Don has been competing in these contests for over 36 years, and has won more than a dozen competitions.

Don has won all of his competitions through hard work and dedication. He enjoys the contest, because it gives him a goal to work toward, and it also gives him something to do with his wife that they both enjoy.

Through the years, Don has managed to win these competitions through hard work and proper nutrition. He also likes how training also ties into his professional life.

Don’s knowledge is a great asset to the Wellness Center and the wellness initiative within KRMC. Be sure you congratulate him when you see him around!

A special thank-you also goes out to the Wellness Center for allowing us to use the beautiful pavilion, Plant Operations for their help and support in setting up for the picnic, and the wonderful KRMC kitchen staff for all their time spent barbecuing in the summer heat!

We have a wonderful group of doctors this year and so many of you have given them a warm, friendly welcome — it is so much appreciated.

Thank you again for helping to get the new academic year off to a great start!

Information to RSVP will be available in August. This is a great way to add to your Healthy Choices rewards points, have some fun and beat the heat!

The employee picnic will be in October, but the date is not yet confirmed. We’ll let you know soon so you can plan to come and enjoy the food, games and music.

For those that really like to plan ahead, this year the Snowflake Ball will take place in Laughlin at the Aquarius resort. Mark you calendars for December 4th; we will keep you updated as to when tickets are available.

Many thanks to those of you who participated in the EMR Name That Project contest. Your ideas were wonderful to read and illustrated that you have a good feel for what this project is about.

Ultimately, the name chosen, iCare, was submitted by 3 different people! So, the names were placed in the hat and the winner is Shane Goade!

Shane, who works in Respiratory Therapy, is the recipient of an iPod and congratulations from appreciative senior management and project teams. This name not only exemplifies the KRMC care of patients, but provides a focus for the projects that will pull together our patient data to promote safety, quality and patient satisfaction.

Congratulations, Shane, and thanks to everyone who participated!

When you first notice a trail of ants in your house, follow it to its entry point and caulk all holes and cracks around it. In areas that can’t be sealed, leave a small, low-wattage night light on for a few nights in the area of the most ant activity. The change in light can disrupt and discourage their foraging patterns.

If the ant colonies are in your home, vacuum them up! Add some cornstarch to the vacuum bag to suffocate them, and make sure you are using a HEPA filter. Dispose of the bag immediately to prevent living ants from finding their way out.

Lots of ingredients already in your kitchen can act as natural ant deterrents. Set any of the following at an ant’s entry point in a small line that ants won’t cross: citrus oil (can be soaked into a piece of string), lemon juice, coffee grounds, cucumber peels, mint tea bags or dried mint leaves, cloves, cinnamon, or cayenne pepper.

To kill and drive away ants that you see, mix a teaspoon of dish soap with water in a spray bottle; this will also clean up the scent trails they leave for others to follow. Citrus oil and water or plain white vinegar is equally effective.

Our next Green Committee meeting will be held on Monday, August 23, 2010 at 2:00 PM in the Cholla conference room.

The physician’s office staff recognized in July that goes above and beyond in providing excellent service both to their patients and to KRMC is in the Family Practice Resident Center.

Located at 1790 Sycamore Avenue, Suite 1, this team consistently shows great customer service with positive attitudes and has excellent teamwork.

A tray of freshly baked cookies from KRMC’s Nutrition Services Department and a banner were provided as a thank-you for their great service.

Pictured from Left to right: Gina Atkinson, Sara Hathaway, Jeannette Orendain, Skye Van Pelt, and Rae Lopez.

The Family Practice Resident Center serves the general health care needs of the community, including preventive care as well as urgent problems in patients ranging from pediatric to geriatric. It also serves the purpose of teaching and educating our future family-medicine doctors.

There are ten family-medicine resident physicians and a physician’s assistant that see patients on a regular basis.

They also have three supervising physicians (Dr. Bennett, Dr. Subhan, and Dr. Pickett) who see their own patients as well as oversee the residents.

Dr. Washington attended medical school at the University of Illinois in Peoria. She did her internship at Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s Hospital in Chicago, and completed a residency in internal medicine at Cook County Hospital of Chicago. She is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Before coming to Kingman, she practiced in the suburban Chicago area. Most recently she was affiliated with a multi-specialty practice in Matteson, Illinois. Additionally, she was an administrator for a corporation that provides psychosocial services to residents of nursing homes.

With over 15 years’ experience in broad areas of patient care, she is highly skilled in diagnosing and treating complex medical problems and in providing routine health maintenance and preventive care to adults. She also provides well-woman checks and general gynecological care.

Dr. Washington says she feels blessed with a career that enables her to do what she loves. She says that her approach to medicine is to “Care for the whole person, not just an illness.” She works closely with her patients toward the goal of achieving and sustaining their optimum health.
She says this involves listening carefully to patient concerns and opinions, saying, “It’s very important that people are active participants in their health decisions.”

She resides in Kingman with her son, Maxwell, aged ten. She says she likes the change of environment from Illinois and loves Kingman’s climate, scenery, and “Very nice people.” She has many interests — including painting, collecting art, reading, and running for exercise.

Her manager, Eileen Pressler, and the rest of the Quality Management, are very pleased to have one of their team members recognized nationally for the work she’s done to help reduce infections at KRMC. Way to go, Debbie!

The August employee of the month is Sandra Gresky of Environmental Services. Sandra has been with KRMC for over six years.

Sandra was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. She spent thirty years living in Cleveland before she and her family moved to Rochester, New York. Sandra also lived in Pittsburgh before settling in Kingman.

Through the years, Sandra has done a variety of jobs. She has worked in an office environment, managed a Dairy Queen, and been a caretaker for the elderly.

Sandra moved to Kingman seven years ago. She never intended to move out west, but after a vacation to the west coast, she decided to make the change. Upon settling out here, she moved her dad and uncle as well so they could all be closer together.

Sandra has a son, Matt, who lives in Cleveland with his wife and twins. She is new to being a grandma, but loves every minute of it, and will be quick to tell you it’s her new favorite hobby!
When she isn’t working or planning a trip to see her grandkids, she enjoys day trips, gardening and photography.

Sandra loves a lot of things about KRMC, but she especially enjoys her co-workers and getting to meet all of the new people that come in and out of the hospital doors. Her positive can-do attitude rubs off on her fellow workers, and she never hesitates to do something kind to make someone’s day.

When asked about Sandra, her boss had nothing but positive things to say about her. He told us, “Sandra is a high performer that we can depend upon. She is always here and consistently performs very high-quality work. I receive compliments on her from many of her customers. She takes pride in her work and pays attention to her customers. Sandra is always pleasant and shows concern.”

When you see Sandra walking through the halls, make sure you stop say hi, and congratulate her. She’s always friendly and if you haven’t met her yet, you’ll be happy when you do.