St. Lukes Boise/Meridian is Among Top 5 Percent in Nation

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Posted on 24th January 2012 by Ken Dey in Boise |Health System |Meridian

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– HealthGrades Quality Study Identifies Hospitals with Superior Patient Outcomes Across 26 Different Medical Procedures and Diagnoses –

BOISE, Idaho (January 24, 2012) – St. Luke’s Health System announced today that HealthGrades, the nation’s leading independent healthcare ratings organization, has named its Boise Meridian Medical Centers a Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence™. This prestigious distinction places St. Luke’s Boise Meridian Medical Centers among the top 5 percent of hospitals nationwide for clinical performance.

HealthGrades Hospital Quality and Clinical Excellence study, released today, objectively identifies those hospitals with the best overall clinical performance across 26 medical diagnoses and procedures that the organization rates. These 263 top-performing hospitals represent only 5 percent of the nation’s hospitals and each is designated as a HealthGrades Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence™.

“St. Luke’s can be proud of the contributions of its physicians, nurses and staff in achieving outstanding patient care,” said Kristin Reed, MPH, HealthGrades vice president of hospital ratings and author of the study. “The Boise community is fortunate to have access to some of the highest quality hospital care in the nation.”

St. Luke’s Boise/Meridian was one of two hospitals in Idaho to receive the recognition. Saint Alphonsus Medical Center was also recognized. St. Luke’s also received the Vascular Surgery Excellence Award ™ for the fourth year in a row, the Cardiac Surgery Excellence Award™ for the third year in a row, and the Joint Replacement Excellence Award ™ for the second year in row. St. Luke’s Boise/Meridian also was recognized as the No. 1 hospital in Idaho for critical care, vascular surgery, orthopedic serves, joint replacement, and pulmonary services.

This recognition is an opportunity to celebrate our success while recognizing that it takes all of us, in all of the areas we serve, to achieve excellence,” said Dr. David C. Pate, St. Luke’s Health System president and CEO. “These evidence-based awards attest to the fact that we are delivering on our intention to be a national leader by 2015, and while I’m extremely proud of each and every St. Luke’s team member for helping us achieve this recognition, we can’t forget that it is the people we serve and the patients we treat that benefit from our efforts.”

To find out more about Dr. Pate’s thoughts on awards and other issues facing St. Luke’s health system visit his new blog at drpate.stlukesblogs.org.

Unlike other hospital quality studies, HealthGrades evaluates hospitals solely on clinical outcomes: risk-adjusted mortality and in-hospital complications. HealthGrades’ analysis is based on approximately 40 million Medicare discharges for the years 2008, 2009 and 2010. Using these top-performing hospitals as a benchmark in this year’s HealthGrades study, HealthGrades quantifies the impact of differences in hospital quality in terms of lives lost and unexpected complications.

The HealthGrades study found that:

• Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence (Top 5 percent in the nation), such as St. Luke’s Boise Meridian, outperformed all other hospitals across all of the 17 mortality cohorts and six of nine complication cohorts studied from 2008 through 2010.

• Specifically, Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence had a 30.07 percent lower risk-adjusted mortality rate and a 1.86 percent lower risk-adjusted in-hospital complication rate among Medicare beneficiaries compared to all other hospitals.

• In fact, if all hospitals performed at the level of Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence, 165,704 Medicare lives could potentially have been saved and 6,800 Medicare in-hospital complications could potentially have been avoided.

St. Luke’s Boise/Meridian is 5-Star Rated for the following:

• Five-Star Rated for Valve Surgery for 5 Years in a Row (2008-2012)
• Five-Star Rated for Treatment of Heart Attack in 2012
• Five-Star Rated for Overall Orthopedic Services for 2 Years in a Row (2011-2012)
• Five-Star Rated for Joint Replacement for 4 Years in a Row (2009-2012)
• Five-Star Rated for Spine Surgery for 2 Years in a Row (2011-2012)
• Five-Star Rated for Total Knee Replacement for 4 Years in a Row (2009-2012)
• Five-Star Rated for Total Hip Replacement for 2 Years in a Row (2011-2012)
• Five-Star Rated for Back and Neck Surgery (Spinal Fusion) for 2 Years in a Row (2011-2012)
• Five-Star Rated for Treatment of Pneumonia in 2012
• Five-Star Rated for Vascular Surgery in 2012
• Five-Star Rated for Carotid Surgery for 8 Years in a Row (2005-2012)
• Five-Star Rated for Peripheral Vascular Bypass in 2012
• Five-Star Rated for GI Procedures and Surgeries for 4 Years in a Row (2009-2012)
• Five-Star Rated for Treatment of Sepsis in 2012
• Five-Star Rated for Treatment of Respiratory Failure in 2012

About St. Luke’s Health System
Founded in Boise in 1902, St. Luke’s Health System is Idaho’s largest and only-locally controlled not-for-profit health care system with six hospitals in Boise, Meridian, Twin Falls, Ketchum, McCall and Jerome, and more than 100 outpatient centers and clinics throughout central and southwest Idaho. St. Luke’s has earned numerous national awards for excellence in patient care. St. Luke’s provides unmatched care in specialized medical fields including cancer, heart and vascular, obstetrics, women’s services and children’s health care. For more information about St. Luke’s, visit www.stlukesonline.org.

HealthGrades Hospital Quality Distinctions
As part of this study, HealthGrades evaluates each of the nation’s 5,000 nonfederal hospitals in 26 procedures and diagnoses, allowing individuals to compare their local hospitals online at www.healthgrades.com. HealthGrades hospital quality distinctions are independently created; no hospital can opt-in or opt-out of being evaluated, and no hospital pays to be evaluated. Mortality and complication rates are risk adjusted, which takes into account differing levels of severity of patient illness at different hospitals and allows for hospitals to be compared equally.

About HealthGrades
HealthGrades, headquartered in Denver, Colorado, is a leading provider of comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals. More than 200 million consumers use the HealthGrades websites, including HealthGrades.com and BetterMedicine.com, to research, select, and connect with a physician or hospital, and use its comprehensive information about clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, patient safety, and health conditions to make more informed healthcare decisions and take action. Find more information about our products and services at HealthGrades.com. Follow us on Twitter (@HealthGrades) and Facebook for news and updates. More information on how HealthGrades guides Americans to their best health can be found at www.healthgrades.com.

For more information, contact Ken Dey, St. Luke’s Media Manager, (208) 381-2894 or deyke@slhs.org

St. Luke’s Welcomes its New Year Babies

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Posted on 1st January 2012 by Ken Dey in Boise |Childrens |Meridian

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NEWS RELEASE

St. Luke’s Health System Welcomes New Year’s Day Babies at its Boise and Meridian Hospitals

New Year’s Day 2012 dawned with St. Luke’s Boise Medical Center recording the first new baby of the year.

The baby girl named Nevaeh (heaven spelled backwards), was born at 3:21 a.m. at St. Luke’s Boise Medical Center to Jacqulyn and Bret Peterson from Meridian. She was 6 pounds and 6 ounces. Neveah is the couple’s second child.

A second baby girl named Tabitha, was born at 6:10 a.m. at St. Luke’s Meridian Medical Center to Tasha and Trevor Brittsan of Meridian. She was 7 pounds and 11 ounces. Tabitha is the couple’s third child.

To help mark the special occasion, St. Luke’s provided the families with a welcome gift, which included a $100 Target gift card.

St. Luke’s Health System delivers more babies than any other system in Idaho. Each year nearly 6,000 babies are born at St. Luke’s Boise and Meridian hospitals in the Treasure Valley.

Editors Note: Media is welcome to interview the families of the new baby. To arrange an interview contact Ken Dey, media manager, at 631-5322 or deyke@slhs.org.

St. Luke’s Health System Names New Wood River CEO

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Posted on 30th November 2011 by Ken Dey in Boise |Health System |Uncategorized |Wood River

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Ketchum, ID, November 30, 2011 – Officials with St. Luke’s Health System have named a new CEO for St. Luke’s Wood River Medical Center.

Cody Langbehn, an executive with Billings Clinic in Billings, Mont., will assume the role of CEO effective Jan. 23, 2012. Langbehn replaces interim CEO John Kee, who will continue in his role as vice president of physician services for St. Luke’s Health System.

“Cody has extensive experience in the delivery of medical services throughout the Intermountain Region, which will be invaluable in the future development of St. Luke’s Wood River,” said David Pate, MD, JD, St. Luke’s Health System president and CEO.

St. Luke’s Wood River, based in Ketchum, is a 25-bed, critical-access hospital serving patients throughout central Idaho.

Prior to joining St. Luke’s, Langbehn was Executive Director of Regional Operations at Billings Clinic. He joined Billings Clinic in 1997 as CEO of Pioneer Medical Center in Big Timber, Mont., which is one of seven critical access hospitals managed by Billings Clinic. Langbehn served as CEO for eight years, during which he oversaw operations at the 25-bed hospital and clinic, as well as a 35-bed nursing home, and 18-bed assisted living facility.

Langbehn has a bachelor’s degree in health care administration from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., and a master’s degree in health care administration from Montana State University-Billings. Langbehn will relocate to the Wood River Valley with his wife, Lisa, and their two young children.

Kee has been interim CEO of Wood River since April 2010, when then CEO Bruce Jensen assumed the role of vice president of operations for St. Luke’s Health System.

“We are grateful that John Kee and his management team have positioned the hospital so well for the future and have developed a hospital for which the community is justifiably proud,” Pate said.

About St. Luke’s Health System

Founded in Boise in 1902, St. Luke’s Health System is Idaho’s largest and only-locally controlled not-for-profit health care system with six hospitals in Boise, Meridian, Twin Falls, Ketchum, McCall and Jerome, and more than 100 outpatient centers and clinics throughout central and southwest Idaho. St. Luke’s has earned numerous national awards for excellence in patient care. St. Luke’s provides unmatched care in specialized medical fields including cancer, heart and vascular, obstetrics, women’s services and children’s health care. For more information about St. Luke’s, visit www.stlukesonline.org.

For more information, contact: Jenny King, marketing and public relations coordinator, (208) 727-8435 or kingj@slhs.org, or Ken Dey, media manager, (208) 381-2894 or deyke@slhs.org.

 

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St. Luke’s Ranks in Nation’s Top 50 for Cardiovascular Care

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Posted on 21st November 2011 by Ken Dey in Boise |Health System |Heart

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BOISE, ID, Nov. 21, 2011 – For the second consecutive year, St. Luke’s Boise and Meridian medical centers were named in the Top 50 for cardiovascular care by Thomson Reuters.

To compile the list of winners, Thomson Reuters analyzed outcomes of patients during 2009 and 2010 who experienced heart failure and heart attacks and those who received coronary bypass surgery and percutaneous coronary interventions such as angioplasties, at more than 1,000 hospitals.

This is the 6th time St. Luke’s received the recognition. In previous years it was the Top 100, but for the last two years Thomson Reuters chose to single out just 50 hospitals. St. Luke’s is the only Idaho hospital to be named to this year’s list.

“With heart disease remaining the leading cause of death in the United States,   St. Luke’s is committed to providing our community access to a level of heart care that continues to exceed their expectations,” said Chris Roth, St. Luke’s Treasure Valley CEO. “Achieving national recognition is a credit to our highly skilled and dedicated physicians, caregivers, and staff who go above and beyond to deliver outcomes that are among the best in the nation.”

“This year’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals have continued to deliver excellent care and have been able to improve their performance in a tough economic climate,” said Jean Chenoweth, senior vice president for performance improvement and 100 Top Hospitals program at Thomson Reuters. “The hospitals in this study have provided measurably better care and are more efficient than their peers, demonstrating incredibly strong focus by hospital leadership at a time when the health care system is steeped in volatility.”

Thomson Reuters found that 97 percent of cardiovascular inpatients in U.S. hospitals survive and approximately 96 percent remain complication-free, reflecting improved cardiovascular care across-the-board over the past year. The 50 top hospitals’ performance surpasses these high-water marks as indicated by:

  • Better risk-adjusted survival rates (23 percent fewer deaths than non-Top 50 hospitals for bypass surgery patients).
  • Lower complications indices (40 percent lower rate of heart failure complications).
  • Fewer patients readmitted to the hospital after 30 days.
  • Shorter hospital visits and lower costs. Top hospitals discharge bypass patients nearly a full day sooner and spend $4,200 less per bypass case.
  • Increased use of internal mammary artery (IMA) for coronary artery bypass surgeries. Top hospitals have increased their use of this recommended procedure from 88 to 96 percent.

Thomson Reuters evaluated general and applicable specialty, short-term, acute care, and non-federal U.S. hospitals treating a broad spectrum of cardiology patients.

Thomson Reuters researchers analyzed 2009 and 2010 Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR) data, Medicare cost reports, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare data. They scored hospitals in key performance areas: risk-adjusted mortality, risk-adjusted complications, core measures (a group of measures that assess process of care), percentage of coronary bypass patients with internal mammary artery use, 30-day mortality rates, 30-day readmission rates, severity-adjusted average length of stay, and wage- and severity-adjusted average cost.

St. Luke’s has a long history of providing cardiovascular care. In 1968, Dr. Rodney Herr performedIdaho’s first open-heart surgery at St. Luke’s. Today, St. Luke has collaborative relationships with the region’s top cardiologists, and cardiothoracic and vascular surgeons, under the umbrella of St. Luke’s Heart. St. Luke’s Heart performs more cardiovascular procedures than any other Idaho hospital, and consistently ranks well above the national averages in cardiovascular performance measures.

About St. Luke’s Health System

St. Luke’s Boise and Meridian Medical Centers are part of St. Luke’s Health System –Idaho’s largest and only locally controlled health care system, employing more than 9,500 people. With hospitals in Boise, Meridian, Twin Falls, Ketchum, McCall and Jerome, St. Luke’s provides patients with unmatched care in specialized medical fields including cancer, heart and vascular, obstetrics, women’s services and children’s health care. To find out more visit www.stlukesonline.org.

About Thomson Reuters

Thomson Reuters is the leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. They combine industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision makers in the financial, legal, tax and accounting, healthcare and science, and media markets, powered by the world’s most trusted news organization. With headquarters in New York and major operations in London and Eagan, Minnesota, Thomson Reuters employs 55,000 people and operates in over 100 countries. For more information, go to http://thomsonreuters.com.

For more information, contact Ken Dey, St. Luke’s Media Manager, at (208) 381-2894 or deyke@slhs.org.

 

St. Luke’s and West Valley Medical Center Form New Cardiac Care Collaboration

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Posted on 2nd November 2011 by Ken Dey in Health System |Heart

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Caldwell, ID – St. Luke’s Health System and West Valley Medical Center have formed a new partnership now known as Collaborative Cardiovascular Care. This agreement bolsters support for quality and continuity of care for patients with heart conditions in the West Valley service area. As a result of these efforts, patients can be assured local access to frequently needed outpatient services as well as timely intervention and treatment for emergent cardiac conditions.

Executives and physicians from the two hospitals will hold a press conference at 2 p.m. Nov. 1 in the main lobby at West Valley Medical Center.

“We are pleased to join forces with St. Luke’s to elevate West Valley Medical Center’s ability to treat heart and vascular related illnesses right in our community,” said Julie Taylor, CEO of West Valley Medical Center. This collaboration secures the provision of the highest quality of care and coordination of efforts for residents of Canyon County.”

“St. Luke’s is committed to supporting the care and treatment of Canyon County residents in their home communities,” said Chris Roth, St. Luke’s Treasure Valley CEO.  “As a result of this collaboration, patients will have the convenience of community based care and seamless access to higher levels of service when needed.”

The collaboration will lead to the future development of a certified Chest Pain Center located in the West Valley Medical Center Emergency Department that will ensure early detection and treatment for patients with cardiac symptoms. It will also create peripheral vascular diagnostic and interventional procedures. These procedures consist of angiograms to detect blockages in patient arteries. Once detected, the Interventional Cardiologist can intervene with balloons and stents to treat the blockages.

The collaboration will also allow for the insertion of internal cardiac defibrillators (ICDs) at West Valley Medical Center. ICDs are used to treat patients with symptomatic or lethal arrhythmias by producing an electric shock that converts the patient’s heart out of the condition.

 “This new relationship with St. Luke’s enhances West Valley Medical Center’s ability to be a destination for chest pain and other cardiac conditions experienced by patients in our community,” said Thomas Peltier, Director of Cardiac Services at West Valley Medical Center. “We now have immediate access to St. Luke’s cardiology experts and are better positioned  to coordinate care and treatment of patients that may require higher levels of care when needed.”

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For more information, contact Ken Dey at (208) 381-2894 or deyke@slhs.org

St. Luke’s Health System

Founded in Boise in 1902, St. Luke’s Health System is Idaho’s largest and only-locally controlled not-for-profit health care system with six hospitals in Boise, Meridian, Twin Falls, Ketchum and McCall, and more than 100 outpatient centers and clinics throughout central and southwest Idaho. St. Luke’s has earned numerous national awards for excellence in patient care. St. Luke’s provides unmatched care in specialized medical fields including cancer, heart and vascular, obstetrics, women’s services and children’s health care. For more information about St. Luke’s, visit www.stlukesonline.org.

West Valley Medical Center

Caldwell’s community hospital, is one of the leading hospital facilities and employers in Idaho. This 150-bed, nationally accredited facility is dedicated to providing high-quality, cost-effective healthcare to Treasure Valley residents. For more information about West Valley Medical Center, please see www.westvalleymedctr.com.

Kohl’s Donates more than $74,000 to St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital

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Posted on 17th September 2011 by Ken Dey in Boise |Childrens |Health System

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Kohl’s donates more than $74,000 to St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital

Fourth Year of Funding Will Help Promote Key Safety Initiatives for Treasure Valley Children

BOISE, IDAHO (Sept. 17,2011) — Combating the top three causes of unintentional death and injury to children in Idaho is  the focus of new community awareness and education campaign being launched by St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital and Safe Kids Treasure Valley .

Funding for the campaign, which focuses on motor vehicle, bike and water safety, is being provided by Kohl’s department store through a $74,276 grant. The grant is made possible through the Kohl’s Cares® cause merchandise program. Through this initiative, Kohl’s sells $5 books and plush toys where 100 percent of net profit benefits children’s health and education programs nationwide, including hospital partnerships like this one.

A  Kohl’s representative presented Bev Holland, administrator of St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital, with the grant at on Saturday, Sept. 17 during a car seat safety check event at Kohl’s department store in Nampa.

This is the fourth year Kohl’s has provided funding to St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital. Over that time period, Kohl’s has committed more than $216,000 to help St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital promote safety programs that benefit local children. Nationwide, Kohl’s has raised more than $180 million dollars through its merchandise programs to help with safety initiatives across the United States.

“Motor vehicle crashes, drowning and head injuries are the three leading causes of death and injury to children in Idaho,” Holland said. “Sadly, so many of these tragic events could have been avoided with the proper education and safety equipment.  St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital is extremely grateful for the support of Kohl’s in our efforts to help reduce these needless tragedies in our communities.”

Funding from Kohl’s will help support a 12-month awareness, education and distribution program call “Safety in a Snap!”  The goal of the program will be teach children and their parents and/or caregivers the importance of “snapping” on either a helmet when riding a bike or skateboard, chest clip or seat belt when riding in a vehicle or a life jacket during water activities. In addition to education, St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital will continue providing free helmets and car seats for families in need. In 2010, funding from Kohl’s helped provide more than 800 bicycle helmets to children in our community.

About St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital

St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital, the only children’s hospital in Idaho, treats more than 50,000 children every year, including 28,000 who visit its Pediatric Emergency Department. St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital provides expert care to critically and chronically ill infants and children. These patients are routinely referred to St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital from a multistate region for a variety of services including heart surgery, cancer treatment, orthopedics, neurological disorders, newborn intensive care, and rare infectious diseases. For more information visit www.stlukesonline.org/childrens

About Kohl’s Department Stores

Based in Menomonee Falls, Wis., Kohl’s (NYSE: KSS) is a family-focused, value-oriented specialty department store offering moderately priced, exclusive and national brand apparel, shoes, accessories, beauty and home products in an exciting shopping environment. With a commitment to environmental leadership, Kohl’s operates 1,097 stores in 49 states. In support of the communities it serves, Kohl’s has raised more than $180 million for children’s initiatives nationwide through its Kohl’s Cares® cause merchandise program, which operates under Kohl’s Cares, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kohl’s Department Stores, Inc. For a list of store locations and information, or for the added convenience of shopping online, visit www.Kohls.com.

For more information, contact: Ken Dey, (208) 381-2894 or deyke@slhs.org

 

 

 

 

 

St. Luke’s Magic Valley Earns National Recognition for Quality

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Posted on 14th September 2011 by Ken Dey in Health System |Twin Falls

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 Twin Falls, Idaho, September 14, 2011 – St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center today was named one of the nation’s top performers on key quality measures by The Joint Commission, the leading accreditor of health care organizations in America.  St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center was recognized by The Joint Commission based on data reported about evidence-based clinical processes that are shown to improve care for certain conditions, including heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, surgical care and children’s asthma.

St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center is one of only 405 U.S. hospitals and critical access hospitals earning the distinction of top performer on key quality measures for attaining and sustaining excellence in accountability measure performance. Inclusion on the list is based on an aggregation of accountability measure data reported to The Joint Commission during the previous calendar year.  For example, this first recognition program is based on data that were reported for 2010.

To be recognized as a top performer on key quality measures an organization must meet two 95 percent performance thresholds. St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center was recognized for achieving these thresholds for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care.

“Today, the public expects transparency in the reporting of performance at the hospitals where they receive care, and The Joint Commission is shining a light on the top performing hospitals such as St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center that have achieved excellence on a number of vital measures of quality care,” says Mark R. Chassin, M.D., FACP, M.P.P., M.P.H., president, The Joint Commission.

“We understand that what matters most to patients at St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center–safe, effective care.  That’s why St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center has made a commitment to accreditation and to positive patient outcomes through evidence-based care process. St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center is proud to be named to the list of The Joint Commission’s Top Performers on Key Quality Measures,” says Jim Angle, CEO.

In addition to being included in today’s release of The Joint Commission’s “Improving America’s Hospitals” annual report, stlukesonline.org, St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center will be recognized on The Joint Commission’s Quality Check website (www.qualitycheck.org).

For more information, contact: Laura Stewart, (208) 814-0015 or lauras@slhs.org

 

St. Luke’s Mountain States Tumor Institute Hosts Cancer Survivors’ Night

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Posted on 22nd August 2011 by Ken Dey in Boise |Cancer |Health System

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BOISE, Idaho – St. Luke’s Mountain States Tumor Institute (MSTI) will host its third annual Community Cancer Survivors’ Night on Thursday, Sept. 8.

The free community event is open to cancer patients and survivors, and caregivers.

The event runs from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Anderson Center at St. Luke’s Boise Medical Center, 112 E. Bannock. St.

The night will include a variety of topics and panel discussions focused on healthy survivorship. Topics covered in this year’s event include:

·      Creating your own survivorship care plan.

·      Managing cancer-related fatigue.

In addition to the topics presented the event will also include a panel discussion lead by St. Luke’s MSTI oncologist Dr. Dan Zuckerman.

The night will also include a light dinner courtesy of Millennium Pharmaceuticals.

The event is free, but preregistration is requested. Visit www.stlukesonline.org and click on “Classes & Events” or call St. Luke’s at 381-9000.

For more information, contact: Ken Dey, media manager, (208) 381-2894 or deyke@slhs.org.

Long Time St. Luke’s Nurse Dies in Wyoming Hiking Accident

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Posted on 11th August 2011 by Ken Dey in Boise |Childrens |Health System

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Don Scott

Long time St. Luke’s employee dies in Wyoming hiking accident

 Don Scott, a registered nurse at St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital died Wednesday in a Wyoming hiking accident.

Don was a pediatric nurse at St. Luke’s for 35 years, where he touched the lives of countless children and their families. Throughout his life Don devoted much of his time to helping children and others.

Since 1978, he served as volunteer director of Camp Hodia, a camp for children with diabetes located at Alturas Lake in the Sawtooth Mountains.

Don also gave much of his time as a medical volunteer in faraway places such as Africa, Pakistan, and Bangladesh in responding to natural disasters such as earthquakes and famine. Don would often find himself leaving on a moment’s notice and being gone for weeks helping others across the world.

In 2005, while in Pakistan to help earthquake victims, Don said he was struck at the strong faith of the people to go on with life. He called his experience of helping others as “feeling more alive than at any other time.”

“Don truly lived in service of others,” said Chris Roth, St. Luke’s Treasure Valley CEO. “Don will be greatly missed, yet his spirit lives on in the thousands of children he has supported, provided hope to, and healed.”

Funeral arrangements for Don are pending.

For more information, contact: Ken Dey, media manager, (208) 631-5322 or deyke@slhs.org.

 

 

Dairy Queen Hosts Miracle Treat Day Thursday, August 11

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Posted on 9th August 2011 by Ken Dey in Boise |Childrens |Health System

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$1 from the purchase of every Blizzard will go to St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital

On Thursday, Dairy Queen ® will host its annual “Miracle Treat Day,” when $1 or more from every Blizzard  sold on that day will be donated to Children’s Miracle Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving and improving the lives of children by raising funds for children’s hospitals.

Proceeds from Blizzards sold in the Treasure Valley will help benefit St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital, Idaho’s only Children’s Miracle Network hospital.

Since 1984, Dairy Queen has raised more than $86 million for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Last year, Dairy Queen raised $5.5 million.

To find a participating Dairy Queen visit www.miracletreatday.com

 

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