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Dieting All About Dedication, Moderation

January 27, 2012 by Rush University Medical Center

By Laura Oliver 

When you’re striving to attain a healthier weight, which diet is best for you? What should you avoid? How many calories should you consume? Sometimes people focus too much on restriction of food and calories and not enough on balance. When in doubt, go back to the basics of a portion-controlled meal plan.

Focus on what you can have. Get excited about healthful eating. Whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean meats and low fat dairy do the body good. They give you stable energy and provide you with essential nutrients that help strengthen your muscles and bones.

Keep your weaknesses in check. You do not have to write down everything you eat every day, but keep track of your weaknesses. If you struggle with desserts, then set a goal and allow yourself to have a realistic number of desserts per week. Then, stick to it. Continue Reading »

Posted in Nutrition and Fitness | Tagged , | Leave a Comment »

A Giving Heart: One Family’s Rush Experience

January 20, 2012 by Rush University Medical Center

By Colleen Berk

Like many parents, my husband, Mike, and I weren’t prepared for the day our son, Brayden, was born. We’d chosen that weekend to move and, generally speaking, I don’t think any first-time parents are prepared until they are holding their beautiful baby in their arms. It’s like a switch flips, and you want nothing more than to protect and love them. The amount of love that instantly grows is immeasurable; we were on cloud nine. So when the pediatrician stopped by for a routine visit after Brayden was born, we didn’t think much of it. All of the tests done while I was pregnant came back perfect — why would anything change now? And then she told us: Brayden had aortic valve stenosis (AVS). In an instant, it felt like all of the air had been sucked out of the room.

For the next month, we were living under water, shuttling our innocent little bundle to doctors for echocardiograms, researching AVS and trying to make sense of what was happening. And then, the day before Brayden turned one month old, the decision was made that doctors would need to intervene and do a balloon procedure on Brayden’s tiny, baby heart. We were to report for surgery the next day at 6 a.m. Continue Reading »

Posted in Children, Heart, Patient Stories | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

On the Move: Inside the Rush Command Center

January 18, 2012 by Rush University Medical Center

Anne Burgeson (back row, center), in the command center for the move into Rush's new hospital.

By Anne Burgeson

Busy, exhilarating, funny, innovative and LOUD. Those are just a few words to describe the Hospital Incident Command Center at Rush on Sunday, Jan. 8, during our move of about 180 patients to the Tower, the newest hospital building on our campus.

Packed with people, chairs, temporary tables, telephones and computers, the hospital incident command center was the base of operations to manage the move. In what will be a patient labor/delivery room on the eighth floor of the Tower, leaders representing departments from throughout Rush gathered from 5 a.m. until 7 p.m. to handle questions, problem-solve together and oversee all aspects of the move. This was also the place to receive all calls from employees throughout Rush who needed any assistance related to the move.

From simple things like determining how to quickly fix a loose ceiling tile, to more complex issues such as determining why an alarm was activated on a piece of equipment, the group worked together in a truly collaborative way, to make quick, effective, well-informed decisions. Continue Reading »

Posted in New Hospital Building, Rush Transformation | Tagged , | Leave a Comment »

‘Loyal Patient’ Born at Rush, Working at Rush

January 12, 2012 by Rush University Medical Center

By Nancy Di Fiore

Right now, I stand among thousands of employees who work toward providing the best care and service for the community where Rush was built, the near West Side community where I grew up.

Throughout the years, I have experienced various health challenges just as I believe a lot of other people have. I have always entrusted my care with physicians at Rush University Medical Center, and for good reason.

I wouldn’t want my close friends and family to settle for anything less than the best, nor would I settle. With each of my health care needs, I would go to great lengths to find a physician who was not only knowledgeable, but the most experienced having taught others in the field. In my searches for the best, I always found Rush. I have continued my care at Rush throughout my entire life. I entrust the physicians at Rush with the most precious asset I have, my health. Continue Reading »

Posted in New Hospital Building, Patient Stories, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

An End, and the Beginning

January 6, 2012 by Rush University Medical Center

By Cynthia Castronovo

In my Transformation communication role, I have coordinated the production of thousands of signs over the past six years, but this Emergency Department sign is the first one that has elicited a strong emotional response from me. Not only does this sign represent the closing of the Wood Street ED, but also the end of the most exciting and rewarding project of my professional career.

As much as I joked – and at times groused – about all of the signs I made, I will miss them now that the Tower is opening. It’s hard to believe I will no longer be called upon to help with directional signs, fencing banners and educational boards explaining what is going on behind construction structures.

But on the bright side, I will continue to work with all of the people who helped me in the process, from the marketing and communications folks who helped me craft the messages (and help me comply with Rush’s graphic standards, including the pesky capitalization rules), to the designers who made the words look nice and read well, to the Medical Engineering Center staff (including Bob Lach, pictured here) who helped get them up where they needed to go.

So, even though the Emergency Department has moved to the 1600 block of West Congress Parkway and the Tower is opening on Monday, some things remain the same. And that is indeed a good thing.

Posted in New Hospital Building, Rush Transformation | 2 Comments »

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