Archive for the “Human Interaction” Category

A celebrating and sharing event featuring Patricia Wellingham-Jones, RN, PhD, Wednesday, August 19th, 7-8:30 p.m. at Grilla Bites Restaurant, 196 Cohasset Rd., Garden Villa, Chico, CA.  Come hear participants of the “Telling our Stories” writing group share gems from the quick writes done in the group. Some stories are about cancer, many are not-all are rich with the experience of living.  Patients and their families, staff and volunteers, and anyone interested in using writing and art to heal, are invited to join the evening of celebrating and sharing our stories.

In the Tibetan tradition, prayer flags fly from the housetops, trees and in mountain passes — wherever the wind can catch and carry their messages of hope, peace, strength and wisdom throughout the world. For our project, more than 600 flags were created by community members and students as symbols of hope for cancer patients and their families. Many of the flags were made at Outlaw games, the Artoberfest booths, Relay for life or the Bull-riding competition. 300 of the flags were created by students at Rosedale elementary school. Each flag offers a unique expression of caring.

The Enloe Health Learning Center, which opened in May 2009, provides patients, family members and community members access to a broad array of health, wellness and medical information.  A team of dedicated caregivers and community members from Enloe, the Butte County Library and Chico State Library worked to develop a mission and core selection of resource for the learning center.   The Enloe Health Learning Center is located at 1465 Esplanade in Chico.  Learn more about this community resource or access our online catalog.

Congratulations to this year’s recipient of Enloe’s Spirit of Planetree Physician Champion Award, which recognizes extraordinary achievement in patient-centered care. Dr. Howard, a local hematologist and oncologist, was nominated by many Enloe caregivers for his nurturing qualities and kindness, expertise and approachable, friendly manner.  A Chico physician since 1983, Dr. Howard has a private practice in the Enloe Regional Cancer Center, and sees patients in the hospital. He served as Chief of Staff at Enloe from 2007 through 2008. The Fourth Floor Oncology team appreciates Dr. Howard’s compassion, dedication and expertise, which he generously shares with patients and staff alike. Along with another physician, Dr. Howard provides regular medical updates and education to the certified chemotherapy nurses on the unit. And he takes time to listen to his patients, their families and the nurses. One nomination touted: “He is a role model for us all: professional, compassionate, calm in a crisis, humorous when necessary and always willing to help out.” Dr. Howard will have the opportunity to attend the national Planetree conference in Baltimore and is eligible to receive the National Spirit of Planetree Physician Caregiver Award.

Congratulations to this year’s recipient of the Enloe Spirit of Planetree Caregiver Award, which recognizes extraordinary achievement in patient-centered care.

As Community Outreach Coordinator for Enloe, Trudy extends the boundaries of Enloe’s health care into our community with numerous events that provide access to health and wellness information. Such free public offerings have included the popular physician-led Anatomy 101 series focusing on body systems; free health screenings; the Women’s Health Symposium; Growing Healthy Children Fun Run; Planetree book discussions; and major annual events including Enloe’s Heart Month activities. In choosing featured topics, Trudy takes into account responses from Enloe’s community health assessments and other requests. In 2008, Trudy played a key role in bringing musical arts to Enloe through two recent partnerships: Chico State’s Music Department and Enloe created a new course called “Music for Healing and Wellness,” which brings student performances to Enloe facilities; and a partnership with Chico Performances brings internationally and critically acclaimed artists to Enloe. Through these partnerships, patients can experience the benefits of music, including a boost in overall mood, the promotion of relaxation, and a reduction in anxiety and stress.   Trudy will have an opportunity to attend the national Planetree conference in Baltimore and is eligible to receive the National Spirit of Planetree Caregive Award.