Author: Renee Berban

For all time-in-service honorees, save the date for the 45th Annual Employee Banquet, honoring the daily commitment of our incredible staff to UMC and its vital mission.

Date: February 17, 2023

Location: The Overton

 

45-Year Honorees:

• Sharon Dixon  
• Holly Hinckley
• Scott O’Banion
• Irene Torres

40-Year Honorees:

• Janet Schoppa
• Cheryl Wing

35-Year Honorees:

• Marieta Baldos
• Gloria Chavez
• Carol Cloud
• Amy Eade
• Alizean Hunt
• Christina Mackeen
• Christi Morris
• Terry Parrish
• Bernarda Rodriguez
• Carrie Sadler
• Norma Torres

30-Year Honorees:

• Janet Alexander
• Victoria Breitenstein
• Jolinda Cruz
• Luisa Esparza
• Manuel Gaona
• Margaret Hay
• Sharon Loftis
• John Martin
• Delma Morales
• Irene Morales
• Christy Morgan
• Christopher Pitner
• Timothy Robinson
• Butch Smith
• Sandra Wadley
• Phillip Waldmann
• Tracie Wallis
• Britton Wood

25-Year Honorees:

• Susan Barrera
• Jim Barrett
• Rose Carrizales
• Richard Caudill
• Lori Chandler
• Eduardo Contreras
• Norma Cooper
• Missy Dial-High
• Lendi Ehlers
• Joane Falk
• Anna Geesling
• Juan Gonzalez
• Anissa Gray
• Ish Guerrero
• Jeffrey Hill
• Connie Holley
• Philip Houghton
• Kathy Matthews
• Sherry Milburn
• Victoria Morriel
• Irene Perez
• Alan Randall
• Delilah Rangel
• Angelica Reyna
• Ramiro Sanchez
• Maria Sealana-Morris
• Sungling Wong
• Deedee Zimmerman

20-Year Honorees:

• Stan Bara
  Roberto Betancourt
• Daina Blue
• Chavela Brown
• Jay Callaway
• Leslie Cutright
• Brent Delashaw
• Michelle Dodgin
• Juan Espinoza
• Maria Flores
• Emily Franks
• Tina Garza
• Israel Gonzales
• Patricia Guajardo
• Ray Guillen
• Eddi Gurney
• Charlotte Harris
• Allison Hays
• Robert Henry
• Michelle Huber
• Mario Kopecky
• Melissa Lasater
• Analise Lituania
• Karen McGwier
• John Moore
• Harry Ng
• David Niemeyer
• Brady Pearson
• Griselda Perez
• Samantha Picon
• Robert Powell
• Christina Rosales
• Sam Savage
• Leslie Short
• Kandi Sisk
• Jacqulyn Staches
• Teodoro Tan
• Dory Trevino
• Beatriz Valdez
• Kristi Valdez
• Diana Velez
• Tandi Wagner
• Elaine White

15-Year Honorees:

• Erica Allen
• Melinda Alonzo
• Mary Arnold
• Becky Baker
• April Barnes
• Joe Berumen
• Kent Beverly
• Brenda Calloway
• Delilah Cannon
• Chelsea Carson
• Angelica Criado
• Aaron Davis
• Precious De Lemos
• Sandra Deleon
• Kristin DeLoach
• Angela Duke
• Melanie Edge
• Ernesto Falcon
• Angelita Garza
• Nathaniel Go Jr
• Vanessa Gonzalez
• Joseph Greene
• Daneen Haley
• Jennifer Hughes
• Kimberly Hurst
• Robert Hurtado
• Yvonne Janssen
• Kara Jones
• Angela King
• Brent King
• Kimberly King
• Arlene Klump
• Keith Laird
• D’Neise Laverty
• Lucila Lim
• Leeta Loveless
• Vivian Mahinya Ogutu
• Karen McCleery
• Juana San Miguel
• Becky Ortiz
• Dorothea Parker-Townsend
• Christy Perales
• Gerrick Perez
• Reginald Person
• Susan Pfeiffer
• Lindsey Plunket
• Deanna Poindexter
• Prescy Reed
• Jerry Riggins
• Rodrigo Rosales
• Loretta Salas
• Chandra Shrestha
• Karen Silvas-Weston
• Steven Sims
• Shanda Singleton
• Nicholas Skeen
• Brandi Soto
• Becky St Romain
• Brenna Stinebaugh
• Gerard Tayag
• Charlotte Toelle
• Jami Valdez
• Jim Bob Vanstory
• Corina Veal
• Jodie Walker
• Deborah White
• Anna Wilde
• Donna Williams
• Neil Wolf

10-Year Honorees:

• Malik Al-Khafaji
• Katharine Allison
• Esteban Beltran
• Jimmy Bocanegra
• Jennifer Braddock
• Kristen Bradshaw
• Chelsea Brodbeck
• Derek Brunson
• Maila Burda
• Ramiro Calderon
• Dominic Caraveo
• Gabriela Carrasco
• Mayra Castillo
• Gabriela Castro
• Heejae Chang
• Daliah Chavez
• Hannah Cunningham
• Stephanie Dobbins
• Doloris Dominquez
• Mac Douglas
• Shawna Eaker
• Chase Ellis
• Heather Exum
• Brittney Ferguson
• Alexandra Flores
• Kyle Galyean
• Freddie Ginn
• Angela Gonzales
• Melinda Guerra
• Tami Guerra
• Theresa Hammons
• Brandy Harvill
• Sheena Helm
• Rosalinda Jimenez
• D’Lynn Kirby
• Jill Lopez
• Kortne Lowery
• Eric Luna
• Eva Lyles
• Kellie Maeker
• Dallas Magallan
• Jennifer Martinez
• Tabitha Martinez
• Elsa Medrano
• Shameka Mitchell
• Shelby Mooney
• Jessica Natal
• Sylvia Nunez
• Constance Orona
• Lucia Orozco
• Teresa Patterson
• Pablo Pineda
• Cristie Prieto
• Amanda Pruitt
• Carlos Ramirez
• Roy Ramirez
• Maritoni Ramos
• Naomi Ramos
• Deborah Resendez-Gomez
• Visminda Rico
• Greg Roberts
• Brandy Robertson
• Juanalaine Sagcal
• Vanessa Salinas
• Maria Sauceda
• Crystal Sayles
• Candice Simons
• Christopher Smith
• Katana Smith
• Shannel Stacy
• Amy Stone
• Belinda Teran
• Ann Torrez
• Michele Tovar
• Kristina Ursua
• Kimberly Vail
• Bea Villamor
• Christian Volante
• Don Waldrip
• Christine Warren
• Tanis Welch
• Sabrina Willingham
• Alanna Woodward

5-Year Honorees:

• Harold Acuff
• Jocelyn Adams
• Courtney Aguayo
• Bailey Aguilar
• Alisia Hall Amaro
• Michael Ammons
• Kassidy Anderson
• Christy Armenta
• Hannah Ashcraft
• Laura Atkins
• Darin Babcock
• Michael Baeyens
• Katy Baker
• Brenda Baldwin
• Christopher Banzet
• Chris Barbour
• Priscilla Benavidez
• Alisa Bergen
• Karen Bradfute
• Allie Bratcher
• Michelle Bridgestock
• Xavier Briseno
• Lauren Brown
• Jessica Butler
• Marissa Calvillo
• Kimberly Carreon
• Teresa Casilla
• Jennifer Castillo
• Paul Castillo
• Robert Castillo
• Joshua Chambers
• Susie Champion
• Caitlin Chapman
• Micah Chapman
• Glenda Clay
• Sharon Cooper
• Zachary Copeland
• Cruz Corona
• Miranda Counts
• Yolanda Cristan
• Lauren Crump
• Daniela Cruz
• Acenet Cruz-Herrera
• Tram Dao
• Maria Lourdes Dariagan
• Erin DeHoyos
• Abbye Dixon
• Rita Doabil
• Rachel Dockery
• Haleigh Driver
• Elyse Duff
• Kendal Duncan
• Melissa Duran
• Brooklyn Edwards
• Gabriella Escandon
• Jeffery Fergerson
• Kelley Fields
• Angela Flores
• Michelle Florez
• Latrice Floyd
• Nela Friessen
• Alexandria Fuston
• Gracie Garcia
• Rose Garcia
• Thelma Garibay
• James Garza
• Maegan Garza-Maldonado
• Ron Gilliland
• Martina Gonzales
• Norma Gonzales
• Reina Granados
• Portia Grant
• Kelsey Graves
• Jyl Greene
• Bridgette Griffin
• Markeysha Griggs
• Hector Guerrero
• Evan Guidry
• Michaela Haley
• Morgan Hall
• Jeanette Hamilton
• Gina Hamilton
• Robert Harber
• Shahanni Haron
• Nick Harpster
• Sierra Harrel
• Desiree Hendricks
• Elena Hernandez
• Gustavo Acosta Hernandez
• Kristen Hernandez
• Laura Hernandez
• Elizabeth Hill
• Jacob Hoffman
• John Hogan
• Joni Holloway
• Celia Howard
• Sylvia Hudson
• Steven Huerta
• Vanessa Jacquez
• Olayinka James
• Dana Jones
• Michelle Jones
• Frasiah Kabura
• Asia Khan
• Mary King
• Elissa Klein
• Cole Kleman
• Jennifer Krabacher
• Lacy Lara
• Krystal Layher
• Christene Leatherwood
• Rebecca Leaton
• Laura Ledesma
• Kristy Licon
• Cheryll Lobusta
• Eric Lopez
• Norma Lopez
• Garrett Lord
• Justin Lowrey
• Steffani Loya
• Kim Lozano
• Christopher Lyle
• Amanda Machado
• Sherwin Macias
• Ke Andrea Manahan
• Edwardo Martinez
• Eric Martinez
• Krystal Martinez
• Michelle Martinez
• Ryanna Martinez
• Jose Mata
• Rhonda McClellan
• Cicely McDaniels
• Clinton McFatridge
• Alexandria McMillan
• Andrea Mendoza
• Amanda Miller
• Abby Mitchell
• Brandon Mizelle
• Gregory Mojica
• Christy Molina
• Kacie Monforte
• Thomas Moore
• Leno Moreno
• Stacy Muniz
• Morgan Murdock
• Lucy Murguia
• Ezekiel Nino
• Dunree Norris
• Joann Olivo
• Brittney O’Neal
• Joshua Orta
• Josefina Palomares
• Vanessa Parker
• Allison Parnell
• Adrianna Parras
• Weston Parrish
• Ryan John Pavino
• Rynae Pavino
• Hailey Perez
• Karina Perez
• Teresa Perez
• Rosemary Piersall
• Randi Poarch
• Taylor Polk
• Russell Powell
• Sherrod Proctor
• Carolina Puente
• Angela Puryear
• Stacey Ramirez
• Staci Ramirez
• Teresa Ramirez
• Amanda Resendez
• Jill Ridings
• Rachel Riggs
• Brenda Rodriguez
• Esperanza Rodriguez
• Brittney Rosin
• Brandon Ross
• Maria Lourdes Ruperto
• Roger Russell
• Ana Saenz
• Tirso Saenz
• Emiterio Salazar
• Asma Salem
• Stephanie Salinas
• Allison Sanchez
• Lupe Sauseda
• Steven Sauseda
• William Scheetz
• Melissa Sears
• Johannah Segura
• Teah Sharp
• Ashleigh Sifrit
• Camilo Silva
• Zachary Smith
• Michelle Sooter
• Joshua Stabler
• Whitney Sterling
• Micah Stone
• Julie Swor
• Cheryl Tapp
• Evangeline Tayong
• Myesha Thomas
• Tanner Thompson
• Andrew Todd
• Alexa Troutman
• Jordan Tubb
• Cristita Tygart
• Jacob Vasquez
• Sindu Vasuthevan
• Adam Walton
• Whitney Warren
• Ashley White
• Marianne White
• Shaye Whitt
• Kelsea Williams
• Nailah Williams
• Scott Williams
• Ethan Winegarner
• Jessica Wolff
• Dalton Wren
• Annalyne Yatan
• Eduard Neil Yatan
• Ashley Zarate
• Mari Zavala
• Hazelle Zulueta

If you’ve found submitting support requests difficult in the past, the new Maximo work management system is designed to make support requests easier for requesters and Facilities technicians. As of July 18, 2022, a new “Facilities Service Request” link will be available on the Service Now Portal page. Following the link will allow employees to submit support requests directly to our Facilities team, with a couple of important changes:

• Requesters can enter the support request directly, preventing translation errors. Facilities team members will use the entered information to address any problem.
• Direct support requests shorten the turnaround time from the support request to the work process, ensuring problems are handled faster.
• Requesters can receive notifications informing them of the status of their request at any time, promoting transparency and efficiency.

In addition to Maximo improving the requester’s experience, integration with EZMaxMobile by InterPro Solutions also promises a clearer and more accessible workflow for technicians. With a few clicks, technicians can sign off on completed tasks, notifying requesters that their request has been answered and completed. This important change ensures that the work is done to satisfy the first time, every time.

The new support request system will be available on the Service Now Portal.

New Facilities Service Request Link:

EZMaxMobile Example Screen:

 

Maximo Tutorial Video:

According to the CDC, 34.2 million people in the United States live with diabetes. Diabetes affects nearly every aspect of a person’s life, but with the careful management of blood sugar levels, people with diabetes can control the physical and emotional impact of the disease. As an initiative to better the health and general well-being of UMC staff, system educators have developed a diabetes self-management program called Live in Control. Live in Control is a family-centered program focused on educating and empowering our staff to learn diabetes self-management strategies. Statistics have shown that the skills acquired through the Live in Control program result in better health outcomes for staff members, allowing them to focus on the many things they’re passionate about, both at home and on the job. The program is also now part of UMC’s Wellness+ suite, offering up to 100 points for completing all four diabetes self-management courses. If that’s not enough, attendees have the chance to win unique door prizes.

For more information, contact program manager Jacquee Brown at 806-761-0530 or email jacquee.brown@umchealthsystem.com.

Rear Admiral Irve Charles Le Moyne of Brownsville, Texas, was a steadfast and interesting character in American history. Once the highest-ranking Navy Seal and the Military Joint Special Operations Command founder, Admiral Le Moyne understood the importance of recognition, cohesion, and working in high-stakes situations. So, when Admiral Le Moyne was diagnosed with head and neck cancer, his trajectory through treatment and recovery was bound to be anything but normal.

In the Navy, bell ringing signifies time-tracking, general communication, alarms, ceremonies, and an indication of victory. Admiral Le Moyne saw an opportunity to bring the naval victory tradition forward to signify victory over cancer. On the final day of his treatment, the patients and medical staff of MD Anderson heard the chiming of Admiral Le Moyne’s brass bell through the hospital’s halls. He had completed his treatment and was claiming victory over cancer. The admiral donated the bell to MD Anderson. With it, he provided a small, rhyming poem for cancer patients to read on their last day of treatment. His poem “Ringing Out” reads:

Ring this bell

Three times well

Its toll to clearly say, My treatment’s done

This course is run

And I am on my way!

Since MD Anderson established this small but significant gesture, the tradition of bell ringing for the end of cancer treatments has spread through the United States. When a brass bell rings through hospital halls, those listening to its chime understand that whoever is ringing the bell has struggled through the difficulty of cancer treatment, has endured, and is signifying their victory with pride and long-standing tradition. The bell’s toll stands as a testament to the endurance and persistence of patients battling cancer and the care and dedication of nurses and doctors who kindly treat patients through some of their most difficult days. As the tradition has spread, some hospitals have written their own poem in the vein of Admiral Le Moyne’s original “Ringing Out.” With UMC’s distinct connection to Texas Tech University, Professor of Poetry Dr. John Poch wrote a poem reflecting Admiral Le Moyne’s original rhyme with additional service to West Texas, UMC, its loving medical staff, and its incredible cancer patients fighting every day. His poem, “The Bell,” reads:

This bell now rings

And clearly sings

Of health restored.

As sweet as rains

On these Southern Plains— A divine reward.

While adding a new employee to a team can be motivating and inspiring, any change to the composition of an established section also comes with cultural challenges. While interviewing a potential candidate, we might ask ourselves, “Will this person fit in our dynamic work environment? Will they laugh with us the way we laugh, understand our shifting tempos, meet our expectations?” The candidate fields similar questions on the other side of the table, wondering, “Will these people like me? Will I live up to the role I’m applying for? Will I be an asset to this team if they choose me?” These common anxieties are part of being human, sharing in an endeavor larger than any one person, like the mission here at UMC. The body of employees here at UMC come together to care for our patients and provide the best possible health outcomes. As a team, and more broadly as a culture, we have people’s lives in our hands—it’s hard to think of more serious responsibility.

In a recent conversation with Jeff Dane, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of UMC, we discussed the expansion and the cultural implications of adding not just one employee but over 200 new employees at the new Health and Wellness Hospital, slated to open in December 2023. Considering that the hospital is the first remote location of UMC’s main campus, what steps need to be taken to ensure that our Service is Our Passion culture translates to the new location? Jeff mentioned two critical steps that leadership is taking to ensure consistency in our culture and our level of service. First, he established a subcommittee focused on exploring large and small details related to the establishment of the new hospital. He provided some examples, asking, “How much security do we need? How many Blue Coats? What are the hours for the retail pharmacy?” Further, directors are working with their staff to complete questionnaires that give all UMC employees a voice in the new hospital’s design. Next, to share and promote UMC’s culture of service, current directors will be responsible for educating and leading new employees joining the hospital. The Health and Wellness Hospital’s addition means that directors must be more agile and prepared to supervise employees across a wider physical space. Mr. Dane brought up Greg Roberts, Director of Supply Chain Services, as an example of his vision. He said, “Greg’s very good about being engaged with his staff. He’s responsible for the Business and Technology Center and Central Stores, but he often works in the main building with administration and a separate UMC warehouse.”

Mr. Dane by no means believes that the subcommittee or his team of advisors have ironed out all the unique challenges that may come with the establishment of the Health and Wellness Hospital. He continues to urge UMC team members to anticipate hurdles and question, as they might while sitting in a peer interview across from a candidate, how to successfully expand our pool of professionals to ensure cultural continuity, success, and the best results for our patients. As members of the UMC family, we’re in this together. No matter if the change is big or small—our ideas matter.

The poem, titled “The Ship,” tucked away in the No One Dies Alone (NODA) orientation packet, begins with the lines “I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean.” The ship and its journey are a metaphor for encroaching death, a moment when life-sustaining treatments give way to comfort care. The alarms and bells of monitoring medical equipment are turned off and replaced with poems, passages, and musical pieces. This anonymously written poem characterizes death as a sort of passage from one place to another, where it exclaims, “There, she’s gone!” As the ship dips beneath the distant horizon and asks, “Gone where?” it reveals, “Gone from sight, that is all.” The ship still sails. It’s that time upon the water, still in view, while slowly dipping into the horizon, that the NODA volunteers are a beacon. In a patient’s final days, volunteers become stalwart lighthouse operators tethering the dying to the earth.

Larry Cothrin, Director of Pastoral Care and the NODA program, says the program is about dignity in death. Most importantly, he says the program is about offering commitment and presence when life circumstances might, without intervention, result in a patient dying alone. He says that the NODA vigil is a ministry upholding one of the many tenets of “The Dying Person’s Bill of Rights.” Near the center of the page, the seventh declaration in the Bill of Rights reads, “I have the right not to die alone.” The guidance is designed specifically with the dying’s dignity in mind, reminding us caretakers and volunteers of a person’s wholeness until their death and of all the life that preceded the vigil. Volunteers, or “Compassionate Companions,” arrive at the very twilight of a patient’s life, at a point where patients are officially in a comfort care status. To begin a vigil, the patient must be in an Allow Natural Death (AND) and Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) status, must be expected to pass within 48-72 hours, and extubated. Rev. Cothrin says that patients are unable to speak in most cases. However, sometimes patients can communicate with their NODA volunteers, leading to illuminating conversations about their interests, life, and hints of their humor.

Throughout the hundreds of entries in the Compassionate Companion journal, themes appear, connections that tie volunteers to each other and volunteers to shared patients. Repeated, in precise penmanship or hurried scrawl, are hints to the importance of the NODA ministry. Volunteers describe the program as a blessing and share how proud they are of fellow volunteers, admiring “the courage and willingness to sit with dying people.” Some volunteers end their written praise with drawings of small hearts beside their signatures. Other volunteers share their own testimony, highlighting an aspect of NODA volunteering that repeats: a catharsis. The program offers an opportunity to right something in their own history, like a moment when they couldn’t be there for a dying loved one. For example, one volunteer wrote about not being able to be beside their late husband when he passed. Another wrote about a comatose grandmother who passed after several years. Somehow, through their volunteering, they’re closing a circle, channeling their presence into a dying stranger with all the familiarity of a lifelong loved one. Some shave their patients’ faces, caress their brow as they sleep, or whisper prayers over their bed. In reading through the journal entries, there are rarely statements about any patient’s passing. Instead, the name is suddenly different as one entry moves to the other. The only continuity resides in the signatures of repeat volunteers.

A book of CDs, relics and indications of the NODA program’s hodgepodge of over-time donations, rests alongside a host of end-of-life artifacts. The supply bag items are available should the patient or the volunteer need encouragement or a way to pass the time. Including the albums above, the CDs include Beethoven as performed by Wilhelm Kempff, Brenda Lee’s Gospel Favorites, Soul’s Desire’s Passion Praise & Worship, The Ladies’ Country Gospel Favorites, and some Spanish artists, including Los Buhos and their Tres Cruces, mostly Christian praise music accompanied by some secular instrumental classics. A blue, plastic rosary and an embroidered devotional scapular, primarily worn by Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans, are tucked into the mesh netting in the top of the supply bag. Books, including the Holy Bible (in Spanish and English), Ruth Fishel’s Time for Joy: Daily Affirmations, One-Minute Prayers for Women, Words of Encouragement: Faith, Love, Hope, the Christian poem book Wings of Faith, and The Collected Poems of Emily Dickinson.

“There are several reasons why people might be alone at the end of their life,” Rev. Cothrin says after asking him about the kinds of patients that find themselves in these vigils. “In my experience, they’re typically people that are estranged from their family due to something they’ve done or something that’s been done to them.” Others are travelers, far from home and family. Some have nearby family members, but they struggle to stand beside their dying loved ones in their final hours. Instead, they choose to remember them as they were before they became sick. “Some are homeless,” Rev. Cothrin says, “with no form of ID, so we don’t even know their name.” In these stories lie the essence of the NODA program: that dignity should be granted to every dying person. The homeless, the nameless, and the troubled all deserve to die beside someone who cares; that love might come from a stranger, a Compassionate Companion, or someone who would want to be treated with the same level of dignity should they ever find themselves in a similar situation. NODA becomes an extension of our Service is Our Passion motto, that through generosity, commitment, and grace, we serve our patients to their final breath.

And so, the poem “The Ship” ends with, “And just at the moment when someone at my side says, ‘She’s gone,’ there are other eyes watching out for her coming and other voices ready to take up the glad shout, ‘There she comes!’ And that is dying.” As we dip beneath this earthly horizon, perhaps our tall masts rise in the distant line of another, somewhere painless and restful, where that deeply held breath is finally exhaled, where we say, in that same breath, “I have arrived.”

Dessa Smith has been with UMC for 40 years, and we are so thankful for her service! Read below to hear more about Rosalyn and why she loves UMC and continues to work for us.

1. Why did you choose UMC 40 years ago?

At the time, I needed a job to put myself through school.  I saw UMC as a place of stability where I could work for a few years while I completed my college education.  Five years, turned into ten, ten into twenty.  I woke up and realized that it had been 40 years!

2. In what capacities have you worked during your time here?

I started out as a receptionist, then a scheduling and registration clerk.  From there I became a transcriptionist/editor and then Transcription Supervisor all of which was in Radiology.

3. What do you love most about UMC?

The compassion and care they provide not only for the patients but for staff as well. There is always opportunity for growth.

4. What is UMC’s best quality?

UMC has a vision and strives to reach it every day.  UMC continues to provide quality service recognized not only locally but also regionally.

 

After giving a remote lecture, Dr. Steven Berk, the distinguished Dean of the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center for more than fifteen years, experienced a sudden onset of severe chest pain. As a medically-trained physician, Dr. Berk was aware that the symptoms he was experiencing were undoubtedly the result of a heart attack and that his life was at risk. He acted swiftly, alerting his assistant, Charity, that he’d need a wheelchair and would need to be taken immediately to the emergency room to verify his self-diagnosis with testing. Dr. Berk was so acutely aware of the fatal risks of a heart attack that he took time to email his two sons, telling them that he loved them because he “knew [his condition] was going to be trouble.” A troponin test quickly verified the worst—Dr. Berk was having a serious cardiac event and required immediate life-saving care.

Dr. Berk was rushed to the University Medical Center Cath Lab, where Dr. Shurmur, an Interventional Cardiologist, discovered that blockages obstructed all five of Dr. Berk’s heart vessels. He would require emergency surgery.

Dr. Berk was rushed to surgery under the care of Dr. Ralph Paone, a Cardiothoracic Surgeon, whom Dr. Berk understood had a reputation as “one of the best cardiovascular surgeons in the country.” After completing a successful emergency surgery, Dr. Berk experienced challenging complications, keeping him in the Cardiac Care Unit for seven full days, where nurses and doctors kept him under intense observation. Dr. Berk, reminiscing, described recovery as a “very tough seven days.” As the Dean of the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center, Dr. Berk was personally responsible for hiring exceptional doctors like both Dr. Shurmur and Dr. Paone and said he had “total faith in them,” a powerful endorsement with his own life in the balance. As a result of UMC’s world-class care, Dr. Berk has returned to his duties as Dean full-time.

The distinct quality of Dr. Berk’s care resulted in his life being saved, making certain that his last-minute email to his two sons wasn’t the last opportunity he’d have to tell them that he loved them. Life-threatening events like his are addressed every day at UMC. Patients under the care of the outstanding medical staff can expect results similar to Dr. Berk’s, promising a second chance at a healthy, energetic, and full life.

Video: https://vimeo.com/698340529/6e78d0c385

UMC’s Family and Children’s Clinic on 98th and Frankford is now open to the public. On June 2nd, UMC employees, dependents, and Lubbock community members attended an open house that offered tours, highlighted the clinic’s unique design, and introduced its many services. The new, spacious lobby has large, beautiful windows facing both the south and west, with artistic installations of the UMC Children’s Hospital pinwheels, creating a vibrant, open space full of welcoming color and light. The two-story building serves children on the first floor and adult and family medicine on the second floor.

The clinic is the first of its kind in Texas, offering a built-in drive-thru medical bay designed for quick and painless testing for COVID, flu, and strep—patients can remain within the comfort of their vehicle and be in and out within minutes. In combination with the UMC MyTeamCare app and the convenience of the clinic having its own onsite laboratory, drive-thru test results are quickly available for visiting patients. No appointment is needed to be seen at the drive-thru. UMC Family Nurse Practitioner DeAnn Taylor is prepared to provide car side treatment for minor illnesses, including sinus issues, headaches, sore throats, and coughs. The clinic’s hours are 8 AM – 5 PM, Monday through Friday, and the clinic is closed for lunch between 12 PM – 1 PM.

With healthcare professionals experiencing unprecedented burnout, anxiety, and stress, it’s important to address workplace challenges with innovative solutions. As part of the evolving Wellness+ program, UMC introduces meQuilibrium, a dynamic workplace resilience system designed to combat the psychological triggers resulting in mental fatigue and illness. Available through a convenient mobile app, meQuilibrium offers short, targeted sessions based on a personal pre-assessment that identifies risk areas specific to each employee. Over time, and with committed use, meQuilibrium has been shown to alleviate burnout by up to 25%, increase workplace performance, and promote emotional intelligence, mindfulness, positivity, problem-solving, self-confidence, work-life balance, and much more.

A few of the features to expect from meQuilibrium include exercises on meditation, deep breathing, mindfulness, healthy eating, and how to stay active in our busy professional environments.

In addition to personal exercises, meQuilibrium offers de-identified analytics to program directors that provide a large-scale view of their employees’ stress-related challenges. With this information, directors and supervisors can make tailored adjustments to their work environments that are meaningful to their employees’ day-to-day. With both personal and systemic wellness offerings, meQuilibrium is another way UMC is working to build a healthier culture for its employees and its patients.

meQuilibrium is available for all UMC and UMCP employees beginning June 1. For more information on what meQuilibrium has to offer, watch this video.