Kentucky Medical Association Holds Annual Meeting
LOUISVILLE The KMA Annual Meeting was held August 24–26, 2018 at the Marriott East in Louisville. The theme this year was “Forward Focus: The Path to Physical and Fiscal Health,” reflecting on the five year anniversary of the KMA’s strategic plan.
Shawn C. Jones, MD, KMA past-president, spoke to the assembled physicians on physician burnout, causes, and signs to watch for. Among causes Jones cited “work overload, lack of control, and insufficient rewards such as doing more for less and loss of joy.” To deal with burnout, Jones encouraged physicians to “find the ‘why,’ the purpose, in your work again.” He stated that “art helped me put words and names to my feelings. Good things happen to people who know their heart. People with secrets get sick.”
Pat Padgett, KMA executive vice president, delivered some sobering and some encouraging news on various topics of public health in Kentucky. “Kentucky is rural, poor, sick and old,” he said. He announced two KMA initiatives. One initiative, “Aim for Better Care,” will ask physicians to specifically look for the administrative barriers to care that they encounter in their practice. The second initiative, “Focus on Flu,” is an awareness campaign that will encourage Kentuckians to get a flu vaccination.
Kentucky ranked 33rd in the US last year for the percentage of residents who received a flu shot. “Flu and pneumonia caused one-third more deaths in Kentucky than in the rest of the country, making it the 9th leading cause of death in our state,” said Padgett. The KMA is partnering with Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky for a Flu Shot Day in the fall of 2018.
Shriners Hospital for Children Medical Center-Lexington has 2nd Annual Magic Garden Party
LEXINGTON The 2nd annual event, An Evening in a Magic Garden, to benefit Shriners Hospital for Children Medical Center – Lexington drew a sold out crowd of nearly 300 Central Kentucky business, community leaders, and doctors on Friday, August 24, 2018 to The Apiary, an urban garden on Jefferson Street near downtown Lexington. The fundraising event is put on by the Shriners Corporate Council, a philanthropic group of Lexington business leaders.
The party raises funds for the design and creation of a children’s garden and playground at the Shriners Hospital for Children Hospital Medical Center near the UK Healthcare campus. The playground will function as a medical assessment and therapy area for patients and allow wheelchair training and observation of patients with newly fitted braces and prosthetic limbs.
The children’s garden also provides a healing space for reflection that can lead to a sense of control and normalcy for patients and families under stress.
HOPE SCARVES TO HOST ANNUAL “COLORS OF COURAGE” FUNDRAISING EVENT
LOUISVILLE Scarves – Stories – Research… The trifecta of hope for Louisville-based nonprofit organization Hope Scarves, whose mission is to share scarves, stories and hope with people facing cancer. Since founding in 2012, Hope Scarves has sent nearly 10,000 scarves to people facing cancer in every state and 23 countries, ranging in age from 4 to 92 with over 90 types of cancer. “Each Hope Scarf carries our sincere encouragement, and a story of someone who has faced cancer,” explains founder and stage IV breast cancer patient, Lara MacGregor.
Hope Scarves are distributed to patients in three ways – personal requests (if you are in treatment), gift requests (send a scarf to someone you know facing cancer), and the Partnership Program. The Partnership Program is the fastest growing area. The organization works with hospitals and other cancer support organizations to share Hope Scarves directly with their patients. “By bringing the scarves to where patients are already going for support, we take the burden off the patient to find us.” “It’s been a huge success working directly with doctors and hospitals. I’d love to be in every oncology office in Kentucky,” says MacGregor.
On Saturday, October 5, 2018 Hope Scarves will host its signature fundraising event, Colors of Courage. The event is a celebration of the people Hope Scarves connects with and the most significant source of support for the growing organization. Guests will be welcomed with an openhearted vibe – reflective of the creative, entrepreneurial organization supporting people around the world. Event highlights include a live painting, silent auction, stories from scarf recipients, music, and delicious food from long time friends of the organization including River Road BBQ and Sugar Mama’s Bakeshop.
Named “Most Meaningful Event” of 2018 by The Voice Tribune, Colors of Courage is certainly a party with a purpose. Tickets are $100, and tables are available for purchase for $1500. Visit www.hopescarves.org.
Nurses and administrators who have worked with Hope Scarves say:
“The Hope Scarves program has enhanced the way we support our patients. Our nurses look forward to sharing each cheerful package with patients because we know it will bring them hope,”—Lori, Brown Cancer Center, Louisville.
“Hope Scarves is the perfect name for this program… there is always HOPE. When I give a patient a scarf I love to tell them Lara’s story and how the program got started. I enjoy hearing the stories that have been shared when they open the package. Some certainly have had special meanings, amazing stories, coincidences, and encouraging words. I recall one patient opened her package and she smiled so big and shed a couple of tears. The scarf had sunflowers on it, and she shared with me that her grandmother had beautiful sunflower gardens when she was a child. It was an immediate thought of joy when remembering how special her grandmother was to her during her young age. She told me this was a true sign that she had a guardian angel to go through her treatment with her. I am so happy we have Hope Scarves to offer our patients.”— Greta, Norton Cancer Institute St. Matthews, Louisville
“Working with cancer patients is one of the most challenging and rewarding jobs I have had. So many of our patients are struggling with their health, but they also worry about the effect on their appearance. We offer a Hope Scarves packet to every patient that comes in for treatment. The response from patients has been overwhelmingly positive. When I tell patients the history of how Hope Scarves came to be, they immediately become more interested in what it’s about. They also get excited when I tell them it comes with instructions on how to tie the scarf. The connection to other patients who have been on this same journey and a scarf to take home is like a little gift to brighten their day.”— Leah, RN, BSN, Norton Cancer Institute Brownsboro, Louisville