Fall/Winter 2009 FRIENDS OF MERITER NICU Ambulance is finally here!

November 1, 2006 Friends of Meriter, Contributions Committee recommended that Friends donate a total of $150,000 to purchase a new NICU ambulance. The Board of Trustees approved and the money was paid at $50,000 per year for three years (2007, 2008, 2009). The ambulance project took several up/down turns in the designing process, had to endure de-lays with the automobile manufacturer and a staffing change when Dr. De-Ann Pillers, Chief, Neonatology, for Meriter’s NICU came on board in August of 2008. We got word mid-summer 2009 that the ambulance was set to be delivered the end of August.

The neonatal team cares for more than 450 premature and/or ill infants each year. The team shares a commitment to trans-fer infants safely while providing leading edge technology for the highest quality of care. Meriter’s new NICU ambulance will provide emergency care for newborns starting in September 2009.

Dare Desnoyers, Nurse Manager, NICU—11/11/09 We are VERY grateful to the Friends of Meriter for this gift, thanks!!”

“We have used the new NICU ambulance for 5 transports since our go live date of October 5. NICU staff, Respiratory Ther-apy staff and our drivers all received training during September on the internal features of the ambulance as well as the stretcher, incubator , ventilator and monitor.

So far, those who have been out on a transport have been very complementary of the new ambulance and updated equip-ment. They feel the drive was much smoother for the baby, and the loading and unloading of the incubator less stressful for all involved.”

Newborn Intensive Care Unit Ambulance—Open House Celebration September 8, 2009 NICU managers and the Marketing Department planned a very nice celebration event for September 8, 2009. It was a beautiful late summer day and perfect to be outside. Several NICU staff, representatives from Admini-stration, Friends of Meriter and news media attended. Dr. Pillers and Phil Ingwell, President, Friends, said a few words in acknowledgement of this gift from the Friends of Meriter.

De-Ann Pillars, MD, PhD, professor of pediatrics & chief neonatology at Meriter Hospital’s NICU. “Thanks to you, our state-of-the-art NICU Ambulance is here. Your generosity helped make the dream become a reality.”

Barbara Bruce, Diane Tupper, Suzanne Hotter (by ambulance) Jane Wise and Norma Hove in the foreground—all Friends of Meriter representatives. Inside the ambulance—space will allow for

the transport of up to two infants at one time!

Phil Ingwell, President, Friends of Meriter Finally, the NICU ambulance is a reality!

Gift Shop NewsGift Shop NewsGift Shop NewsGift Shop News Vicki Killian, Shop ManagerVicki Killian, Shop ManagerVicki Killian, Shop ManagerVicki Killian, Shop Manager

The Gift Shop is decked out for the holidays! The first Christmas merchandise was displayed the day after Halloween, the earliest ever. According to retail experts, customers are spending their holiday dollars earlier to spread between more pay days. Several 4th quarter sale events will be held to pro-mote sales. • Friday the 13th sale in November, • Black Friday sale on the day after Thanksgiving, • Annual Employee and Volunteer appreciation

sale on December 4th-11th. The Shop will open early on 3 Fridays to accommodate the night shift. Welcome to new volunteer Kate Brey!

Kate is a UW student and will help out at the register on Thursday afternoons.

Room Service and a Shovel: The Rise of Voluntourism November 16, 2009 TIME magazine article Picking up trash and pulling weeds may not sound terribly posh, but at a growing number of high-end resorts, where rooms often cost $400 or $500 a night, these activities are becoming yet another hotel amenity. One morning you can sleep in and order room service, and the next you can serve breakfast at a soup kitchen. The trend is part of a larger movement toward voluntourism, i.e., trips with a heavy focus on volunteering. But unlike programs like Habitat for Humanity that pair weeklong projects with unglamorous accommodations, hotel-organized excursions gener-ally take up no more than a day, and participants can cap off the experience back at the ranch with $15 cocktails and a night on high-thread-count sheets. Many of these short-term voluntourism projects involve hard work. The Mandarin Oriental in Miami, for instance, offers a two-night package in which guests spend a morning removing in-vasive plants and assisting with recycling programs in Everglades National Park. The Fairmont Mission Inn and Spa in Sonoma, Calif., recently invited guests to help fix up a hiking trail. But perhaps no luxury-hotel brand has ventured as far into voluntourism as Ritz-Carlton. Since the company launched its "Give Back Getaways" in April 2008, more than 2,000 vacationers have signed up in dozens of locations around the globe. Sue Stephenson, vice president of the company's "Community Footprints" initiative, says the half-day programs range from assisting local food banks to participating in music therapy for disabled kids. The excursions are designed to connect tourists with the communities they visit. "When done correctly, these programs can also help maintain the natural environments that are the draw for particular regions of the world," says Kara Hurst, a top executive at Business for Social Re-sponsibility, a nonprofit that develops corporate-social-responsibility initiatives. Silver-spoon voluntourism has its critics, of course. Christopher Elliott, a syndicated travel col-umnist and blogger in Orlando, Fla., thinks these efforts are aimed at wealthy guests "who want to soothe their guilty conscience by doing something that's billed as 'giving back.'" Still, it's hard to find fault with hotels that link local charities to potential donors. And do guests get discounts for being do-gooders? On the contrary, some hotels charge participants an extra $40 or more to cover transportation and other costs associated with their manual labor.

What Is VolunTourism?

In the broadest sense, Voluntourism represents voluntary service experiences that in-clude travel to a destination in order to realize one's service intentions. In a more refined and balanced approach, Volun-Tourism is the integrated combination of voluntary service to a destination with the traditional elements of travel and tourism - arts, culture, geography, history, and recreation - while in the destination. For those who want to learn more about VolunTourism, they produce a weekly web-cast, a quarterly newsletter, and provide global education opportunities. Check out this website: http://voluntourism.org/inside.html

News from Greenbush Garden BistroNews from Greenbush Garden BistroNews from Greenbush Garden BistroNews from Greenbush Garden Bistro————Julie SampsonJulie SampsonJulie SampsonJulie Sampson

Dr. Joe has arrived! On Monday, November 2, Dr. Joe Coffee Clinic opened offering a full array of coffee and tea drinks, and proudly features locally-roasted Ancora Coffee. As an extension of our Bistro services, employees and visitors can enjoy all their favorite coffee-house beverages pre-pared to order, along with pastries, sandwiches, bottled beverages plus hot cocoa and cider drinks. Dr.

Joe is located in the alcove area of the Atrium Lobby.

Rachel (left) and Patti (right), Bistro staff, are perfecting latte and other specialty coffee drink recipes! You can order “TO-GO or sit at the tables and enjoy your cup of “Joe”!

Menu Board artwork by Mary Luther, Food/Nutrition employee

Friends 4 FriendsFriends 4 FriendsFriends 4 FriendsFriends 4 Friends————External CommitteeExternal CommitteeExternal CommitteeExternal Committee

Friend 4 Friends is a program that supports employees, volunteers, physicians and Friends of Meriter members in their volunteer activities outside Meriter Health Services. Support, in this case, means provid-ing financial gifts to non-profit organizations and projects that improve the health and well-being of our com-munity. Managed through Meriter Volunteer Services, Friends 4 Friends will grant gifts of up to $150 throughout the year. The program will also consider gifts up to $500. If you are involved with a non-profit organization or project that improves the health and well-being of our community, Friends of Meriter en-courages you to apply for a Friends 4 Friends gift. The process is easy, and you may apply on-line any time at http://www.meriter.com/mhs/hospital/friends.htm

Some of organizations awarded this year are: Big Brothers/Big Sisters, St. Vincent de Paul, American Can-cer Society, McFarland Food Pantry, Prairie Music Academy, Theater Bus, United Cerebral Palsy Adult Supportive Services, Allis Elementary PTO, St. Stephens Food Pantry, and Camp Kesem—UW Madison. If you have questions about Friends 4 Friends, contact Barbara Bruce at ext. 76414 or e-mail her at bbruce@meriter.com

Friends of Meriter Board of Trustees, President Friends of Meriter Board of Trustees, President Friends of Meriter Board of Trustees, President Friends of Meriter Board of Trustees, President ---- Phil Ingwell Phil Ingwell Phil Ingwell Phil Ingwell Finally, the NICU ambulance is a reality and on the road!

“Dr. Joe Coffee Clinic” opened in November! See more information in this newsletter! Like in the Bistro, all tips will go toward the Friends of Meriter Scholarship program!

Development Committee reports that Cookie Baking sales have been going great averaging $300 per sale.

Friends of Meriter continue to monitor all funding requests and is well informed by management as to changes affecting our programs as well as other changes in the hospital.

Most recently Meriter Foundation presented their project a new “Pediatric Center” to the Contributions Committee and The Board. This center will be located near the Emergency Services Department and will be dedicated to the special needs of the pediatric population. Their plan includes a play room to be avail-able for the children/siblings and their families. Friends of Meriter are happy to award Meriter Foundation—Pediatric Center with $25,000 to help them equip the playroom with items from their wish list i.e., pediatric appropriate furniture, adult rocking chairs, portable play station/DVD player, activity boards, a book cart with books for a patient to take home with them, coloring books, crayons, and games. There will be a plaque installed in the play room. Marketing will be focusing on activities to promote the opening in March, 2010! Stay tuned!

************************************** Phil Ingwell will be completing his second 1 year term as President of Friends of Meriter at the close of 2009! At the last Board meeting he thanked everyone for their contribution of time and dedication to the Friends. Phil will remain on the Board as a Trustee in 2010.

Healthy Choices—Why Go Hungry? Having trouble putting health foods on the table, consider checking out SNAP—federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly the food stamp program) which defrays the cost of groceries & home delivered meals. Average monthly SNAP benefit in May was $134/individual & $295/household. In most states, 60+ are eligible if their net monthly income—after housing, medical/other costs doesn’t exceed $903/individual or $1215/couple. Benefits are loaded onto a debit card that can be swiped at the checkout. More information go to www.aarp.org/snap-taken from AARP Bulletin October 2009

“I feel inadequate when talking with a mechanic, so when my vehicle started making a strange noise, I sought help from a friend. A car nut, he told me how to explain the difficulty when I took it in for repair. At the shop, I proudly recited, "The timing is off, and there are premature detonations, which may damage the valves." As I smugly glanced over the mechanic's shoulder, I saw him write on his clipboard, "Lady says it makes a funny noise." - Kate—Reader’s Digest Our 50 Funniest

Volunteer Services Department NewsVolunteer Services Department NewsVolunteer Services Department NewsVolunteer Services Department News

June—October 2009 stats: 503 volunteers served a total of 21,291 hours 48 hours—Average of hours/volunteer 800 hours—Greatest number served by one volunteer

116 new volunteers started 89 volunteers inactive

Volunteer OpportunitiesVolunteer OpportunitiesVolunteer OpportunitiesVolunteer Opportunities Check the website, www.meriter.com/volunteer for the application information and the latest iregarding potential volunteer opportunities. Contact Laurie Ingwell, Coordinator, Volunteer Services, e-mail lingwell@meriter.com or call 608/417-6257.

Newsline is published for the volunteers, staff and interested community of Meriter Hospital, 202 South Park, Madison, WI 53715 We welcome comments and suggestions. Editor: Barbara Bruce, Coordinator

bbruce@meriter.com or 608/417-6414

New Volunteers for June—November 2009

Animal Assisted Activities

Artie Berning

Polly Cisco

Judy Cresson

JoAnn Kessler

Karen Peckham

Nancy Thorne Cahill

Gina Simpson Smith

Jan Hoffman

At Your Service

Vanessa Lawrence

Austin Merwald

Stirling Smith

Laura Harris

Ashley Nelson

Rachel Spindler

Dayken Nash

John Diaz de Leon

Beltline Building Greeter

Radhika Bhula

Birthing Center

Mai Vang

Children's Center

Kristina Ellis

Mara Schessow

Greenbush Garden Bistro

Kimberly Schaub

Kirsten Osen

Jenna Colombo

Dental Clinic

Peter Colosimo

Endoscopy

Lucina Cervantes

Bouapan Yang

Colette Koch

Jeff Berger

Rachel Mahoney

Alexa Nippa

Emergency Room

Analise Ruegsegger

Val Maharaj

Bryan Daugherty

David Abbott

Katie Yugo

Greg Peters

Alfred Liu

Jonathan Wagner

Charlie Calderon

Kunaal Pai

Bill Krause

Dan Dwyer

Alison Kane

Jenna Dorshorst

Elizabeth Farley

Alex Wessel

Emergency Room

Joy Berger

Marianne Escher

Zach Schlei

Cara Dillenburg

Shiva Eidi

Katie Procarione

Leland Skenandore

Matt Morrow

Food & Nutrition

Megan Hermsmeier

Flower Delivery

Mary Hoffman

Gift Shop

Ann Whiting

Marketing

Carleigh Knowles

Nursing Unit

Kristi Palm

Bethany Deluhery

Kristin Hangartner

Sammi Meiners

Jessica Kazmierczak

Occupational Therapy

Melissa Zembrowski

Physical Therapy

Kara Barnhart

Emily Grochowski

Kevin Rolnick

Jen Promer

Mark Outcalt

Sarah Polenska

Anna Hagens

David Sterken

Dennis Pascual

Lauren Vermillion

Christine Fary

Maya Aaseby

Kristin Ver Voort

Ashley Bauer

Sheryl Benning

Carrie DeNiel

Andrew Beine

Julie Alpert

Kathryn Pearcy

Kaitlin Ewert

Maya Dorsey

Liz Wetzel

Katie Kalmerton

Patient Registration

Ken Hitzke

Dana Loke

Recovery Room

Jennie Scidmore

Jennifer Calmes

Heather Hassler

Madeline Rock

Andrew Sugar

Matthew Ship

Special Projects

Ron Sloniker

Emma Gribble

Spiritual Care

Patty Hustad

Surgical Waiting Room

Amy Jones

Theresa Abioye

Xia Vang

Jessica Buchberger

Jacqlyn Shapiro

Eric Jones

Molly Voigt

Veronica Stern

Molly Voigt

Alex Skeels

Josh Clermont

Tyler Vovos

Recovery Room

Upcoming Events of InterestUpcoming Events of InterestUpcoming Events of InterestUpcoming Events of Interest

November 18 Cookie Baking-Atrium Alcove November 27 Gift Shop Sale-Black Friday December 2 Friends of Meriter Annual Meeting December 4-11 Gift Shop Sale-Employee & Volunteer Appreciation December 11 Blood Drive December 16 Cookie Baking-Atrium Alcove

2010 April 14, 2010 Partners of WHA Southern District Meeting—Reedsburg October 12-14 Partners of WHA Annual Meeting Regency Suites, Green Bay

Newsline is now available electronically! Go to www.meriter.com/newsstand to access this newsletter. If you want to “Go Green” and solely access this newsletter online please contact us to be taken off of the mailing list.