The stories of the individuals we reach truly underscore the reason our work matters and why we stay committed to doing the right thing. Hear from Lisa Nichols, on how she sees our value of We do the right thing in action in her role as vice president of Community Health at Intermountain Health: "Doing the right thing requires actively listening and acting on what we hear — that’s the reason we do Community Health Needs Assessments in every community we serve. For us to fulfill our mission, we must understand our communities’ experiences. We serve diverse communities across 600,000 miles, and yet, we hear similar things from all of them. They are concerned about mental health, housing, food insecurity, and access to care. Based on what we learn, we develop programs tailored specifically to meet their needs. For example, we’ve distributed more than 66,000 gun locks — helping to prevent suicides. We’ve invested in building or preserving more than 2,000 units of affordable housing. We collaborate with more than 400 community-based organizations to improve access and to build trust in our communities. We recently heard about a refugee family that fled Afghanistan and resettled in the United States. While recovering from the trauma of their immigration experience, the parents told us, “We feel safe for the first time in our lives.” These stories are just some of the many we hear in response to our Community Health work. We do the right thing by listening, caring, and acting!"
When Gena Christensen thinks of why she chose to work in healthcare, she reflects on hanging out at the hospital with her grandpa. He was a surgeon. Now as Intermountain Health's executive clinical director of the acute and ambulatory medical specialties clinical program, Gena seeks to continue a tradition of delivering safe, best-in-quality care - especially for nurses. Clinical excellence is an Intermountain value that resonates deeply with Gena. She said it captures the fundamental principles of nursing practice and our commitment to our patients' well-being. “As a nurse leader, I am invested in cultivating a culture of clinical excellence within our organization. This involves setting and maintaining high standards of care, continuously evaluating our practices, and adopting and spreading evidence-based approaches to drive positive patient outcomes," she said. “This value reflects my dedication to upholding the highest standards of excellence as a healthcare professional.” For 26 years at Intermountain, Gena is grateful to have worked with so many great people in so many different areas whose values align closely with her own. “These are important to me,” Gena said. “As a nurse leader, I feel supported when I put the patient's and caregiver's needs first. I believe that Intermountain has a strong commitment to delivering exceptional care, fosters personal and professional development and has invested in me and my success.”
Before she started as a medical assistant apprentice, Cherry Lockman did not like hospitals. Since she was a kid growing up in the Philippines, she associated hospitals with trauma and loss. She didn’t even like to hear the word “hospital.” That, she says, is precisely why she went to work as a food services team member at St. Vincent Regional Hospital in Billings, Montana. And when 90-Day MA, a paid medical assistant apprenticeship and education program, came to Billings, it’s why she knew she needed to apply. It was all part of her plan – not just to face her fears, but to tackle them head-on. Learn more about Cherry's career journey thus far, what she plans to do next, and how she's taken advantage of her education benefits at Intermountain Health to professionally grow and develop.
Our mission of helping people live the healthiest lives possible begins with our caregivers and their families. At Intermountain Health, we are proud to support the personal, work-related, and community well-being needs of our caregivers through a variety of programs and resources, including our Caregiver Relief Program. Learn more about how our Caregiver Relief Program helps support our caregivers below. ⬇️
Congratulations to our Desert Region chief nursing officer, Keyona Cole, and our care management manager in ambulatory care, LaTeisha Morgan, for being recognized as 2024 Health Care Headliners by Vegas Inc! 🎉 Vegas Inc established the Health Care Headliners awards in 2006 to highlight the phenomenal talent of the finest medical professionals who are leading the way. “Intermountain Health is proud to serve the Las Vegas Valley to ensure patients have access to affordable, high-quality health care,” said Mandy Richards, chief nursing executive for Intermountain Health. “The recognition by Vegas Inc for our caregivers Keyona Cole and LaTeisha Morgan underscores their commitment to providing leadership for our teams for providing compassionate care our patients and strengthening opportunities to improve and sustain the overall health of our communities.”
This CNA Week, we extend our gratitude to all Certified Nursing Assistants for your unwavering dedication to providing compassionate patient care. Thank you for every moment you spend ensuring the well-being of those in your care! 🩺💙 #CNAWeek
Intermountain Logan Regional Hospital in Logan, Utah is bringing cancer care close to home for more residents of the Cache Valley with a new state-of-the-art expansion of the nationally-recognized Gossner Cancer Center’s Radiation Oncology department. Intermountain Health cancer caregivers, clinical leaders, patients, donors and community leaders officially broke ground on the new expansion on Thursday, June 6. Construction for the expansion is set to begin in Summer 2024, with completion planned for 2025. This expansion includes additional clinical space and equipment for a brachytherapy program, a radiation isotope treatment center, a new CT scanner, a high resolution/real-time ultrasound system, and a new linear accelerator. “The 3,717 square-foot cancer center expansion is supported by a generous donation from the Gossner Foods family and will make radiation treatment services available to more patients with the increased capacity and more services not currently offered in our community,” said Brandon McBride, president of Intermountain Logan Regional Hospital. “Our expansion will not only serve patients within Cache Valley, but those throughout Northern Utah, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. We will truly become a regional cancer center.”
April Vialpando, RN, believes victims of sexual assault or domestic violence should be able to access care from a forensic nurse as soon as is possible. It should not take days, extensive travel, or a grueling wait for the victim. Better access is now possible at Intermountain Health Platte Valley Hospital in Brighton, CO thanks to a $438,000 grant from Adams County. Platte Valley will use the funds to expand the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program. The program provides critical, compassionate service for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. “By expanding the SANE program, we are ensuring that victims of these horrific crimes receive the care and support they need without unnecessary delays or obstacles,” said Adams County Commissioner and Chair Emma Pinter. “This grant is a significant step in our commitment to improving public health and safety in our community.”
Join us in celebrating Community Health Improvement Week! 🎊 "We all have a collective responsibility for the health of our communities. When we work together, we can address underlying issues and make a positive difference," said Lisa Nichols, vice president of community health at Intermountain Health. We're excited to share the launch of our Community Health team's June Caring for Our Communities newsletter. This edition highlights the incredible work being done at Intermountain to improve community health through collaboration and innovation. We look at topics like health equity in rural areas, reducing recidivism, taking action for children’s mental health, and a workforce development program that gave new purpose to a woman in Denver.
Our president and chief executive officer, Rob Allen, joined dozens of health system executives at the White House on June 6th to meet about public health and hospital-based strategies to address gun violence in the U.S. In Utah, suicide is the leading cause of preventable death, with suicides representing the majority of all firearm deaths in the state. As Rob pointed out, Utah mirrors a national trend. "An important takeaway from today's meeting is the need to sharpen our focus on mental health," Rob, who is also serves as a member on the CEO Council on Gun Violence Prevention & Safety, said. "Suicides continue to account for the majority of U.S. gun deaths, increasing every year since 2019 to more than 24,000 last year. The responsibility to reverse this heartbreaking trend rests with all of us, which is why Intermountain instituted a suicide prevention care process model that guides our efforts to assess and treat patients with suicidal thoughts, feelings or behaviors." The White House meeting took place on the eve of the 10th annual National Gun Violence Awareness Day, providing one more venue for health system leaders to gather and compare strategies for how their organizations are addressing gun violence among patient populations and in their communities.
