Beacon Health System

Please join us in celebrating our incredible team of athletic trainers during National Athletic Training Month! Beacon’s certified athletic trainers provide support to our local high school and college athletes. As part of Beacon Bone & Joint, our athletic trainers also work with our providers and other medical professionals to provide complete and comprehensive care when needed for everything from head injuries to sprains. From putting patients in touch with surgeons to getting them the physical therapy they need, our athletic trainers promote a safe and successful competitive sports experience. Learn more about our athletic trainers: https://bit.ly/3Y2wQnI #NATM

Throughout this Women's History Month, we've been celebrating the wisdom, courage and dedication of Beacon's incredible leaders. These women inspire us every day with their passion and commitment, but who inspires them? Today, we're featuring Heather Ngure, JD, MBA, Executive Director of Enterprise Risk Management at Beacon, and Dr. Rosalie McBride, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beacon Medical Group OBGYN River Oaks. Continue reading as they share insight into the amazing women who have made a positive impact in their lives. Heather spotlights her grandmother’s enduring influence: “My grandmother, Wanda Kuiken, will turn 92 in April,” Heather shared. “Since I was a little girl, she has always been the very best example of a woman giving back to her community. In addition to having eleven children of her own, 30 grandchildren and more great-grandchildren than I can keep track of, she has consistently taken the time to mentor and serve others. She taught Sunday School to kindergarteners for over 50 years, mentored and ministered to incarcerated women and continues to volunteer at the local hospital. She sends over 1,000 birthday cards out each year to make sure the everyone she knows feels special on their day. Heather continued, sharing how her grandmother’s example inspires her to lift up others, especially women. “She taught me that the smallest acts of kindness can make the biggest difference. When I think about the 2025 Women’s History Month theme: Moving forward together! Women Educating & Inspiring Generations, I think about my grandmother. She's inspired many generations, and I'm hoping to continue her legacy by educating and inspiring the next generation and beyond.” Dr. McBride has been influenced by many women over the years who have had a positive impact on her career and approach to patient care: “One that particularly stands out is Lillie-Mae Padilla, MD. She was a maternal fetal medicine specialist at Indiana University in Indianapolis where I trained in my residency,” Dr. McBride said. “She had a quiet, unassuming way of caring for patients and communicating with patients in a way that they understood and could connect with. She was an advocate for women's obstetric care, especially in the high-risk situations that required extra and sometimes unanticipated attention. She accepted leadership positions when asked and instilled in those training under her the importance of health advocacy especially in the overlooked populations. From her I learned how important compassion and flexibility are with each pregnancy. I have strived to carry her approach to obstetrics and leadership during my career as an OB/GYN.”

Across the country on Friday, fourth-year medical students learned which residency program they’ll join to continue their training as physicians. Programs like ours take on the responsibility of guiding the growth of these doctors and providing them with the knowledge, skills and abilities to be successful in their future practice. The faculty, staff and current residents of the Memorial Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program are proud to welcome 10 new residents in July as the Class of 2028. Learn more about our residency program: https://lnkd.in/gtMmpUMW

Sunburst ambassadors Molly Wynen and Marcus Vigil appeared on WSBT HomeTown Living today to share their personal running stories and inspire others to join them. Molly spoke with heartfelt gratitude about her firsthand experience in the Beacon Children's Hospital NICU, speaking highly of the love, care support her baby and family received during such a challenging time. Marcus, who started his running journey nine years ago with couch-to-5K training, is now proudly conquering half marathons and full marathons. Running changed his life. Whether you're ready to run, walk, fundraise or volunteer, there's a way for everyone to get involved on or before May 31. Register here and be part of this special community event that benefits Beacon Children's Hospital: https://bit.ly/3QHJvsM

Peter C. Fretz, MD, is a graduate of Iowa State University, Ames, IA, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemisty. He earned his medical degree at University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA. At the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Department of Surgery, he completed his surgery internship as well as his urology residency. Learn more at https://lnkd.in/g78NjfGh

Going through cancer treatment is hard for everyone—especially kids. But Rileigh Zickafoose, certified child life specialist, makes it just a little easier for children in Beacon’s Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Unit and Infusion Clinic. To make the clinic environment feel more normal, she provides games, toys and activities. She encourages positive coping by providing support and distraction during procedures. She also helps kids understand what to expect through education and preparation, while including the whole family in supportive care. Child life specialists make health care easier for our children, and we’re celebrating all they do during Child Life Month! Join in and recognize a child life specialist you know in the comments. Learn more about child life specialists at: https://bit.ly/41TGUR3 This important work is fully funded through our generous community who believes in our mission to connect with a heart. If you would like to join others in supporting kids at Beacon Children’s Hospital, give now at: https://lnkd.in/gfC9ykiC

Gail Green's kidney disease led to a life-saving discovery at Elkhart General Hospital. A routine pre-transplant mammogram revealed breast cancer that might have otherwise gone undetected. Dr. Jamie O'Rear, Medical Director of Breast Oncology at Elkhart General Hospital, quickly performed breast-conserving surgery to remove the tumor. Gail's cancer was caught before it spread. Read more about how her unexpected diagnosis - and the swift action taken by the Beacon team - became the twist of fate that may have saved her life: https://bit.ly/4hvP0W2

Spring flowers aren’t the only thing we’ll see popping up out of the ground at Memorial Hospital: Steel framing is starting soon for the central structure of the new patient tower. Walsh Construction created this animated video showing how the core of the new patient tower — complete with its own foundation and basement — will tie into the steel framing now visible over the former heart and vascular center. “The Walsh Construction project team used building information modeling to coordinate all of the patient tower’s structural steel erection along with the mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection utilities that will be installed throughout the building,” said Eric Radloff, Vice President for The Walsh Group - Walsh Construction & Archer Western’s Healthcare Division. “This model shows the sequence of how the steel will be installed and a fly-through of the mechanical room that will support the new intensive care unit and the patient room floors.” The video’s bird’s-eye view also gives an amazing look at the unique wave design along the top of the tower. CannonDesign Architect and Design Leader John McAllister incorporated the gentle slope of the roofline as a nod to the curve of the nearby St. Joseph River running just north of the hospital. “We are very excited to begin our next phase of construction on the new Memorial Hospital patient tower,” said Brian Spencer, Beacon Vice President of Facilities, Construction and Real Estate. “We are grateful for our partners at CannonDesign and Walsh Construction, our own hospital facilities team and the many steel, mechanical, electrical and plumbing contractors who are dedicated to creating a world-class patient care tower to support the exceptional work of Memorial Hospital’s caregivers.” We appreciate our community’s support and understanding as construction continues on the new patient tower. Helpful information about coming to the main entrance of Memorial Hospital as a patient or visitor is available here: https://bit.ly/3FCzZUV

In his role, Dr. Barham diagnoses and treats different types of acute and chronic heart and vascular conditions. “I often help manage these patients with such diseases by medications and lifestyle changes alone, but sometimes interventional procedures are needed,” he says. His philosophy to managing a patient is to first learn their goals. He then makes sure they understand their particular health condition, available treatment options and helps them work toward achieving the set goals. “No two patients are alike,” Dr. Barham says. “Every patient has their own peculiarities that should be taken into account when a treatment plan is formulated.” Learn more at https://lnkd.in/g94YPPdf

When J.J. learned he had a 90% blocked artery, preventing blood from reaching his heart, he ended up with heart failure and fluid in his lungs. Add to that a new diagnosis of diabetes and J.J. realized things could go bad fast. But through a minimally invasive procedure, a stent was put in place and blood flow and oxygen levels improved. “The cardiac rehab experience was phenomenal for me. I can’t say enough about the nurses who helped me there,” he said. Our Cardiac Rehabilitation patients see higher improvement compared to state and national levels, thanks to the use of specialized tests. Learn how Beacon's cardiovascular team helps patients like JJ every day at: https://bit.ly/3CUj1AD