Louisville sports journalist Jody Demling doesn’t remember his parish priest, the Rev. William M. Bowling, administering the sacrament of anointing the sick. He can’t remember the nightly phone calls from his wife and children. Many of the health care providers who tended to him when no one else could are a blur. He will never…
After more than a month, health care providers are resuming nonurgent patient visits and surgeries — with added layers of safety protections. Providers are working to contact patients to reschedule appointments, but the coronavirus-related backlog combined with careful adherence to new infection protection steps can mean delays. Providers’ offices advise that patients should feel free…
Social distancing fatigue, cabin fever or just simple frustration — call it what you will. Many of us have had enough. Everyone has been doing their part to help flatten the curve by staying healthy at home since mid-March. The novelty has worn off for many, and even introverts are starting to miss socialization! Many…
All four Norton Healthcare adult-service hospitals were once again awarded an “A” in the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade. Norton Audubon Hospital, Norton Brownsboro Hospital, Norton Hospital and Norton Women’s & Children’s Hospital each received an “A” grade in fall 2019, and all repeated the national honor again for spring 2020. (Pediatric hospitals are not rated…
Respiratory care practitioner Brittany Ballard and her longtime friend Hannah Fisher, R.N., are capturing the spirit of collaboration in the fight against COVID-19. They’ve created blue heart stickers for health care workers to add to their badges as a sign of their fellowship. Blue was chosen to represent trust, peace, confidence and, of course, scrubs….
Even though there isn’t anywhere to go, and boredom is a real thing, this is an especially good time to moderate our alcohol intake. According to the World Health Organization, more than moderate alcohol consumption can increase your risk of COVID-19. Try to keep the limit to one drink a day for women, two drinks…
In James 1:2-3 it says, “…when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.” To find joy in trouble seems an unreasonable request. However, the challenge here is not merely that we be…
Within the walls of Norton Healthcare’s five hospitals, an army of health care heroes works the front lines in the battle against COVID-19. That army has an army of its own. About 50 people make up Norton Healthcare’s COVID-19 Clinical Command Center. The command center operates 24/7, serving as a central hub for all things…
David and Mary Newton haven’t spent more than a few days apart since they were married 47 years ago in Loretta, Kentucky. As their anniversary approached, Mary was recovering from surgery at Norton Hospital. Visitor restrictions required by the coronavirus pandemic meant David could not be by her side. “It was pretty hard,” Mary said,…
Since she was a child, Jenni Haynes, P.T., CLT, wanted to adopt a baby girl from overseas. That dream became reality in April 2018. Jenni and her husband adopted a 2-year-old girl from China who had survived cancer as an infant. The girl’s right arm was amputated when she was 5 months old after she…
Sarah Cohron, R.N., is a new nurse at Norton Hospital. Her letter to Norton Healthcare President and CEO Russell F. Cox: Dear Russ, My name is Sarah Cohron, and I am a 23-year-old new graduate nurse. I exercise regularly and I don’t have any medical conditions that put me at risk for developing COVID-19, so…
Maureen Loftus, R.N., saw her childhood neighbor lying in the intensive care unit (ICU). His eyes were closed. A ventilator helped him with the breath that COVID-19 had taken away. He was alone in the room. “I honestly think that might have been one of the only times I had seen him without his wife…