Em Pijl Zieber and Klaas Vanden Beld will receive their awards May 8 at Chinook Regional Hospital. The scholarship was established this year by the Alberta Registered Nurses Educational Trust (ARNET) using funding from Executive Links/Nursing Links, a Calgary provider of nursing education.

This scholarship serves as a memorial to the contributions of Wendy Lipinski, a registered nurse who practised for 18 years in Lethbridge and area. She died of cancer last December at 59 years old. Executive Links owner Terese Fleming wanted to honour the nursing contributions of Lipinski, a lifelong friend.

“I am a nurse myself and, if I was ever in a position where I would need to receive health care, Wendy was the type of nurse I would want caring for me,” Fleming says. “She was such a kind and caring nurse, so gentle and patient.”

Pijl Zieber and Vanden Beld receive scholarships worth a total of $5000. They were chosen by an ARNET allocation committee on the basis of academic merit in their graduate-level studies.

Pijl Zieber, 44, teaches community health nursing theory and clinical courses in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Lethbridge. She is enrolled in doctoral studies at the University of Alberta and has a special interest in nursing in marginalized populations.

“It’s an honour to receive this scholarship,” Pijl Zieber says. “It will help me continue with my research, which is focused on how well nursing students are prepared for registered nursing practice. The nursing profession can make even greater contributions to the health of Canadians by enhancing community health clinical education and by mobilizing students to make a difference in their communities. That could have a positive impact on the health of everyone.”

Vanden Beld, 48, is enrolled in a Master of Nursing program through Athabasca University, in the family nurse practitioner stream. This week, he begins a four-month women’s health practicum at a women’s clinic in Nanton – the first of five practicums that include adult, older adult, paediatric and comprehensive care. He will graduate at the end of 2014. Family nurse practitioners can work in primary care and family care clinics, and in home care.

“If there’s one thing I’ve really learned through the years with nursing is you mentor other people and you take care of your own,” says Vanden Beld, who returned to Alberta two years ago after practising in the U.S. for 20 years. “Through scholarships and funding, it’s really evident that nurses take care of nurses and that’s huge. The pay-it-forward aspect of that sits very deeply with me now – it’s a scholarship with some serious meaning and intention behind it.”

Beck has testified before several city and town councils on fluoridation, and he was the principal witness of the committee that recommended to Calgary City Council that it stop fluoridation.

The presentation will begin at 19:00 on Monday, May 06, in PE264 at the UNiversity of Lethbridge. There is no cot to attend.

Perry will review clinical work and research in developmental trauma, neglect, and the relational problems that arise from neglect and threat. This opportunity may be of interest to academic staff and students alike.

Tonight’s 2-hour public presentation will begin at 19:00, and the cost is $5 at the door. Tomorrow’s workshop will start at 8:30, and will run until 16:00. Cost for the workshop is $130.

Sponsors of the event include City of Lethbridge, Southwest Child and Family Services of Southern Alberta, and Domestic Violence Action Team. In attendance will be members of the LRPS, teachers, counsellors, social workers, clinicians, doctors, child and youth care workers, and the general public.

This event was brought to Lethbridge by the Mental Health Promotions Committee of Southern Alberta, which consists of many individuals representing many local agencies.

For more information, contact Sandra Annis at 403.328.1544 or sannis@sandraannis.com.

“Our first priority is to care for the patients in this unit and prevent the spread of infection to other patients,” says Dr. Vivien Suttorp, AHS South Zone Medical Officer of Health.

Steps being taken include:

• Only new patients showing symptoms of CDI will be admitted onto Unit 4C (medical unit). Visitors will be limited to immediate family or caregivers during set visiting hours (11:00–20:00).
• AHS advises all visitors to wash their hands before and after leaving the unit.
• AHS is limiting staff access to the unit to only essential medical and support staff. The goal is to reduce the number of people entering and leaving the unit.
• AHS is conducting extra cleaning of rooms and the equipment used in patients’ rooms and the unit, and implementing strict patient to health care staff protocols.

This type of infection is the most frequent cause of health-care associated infectious diarrhea. Symptoms range from mild diarrhea to high fever, abdominal pain, and dehydration.

C. difficile bacteria is normally found in the bowel. C. difficile infection occurs when the bacteria grow to significant numbers and produce toxins, causing inflammation of the bowel and diarrhea. Most often, CDI arises sporadically in individual patients, usually related to the use of antibiotics that disturb the normal balance of bacteria in the bowel. However, hospital outbreaks are well recognized and arise occasionally.

“Person-to-person spread of CDI can occur from contact with feces or contaminated materials,” says Dr. Suttorp. “Good handwashing is crucial to limit the spread of this infection. Using soap and running water for at least 20 seconds is the most effective way.”

Dr. Suttorp says the risk to public is low, because healthy people are not normally susceptible to acquiring CDI from another person.

A first for Wilson Middle School, the full day Active Living Expo aims to provide students an opportunity to gather information and connect with organizations to help them stay physically active outside of school.

“Many of our students may not engage in physical activities outside of school or may not be aware of the opportunities available,” said Cody Hall, organizer of the Active Living Expo. “This Expo will showcase many of the different organizations in Lethbridge who offer opportunities to be physically active in the community”.

Taking place in the Wilson Middle School main gym, the Active Living Expo offers an exciting line-up of exhibitors from across Lethbridge offering information about their organization or providing demonstrations of sports and activities they represent.

Some of the Active Living Expo exhibitors include the City of Lethbridge, Serenity Equestrian, West Winds Gymnastics, Paintball Outfitters, Lethbridge BMX, the Lethbridge Sport Council, Orcas Swim Club, Lethbridge Softball Association, and the Canadian Martial Arts Centre.

The Active Living Expo will start at 8:00 and will run until 13:50 for students. The Expo will be open to the general public in the evening from 18:00 to 19:15.

Opportunities include:

Crownest Pass Health Centre

The Therapeutic Recreation Department needs two or more volunteers to host residents’ birthday parties. Duties include putting up decorations, serving snacks and cake (which are provided), and moving residents to and from their rooms. After the party, volunteers take down decorations and tidy up. Volunteers should be outgoing and have a special talent for creating a party-like atmosphere. Hours will be the first Thursday of every month from 13:00 to 15:00. Contact Megan deBoer at 403.562.5024 for more information.

Milk River Health Centre

Volunteers are needed to enhance the lives of people isolated in their homes due to physical, social and cognitive challenges. Volunteers should have a strong interest in spending time with seniors or people living with limitations, and they should be able to spend time with them on a consistent basis. Volunteers must be friendly and compassionate. Days are flexible, with a required weekly commitment of one to two hours. Contact Michelle Dube at 403.223.7212.

The proceeds will fund support the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Heart Truth Campaign and the Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation, Heart Function Clinic.

The gala was held in February — Heart Month — when campaigns like the Red Dress Gala are activated across the country endeavouring to bring awareness to the incidence and prevalence  of heart disease in men and women.

Jason VandenHoek, Executive Director of the Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation, said he was thrilled to learn the Heart Function Clinic in Lethbridge will benefit by almost $26,000.

“The event was a great success,” VandenHoek said. “It was sold out, with 375 guests, and not only did they have a superb night of dining and dancing, but they learned a lot about the realities of women and heart disease from the guest speaker Dr. Ali Zentner, and they gave generously.”

“The awareness campaign and the message from Dr. Zentner inspired us all to ‘fight for our health’ and to understand and reduce our risk factors for heart disease and stroke.” says Jennifer Penner, team lead and nurse clinician at the Heart Function Clinic. “The Heart Truth  campaign focuses on women and heart disease and urges us all to consider the fact that stroke and heart disease are leading causes of death among Canadian women”.

“This great event was spearheaded by six nurse clinicians who work at the Heart Function Clinic caring for patients with chronic heart failure,” said Monique Bailey, chairperson of the organizing committee.

They came up with the idea two years ago and worked very hard to bring it to fruition this year, with assistance from some service orientated and community minded friends who shared their talents on the organizing committee. Ischemic heart disease is one of the most common causes of heart failure.

“The proceeds from the Gala will help us continue the  good work being done at the Heart Function Clinic.” said Bailey.

Better Choices, Better Health is a 6-week series of workshops designed to support Albertans living with ongoing health conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, high blood pressure, obesity, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, Crohn’s disease, colitis, Celiac disease, and mental health concerns.

The Better Choices, Better Health workshop sessions are led by trained volunteers, many of whom live with a chronic disease. This approach ensures an understanding of the challenges participants face and provides a supportive and welcoming environment.

Because those living with chronic conditions often face the same day-to-day challenges, Better Choices, Better Health focuses on teaching tools and techniques common to all chronic conditions rather than any one specific disease or condition.

Topics include:

• Solving problems and setting goals
• Handling pain and fatigue
• Managing medication
• Dealing with difficult emotions
• Eating healthy and increasing activity
• Communicating with health care providers

Workshops will be held on six consecutive Thursdays starting April 4, from 13:30 to 16:00, at the Alberta Healthy Living Program office in Lethbridge, 424 5 Street South.

For more information or to register, phone 403.388.6654 or toll-free 1.866.506.6654.

Music lovers will be treated to an evening of songs and memories at the Yates Theatre. The concert, directed by Fran Rude and Ken Rogers, will take place April 19 and 20 starting at 20:00. Tickets are $40 (plus $2.50 service fee) and are available at the Ticket Centre.

Come out and enjoy an evening of toe-tapping music from the past performed by 16 of Lethbridge’s finest singers accompanied by the big band sound of a 32-piece orchestra. Vocalists include Jordana Kohn, Mark Campbell, and Diane Lewellyn-Jones, as well as 12 more local artists.

For more information, contact Diane at 403.329.3766 or 403.329.SEAT.

To help promote the event, Lethbridge News is giving away two free tickets! Just answer the following question:

What famous movie role did Frank Sinatra turn down because of an injured hand?

The contest closes at 17:00 MDT today, 18 March 2013. We will draw a random winner from all the correct responses.

Update: The winner was Jaime Staples, comment #1! Congratulations.

For the first time ever, WHL rivals Lethbridge Hurricanes and Red Deer Rebels took the battle from the ice to the beds to see which community could bring in the most blood donations. Fans in the two cities rallied and combined to collect 467 donations. While the Rebels won the first ever challenge between the two cities in a very close race, the real winners are the patients in need in hospital.

The need for blood is year-round and anyone can make a difference by stopping by CBS on the 2nd floor of Lethbridge Centre, phoning 1-888-2-DONATE, or booking online at blood.ca.