American Association of Critical Care Nurses - Northwest Chicago Area Chapter P.O. Box 1163 - Arlington Heights, IL 60006-1163

Website: nwchicagoaacn.org

PRESIDENTS MESSAGEPRESIDENTS MESSAGEPRESIDENTS MESSAGEPRESIDENTS MESSAGE

It is hard to believe that another year has come and gone. I find that happens a lot as I get older. I’m sure you would all agree. During the year, Teri Kiss has encouraged us to FOCUS THE FLAME and to integrate F-I-R-E to find our source of energy. In the previ-ous newsletters, I talked about the first three components of F-I-R-E : Fearlessness, Inquiry and Resilience. Teri told us to recognize our fear and then confront it as we make smart and difficult decisions. We should use inquiry to ask the questions that need to be asked in order to make those decisions. Finally, we were encouraged to develop resilience so we would have the ability to adapt, overcome and bounce back. The E in F-I-R-E stands for ENGAGEMENT: By shifting focus from my task to our task, we develop deeper communication and a sense of shared ownership across organ-izational silos. Throughout my nursing career, I’ve come to recognize that we are never alone. We are part of a team dedicated to providing the best possible nursing care to our patients. Our nursing colleagues are there during the good times and the bad times. They are there to hug you and cry with you when you are having a bad day or when you have lost a patient despite your best efforts. They are there to celebrate milestones – awards, certifications, birthdays. Ever notice how phenomenal we are when it comes to planning a party on the unit and bring food? Critical-care nursing is hard physically, mentally and emotionally. We need to engage with one another to ensure that we don’t lose our passion for nursing and our compassion for our patients and their families. If we can’t rely on one another, who can we rely on? I would like to take this opportunity to thank the exceptional group of nurses I have worked with during the past year on the Board of directors. To Cynthia Bender, Rosi Grande, Jodi Gunther, Kirsten Howe, RoseMary Pieniazak, Cindy Ruiz, Julie Shurba, Linda Smith, Kathy

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Voss and Jenny Zaker, you have my heartfelt gratitude for all your support and hard work. Your dedication and commitment to NWCAC and critical care nursing are to be commended and I am so thankful to have you as my friends. Finally, I would like to thank you, as chapter members, for your continued engagement and support of the Northwest Chicago Area Chapter. We could not be who we are as a chapter without your dedication to your professional development and compassion for what you do at the bedside. It has been a pleasure to serve as President of NWCAC the past two years. I wish Cynthia Bender and the 2015-16 Board of Directors continued success as the chapter moves forward into 2016 and inspires us as critical care nurses to provide COURAGEOUS CARE Enjoy your summer and I hope to see at the next chapter meeting this coming September Leslie Collins NWCAC 2014-15 Chapter President

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Introducing the 2015-16 Board of Directors…Drum Roll PLEASE!!!

President – Cynthia Bender Treasurer – Kathy Voss

Treasurer Elect- Julie Shurba Secretary – Jodi Gunther

Midwest Conference Chair – Leslie Collins Program Chair – Linda Smith Membership – Kirsten Howe

Media Relations – RoseMary Pieniazak Hospitality – Rosi Grande

Thanks to everyone who took the time to participate in voting. We are always looking for people who are interested in becoming more involved with the chapter. If you are one of those people, we have a Board Learning Partner position that may be just for you. For more information, please contact Leslie Collins at lcollins-rn@sbcglobal.net

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Fundraiser for Victim of Nepal Earthquake

A picture is worth a thousand words…no truer saying after seeing the images from Nepal after the devastating earthquake in April. During the June meeting, NWCAC is holding a fundraiser to help the children and people of Nepal. We will be accepting cash donations at the meeting and the chapter will match dollar for dollar the amount we collect. The charity we will donate to is called “Save the Children”. Please see the attached information/report from Nepal after the first month of rescue efforts. You can visit the website for more infor-mation: www.savethechildren.org. We thank you for your generosity!!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT

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NWCAC EDUCATIONAL OFFERING

Saturday, June 13, 2015 7:30 AM to 12:00 PM

Agenda

7:30—Breakfast and Networking 8:00—General Chapter Meeting and Educational Program

Location

Northwest Community Hospital Classrooms 1-6/1-7 (Across from the Auditorium)

800 Central Rd. Arlington Heights, IL

Topics “Prevention of Hospital-Acquired Pneumonias” Barbara Quinn, RN, MSN, ACNS-BC of Sage

“Better, Faster, Safer-Applying Human Factors & Safety Principles to Critical Care” Rachael Zastrow, RN, MSN, CPPS

“Blood Transfusion-Promoting Safe Nursing Practice & Massive Transfusion Update”

Christy Everett, MT, ASCP-BBB Linda Smith, RN, MS, CCRN

No Registration Required

Free Parking Continental Breakfast Provided

Free for all NWCAC-AACN Members and $30.00 for non-members

CERP’s will be distributed

For further information contact NWCAC Program Chair , Linda Smith at lindacdhrn@aol.com

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MWC PHOTOS

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2014-2015 BOARD AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS

NWCAC CHAPTER OFFICERS

Leslie Collins, APN-CNS, CCRN-CSC, CCNS PRESIDENT

Jodi Gunther, RN, MS, APN-CNS, CCRN, CSC, CMC PRESIDENT ELECT Cynthia E. Bender, APN-CNP SECRETARY Julie Shurba, RN, MHA, CCRN TREASURER Kathy Voss, RN, BSN, MHA, TNS, CCRN TREASURER ELECT

COMMITTEE CHAIRS Cindy Ruiz, RN, MS, CCRN MIDWEST CONFERENCE CHAIR Linda Smith, RN, MS, CCRN PROGRAM Kirsten Howe, RN, BSN, CCRN MEMBERSHIP Jenny Zaker, RNC, EdM, APN MARKETING/HEALTH POLICY /LEGISLATION

COMMITTEE CHAIRS (cont)

RoseMary Pieniazek, RN, BSN MEDIA RELATIONS NEWSLETTER Rosina Grande, RN, MS, CCRN, CGRN, CMSRN HOSPITALITY Web Site: http://nwchicagoaacn.org E-mail: nwcac.aacn@gmail.com

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THE SITUATION On April 25th a magnitude-7.9 earthquake hit Nepal just 50 miles from the capital Kathmandu. It was felt as far away as Delhi and caused untold devastation, killing over 9,000 people and injuring a further 17,000, including many children. On May 12th, just 17 days after the first earthquake a second earthquake struck Nepal. This time it measured a magnitude of 7.3 with the epicentre approximately 75km east of the capital Kathmandu. Whilst the casualty toll was significantly lower than the first earth-

quake, it caused further destruction to buildings throughout the country and forced many more families to sleep in the open. The destruction of roads, bridges and other infrastructure by subsequent landslides has made humanitarian access and communications difficult, with some communities only able to be reached by air. With more than 400 staff already working in Nepal we were well placed to respond. Despite the difficult context our team have reached over 127,000 people, including 76,000children, with vital aid. Bhagawati walks through her destroyed village, holding her daughter Arati, 18 months, who was badly injured when their house collapsed while she was sleeping inside.

A RACE AGAINST TIME Following both devastating earthquakes, it is estimated that over 8 million peo-ple throughout Nepal have been affected, including 3.2 million children. As monsoon season fast-approaches, we know that it is crucial to prepare families for the upcoming change in weather to protect them from the elements, as well as water-borne diseases. That is why Save the Children is building emer-gency water and sanitation facilities like toilets and latrines, as well as providing access to clean drinking water to ensure living conditions remain sanitary and do not impact the health of children and their families. In addition, with so many families living in tents and makeshift shelters it is cru-cial that we help them to adequately waterproof their homes. Our teams have been distributing high-quality tarpaulin designed to withstand the elements, as well as the tools necessary to ensure structuresare erected in the strongest way possible. When families receive the tarpaulin, Save the Children’s distribution teams pro-vide training on how best to use the plastic sheeting, as well as help people who have lost their homes to build their shelters.

A tired three-year-old Madhav is covered in mosquito bites from sleeping in a tent outside, and had been woken at 3am by an aftershock that shook the valley

ONE MONTH ON

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THE IMPACT ON CHILDREN In any emergency, we know that children are most vulnerable. Since the first earthquake struck Nepal, schools have been closed leaving millions of children with nothing to do throughout the day. Further to this, there are an estimated 1.5 million children whose homes have been damaged or destroyed, putting their health at risk as they sleep in makeshift and temporary shelters or with family members. We know that shelter is crucial. With many families losing their source of income following the earthquakes, there is a risk that children will go hungry and be exposed to unsafe drinking water due to damaged water systems. The second earthquake also had a profound effect on people’s feeling of safety, heightening families’ fears just as life has started to resemble some sort of normality. “During the first earthquake I had left my daughter in the bed while I had come out to fetch water. The ground started shaking and houses started to collapse. I was terrified for my daughter as we were separated. My daughter was trapped inside the bedroom. She was rescued after two hours from the window by my husband. I was really worried about my daughter. We could not save anything. We ran with only the clothes we had on our backs. Since our house had collapsed we moved out to my mother’s house in Koteshwor which had minor cracks. During the second earthquake we instantly knew what it was so we ran outside and thankfully no one was hurt. The second earthquake caused major cracks to my mother’s house and now we are sharing a plastic sheet and living in an open space. I am worried for my daughter. I am not sure whether we will live or die and I am unsure about our future.” Mina, Kathmandu

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OUR RESPONSE Save the Children has been working in Nepal since 1976, and has been responding to natural disasters like these for over 90 years. Our experienced teams are doing whatever it takes to reach those affected by these earthquakes and provide them with desperately needed, multi-sector assistance. Health In response to the earthquake the UK government provided funds for a team of special-ist medical staff to deploy to Nepal. The UK-Med team included 20 clinical specialists and 10 operations staff drawn from the UK National Health Service, Save the Children and partners such as Handicap International. Members of the team travelled to some of the hardest to reach affected areas to assist people who had been injured and refer those with severe injuries to Kathmandu for further treatment. They also provided some sur-gical trauma support to three hospitals, as well as supporting a specialist spinal clinic in Kathmandu providing rehabilitative care to people who had suffered spinal injuries. Given the scale of this disaster, we have seen major disruptions to local health systems, with health facilities damaged and overstretched an access hampered by landslides. In response, we deployed several international staff to help our health teams in country establish four mobile health clinics consisting of a doctor, nurse, midwife and a para-medic, who travel to remote communities to provide primary health care to communi-ties. The teams have already treated more than 1,000 patients across 20 sites in two of the worst affected districts. An estimated 92,900 pregnant women were among the population hit by the powerful earthquakes and so, in addition to the Mobile Health Clinics, Save the Children has constructed a Birthing Unit in Sinduhupalchowk – providing women with a safe and sanitary place to give birth with skilled health workers. Food Security and Livelihoods Rice farming is an important part of Nepalese life. Many farmers’ seed stocks were damaged or completely destroyed by the earthquakes meaning that they will not be able to plant their harvest before the monsoon season starts, potentially leaving thou-sands of families hungry in the months to come. Save the Children is distributing replacement rice seeds to farmers to ensure that they can be planted before the rains and protect families from long-term food insecurity as well as providing cash grants to help people return to work and re-establish markets. Shelter With 489,307 houses destroyed and a further 261,865 damaged, there are an estimated 3.7m people affected. Our teams have already distributed over 22,000 tarpaulins to families who have lost their homes and are providing training on how to use these materials to best protect themselves from the elements, with monsoon season mere weeks away. Many families lost everything in the earthquake and so in addition to shelter materials, Save the Children has been providing blankets and kitchen kits reaching over 37,000 people.

A doctor in one of our Mobile Health Clinics tends to a new mother and her baby.

Save the children distribute shelter kits at Shikharpur village, Sindhupalchowk district, where 80% of hoes were totally destroyed

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Education Save the Children is the world-leader in providing education in emergencies. We know that the longer children are out of school, the less likely they are to return and the greater the damage done to their futures. It is estimated that nearly 25,000 classrooms have been destroyed and a further 10,000 damaged by the earthquakes. In addi-tion, many more schools are being used as shelters by people whose homes have been damaged or destroyed. As a result, around 1 million children will not be able to return to schools when they reopen on May 29th. We know that by providing children with access to education we can give them a sense of normality which is crucial in help-ing them recover from what has happened. Save the Children is setting up Temporary Learning Centres in some of Nepal’s worst-affected communities, providing training to teachers on psychological first aid, and learning materials so that children can get back into education. Photo: Raj Zaveri/Save the Children Kabita Acharya Dhakal is the Head Teacher at the Sidhiganaesh Primary School in Melamchi, where she has taught since 2003. Save the Children has worked with the community to build a Temporary Learning Centre where children can continue their education until the damaged school building is fixed as well as providing materials and training to the teachers. “It’s a chaotic situation. The children are fearful and terrorized. They are in fear all day that the earthquake might come which is why we have been calling children to school so that they can overcome their fears by playing games and seeing various learning materials. Because of the earthquake the school has collapsed and the materials inside have broken. Save the Children has provided us with tarpaulins and kit boxes and have told us to create a good environment for children while playing games that help them overcome their fears. They also came and created a work plan with us on when to conduct meetings, parent teacher meetings and school management committee meetings. Save the Children should go to all the places and create a proper learning environment just like they have created for us. Right now, more than studying the children should be involved in entertaining activities like games and should be helped by explaining what an earthquake is and by telling them not to be fearful.”

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Nutrition During times of emergency, when families have had their lives turned upside down, we often see an increase in malnutrition and child mortality. Babies and young children are the most vulnerable in emergencies and the most affected by changes in diet and care practices. Ensuring good breastfeeding saves lives and is the most effective way of preventing infant deaths in an

emergency. Breast milk protects against infection, especially in environments without safe water supply and sanitation. Many mothers are finding that the stress following the earth-quake has made breastfeeding more difficult and families are struggling to access nutritious foods. In order to ensure children get the nutritional diet they need to grow and develop properly, our teams are establishing emergency Mother and Baby Areas to support breastfeeding mothers and providing special nutri-tious foods for young children. We are also establishing centres to treat malnourished children to ensure that they recover and thrive.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) In any emergency, access to safe water and sanitation is one of the highest priorities for Save the Children. Unless adequate services are quickly provided to children and families, we know that waterborne diseases will be able to spread. Similarly, if families don’t have access to hygiene materials such as soap as well as training on good hygiene practice, their health is at risk. We have already distributed hygiene kits to families which will benefit over 11,000 people and have built emergency toilets and latrines in some of the hardest to reach areas. All of our Child Friendly Spaces and Temporary Learning Centres will also have safe toilets and latrines built to support them, ensuring that children’s health is protected. With schools due to reopen in a week’s time, Save the Children is also working to ensure they have adequate water and sanitation facilities. Child Protection Emergencies can affect a child's sense of security and therefore their abil-ity to recover. That is why Save the Children builds Child Friendly Spaces, to provide a place for children to play, access support and build on their natural ability to bounce back from what has happened. It can also give parents and caregivers much-needed time to cope with what has hap-pened and support their children. We provide training to people who work in these spaces so they can sup-port children through this difficult time whilst strengthening reporting and referral mechanisms so that children can access further support if needed. Save the Children established Child Friendly Spaces in some of the worst-affected communities within days of the first earthquake and will continue to create more to allow children throughout Nepal have the space and time they need to recover from what has happened.

Five-month old, Simon, with his mother Sushil in Gorkha district

Ruji, 12, with her little sister at a Save the Children Child Friendly Space in Bhaktapur, Nepal

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Reena (name changed), 10, smiles after a Child Friendly Space is setup in the courtyard of her school. Photo credit: Dave Hartman/ Save the Children

Reena’s school was severely damaged by the first earthquake. A Child Friendly Space has been set up in the school courtyard using a tent donated by the One Foundation. “I feel restless when I don’t study so I am looking forward to getting back to school. I will also have new books and get to read new stories. I was so excited to see the tent since I knew it was for us! It will be fun to play with the other children and I would really like to draw!”\ Fundraising We have now raised over US$21million in private fundraising income and a further US$7million in restricted funding from institutional and other donors – an overwhelming amount which will have a hugely positive impact on the lives of the children and families affected. (Please note the private fundraising figures are gross funds raised, as reported by Save the Children members and are not final funds allocated to the response. The figures also include pledged, pipeline and matched funding income which may also be reported elsewhere. such as in the Awards Funding Tracker circulated with the Nepal SitRep.)

WHAT’S NEXT? Save the Children will continue to meet the immediate needs of those affected by this disaster as well as prepare families for the upcoming monsoon season. Following this, we will begin to help in the rebuilding efforts whilst ensuring families in the mountainous regions are protected from the winter weather which follows the rains. Our teams will help to rehabilitate schools as well as ensure children and communities are more resilient to deal with future emergencies through psychosocial support. Save the Children will also use our knowledge of helping countries to prepare for disasters through longer term preparedness activities as well as invest in the prepositioning of stocks for future responses. Finally, we will help communities rebuild their homes and get their lives back on track through cash for work programming and skills training – ensuring that homes are built to a higher standard so as to protect families from future earthquakes.