Beaumont Health’s board of directors appoints new board chair and vice chair

Beaumont Health’s board of directors has appointed Julie Fream, of Beverly Hills, as its new board chair and Christopher Blake, of Grosse Pointe Farms, as its vice chair. The transition will occur in June as part of a normal governance leadership rotational process. John Lewis, Beaumont’s inaugural board chair, is stepping down from his role as chair. He will remain a member of the board until his term expires at the end of this year.

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Trenton care team makes birth memorable for new parents (and grandma, too)

Nervous excitement is understandably what many first-time parents feel as they make their way to the hospital for their baby’s birth. When doing so during a pandemic, those feelings could be compounded with anxiety and fear, but Ashley Brancheau credits her Beaumont, Trenton care team with helping her and her family have a great experience, despite the unusual circumstances.

When Ashley’s water broke just after midnight on June 1, she and the baby’s dad, Alan Hubbard, drove to the Emergency Center. They were greeted by nurses and Security team members, quickly checked in and taken to the Birthing Center.

“It was a busy night in the Mother Baby Unit,” Ashley said. “There were probably five or six deliveries, including a friend of mine — I got to be in her same room after it had been cleaned!”

The nurses kept the anesthesiologist, who was in the operating room, and Ashley’s regular physician, Dr. Angelique Ellison, Obstetrics and Gynecology, informed that Ashley’s labor was progressing quickly so she could be admitted and given an epidural in a timely manner.

A baby boy, Jackson, arrived at 8:42 a.m. Any other year, Jackson would have been greeted by family and friends in the hospital. Since this was 2020, normal didn’t apply. Because of the COVID-19 visitor restrictions in place, Jackie, Ashley’s mother, couldn’t check on her daughter or meet her grandchild. But there are very few things that can stop a first-time grandma from meeting her grandson, and a pandemic isn’t one of them.

Dr. Ellison, the nursing team and security officers helped Jackie catch a glimpse of the baby through the window of her second-floor hospital room. Team members from Security and the care team walked with Jackie around the outside of the hospital and pointed out the window of the new family’s hospital room. And, like in the Lion King when Rafiki presented baby Simba to the animal kingdom, Dr. Ellison held Jackson up to the window so his grandma could see him for the first time.

“I can’t say enough about how personable Dr. Ellison and all the staff are,” Ashley said. “She stayed with me throughout the labor. They were all understanding of how difficult it was to not be able to have my family come up to the room. They truly paid attention to every detail, even organizing tests to minimize the number of needle pokes required.”

She and Alan are also thankful to the nurses who stayed with them, facilitating smooth transitions among caregivers during shift changes. The team provided a reassuring presence when the new parents were concerned about Jackson staying in the hospital a few days extra due to jaundice.

“Dr. Ehab Morsi from Pediatrics and the dayshift nurses did not rush us,” Ashley said. “They sat with us and answered all our questions. It was wonderful to have them there, making sure we understood what was happening.”

Even through the challenging and uncertain time of the pandemic, the family was pleased with their care.

“I had a great birth experience,” Ashley said. “The nurses were super kind, the nursing aides were awesome and the whole team went above and beyond. I would definitely choose Beaumont, Trenton again in the future.”

 

Celebrating our Nursing health care heroes during Nurses Week

I am very proud and honored to kick off Nurses Week today as we recognize and celebrate your expertise, dedication, compassion and resilience. I am constantly in awe of the incredible things you do every day for our patients, their families and each other. It is because of you that we overcame two COVID-19 surges and together we will beat the third surge and continue vaccinating as many community members as possible.

Nurses have been at the center of health care in the pandemic and you have been heroic in your efforts to put an end to it. You step up time after time, work tirelessly during every shift and give so much of yourselves to provide the care and comfort your patients need.

On behalf of everyone at Beaumont, I thank you and am forever grateful to you for all you have done and continue to do to care for those who need you. I am inspired and humbled to lead our Nursing team.

Now is the time to celebrate. I am excited to share that we received more than 700 nominations from across the system for the 2021 Beaumont Health Nursing Excellence Awards! During Nurses Week, the site finalists and nominees will be recognized and celebrated at their site. The site finalists will also be recognized in the Nursing Excellence Awards Video this summer and during the Gala we hope to host in September.

Additionally, Beaumont Health engaged Marcus Engel to give his acclaimed keynote, "The Other End of the Stethoscope," through 10 live-streamed sessions:

• Monday, May 10, at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
• Tuesday, May 11, at noon and 8 p.m.
• Wednesday, May 12, at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
• Thursday, May 13, at noon and 8 p.m.
• Friday, May 14, at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Remotely tune in at your convenience by clicking on this Vimeo link a few minutes before the start time or join us in a conference room at the Beaumont Service Center.

I hope you all take time to celebrate everything you have accomplished together and reflect on how impactful you are to your patients, their families, your colleagues and the nursing profession. Happy Nurses Week!

 

Vaccine testimonial from a colleague

“We are very fortunate to have the opportunity to get the vaccine. I got it to protect my family and to do my part in helping stop the spread of the virus," said Gabi Sallum, patient transporter at Beaumont, Farmington Hills.

 

Clinical advances, exciting research and important news about Beaumont’s Radiation Oncology program

The Beaumont Beam newsletter highlights clinical advances, exciting research and important news and information about Beaumont’s state-of-the-art Radiation Oncology program. This spring 2021 edition provides an in-depth look at Radiation Oncology’s advanced technology, highly skilled staff, specialized services and programs as well as ongoing research studies, all centered on how we care for pediatric patients in the Proton Center.