In the News

Personal:



My sister Lauren became engaged on Feb 14th to "Boomer" AKA Sean who both reside in Colorado. They met through the missionaries. He served his mission in Tacoma, WA. My parents like him, they feel good about it, and had the same thought about Sean when Eli asked to marry me, "Sure, She's your problem now". Jacob and I will get to meet him in March when we go to CO for Addison's Homecoming. Lauren is 18, she will be 19 when they are married in July. They are still deciding on which Temple.

Local:


Mayor of Portland, Sam Adams, was found to have lied about a sexual relationship with a male teenager he was mentoring three years ago. Adams was elected last year, making Portland the largest U.S. city to elect an openly gay mayor. The intern was 17. Adams is 45. Rumors of the relationship surfaced when the then-city commissioner was getting ready to run for mayor in 2007, but he and the teen both denied it at the time. In a recent statement confirming the underage relationship, Adams said he lied then because the rumors claimed the teen was underage. Adams has admitted he asked the teen initially to lie and deny the relationship.
The crazy thing is he is still in office and wont resign. I think anyone of any sexual orientation should no longer be in public office after breaking the law.

National:


Lastly, this woman. She and her 14 children conceived through in vitro fertilization. With no job, no income how did she pay for the procedure? An in-vitro procedure typically costs between $8,000 and $15,000. When asked on NBC how she was able to afford the treatments, she said had saved money and used some of the more than $165,000 in disability payments she received after being injured in a 1999 riot at a state mental hospital where she worked. How can a disabled woman care for 14 kids. She also told NBC that she does not intend to go on welfare, however her publicist confirmed later that she receives food stamps and child disability payments to help feed and care for her six other children. I am glad there are program available for people in need, but people who make lots of babies with out the support available -- that is crazy. There are obviously some mental health and personal appearance issues with this woman. And what $ is she using for the cosmetic surgery she has obviously undergone?

Dissatisfied Customer Revisited

I received a call from a Dr. VanTilburg, the director of Memorial Urgent Care. He read my letter. Reviewed the Jacob's chart and agreed. It was substandard care. He spoke with the PA and hopefully things will change. He appreciated the letter and the feedback. I feel validated and that was very nice of him to call. I sure hope things improve.

Now we have switched to Kaiser Permanente insurance so a whole different company.

And I am a one job woman. Sigh. Feels nice thus far. I get to spend 2 full well-rested days with Jake in a row, without being passed out on the couch or anything.

No longer a baby

Dissattisfied Customer

(NOTE: I was told in school it is poor practice to prescribe to your own child. Jacob needed I stronger dose of Albuterol. In the future, I may just break the guideline. AIDET stands for Acknowledge (the patient), Introduce (yourself), Duration (how long things will take), Explaination (what to expect), & Thank You and is the standard for interacting with patients at my job.

Memorial Urgent Care Clinic

3400 Main Street

c/o Southwest Washington Medical Center

PO Box 1600, Vancouver WA 98668

Dear Southwest,

My name is Janel Hillstrom. I work as a Charge RN on 4 North at SWMC. On Sunday Jan. 25^th 2009 at about 0630 am, my husband and I ended up at Memorial Urgent Care with our 17 month old son due to an asthma exacerbation. As an advocate for promoting excellence and being well aware of the AIDET format for interaction, I have to say our experience was far from excellent.

Our Medical Assistant (Lissa) greeted us with a frown and “Come on back”. She never introduced herself or explained what to expect. When the Physicians Assistant (Eric Holden) who saw us came in he did introduce himself, but only spent about 60 seconds in the room. He did not take a thorough history, his examination only included the chest (which was done though my son’s clothing), and there was no compassion, no education or reassurance offered. His comment was “Easy” and he walked out of the room.

I also work as a FNP at a clinic here in Vancouver. If my MA were ever to treat someone the way we were treated, I would want to know about it. I mentioned this to Mr. Holden, who immediately became defensive, rather than take it as constructive criticism.

As a charge nurse, my job is spent rounding on patients, asking them about their stay and ensuring that we are doing our best to provide EXCELLENT care. It was such a disappointment to be on the other end of Southwest’s services and to have such a negative experience. I hope that Memorial Urgent Care can receive a much needed reminder about basic customer service.

Sincerely,

Janel I. Hillstrom, RN, FNP

Derelict

I have been neglecting my beloved blog and fellow bloggers. Why?
I have been enthralled with a book.
I am a little embarrassed to say what book.
Fantasy Fiction is not my typical genre.
The book is The Crystal Cave. . . it's the life of Merlin the wizard.
And it is pretty darn entertaining.
So I apoligize for my absence.
And I have to go because my figurine collection needs polished before my friend comes over to play Dungeons & Dragons.

Winter Wonderland

The snow hit hard and fast the week before Christmas. It was awesome. A few days off work at the Clinic allowed me to be at home and make a quilt for Jake for Christmas. Washington does not know how to deal with snow. There were not plows, no one salting the roads, it was so weird.
Now we are feeling the effects of the the melted snow and heavy rain and there is flooding-- just like last year. My in-laws live in the area where the I-5 Freeway is covered with water and closed. Hopefully they wont get water.

Also my SIL Rachael was married the Saturday after Christmas. Everyone made it in all right despite the weather. We had a fun holiday with all 7 siblings and spouses under one room. Jacob danced the night away.

Hip Hooray for a new year and a new list of resolutions.

The Dog House

Please Warn Your Loved Ones:

http://bewareofthedoghouse.com/video.aspx