Marion Igel: 20 Years as a BCH Volunteer

For a woman like Marion Igel of Boston, volunteering is seen in terms of a commitment to a job. She started as a transport volunteer at Bertrand Chaffee Hospital and its Physical Therapy Department on June 18, 1997. And at the end of this June, twenty years later, Igel has kept that commitment to the patients of BCH.

After retiring from the banking industry and roles at the “Big E” (Erie County Savings Bank), Igel looked for a way to fill her time. Her second-oldest sister was volunteer at Our Lady of Victory, and later at Mercy Hospital in Buffalo. Igel lived in Boston, she wanted to find something closer to home.  She called Bertrand Chaffee Hospital, and was soon connected with the PT department. Her assignment: for one day a week, spend six hours transporting patients to physical therapy appointments from the Jennie B. Richmond Nursing Home and the medical-surgical floor of BCH.

“It’s the people that have kept me volunteering all these years,” explained Igel. “I grew attached, especially to some of the residents at the Jennie B.”

Igel continued, “Volunteering and helping people made me feel good, and I made great friends along the way.”

Mary Lou Wright, director of the Physical Therapy Department, explained, “Marion has put in miles of walking over the years, transporting patients and running interdepartmental errands.” Wright added, “Volunteers can ‘walk away’ at any time…Marion chose to stay, and we have been very fortunate to have her as part of our team, and to know and love her as part of our family.”

Igel has a son in Texas and a daughter who lives just a few minutes away in Boston (NY), with five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. She said that she would tell future volunteers at BCH about the empathy involved in being a hospital volunteer: “Be devoted and learn to associate yourself with the patients…one day you could be in that position.”

 

Department Spotlight: Emergency Department

The people who work in the Bertrand Chaffee Hospital Emergency Department have the distinction of being able to say that they are part of one of the most valuable teams in our community.

As a registered nurse and nurse manager for the department, Penny Gardner, RN says that the reliability of emergency care at BCH is stronger than ever. “It’s the only place that is open every minute of every day, and we never turn anyone away,” she explained.

Just as there is no such thing as a typical day in the ED, there is no typical patient either. “Every day is completely different,” said Gardner. “But every day we come to work we know we are going to be able to help our neighbors.”

Most people don’t realize the length and depth of experience that BCH ED nurses have. Just five of the 23 nurses have a total of 130 years of nursing experience at BCH. Some have decades’ more experience at other facilities. “I am astonished by the commitment these nurses have shown throughout their career,” explained Gardner. “We are lucky to have that kind of allegiance in this small community.”

Emergency care at BCH includes the nursing staff and providers who cover the ED 24 hours a day. That doesn’t count the lab techs and imaging personnel who are ready to perform immediate tests, and the registration clerks, hospitalists and medical-surgical nurses available to admit patients.

It also doesn’t include the air medical transport crews from Mercy Flight, who can rapidly transfer patients to a higher level of care once stabilized at BCH. The ED’s connection with Mercy Flight stretches back more than 35 years. It became even more powerful with the construction of a helicopter hangar and ground transport base for Mercy EMS in 2016.

Healthcare professionals who gravitate toward emergency medicine are usually people who want to be on the frontline, ready and willing to take care of whatever comes through that door. “Emergency medicine means having the ability to take care of a severely injured patient and the family member at the bedside,” Gardner continued. “And then minutes later, we walk into another room with our entire focus on that next patient; we are truly a special breed.”

 

BCH Women’s Association Installation Dinner

BCH Women's Association Officers 2017-18

BCH Women’s Association Officers 2017-18

The Bertrand Chaffee Hospital Women’s Association held its annual installation dinner on June 7 at the Apple Dumplin in Springville. Members capped off a year of fundraising and activities with a donation to the Bertrand Chaffee Hospital Foundation to support the purchase of a vein viewer for the Emergency Department.

This continues the strong tradition of the BCH Women’s Association in supporting clinical equipment purchases and building improvements at Bertrand Chaffee Hospital and the Jennie B. Richmond Nursing Home. Jennifer Siragusa, RN, director of patient care services, accepted the gift on behalf of the hospital and foundation.

From left: BCH Women’s Association Officers 2017-18: Secretary Diane Fleckenstein, Vice President Lori Beeman, President Karen Ritenour, Vice President Lisa Yaeger and Treasurer Beth Bolt

 

Thanks to Garden Party Supporters

A warm and welcome thank you to everyone who participated in the Bertrand Chaffee Hospital Foundation’s fifth annual Garden Party on May 25.

Our celebration of the career of Darlene Schrantz, RN and the life of William McMahon, MD was made possible by a friendly and loving crowd, some of whom were able to share remarks about their work with these two tremendous healthcare professionals.

Peony sponsors included Stansberry and Knight Physician Assistants and the Bertrand Chaffee Hospital Medical Staff. Iris sponsors were Arcade-Springville Dental Arts Group, Nils and Erika Gunnersen, Mercy Flight/Mercy EMS, Craig and Tanya Helms, ACM Global Laboratories and Voya Financial. Rose sponsors: 2121 Main Street Pharmacy, Eaton Office Supply, Fiddler’s Green Manor, Freed Maxick CPAs, Julie’s Pizzeria, Fred and Darlene Schrantz, Roger and Margo Soricelli, Springville Door and Window and STC Construction. Ivy sponsors: AllPro Parking, Kelly O’Neal Adams, Patrick Hurley, MD and Susan Fischbeck, MD, Grover and Elizabeth Riefler, and WNY Imaging.

We are grateful for the entertainment provided by the Springville Jazz Orchestra and its conductor, William Cocca, and for the wine tasting station donated by Empire Merchants North.

Proceeds from this event will go toward the purchase of a transesophageal echocardiogram for the BCH Heart Center. Cardiologist Dr. Thomas Smith was kind enough to describe the benefits and need for this equipment to assembled guests.

Thank you for the support for our foundation and our “Gem on the Hill” from the hospital and nursing home employees, medical staff, board of directors and most importantly our community.

Mary Kwiatek
Vice President, BCH Foundation Board of Directors

Blood Pressure Class for BCH Primary Care Patients

The Bertrand Chaffee Hospital Education Department will be holding a FREE high blood pressure class for our BCH primary care patients.

Participants will get a FREE self-monitoring blood pressure cuff and blood pressure journal. This class will be held on June 24 at 10 a.m. and offered a second time on July 24 at 6 p.m.

This class is available free due to a grant from the Erie County P2 Collaborative. Any BCH Primary Care patient with hypertension (high blood pressure) or pre-hypertension is welcome to attend. Participants will be required to meet with the education nurse for 15 minutes in three months to review the journal entries and the BP readings will be shared with their BCH Primary Care Center provider. To register for the free class and BP cuff call (716) 592-9643.