Announcements

Chapter Meeting Announcement

Date:  June 25, 2020

Speakers:
Mended Hearts National President Ron Manriquez
National Treasurer Al Voss
Southwest Regional Director Daniel Moravec

Program:  Meet Your National and Regional Leaders

Time:         Program 6:30 pm

Location:  Virtual meeting via Zoom

This chapter meeting will also serve as the first “virtual” Southwest Regional Meeting.  Chapter 12 President and Southwest ARD Lloyd Jeffries has invited the leaders of all the chapters in the southwest region to join the meeting. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet the leaders of our organization and fellow members from across the region.  Please join us and help welcome our guests.

Prior to the meeting Lloyd Jeffries will send an invite to the meeting with instructions on how to participate
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Chapter 12 News and Update

• Chapter 12 welcomes new members Christopher and Nancy Sigerson from Georgetown and associate members Nancy Zimmerman, BS&W Volunteer Director and Emily Santos, Jaci Davis, Jarrett Crowell and Colton Hall, BS&W, Temple cardiac rehab physiologists. 
• Mended Hearts national policy at this time continues to be no patient and family in person visits and no face to face chapter meetings. National will keep chapters up to date on any changes in policy. When face to face meetings are allowed, Chapter 12 will return to its monthly meetings at the BS&W Center for Diagnostic Medicine.  Jeffries will keep us informed on national policy.    Please stay safe until we gather again, we are all in the vulnerable category. 
• Keep Lloyd or Millie up to date with what is going on in your life, so we can share with chapter members. We are here to support one another.
• Mended Hearts/Mended Little Hearts has initiated a new online support/information opportunity named Visit Me for hospitalized heart patients.. National is providing a lap top computer participating hospitals. Dr. Michel has endorsed the program for use at BS&W Temple. An explanation of the program from Mended Hearts Executive Director is included at the end of the newsletter
• Membership form is attached to newsletter that you can use if you need to update your membership or share with someone else. Remember associate memberships are free.                                                         

VISITING TEAM REPORT

Baylor Scott and White has not yet reopened the volunteer program, but will notify us when the visiting team can return to seeing heart patients. When both national and BS&W give permission, Chapter 12 visiting team will resume in person visits.  When visiting resumes, Mary Myers, who has been part of the team in the past, and new member Steve Kranyec will join the team.  Steve has already been doing phone visits. We welcome Mary and Steve to the team. Heart pillows have continued to be distributed to heart surgery patients by the nurses.  Rick Whitney has kept the ICU and 4 south stocked with pillows.  A big thank you goes to Athena Stinson who made and donated heart pillows in April. Millie Henn added to the pillow supply in May by stuffing and sewing pillows.                    *********************************************************************************     Mended Hearts Cen-Tex Chapter 12 Minutes for May 28, 2020

      Mended Hearts Chapter 12 met Thursday, May 28, 2020, at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. Attending the      meeting were Lloyd and Raylene Jeffries, Letty and Dean Rucker, Tracy and Sam Kaiser, Steve Kranyec, Tammy Craddock, Mary Myers, Dale Whitney, Millie Henn and guest Sally Estes from the Austin chapter.   President Jeffries called the meeting to order.

     The February 27, 2020 minutes were approved.  Treasure Letty Rucker reported a chapter balance of $2856.14.  The report was accepted. The following committee chairs reported:  Visiting Chair Lloyd Jeffries announced 92 visits in January and 60 in March for a total of 152 for a two month total of 152; he will report totals for February at next meeting.  Pillows chair Rick Whitney is keeping ICU and 4 South stocked with pillows recently placed 40 pillows on shelf in volunteer office; Newsletter chair .Millie Henn will send a newsletter in June to update the membership; Membership chair Letty Rucker reported new members; Webmaster Rick Whitney is updating website as needed.

      Zoom Coordinator Lloyd Jeffries will coordinate and host chapter meeting via Zoom. Mrs. Henn, chapter liaison to BS&W shared information on the chapter’s 40^th Anniversary celebration held on March 11.  Dr. Jeffrey Michels spoke and Councilwoman Susan Long presented a proclamation from Temple’s Mayor Tim Davis, and Southwest RD Daniel Moravec presented a plaque from Mended Hearts board of directors.  The event was well attended.  Mr. Jeffries has submitted information about the event to the national office. 

       Mr. Jeffries who has been appointed a Mended Hearts Assistant Regional Director updated members on Mended Hearts national activities:  ARD Training and National meeting has been canceled this year (2020); Webinars – watch your email for webinar announcements; Awards – massive awards program is in progress; iPad from national to hospitals with visiting programs – in the planning stages; Dallas office closed due to cost. Our 40^th Anniversary celebration was featured on Facebook and the National website; National Officers nominations are in progress. MH Treasurer Al Voss is becoming the employed financial officer at the salary of $1.00 a year.                                                                                  

        Next meeting will be June 25, 2020 via zoom.

         Meeting adjourned at 7:00 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,                                                                                                                                               Millie Henn Secretary                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

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 VISIT ME –  Andrea Baer Mended Hearts/Mended  Little Hearts Executive Director

Mended Hearts and Mended Little Hearts are very excited to let you know about a new program available at no cost to your hospital. Our new virtual visiting program, Visit Me, includes an iPad for each qualified hospital. Patients, caregivers and families can use this iPad to:

• Connect with another patient, caregiver or family member
• Access educational resources

Mended Hearts and Mended Little Hearts’ trained volunteers conduct more than 200,000 visits to patients and families each year. Typically, a large percentage of these visits are in person; however, due to COVID-19 restriction, in-person visiting and support is discontinued until it is safe to do so for our volunteers and for the patients and families we serve. Now more than ever, patients and families need support as they are isolated and alone in the hospital and also while at home recovering. Therefore, Mended Hearts and Mended Little Hearts have moved their visiting programs online so patients, caregivers and family members can receive support when and where they need it.

Visit Me volunteers are screened and will go through extensive Visit Me training in addition to our current rigorous accredited visitor training. Currently, in our accredited visitors training, volunteers must learn about, agree to, and demonstrate understanding of the following:

• Empathy
• Active listening
• Diversity sensitivity
• No medical advice may be given
• No negative statements about and/or comparing healthcare professionals, hospitals, or any medical facility
• Privacy and confidentiality, including adherence to HIPAA

Visit Me Program will be available 3 ways:
1.On the iPad provided to your hospital
2.Website(myheartvisit.org)
3. As a downloadable app that patients, parents, caregivers and family members can use on their own devices.

MH/MLH Visit Me iPad General Information
We will provide: The new iPad in a sanitary case which can be easily cleaned between uses. All content on the iPad will be loaded virtually by The Mended Hearts, Inc., and no additional content will be permitted on the iPad.  In order to connect to our online resources, the iPad will need to connect to the hospital’s internet. A toolkit with suggestions on how to use the iPad and how to distribute it to patients and families.  A postcard about the program that you can share with your patients and families.

Aside from providing the iPad to your patients and families for visits and education, making sure it is cleaned between rooms and people, and keeping the iPad charged, there are no other requirements of your hospital.

We are excited to embark upon this new venture in virtual visiting and education with our Visit Me iPad program.