IN THIS ISSUE
What's News at Guardian Nurses?? NOBODY Likes A Bully
Kudos to Heidi Petersohn, RN
LEARN MORE
Visit our website
CONTACT US
Email us
|
|
What's New at
Guardian Nurses
CONTEST
CONTEST CONTEST!!!
OK, it's the beginning of March Madness for NCAA college basketball fans. But for those of you NOT watching endless hours of hoop games, how 'bout entering our "Name Our Boat" contest?
So what name awaits our Dragon Boat team? Go to our Facebook Page and post your suggested name. If our team selects your name, we'll send you a $50 VISA card. Let's face it, you probably have better odds of winning OUR contest than winning your office's NCAA pool. |
In Case You Didn't Notice----We Updated Our Logo
We wanted to make note of our 10th Anniversary (officially on October 1st) and so we asked the advice of Hollister Creative, our marketing design team.
Kim Landry, Hollister's President, and Georgette Klotz, an excellent designer, put their heads together and came up with some great ideas.
In case you didn't notice, Georgette incorporated our milestone into our new logo (included above in this edition of The Flame).
We're proud of 10 years of lighting the way through the healthcare system for patients and families. And prouder still of our new logo!
Thanks, Georgette. Thanks, Kim!
|
Nurse Advocate
Heidi Petersohn!
Thanks to Nurse Advocate Heidi Petersohn, one of our newer patients recently experienced a much more comprehensive visit to her primary care provider.
This 60 y/o woman described her healthcare experience as "getting the runaround." Her symptoms continued with little attention being given to figuring out what was going on.
Heidi accompanied her patient to her next two provider visits so that she could ask questions and work with the clinicians to better coordinate the patient's care.
The patient shared with us that having Heidi with her "got me more attention." She continued, "And he definitely spent more time with me. Now I feel like I'm on the right track."
Having nurse advocates accompany patients is one of the unique services we offer. We believe it is where "the rubber hits the road," so to speak. Our nurse advocates can be an objective set of eyes and ears, help questions get answered, and make sure there is a treatment plan in place.
Plus, we can be there to support the patient emotionally as well. We invite you to call us to learn how we can help you!!
|
Baseball Joke
One fine spring day, in the middle of spring training, the Devil challenged God to a baseball game.
Smiling God proclaimed, "You don't have a chance. I have Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Mickey Mantle, and all the greatest players up here on my team."
"Yes," snickered the Devil, "but I have all the umpires."
|
|
|
The Girls Today, Leaders Tomorrow program supports community and school-based activities that focus on helping 6th and 7th grade girls build self-esteem, honor their bodies and maintain healthy relationships with their peers. The Girls Today, Leaders Tomorrow program supports attitudes and behaviors related to the six pillars of character: respect, caring, trustworthiness, responsibility, fairness, and citizenship. Not a bad start!
It's safe to say that many of the dinner attendees were very impressed by the 42 girls who are "graduating" from the program and who made quite the entrance in the Crystal Team Room at the Wanamaker Building!
Some of the girls gave brave, very personal testimonials---in front of hundreds of adults---about being bullied in school. It got me thinking about bullying. Though I don't have children, many of my friends have shared with me their children's stories, and my nephew has shared with me stories of his own experience as he watched classmates bully a transgender classmate. (Proudly he also told me that he intervened and befriended the transgender classmate).
The days of saying "Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me" are, sadly, long gone.
Say NO to Bullies,
Betty
Betty Long, RN, MHA
President
Guardian Nurses Healthcare Advocates
|
|
Nobody Likes A Bully
Bullying can happen anywhere. Cities, suburbs, or small rural towns. It can happen in person, online, or behind your back. And sometimes, bullying can result in tragic results--having been linked to many negative outcomes including impacts on mental health, substance use, and suicide.
For school age children, no single factor puts someone at risk of being bullied or bullying others. Depending on the environment, some groups--such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered (LGBT) youth, youth with disabilities, and socially isolated youth---may be at an increased risk of being bullied.
Generally, children who are bullied have one or more of the following risk factors: - Are perceived as different from their peers, such as being overweight or underweight, wearing glasses or different clothing, being new to a school, or being unable to afford what kids consider "cool"
- Are perceived as weak or unable to defend themselves
- Are depressed, anxious, or have low self esteem
- Are less popular than others and have few friends
- Do not get along well with others, seen as annoying or provoking, or antagonize others for attention
Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and purposely excluding someone from a group. Types of Bullying - Verbal bullying is saying or writing mean things. Verbal bullying includes:
- Teasing
- Name-calling
- Inappropriate sexual comments
- Taunting
- Threatening to cause harm
- Social bullying involves hurting someone's reputation or relationships. Social bullying includes:
- Leaving someone out on purpose
- Telling other children not to be friends with someone
- Spreading rumors about someone
- Embarrassing someone in public
- Physical bullying involves hurting a person's body or possessions. Physical bullying includes:
- Hitting/kicking/pinching
- Spitting
- Tripping/pushing
- Taking or breaking someone's things
- Making mean or rude hand gestures
- Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place using electronic technology. Examples include:
- mean text messages or emails
- rumors sent by email or posted on social networking sites
- embarrassing pictures, videos, websites, or fake profiles.
Signs a Child is Being Bullied
Look for changes in the child. However, be aware that not all children who are bullied will exhibit warning signs. Some signs that may point to a bullying problem are:
- Unexplainable injuries
- Lost or destroyed clothing, books, electronics, or jewelry
- Frequent headaches or stomach aches, feeling sick or faking illness
- Changes in eating habits, like suddenly skipping meals or binge eating. Kids may come home from school hungry because they did not eat lunch.
- Difficulty sleeping or frequent nightmares
- Declining grades, loss of interest in schoolwork, or not wanting to go to school
- Sudden loss of friends or avoidance of social situations
- Feelings of helplessness or decreased self esteem
- Self-destructive behaviors such as running away from home, harming themselves, or talking about suicide
What To Do When You Witness Bullying
When adults respond quickly and consistently to bullying behavior, we send the message that it is not acceptable. There are simple steps adults can take to stop bullying on the spot and keep kids safe. - Intervene immediately. It is ok to get another adult to help.
- Separate the kids involved.
- Make sure everyone is safe.
- Meet any immediate medical or mental health needs.
- Stay calm. Reassure the kids involved, including bystanders.
- Model respectful behavior when you intervene.
Try to avoid these common mistakes: - Don't ignore it. Don't think kids can work it out without adult help.
- Don't immediately try to sort out the facts.
- Don't force other kids to say publicly what they saw.
- Don't question the children involved in front of other kids.
- Don't talk to the kids involved together, only separately.
- Don't make the kids involved apologize or patch up relations on the spot.
Get police help or medical attention immediately if: - A weapon is involved.
- There are threats of serious physical injury.
- There are threats of hate-motivated violence, such as racism or homophobia.
- There is serious bodily harm.
- There is sexual abuse.
- Anyone is accused of an illegal act, such as robbery or extortion-using force to get money, property, or services.
Information compiled from www.stopbullying.gov
Please visit for more detailed information on bullying. |
|
|
