Children's Hospital Colorado

As a respiratory therapist, Meliza has seen firsthand the impact she can have on patients and families. Now, as a clinical manager and a leader in our Pediatric Respiratory Therapy Fellowship, she’s making an impact on our team members by helping fellow respiratory therapists gain the skills and training they need to feel confident caring for kids. For Meliza, moving from direct patient care to a leadership role has been a full-circle moment. And she wouldn’t want to do it anywhere else. “Here, it’s different. It’s fun. It’s engaging,” Meliza says. "And if at the end of the day, we did something right to help our patients get home and get better, that’s awesome.” If you’re a respiratory therapist who is passionate about working with kids, there’s a place for you at Children’s Colorado. Learn more about how we can help you transition to pediatric practice: https://lnkd.in/g-8D_JfG

Congratulations to Meghan Benkendorf of Elizabeth High School for being named the second-ever recipient of the Children’s Hospital Colorado Outstanding Sport Medicine Student Award! This award is a collaboration between our athletic training team and the Colorado High School Activities Association. It recognizes a sports medicine student volunteer who excels in school, is active in their community and is developing their knowledge of athletic training best practices. Congrats, Meghan!

Starting the week with burritos? That’s just how we roll. We’re celebrating Hospital Week by showing our appreciation for our incredible team members, who not only share their expertise and compassion with the kids in our care, but also make Children’s Colorado a special place to work. If you also think that life is better with burritos, then you might be our people. Learn about opportunities to join our team: https://bit.ly/3DXgG4E #HospitalWeek #HereItsDifferent

Children who need a second heart transplant have worse kidney outcomes, but heart doctors often don’t know how to best measure kidney function. Research from Children’s Hospital Colorado nephrology fellow Dr. Melvin Chan makes a strong case for collaboration between heart and kidney specialists, and an approach that can improve transplant outcomes for young patients.

Cooper has a mean slap shot, aspires to be a hockey coach and loves basketball and football. “I’m sportsy,” he says with a grin. Cooper also has Morquio syndrome, one in a group of disorders known as mucopolysaccharidoses, or MPS. People with these conditions are often short in stature, have stiff joints and can experience numerous other complications. Today — MPS Awareness Day — we join the National MPS Society in celebrating kids like Cooper who find their zest in life despite their physical challenges. Learn more about Cooper and how our team members brought his passions for the NHL and the Colorado Avalanche into his care with “Cooper’s Stadium” (otherwise known as our Infusion Center): https://bit.ly/3QyYoh0

Dr. Emily Skeen, a pediatric pulmonologist at Children’s Colorado, set out with her colleagues to discover the relationship between a child’s living environment and their likelihood of developing exacerbation-prone asthma. See what her team discovered.

There are nearly 4.7 million nurses in the U.S., yet less than 12% of people in the profession are males. While the number of men in nursing careers has expanded in recent years, there's still a long way to go to increase their representation in the field. We recently welcomed 80 middle school boys from Denver Public Schools' Spark Early Career Exploration Program to our hospital on the Anschutz Medical Campus to learn more about career opportunities in healthcare. Through hands-on workshops, panel discussions and tours of some clinical areas, these students got a firsthand look at what it’s like to work here — and picked up some new skills along the way. We hope the experience “sparked” an interest in healthcare for these students! Interested in learning more about building your own healthcare career at Children’s Colorado? Learn more about what we offer: https://bit.ly/3DXgG4E

As a child life specialist, Amanda has handed out countless fleece hearts to moms and caregivers in our NICU. But one mother cemented in her mind how impactful they can be. The mom was young when she gave birth, and her baby was born very prematurely. She didn’t live close and couldn’t stay in the NICU all the time. So before she left she’d always place a fleece heart with her baby, which made it OK, in her mind, to go home. It helped her sleep better knowing she did something for her baby. “That proved to me that families appreciate this bonding opportunity and the sentiment behind it,” Amanda says. The hearts are more than just cute mementos. Moms and caregivers wear the hearts against their skin so it picks up their scent. When placed in the baby’s isolette, the scent provides the baby with the familiarity of their loved one. Research also shows a parent’s scent can lower a baby’s heart rate and help them remain calm during care. This practice is really helpful for babies who are too small or medically unstable for parents to hold or for parents who can’t stay in the NICU all the time. That was the case for Ashley, whose twin boys, Ezra and Ezekiel, were born at 27 weeks gestation with multiple medical complications. “We aren’t the doctors, surgeons or specialists working on their bodies to help them, but as parents, doing little things makes a huge difference in the end,” Ashley says. “From day one, we were giving them the best chance possible to be super successful, and that comes from bonding with your family. In our case, it was smelling scents from mom, dad and brother.” Ashley and her husband, Tyler, not only gave the hearts to the twins, but then passed them from brother to brother when they were separated. Ashley says the boys sleep better and breathe more calmly when they have their brother’s scent close by. Ezra and Ezekiel will be going home soon, after six months of passing the fleece hearts back and forth in the NICU. In addition to our child life specialists, our dedicated volunteers make this bonding possible. Jeanne, a devoted quilter and mother herself, has made more than 700 hearts and has another 200 on the way. “They are hugs from my heart to theirs,” Jeanne says. Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms and caregivers who give parts of themselves to help their kids thrive. #MothersDay #HereItsDifferent

We all know someone who is affected by the youth mental health crisis. Fortunately, we can all do something to help. From fundraising to attending events to advocating your legislators to simply sharing our experts’ advice, there’s something for everyone. #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth

Congratulations to Suzy Jaeger, who was named one of the top chief experience officers by Becker’s Healthcare. Learn about her role at Children’s Colorado.