Saint Anthony bereavement nurse tells how she helps parents cope
CROWN POINT | Cassie Bass loves a job few people would envy.
Since 1996, she has served as bereavement nurse at Saint Anthony Medical Center, guiding grieving parents through miscarriages, stillborn and neonatal deaths.
“In no other place but the OB (obstetrics) unit do you get to experience new life and tragic death, sometimes in the same day,” she says.
Bass says she appreciates what she does not only because of the assistance she is able to provide others, but for the strength and guidance the job gives her.
“Sometimes I’ll call my oldest, my 18-year-old son, and tell him I’ll be home later because I’m dealing with one of my special mothers. He knows that means I’m dealing with a mother who just lost a baby and will tell me, ‘I’ll be ready for a hug when you get home.’
“The first thing I do when I get home is hug my kids. My love is fuller and deeper because of what I share with parents during a difficult time. The loss of a baby will teach you a lot.”
Bass, of Demotte, a Crown Point native who has been a nurse since 1987, started in the hospital’s labor and delivery unit, now called The Birth Place, in 1992. Cass makes it clear she is not the only nurse who has served in the difficult role, officially or unofficially.
“This is not about me. I’ve worked with women who had been at Saint Anthony since it opened (in 1974) and did bereavement long before it was an official role. I wouldn’t be here if it hadn’t been for some of the other nurses, who taught me so much.” She also salutes the present nursing staff for its help and support.
Kathy Camp, a nurse since 1971 who has been with Saint Anthony since 1979, is among Bass’s mentors, as are Cindy Nowicki, Becky Lenon and Sandi Schantz, who became the hospital’s first bereavement nurse in 1987 and unofficially performed the duties prior to that time. Bass assumed the role when Schantz went on to a new assignment.
Schantz was so moved by her experiences that she penned a book titled, “Labor of Love,” (available through bookstores and online at www.laboroflovebook.com) to help couples in their time of need.
She viewed her bereavement duties as important because “somebody needs to acknowledge parents – validate their feelings” after child loss.
“You cry with them, but then you also must be the rock to prepare them and teach about what’s ahead,” Schantz says. “I followed up with all of my parents later and talked about what happened. If they can find the reason their baby died, it is easier on them. If they can’t, it’s harder.
“We relate that if the baby is incompatible with life, God will take care of it.”
Camp, who did bereavement work before it became a designated position, says she took on the role because she felt comfortable in it.
“What I get out of doing the job is the special link you provide for people to find their own grieving process. We encourage people and families to tell their feelings – every family is different in how they handle it.”
Bass agrees. “I base what I do on how each person and couple is dealing with the situation and I get wonderful support from the hospital. My job is to educate parents as to their options.”
Those include information on funeral arrangements, another topic not easy to address – but one Cass must, about 10 times annually.
Bass says burials take place for all miscarriages at Saint Anthony, although that is not required by law for babies carried up to 20 weeks.
“There is a great respect for life at Saint Anthony,” she says. “For seven years, thanks to Geisen Funeral Home in Crown Point, we have had a large headstone marking the burial location at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Crown Point. The families really have appreciated it.”
Asked how she copes when the sadness and stress with which she deals starts to hit home, Bass replies, “I just tell myself I’m not the one having a bad day. I have to help other people -- tell them the sun’s going to come up tomorrow and you must make it through this. You need to get back to your life, your work.”
Although Bass (and Schantz) had formal bereavement training at the Resolve Through Sharing program in Indianapolis, Bass says of the work, “As my mother-in-law told me, it has to be inside you to do this. You need to let the Lord speak to you and follow his way.”
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Saint Anthony named Best Hospital of Region 2009
Readers of The Times-Shore magazine vote in 15th annual contest
CROWN POINT | Saint Anthony Medical Center took first place in the Healthcare-Hospital category in The Times of Northwest Indiana-Shore magazine Best of the Region 2009 contest.
The 15th annual survey allowed the publications’ readers to vote online in 90 categories and subcategories in the areas of Healthcare, Entertainment, Education and Instruction, Beauty and Wellness, Food and Drink, What Moves Us, Services and Shopping. Saint Anthony received the second-highest number of votes of 112,000 cast.
“I’m honored that Saint Anthony is so highly regarded by the people who matter most – those in the community who are its patients, neighbors and clients,” hospital President David Ruskowski said, adding, “As much as I’m humbled by the honor, I must admit I’m not surprised. People only need to get to know us and our top-notch services to see why we’re regarded as best.”
In presenting Saint Anthony with the award, The Times and Shore said, “With 245 beds, 1,450 employees, 358 physicians and more than 150 volunteers, Saint Anthony’s staff has the skills to back up its technology, which is state-of-the-art.”
The Times of Northwest Indiana, based in Munster, is the state’s second-largest media company and the largest in Northwest Indiana. Shore magazine is the area’s leading style and culture publication.
Awards have been no stranger to Saint Anthony recently.
The hospital is a 2009 recipient of a Patient Safety Excellence Award, ranking it among the top 5 percent nationally, in the sixth annual HealthGrades Patient Safety in American Hospitals Study. HealthGrades is the nation’s leading independent health care research firm.
Saint Anthony, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary, also has been recognized numerous times in recent years by HealthGrades for stroke treatment and hip fracture repair.
For more information on Saint Anthony, call (219) 663-8120 or visit www.stanthonymedicalcenter.com.
CROWN POINT | Saint Anthony Medical Center took first place in the Healthcare-Hospital category in The Times of Northwest Indiana-Shore magazine Best of the Region 2009 contest.
The 15th annual survey allowed the publications’ readers to vote online in 90 categories and subcategories in the areas of Healthcare, Entertainment, Education and Instruction, Beauty and Wellness, Food and Drink, What Moves Us, Services and Shopping. Saint Anthony received the second-highest number of votes of 112,000 cast.
“I’m honored that Saint Anthony is so highly regarded by the people who matter most – those in the community who are its patients, neighbors and clients,” hospital President David Ruskowski said, adding, “As much as I’m humbled by the honor, I must admit I’m not surprised. People only need to get to know us and our top-notch services to see why we’re regarded as best.”
In presenting Saint Anthony with the award, The Times and Shore said, “With 245 beds, 1,450 employees, 358 physicians and more than 150 volunteers, Saint Anthony’s staff has the skills to back up its technology, which is state-of-the-art.”
The Times of Northwest Indiana, based in Munster, is the state’s second-largest media company and the largest in Northwest Indiana. Shore magazine is the area’s leading style and culture publication.
Awards have been no stranger to Saint Anthony recently.
The hospital is a 2009 recipient of a Patient Safety Excellence Award, ranking it among the top 5 percent nationally, in the sixth annual HealthGrades Patient Safety in American Hospitals Study. HealthGrades is the nation’s leading independent health care research firm.
Saint Anthony, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary, also has been recognized numerous times in recent years by HealthGrades for stroke treatment and hip fracture repair.
For more information on Saint Anthony, call (219) 663-8120 or visit www.stanthonymedicalcenter.com.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Pain takes back seat at Saint Anthony
Dr. M. Hytham Rifai cites advances in neuro, spinal surgery
Saint Anthony Medical Center staff physician M. Hytham Rifai has witnessed considerable progress in the neurological and spinal surgery fields since he began practicing medicine more than two decades ago.
As an example of the advances, Rifai, a medical doctor who is board certified in neurosurgery and has been on the Saint Anthony staff 23 years, said he recently employed a new minimally invasive lumbar spine procedure, called AxiaLIF, and his patient did “wonderfully.”
TranS1 Inc., a North Carolina-based medical device company that pioneered the procedure, reported Rifai was the first doctor in Northwest Indiana to use it.
“She was having terrific back pain from a very bad disc, although she had surgery previously,” Rifai said. “After her latest, minimally invasive surgery, she spent only one or two nights in the hospital – a big change from the past.”
Rifai, who also has been treating an increasing number of neck problems and herniated discs, said he takes a conservative treatment approach that leaves surgery “as the last resort.”
He added that when surgery is needed, the chances of success are much greater than in past decades, thanks to advances in diagnostic equipment that more clearly isolate and identify problem areas.
As far as neck cases, “the neck is much smaller than the backbone and it supports the head, which is heavy.
Eventually, there is degeneration in the neck,” Rifai said. Some of that, he added, can be attributed to patients’ spending considerable time in sedentary positions, such as those who work desk jobs and use computers, who might not have correct posture and/or don’t get enough exercise.
Rifai, who is based at Neurological & Spinal Surgery, which has offices in Crown Point, Merrillville, Munster and Valparaiso, said he has “great respect” for Saint Anthony Medical Center and its parent, Sisters of St. Francis Health Services Inc.
“The health care industry has seen its ups and downs, but Saint Anthony always has kept its head above water and not allowed its quality of care to be affected. The Sisters of St. Francis system continues to grow and provides good care to the Northwest Indiana area.”
Dr. Rifai also is a diplomate-American Board of Neurological Surgery and an assistant professor of neurosurgery at the University of Illinois-Chicago.
He can be reached at (219) 756-2900 or by e-mail: drrifai@neuro1.us.
Saint Anthony Medical Center staff physician M. Hytham Rifai has witnessed considerable progress in the neurological and spinal surgery fields since he began practicing medicine more than two decades ago.
As an example of the advances, Rifai, a medical doctor who is board certified in neurosurgery and has been on the Saint Anthony staff 23 years, said he recently employed a new minimally invasive lumbar spine procedure, called AxiaLIF, and his patient did “wonderfully.”
TranS1 Inc., a North Carolina-based medical device company that pioneered the procedure, reported Rifai was the first doctor in Northwest Indiana to use it.
“She was having terrific back pain from a very bad disc, although she had surgery previously,” Rifai said. “After her latest, minimally invasive surgery, she spent only one or two nights in the hospital – a big change from the past.”
Rifai, who also has been treating an increasing number of neck problems and herniated discs, said he takes a conservative treatment approach that leaves surgery “as the last resort.”
He added that when surgery is needed, the chances of success are much greater than in past decades, thanks to advances in diagnostic equipment that more clearly isolate and identify problem areas.
As far as neck cases, “the neck is much smaller than the backbone and it supports the head, which is heavy.
Eventually, there is degeneration in the neck,” Rifai said. Some of that, he added, can be attributed to patients’ spending considerable time in sedentary positions, such as those who work desk jobs and use computers, who might not have correct posture and/or don’t get enough exercise.
Rifai, who is based at Neurological & Spinal Surgery, which has offices in Crown Point, Merrillville, Munster and Valparaiso, said he has “great respect” for Saint Anthony Medical Center and its parent, Sisters of St. Francis Health Services Inc.
“The health care industry has seen its ups and downs, but Saint Anthony always has kept its head above water and not allowed its quality of care to be affected. The Sisters of St. Francis system continues to grow and provides good care to the Northwest Indiana area.”
Dr. Rifai also is a diplomate-American Board of Neurological Surgery and an assistant professor of neurosurgery at the University of Illinois-Chicago.
He can be reached at (219) 756-2900 or by e-mail: drrifai@neuro1.us.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Get Healthy NOW!
Saint Anthony, Sheriff’s Department team for Wellness Fair May 31
CROWN POINT | There is no time like the present to get your health on the right track.
In that vein, a free community wellness fair titled, “Get Healthy NOW!” will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. May 31 at Franciscan Point, Saint Anthony Medical Center’s newest outpatient health complex, 12800 Mississippi Parkway, located along U.S. 231, just east of Interstate 65.
The day will feature screenings for skin cancer, vision, blood pressure, glucose, pulmonary function, nutrition and body fat analysis.
The fair also will serve as the location for the kickoff of the Sheriff Department’s F.I.T. Challenge, a three-month program devoted to promoting proper nutrition and healthy lifestyles for Northwest Indiana residents.
Developed by Sheriff’s Department Chief Marco Kuyachich, the Challenge will offer weekly programs through Aug. 30, aimed at weight loss. Exercise and wellness events will take place Saturday mornings at area parks.
The most successful participants will lose body fat but gain weight in the pocketbook. Cash prizes of $2,500, $1,000 and $500 will be awarded for first- through third-place finishers, respectively.
Cost to participate is $10 and will include a Chief’s Challenge t-shirt. The program only is open to Lake County residents. For more information, visit www.lakecountysheriff.com.
Also at the Wellness Fair, tours of the Saint Anthony Sports Medicine Institute’s Athletic Development Department, including a soccer demonstration from 2 to 3 p.m. by department Director Frank Eksten, will be offered, as will tours of a Lake County SWAT team truck and command center, a fire truck, Lake County Sheriff’s Department helicopter and Lakes of the Four Seasons Fire Force Safety Smoke House.
Other highlights will be a Moonwalk for children and refreshments, among them free Hot Healthy Turkey Dogs, provided by the Sheriff’s Department.
Raffle prizes will include a Wii and Wii Fit Package, a Professional Trek Mountain Bike, therapeutic massages and sports physical certificates.
CROWN POINT | There is no time like the present to get your health on the right track.
In that vein, a free community wellness fair titled, “Get Healthy NOW!” will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. May 31 at Franciscan Point, Saint Anthony Medical Center’s newest outpatient health complex, 12800 Mississippi Parkway, located along U.S. 231, just east of Interstate 65.
The day will feature screenings for skin cancer, vision, blood pressure, glucose, pulmonary function, nutrition and body fat analysis.
The fair also will serve as the location for the kickoff of the Sheriff Department’s F.I.T. Challenge, a three-month program devoted to promoting proper nutrition and healthy lifestyles for Northwest Indiana residents.
Developed by Sheriff’s Department Chief Marco Kuyachich, the Challenge will offer weekly programs through Aug. 30, aimed at weight loss. Exercise and wellness events will take place Saturday mornings at area parks.
The most successful participants will lose body fat but gain weight in the pocketbook. Cash prizes of $2,500, $1,000 and $500 will be awarded for first- through third-place finishers, respectively.
Cost to participate is $10 and will include a Chief’s Challenge t-shirt. The program only is open to Lake County residents. For more information, visit www.lakecountysheriff.com.
Also at the Wellness Fair, tours of the Saint Anthony Sports Medicine Institute’s Athletic Development Department, including a soccer demonstration from 2 to 3 p.m. by department Director Frank Eksten, will be offered, as will tours of a Lake County SWAT team truck and command center, a fire truck, Lake County Sheriff’s Department helicopter and Lakes of the Four Seasons Fire Force Safety Smoke House.
Other highlights will be a Moonwalk for children and refreshments, among them free Hot Healthy Turkey Dogs, provided by the Sheriff’s Department.
Raffle prizes will include a Wii and Wii Fit Package, a Professional Trek Mountain Bike, therapeutic massages and sports physical certificates.
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