Kettering Health

⭐There’s still time to donate to this year’s Period Poverty Donation Drive! ⭐ 🏥 Throughout March, you can leave donations of pads, tampons, and liners in the marked donation barrels at Kettering Health medical centers and Kettering Health Medical Group OB-GYN practices. 📊Two out of five women in the United States struggle to afford menstrual hygiene products. For many women in our community, this means choosing between essentials like groceries or period products each month. 🩸Lack of access to proper period products can lead to serious health risks and infections if tampons are left in too long or if women have no choice but to use unsafe alternatives like rags or paper towels. Those who don’t have access to period products may also be forced to miss school or work monthly. 🤝That’s why Kettering Health has partnered with Period Kits Ohio for the second year to help expand access to period products. Donations will be collected at Kettering Health facilities and then distributed locally by Period Kits Ohio. If you’re planning to be at any of the participating locations this month, consider leaving a donation to help women in our community! A list of participating locations is in the comments!

🌻Congratulations to Manny Mendoza, Kettering Health Dayton's Sunflower Award winner! 🌻 Manny was nominated by a patient who was experiencing abdominal issues. In the nomination, the patient said Manny was kind and never made them feel embarrassed about their situation. "He was so kind and treated me like I was his family. I don’t think there is anything else a patient could ask for than to be treated like that," reads the nomination. "I cannot thank him enough for his kindness."

Welcome, Brian Westcott, APRN-CNP, to Kettering Health Medical Group Critical Care! Brian is a nurse practitioner specializing in critical care and acute care. For him, one of the greatest satisfactions in life is personalizing care and collaborating with other services to provide the best care possible for his patients. Brian enjoys restoring antique cars in his free time and is a proud father of three. 🔗 Read more about him: https://bit.ly/4kKeLEH

Chris Cameron, a proud Dayton native, gives back to his community through his work as a Kettering Health athletic trainer at Kettering Fairmont Highschool. His favorite part of the job is helping student athletes overcome injuries and get back to playing the sports they love. That’s exactly how Chris’s journey as an athletic trainer began. While on the cross-country team at Wayne High School, he was sidelined by an injury that required rehab with the school’s athletic trainer. This was the spark that ignited his passion for athletic training, eventually leading him to a role at Kettering Health. “It really opened my eyes to the important work that athletic trainers do,” Chris says. “The care and support I received as I worked through the challenges of an injury made a real difference. I felt called to do the same for others.” 📸: Gene Peters Sports Photography #NationalAthleticTrainingMonth

If you're feeling the effects of the time change, Dr. Sarah Hussain, a board-certified Sleep Medicine and Family Medicine specialist with Kettering Health, has some tips for you to get the most out of National Napping Day today. 😴 Take a nap only if you didn’t sleep well: If you are rested and slept seven to eight hours the night before, taking a nap can actually upset your sleep schedule. 😴 The best naps are short: A 10- to 20-minute nap in the middle of the day can provide a burst of energy and increase your alertness and productivity. 😴 You don’t have to nap to get through the afternoon: We all experience a dip in our circadian rhythm between 1 and 3 p.m. Eating a lighter, healthier lunch; drinking water; and getting up to move with some stretching or deep-breathing exercises can help you through the afternoon slump.

Welcome, Aimee Greutman, APRN-CNP, to Kettering Health Medical Group Trauma Surgery! Aimee is a nurse practitioner who specializes in caring for patients during their stay in the hospital, overseeing their treatment, and guiding them to recovery. She entered the healthcare field as a nurse and enjoyed watching the care the nurse practitioners gave their patients. Their knowledge and compassion, along with seeing their work, inspired her to become a nurse practitioner. In her free time, Aimee enjoys cooking and spending time with her family and her pets, whom she calls her "fur babies." 🔗 Learn more about her: https://bit.ly/4bsnR4G

“All my life, I’ve always wanted to help people,” says Kyla Hawkyard, a Kettering Health Medical Group scheduler supporting Brain & Spine services. After over a decade on her feet as a nursing assistant, she needed a less physically demanding job and landed in Central Scheduling. “I kind of fell into my job as a test scheduler, and I came over here as a surgery scheduler,” Kyla explains. “I get to help people in a way I never thought I would, scheduling procedures for conditions like seizures or epilepsy, and new services, like focused ultrasound. It’s different than what I ever thought I would do, but it’s really fulfilling.” “Kettering Health is known for helping people, Kyla says, "And I’ve gotten to be a part of that. I’ve felt like I’m a member of a team helping patients get back to where they wanted to be to live the best life they can. “No one sees a neurosurgeon when they’re having good times. But in my role, I get to help them through some of their toughest moments."

National Athletic Training Month recognizes the vital role athletic trainers play in the sports world and beyond. When most people think of an athletic trainer, they imagine someone on the sidelines of a sporting event, rushing to assist an injured athlete or taping ankles in the training room before game time. As a Clinical Specialist Athletic Trainer, Spencer Deffner, MS, AT applies his specialized expertise in a different context: working with local police officers, police cadets, and firefighters to help them avoid injury and recover should one occur. Spencer's passion for healthcare was sparked by watching his mother, a nurse for 30 years, find joy in caring for people and helping them regain their health. Pair this with interests in sports and anatomy, and it’s no wonder Spencer entered the athletic training field. He figured he would spend his career in the world of sports, until he realized there was an unmet need for athletic training services for public safety personnel. “I saw this as an opportunity to explore a different side of athletic training while also supporting local police and firefighters.” Spencer rotates between working with cadets at the Sinclair Community College Police Academy and officers with the City of Vandalia, Ohio Police Department. He also helps firefighters train for the rigorous physical exams required to stay in the profession. While his weekly schedule remains constant, no two days on the job are ever the same. This variety, Spencer says, is what keeps it exciting. “You never know what patients you’re going to see or what injuries you’ll be treating,” he says. “You always have to be ready when the time comes. That’s one of the things I like most: each day is different.” Spencer also loves the satisfaction that comes from helping those who protect our communities. He sees his work providing athletic training services as a way to give back to those who give so much. "These are tough jobs with a lot of physical demands. That’s why it’s important for our officers and firefighters to have consistent access to athletic training services to help them stay healthy and avoid injury. "They deserve to feel their best on the job, and when they do, our communities are safer places.”

It's Sunflower Sunday! 🌻 Congratulations to David Poorman, Kettering Health Washington Township's Sunflower Award winner! David works in MedSurg and was nominated for his positive attitude. “David is very hard-working, kind, and gentle. He is the first person to be there to help, and I have never heard a complaint. He always has a smile on his face and is such a valuable asset to our team. We are lucky to have him!”

For many of us, the end of the weekend is accompanied by feelings of dread and anxiety about the work week ahead. Otherwise known as the "Sunday Scaries." While saying goodbye to the weekend is never easy, here are a few tips from licensed professional clinical counselor Julie Manuel to help make the “Sunday Scaries” a little less scary.