November 2019 – Here for Life

Dr. Cutts, Safety Net Champion, advocates for needs of underserved children

November 19, 2019

Congratulations to Diana Cutts, MD, who was recently recognized with the 2019 Safety Net Champion Award at the Many Faces of Community Health Conference for advancing research, policy, and programming for children and families served by the safety net at Hennepin Healthcare. Dr. Cutts is a general pediatrician with special expertise in the area of pediatric nutrition. For more than 25 years, she has been a positive force for change at Hennepin Healthcare and a dynamic, committed advocate for the needs of underserved kids and their families. (more…)

NICU babies befriend crochet octopi – and how you can help!

November 19, 20192

In 2018, Hennepin Healthcare’s NICU celebrated 50 years of caring for our tiniest patients. That’s 50+ years of putting our preemie patients first; we’re always looking for ways to promote their safety and comfort, whether it’s a new innovation or something tried and true. This year, the crochet octopus entered the scene. A crochet octopus? Misty Easton from our NICU tells all and invites crafters to use their talents to support preemies: (more…)

Breastfeeding help… even before a baby is born

November 18, 2019

Whether you’re expecting your first baby or you’ve welcomed one before, visiting with an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC or lactation consultant, for short) before your baby arrives can help you prepare to breastfeed or provide expressed milk. Here are some answers to common questions about prenatal breastfeeding visits.

Why should you visit a lactation consultant before delivery?

Breastfeeding is the natural conclusion to pregnancy and birth. But “natural” doesn’t always mean “easy”! Breastfeeding is a skill that takes some time for both parent and baby to learn, and each breastfeeding pair is unique. Breastfeeding is a social skill, passed along between generations, and that link has been broken for a lot of families. Prenatal education is one way we can continue to pass along knowledge of breastfeeding and caring for a new baby. (more…)

Local artist illustrates a day in the life at Hennepin Healthcare in 160 moments over 24 hours

November 18, 20193

At 1 pm, she was in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit, sketching baby Emanuel as he is cradled in his mother’s arms.

At 4 am, she was in the Emergency Department, sketching a hallway of exam rooms and the sounds that were coming from each.

At 11 am, she was in the kitchen, sketching an assembly line of food workers as they put food on trays that would soon be lunch for hospitalized patients.

Over the course of a year and a half, local artist Anita White captured moments at Hennepin Healthcare that spanned every hour of the day – all 24 hours of it. She visited places as varied as the Emergency Department and Pediatric Clinic to Food Services and Hospice. She observed patients, families, and staff at the moment of care, and then she made sense of those moments by drawing them.

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144 nurses and counting: How nurse recognition blossomed at Hennepin thanks to DAISY program

November 11, 2019

“She is wonderful with her patients…her actions are excellent, a true statement of her skills. She…consistently demonstrates excellent nursing care.”

These words described Laraine Steel, a Hennepin Healthcare DAISY Award winner, in her nomination from January 2008. More than 10 years later, Steel continues to provide excellent nursing care at Hennepin Healthcare as a Diabetes Clinical Educator and the AADE Diabetes Program Coordinator. She also sees patients with diabetes at Whittier Clinic.

Laraine Steel, DAISY Award winner for January 2008

The DAISY Award is an international program created by the DAISY Foundation that recognizes nurses like Steel who make a difference in the lives of those they care for and work alongside with their clinical skills and extraordinary compassion. The foundation and program turn 20 this month and within two decades the program has expanded to over 700 healthcare facilities, including Hennepin Healthcare where it started 12 years ago. (more…)