Well Beyond Medicine: The Nemours Children's Health Podcast

Respiratory therapist L'Tanya Pierce talks about the Nemours Hair Care for Champions project that she has started in the Delaware Valley Region. It's aimed at providing hospitalized Nemours patients with clean, healthy-looking, and attractive hair as a matter of dignity and pride. It's also a grassroots, bedside example of how Nemours associates go well beyond medicine each and every day. 

Please be advised: There are two patient stories in this podcast. Certain details have been left out to ensure their privacy. Details that remain could be difficult or disturbing for some listeners.

Project HOPE stands for Harnessing Opportunity for Positive, Equitable Early Childhood Development. Nemours is part of a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded consortium promoting both equity and child well-being on a national level. How? By building the capacity of local communities, state leaders, cross-sector state teams, and local coalitions to prevent social adversities in early childhood. Part of it is making sure that stakeholder voices are heard loud and clear whenever and wherever new health strategies, policies, or programs are created. 

Featuring Nemours Associates Georgia Thompson and Trevor Lee

PedsAcademy is a unique, research-backed partnership between Nemours Children's Health and the University of Central Florida. It provides education to Nemours patients with chronic health conditions and complex medical needs. It also offers a formal internship program for teachers in training - the only such program of its kind in the nation. It gives future teachers deep insight and understanding into the educational and social-emotional needs of children coping with chronic illness -- training and experience that they carry with them to their classrooms and careers.

Featuring Nemours associates Kate Blackburn and Rebeca Grysko

Carol Vassar, producer

RESOURCES:

Visit PedsAcademy at Nemours

Visit PedsAcademy at UCF

An Exploration of the PedsAcademy Internship's Influence on Aspiring Educators' Preparation to Teach Children with Chronic Illnesses.

Nemours Executive Vice President and Enterprise Chief Communications Officer Gina Altieri shares her insights regarding the philosophy behind the new enterprise tagline, Well Beyond Medicine, and how these three words combined represent Nemours' new vision and strategy in a powerful and ingenious way. She'll also provide information on how every associate in the enterprise can weigh in on Well Beyond Medicine.

Carol Vassar, producer

Nemours associate Lindsey Killian and her husband, Tom,  are the proud parents of two young sons: four-and-a-half-year-old T.J. and one-year-old Nicholas.

T.J. and Tom were each diagnosed at birth with a metabolic condition known as PKU. In this second of two episodes, we'll delve into the extra work required for the Killians just to travel together, the struggles they've faced with health insurance coverage, and the reason Lindsey was determined to someday work at Nemours.

Carol Vassar, producer

For Nemours associate Lindsey Killian and her husband, Tom, a typical evening meal with their two young children is anything but "typical." Hear how this family of four faced trials and triumphs following the diagnosis of a genetic condition affecting half of its members. It's a condition that impacts every aspect of their lives, from the food they eat to the places they choose to live, work and play, yet easily detected by a simple blood test required by law across the nation.

Carol Vassar, producer

As we approached 2022, we look back on the history of Nemours, this time through the eyes of 40-year Nemours associate Ann Riley, who served from 1972 until 2012. We'll talk about the many changes she witnessed during her time with Nemours - and some of the core Nemours traditions, values, and beliefs that remain unchanged, even today. 

Carol Vassar, producer

Five months ago, Adrienne Miller joined the Nemours Continuous Improvement Team as a Specialist. She did so after 16 years at Nemours as a pharmacist, most recently serving as Pharmacy Operations Manager in Delaware. It's a bit of a career swerve for Adrienne, who knew in high school that she wanted to work in healthcare but wasn't sure where. She talks about her entry into the field and her most recent career change. 

Learn about the Nemours LEADER program here. 

Carol Vassar, producer

Nemours Leadership Experience and Development Educational Program (LEADER) is a 90-plus hour education and development opportunity for current managers and associates who aspire to a management or leadership role.

Nemours Associates Christina Savoie and Denise Hughes are recent LEADER graduates. They share the benefits they've derived from participating in LEADER and encourage other Nemours Associates to join them on the career development journey.

Carol Vassar, producer

In 2012, Anabelle Burgos joined Nemours Children's Health in Florida as part of the BrightStart! pre-school literacy program.
It was a position she loved with an organization whose mission aligned with her values. Yet an unplanned break in her career meant leaving Nemours in 2016.

This hiatus gave Annabelle time to reflect on her early career: where it had been, and where it was going. What she liked, and what she wanted to change.

Turns out, she loved working a Nemours,  so she set her sights on returning - this time, as a clinical research nurse coordinator!

Carol Vassar, producer