A Familiar Face in Pharmacy at BCH
Every family has traditions. And within the family of employees at Bertrand Chaffee Hospital in Springville, the name “Hodson” represents a strong tradition in the past, present and future of the pharmacy department.
Pharmacist Lynn Hodson came to Bertrand Chaffee Hospital in 1977 after meeting then-BCH CEO Roger Ford in Buffalo – he was her neighbor there. Her career in pharmacy up to that point had been in a wide range of settings. She trained in one of the first PharmD programs in the nation, at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh.
Hodson started her Pharmacy Residency at Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh. She subsequently worked on the medical teaching unit there. Then, Buffalo General Community Mental Health Clinic recruited her to the Buffalo area to work in the new Lithium clinic. There, as she put it, she “built a pharmacy department starting with just four walls.” She moved on to the Buffalo Psychiatric Center as regional director of psychiatric pharmacy in the mid-1970s. Hodson belongs to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), which has rigorous accrediting criteria for members.
With 60-hour weeks and odd hours in Buffalo, Lynn was drawn to the new challenge of establishing a pharmacy department at BCH. “The pharmacy at BCH started as a cabinet,” said Hodson. And so it began; Hodson has been a familiar name and friendly face at BCH since 1977.
After working full-time at BCH for 25 years, she took early retirement in 2002 and continued at area retail pharmacies as a consulting pharmacist for the next several years. Lynn returned in 2007 as interim director of pharmacy at then-CEO Mary Kwiatek’s request. She has remained as a consultant and pharmacist ever since.
That included stepping in during a 10-week period over the summer when BCH searched for a new pharmacy director. “We’ve had great luck having pharmacists stay here for years at a time,” said Darlene Schrantz, RN, BSN, director of patient care services. “In a rural hospital, recruiting pharmacists, providers and nursing staff takes a great deal of effort – but once they’re here, they tend to stay.”
During the search process, a familiar name rose to the top of the pile: Dr. Heather Hodson, the elder Hodson’s daughter. Her experience at BCH started when her mother brought her in as an infant while she worked. By the time Heather was in high school, she was volunteering at BCH and working as a pharmacy technician during the summer while she attended D’Youville College as a pre-med/biology major.
After graduating in 1999, Heather worked as a pharmacy tech in Williamsville and at Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo (WCHOB). A few years later, she moved cross country to San Francisco, where she continued as a pharmacy tech in the Castro District of San Francisco. A manager there encouraged her to apply to pharmacy school for further education.
That manager did not expect what happened next. Heather took her PCATS (similar to MCATS, for pharmacy school) and ended up enrolling at a school on the East Coast: the University at Buffalo.
“No one was more surprised at that than I was,” said the elder Hodson. Heather’s familiarity and family history in the pharmacy field was a great source of strength as she worked, again, at WCHOB, on pediatrics floors while earning her doctorate of pharmacy degree.
Heather stayed with WCHOB after graduation, working as a pharmacist for nine years. She then spent a year at Mercy Hospital in a more clinical capacity, rounding with physicians, making recommendations for drug therapy, and working in a more direct role with practitioners and patients. There she gained experience with adult patients facing cardiac and geriatric conditions.
The opening in fall 2016 at BCH came at just the right time for Heather. “I was on an intense schedule at Mercy,” she explained. “The thought of being the pharmacist for a hospital that I know so well – it feels like home to me.”
At BCH, the younger Dr. Hodson now handles the daily administration of a pharmacy department that supports the hospital’s 24-bed acute care floor and emergency department. Dr. Hodson is on-call for hospital needs and requests. She also advises policies on reducing medical errors and improving processes related to medications.
As she looked ahead in the pharmacy field, Heather realized that many pharmacists had little knowledge about the natural and homeopathic substances. “Patients are taking these treatments to manage or try to prevent medical conditions,” said Heather. “We have to pay attention to that as pharmacists.”
Acknowledging that need for more detailed information, Heather pursued a certificate in herbal medicine on her own over nine months to build her understanding the over-the-counter supplements, vitamins and herbs. Combined with her pharmacy experience and medical awareness, Heather can draw from two deep pools of knowledge when participating in patient care.
“There’s a team aspect to what we do as pharmacists,” said Lynn, a sentiment that her daughter echoed. “There’s the daily administrative aspect to our department,” said Heather. “But I’m part of a team here with providers and physicians, all focused on finding the right medications at the right doses at the right time for our patients.”
The Bertrand Chaffee Hospital lobby sees a cast of constantly changing characters. Family members sit with snacks from the coffee shop, employees pass through, and patients wait for their turn to check in with one of the most visible parts of hospital administration: the Registration Department.
Vanderkarr heads a 10-person team that registers patients for lab work, imaging tests, emergency care, inpatient stays and surgical procedures. She has been with BCH for about four years, two of them as a manager.
Bertrand Chaffee Hospital made a significant investment in its Imaging Department at the end of 2016. The facility remodeled one of the radiographic (“x-ray”) rooms and installed a new digital radiography (DR) machine.
Over the course of a week in November, students at Springville Elementary School (SES) collected pennies on Monday, nickels on Tuesday, dimes on Wednesday and quarters on Thursday to raise more than $275 for more than 30 new books that will be donated to Bertrand Chaffee Hospital and its Little Free Library. Mr. Noeson’s fifth grade class collected the most change at $57.08, and helped the SES Parent Teacher Association (PTA) select the books.
The group followed this event by setting up a pop-up shop at the first annual Root 39 Event Center Christmas Bazaar on Sunday. Items from the BCH Gift Shop were available at this festive event, which featured local vendors, live music, and a visit from Santa. A special thanks to Ang Shaver and the team at Root 39 for inviting the women’s association and waiving the participation fee for this event.
At its quarterly meeting in October, the Bertrand Chaffee Hospital Foundation board of directors welcomed guests Kevin and Jeanne Mahoney. For a second year, they presented a donation from Mahoney & Sullivan Financial Group in East Concord in support of the foundation’s annual appeal, which begins in late October.
Bertrand Chaffee Hospital is pleased to announce that after taking his examinations this fall, Gavin Davison, MD has been board certified in surgery by the American Board of Surgery.
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month takes place each October. Bertrand Chaffee Hospital works with local primary care providers and gynecologists to make sure that women are following up-to-date guidelines for regular screenings, including mammograms. “Treatment for breast cancer is more effective at early stages, and treatment options increase with earlier diagnoses,” said Imaging Department Manager Lisa Smith. “All women should perform a self-examination each month to feel for lumps, thickenings or hardened areas, and women over the age of 40 should schedule a mammogram each year or as recommended by their healthcare provider.”
As twenty volunteer models made final adjustments to their outfits in a curtained-off space at the Springville Volunteer Fire Hall, a crowd of more than 100 supporters waited for the BCH Women’s Association fashion show to begin on September 25.
The volunteers modeled casual and dressy styles from maurices and Christopher & Banks, which had bold blasts of raspberry, mustard and teal accents on a field of black and denim. Two models from Lularoe walked the floor with some of the new arrivals at Lularoe Patty Gertis’ VIP Boutique in Chaffee. Accessories were donated for the show from Sheret Jewelers, for watches, earrings, bracelets and necklaces, and Springville Eye Care, with sunglasses and fashion frames.
The Bertrand Chaffee Hospital Women’s Association will present its annual Fashion Show on Sunday, September 25 at 2 p.m. at the Springville Volunteer Fire Hall on West Main Street.
Bertrand Chaffee Hospital is pleased to announce another key addition to its medical staff. Gavin Davison, MD will be establishing his surgical practice in Springville as he assumes the position of Chairman of the Bertrand Chaffee Hospital Department of Surgery.
Beautiful weather and a pile of tools and supplies greeted the two dozen volunteers who showed up bright and early on August 17 at BCH. These employees from ITT Enidine of Orchard Park and M&T Bank branches in Western New York spent the day landscaping, and painting curbs and exterior fixtures. The reason: the 24th annual Day of Caring through the United Way of Buffalo and Erie County.
Dr. William Wnuk has been appointed medical director for the Bertrand Chaffee Hospital Primary Care Center. He will serve as the physician leader responsible for quality assurance for the practice, which will add a tenth provider, Dr. Jacqueline Shanahan, on August 9.
Bertrand Chaffee Hospital has announced that Dr. Jacqueline Shanahan will be joining the Primary Care Center as of August 9, 2016.
Starting in July, Bertrand Chaffee Hospital is a distribution site for Yellow Dot kits provided by Sheriff Timothy Howard’s office. The New York State Sheriffs’ Association developed the Yellow Dot program to aid first responders in identifying specific medical conditions of occupants while providing life-saving medical attention after a vehicle crash or other emergency.
Thanks to the BCH Women’s Association continual efforts to raise funds for equipment and improvements at BCH and JBR, a new patient cart is in use in the Emergency Department. This specialized cart is a part of the patient safety planning that is underway by hospital administration and staff.
The BCH Foundation is pleased to be a part of the SCENe Garden Walk on Saturday, July 9 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
