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At 18 years old, Andy Smith was told he had brain cancer. He fought through surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and a clinical trial and through it all, he attended Colorado Mesa University with a goal of becoming a sports psychologist. When he was told he was terminal, his care team at St. Mary's threw him a surprise college graduation ceremony at the hospital, making his dream a reality.
Curtis Cazier’s typical day as an Intermountain Health athletic trainer at Sky View High School in Smithfield, UT is spending time with the student-athletes after school, taping ankles, and helping them with stretching and other mobility exercises. Curtis was in his office working with another athlete when a student alerted him that a football player had collapsed. Curtis thought the athlete, Dean, may have fainted after holding his breath while lifting and imagined Dean would be up by the time Curtis got to him. The reality was the opposite of what Curtis had envisioned. The 16-year-old athlete was unresponsive and undergoing cardiac arrest, a medical emergency. Nine out of ten people who experience this outside of the hospital die from it. His color was changing, and Curtis knew he needed to act fast. Read more about how Curtis used his training and smart decision-making skills to save Dean's life.
2023 was another record-breaking year for our adult organ transplant programs at Intermountain Health, which helped saved the lives of hundreds of patients in Utah and surrounding states needing a gift – often from a stranger. It’s the fifth consecutive year that the Intermountain Transplant Program has performed a record-breaking number of adult transplants. A total of 182 liver, 198 kidney, 30 heart, and 4 kidney/pancreas adult transplants were performed in 2023. That’s a 38 percent increase from 2022, when the team performed 300 transplants. “This unprecedented growth in our transplant program reflects how our dedicated multidisciplinary team has lived up to our mission of helping as many people live the healthiest lives possible,” said Jean Botha, MD, transplant surgeon and medical director of our abdominal transplant program. “The increased number of transplants is evidence that our team of caregivers are making transplantation possible for even the most complex patients with high-quality outcomes.”
Kelly, a home health aide at Holy Rosary in Miles City, MT, cares for her patients with compassion and empathy. Beyond the conventional duties of a certified nursing assistant, Kelly possesses a unique gift – the art of dressing up departed patients according to their wishes and lifestyle with grace and dignity. She has a passion for caring for patients that began when she was a child after her mother shared the memory of her grandfather tragically passing when her mother was only nine years old. “The only thing my mom remembers is being ushered into a room shortly after her dad died and he was lying on a black gurney,” said Kelly. “It’s sad knowing that was her last memory of him, and I always think of that when I’m caring for my patients, and that care extends to after their deaths. My goal is to help give the families a little bit of closure by presenting their loved as close to what they looked like when they were alive as possible.”
In a groundbreaking move, Intermountain Health has partnered with Elevation Community Land Trust to inject $2 million into the heart of Denver’s housing market, marking a significant stride towards fostering housing equity in Colorado. This collaboration signifies Intermountain Health’s inaugural Colorado Place-Based Investment, aiming not just to construct buildings, but to build healthier, more inclusive communities. Nicholas Fritz, Intermountain Impact Investing director, said these types of investments are an added resource to the communities served by the healthcare organization. “Housing is one non-medical factor that can impact a person’s ability to live a healthy life,” Fritz said. “This helps us move upstream to address a social determinant of health.” “The investment from Intermountain Health allows us to better leverage the public and private capital needed to build this type of affordable infrastructure – accelerating our goals and resulting in more homes affordable to more Colorado families,” said Stefka Fanchi, president and CEO of Elevation CLT. “We are especially excited about this partnership because it makes very clear the alignment between affordable homeownership and health and wealth equity.”
Patients in rural Utah can now meet with a Gastrointestinal (GI) and Digestive Health specialist at a rural primary care clinic through telehealth. “The Rural GI and Digestive Health Telehealth Program provides access to specialists in areas of our state that do not have—or have very little—access to care,” said Graham. “Patients who have participated in the program have been so incredibly grateful to be able to receive expert consultations close to home. Our GI physicians work with our local care teams to allow patients to receive follow up care in their community if possible. Providing care in this way allows us to expand our specialist reach in areas that historically couldn't financially support having a full-time provider in the community.”
Monday, February 12th will be a historic day for children’s healthcare in Utah, as Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital’s second campus in Lehi open its doors to patients! “We are thrilled to open a new Primary Children’s Hospital to serve Utah’s fastest-growing communities and address the growing, complex health needs of children. Thanks to the power of Primary Promise and all that it represents, the Larry H. and Gail Miller Family Campus will bring the world-class services of Primary Children’s closer to home for so many children today – and for generations to come,” said Lisa Paletta, president of Primary Children’s Hospital, Miller Family Campus. “We invite the public to join us in celebrating this exciting milestone for children’s health.” Interested in learning more about our Lehi campus? You're invited to take a tour in a special event Saturday, February 3. Tour reservations are strongly encouraged and can be made at PrimaryPromise.org.
On January 2, Platte Valley Hospital in Brighton, CO launched the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program in its Emergency Department. The program provides a critical, compassionate service for victims through specially trained nursing staff, equipment, and specialized patient care facilities to treat and collect forensic evidence from victims who have experienced sexual violence and domestic abuse. “We serve a large area, and this is a severely underserved population,” said Andrea Moore, Platte Valley ED Director. “Our team has put a lot into this, and we’re excited to be able to help these patients who need this type of care. This is not just about evidence collection. There is a psychological and social aspect that comes with this type of treatment, and we want to ensure these patients have the resources and follow-up care they need after going through something so traumatic.”
We invite you to join us for our Utah and Idaho RN New Grad Virtual Open House! Come connect with our team and learn more about our Utah and Idaho hospitals, our nurse residency program, and more. Participants will be able to ask questions and connect with our nurse executive, nurse residency, and talent acquisition teams during this live event. We also encourage you to submit your questions prior via our RSVP form. 📅 Date: Wednesday, January 31st, 2024 ⏰ Time: 5 p.m. - 6 p.m. MT 💻 Location: Virtual via Microsoft Teams - a link to join will be shared with you after you RSVP Visit https://forms.office.com/r/aQhDp97QjG to RSVP for this virtual event today - we look forward to connecting with you!
Cheska Faye De Castro-Vonk started her Intermountain Health career in 2022, moving away from her parents and sister in North Dakota to work at St. George Regional Hospital in St. George, Utah. But it took less than a year for her whole family to do the same. Though they work at the same facility, the De Castros don’t get to see each other often at work due to conflicting schedules. However, the family embraces their new jobs, from better weather to more social opportunities. Most importantly, they feel appreciated as employees and look forward to going to work. “My coworkers are great. They're fun. I like the administration here, too. I feel like they care. They listen to me,” Cheska said.
