at Beaumont Health, Michigan’s governor, Gretchen Whitmer, sent along a video message just for you.

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Spotlight on Mary Dietrich, RN: 'I want to make a difference'

As a clinical infection preventionist in Infection Prevention and Epidemiology at Beaumont, Royal Oak, Mary Dietrich, RN, works in a role that encompasses nursing, microbiology, problem-solving and education. 

“I want to make a difference in preventing infections in our patient population,” said Mary. “I have opportunities to partner with health care providers and colleagues in various departments and disciplines to provide our patients with compassionate, extraordinary care.”

She started her career 36 years ago as a staff nurse before becoming a charge nurse and preceptor on a medical unit. “I was drawn to Beaumont because of the exceptional patient care,” said Mary. She transferred to Epidemiology 27 years ago and has been with the team ever since.

“We are responsible for the Infection and Control Program at Beaumont, Royal Oak,” she said. “Our team makes sure that the acute care campus is safe, sanitary and comfortable to prevent transmission of diseases and infections.”

Her responsibilities include working as a consultant for assigned nursing units/departments, reviewing patients who are in transmission precautions, evaluating microbiological and molecular tests daily, identifying precaution needs, following up on hospital acquired infections and ensuring that reportable conditions are communicated to the Health Department.

“I make regular rounds on clinical units to answer questions, ensure that Infection Prevention protocols are followed and problem solve!” she said. “If construction or maintenance is occurring on-site, I perform an Infection Control Risk Assessment with the contractors to ensure patient safety.”

Mary also assists with shaping Infection Prevention policies and procedures based on clinical evidence. If an outbreak or exposure occurs, she performs an investigation and partners with Employee Health and Safety for follow up. “Some routines during my day are predictable however there is also great variety each day,” she said.

As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, Mary is instrumental in helping her unit and department partners stay up to date on the latest guidelines. Remaining calm and being there as a source of truth is essential.

“Once people are fully vaccinated, we can start doing some of the things that were stopped due to the pandemic, like gathering indoors with others who are fully vaccinated without wearing masks,” she said. Mary believes the COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective and our ticket out of the pandemic.

In her role, she also works with patients and their families by addressing any questions or concerns they may have regarding isolation, resistant organisms, or visitation. “It is important to listen, acknowledge and validate the person’s feelings,” she explained. “Being hospitalized is stressful, and people need information if they are to actively participate in their own care.”

Mary serves on multiple Quality Assurance committees for Peds, PICU, NICU, and the Infection Prevention and Epidemiology committees at the hospital and corporate level.

In her free time, she enjoys vacationing with her husband and two children, especially hiking mountains of national parks. She leads a bicycling group each week with her Beaumont team members, loves to run, snowshoe and downhill ski. Mary also belongs to a monthly book club.

Video Spotlight: Valerie Halt-Williams, RN

This week, we chat with Valerie Halt-Williams, RN, about her role as a clinical care manager of the NICU at Beaumont, Dearborn. Val shares how compassionate, extraordinary care is the key in helping run one of the best NICUs in Southeast Michigan.

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New FDA approved drug to treat Alzheimer's only helps in early stages, experts say

"Here at Beaumont, we're going to be one of the sites to look at this drug and individuals with more advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease, to see if it has any impact," Dr. Stewart Graham, director of Alzheimer's disease research at Beaumont Health, told Fox 2 News.

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oneChart monthly system update

The IT department will apply the oneChart Monthly Inpatient & Ambulatory system updates today. No downtime is required. 

While using a Beaumont computer, please view the June 8 Bundle on the oneChart Update Bundles site to learn more. Select the Ambulatory Updates button on the right to view the new Ambulatory Update Bundles page. For more information, visit the oneChart Education site.

Reminder: Attend tomorrow’s monthly Mobile Heartbeat webinar

All staff members who use Mobile Heartbeat are invited to attend “Back to Basics” tomorrow, Wednesday, June 9, from noon to 12:30 p.m. The session will be held via Microsoft Teams. Registration is not required; click the link in the flyer to join. See the flyer for full details. The next monthly Mobile Heartbeat is scheduled for Wednesday, July 14, and will cover Nurse Call and CTMU functionality.