Nurse

I have been a nurse for 30 years, but never was I so proud of my profession and my hospital as I was on January 26th when we were called upon to respond to the tragic train disaster in Glendale. As the incident commander here at Verdugo Hills Hospital, I witnessed the true sense of "team" and the real reason why so many of us entered the healthcare field in the first place. Nurses, physicians, technicians, administrative personnel, volunteers and countless others rallied together to provide the medical care and emotional support needed by the victims and their families.

Darleene Barrientos Legislators believed requiring hospitals to maintain a steady ratio of nurses for patients would translate into better patient care. Instead, hospital administrators say the new law is difficult to manage. The nurse-to-patient ratio law, which was passed in 1999 by former Gov. Gray Davis, went into effect Jan. 1. The law stipulates that certain departments must maintain prescribed nurse-to-patient ratios at all times. With fewer patients per nurse in departments such as telemetry, where patients don't require critical care, work is more evenly spread out. "Oh yeah, it's been really nice," said Michelle Jocson, a Glendale Memorial Hospital registered nurse.

NORTHEAST GLENDALE ? When Liz Randall first stepped onto the set of the upcoming Oliver Stone movie, "World Trade Center," as an extra, she had no expectations. "I just had to be in it," the 32-year-old Glendale resident said. "It's just so personal to me." But when director Stone discovered that Randall was a nurse and had been near Ground Zero when the Twin Towers went down on Sept. 11, 2001, Randall's role in the movie significantly changed. She went from a "fly on the wall," to a make-shift technical assistant for Stone ?

Glendale resident Myrtle Nelson has given about 400 flu shots since she’s been a volunteer with the Glendale-Crescenta Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross. Nelson, a retired critical care registered nurse, maintains her nursing license and since retiring has been providing her skills as a nurse to the Red Cross and Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center. “I knew I couldn’t do nothing,” Nelson said, adding she wanted to keep busy after retirement.

Fremont Elementary School parent Cara Ruyle Wednesday waited calmly in the school auditorium for her turn with the nurse. That a pint of blood would soon be drawn from her body didn’t bother her. “After you have two kids, no biggie,” Ruyle said. She has a rare blood type — B negative — that makes donating blood even more important, Ruyle added. “It is a great way to support a school activity and show my daughter that we are connected to the world, that we are our brother’s keeper,” Ruyle said.

The teen volunteer program at the Glendale Adventist Medical Center is inviting students interested in careers in medicine and nursing to attend a presentation today on careers open to them in healthcare. The speakers will include Dr. Catherine Chern, private practice physician in Glendale and Armen Hatamian, an emergency room nurse at Glendale Adventist Medical Center. The presentation will include what doctors and nurses do on the job, the kind of environment they work in, the schooling it takes to be a doctor or nurse and future job expectation for this career.

Claudia Peschiutta GLENDALE -- Thanks for everything -- from professionalism to volunteerism. Local nonprofit health-care provider VNACare honored some of its own at a dinner held Thursday night at the Oakmont Country Club. The following is a list of awards and their recipients: Communication -- Barbara Balke, volunteer coordinator Respect -- Armen Adamyan, nurse Teamwork -- Therese DeLisle, human resources assistant Professionalism -- Pattie Gocke, nurse Trust -- Lynn Weiner, fund-raising project manager Caregiver -- Herbert Permillion, Bonnie Brady-Hoskins, Carol LeBleu Volunteer: Nancy Nichols, Mark and Lisa Hineman Patrick Liddell: Patrick Liddell Rhonda McMillan, assistant to VNACare's director, said this was the organization's first awards program.

MARGARET ANN STANTON Margaret Ann Stanton, 83, a longtime Montrose resident, died Nov. 30, 2002, in a Montrose convalescent home. Mrs. Stanton was born in Cheyenne, Wyo. She was a registered nurse, and was a school nurse at Holy Redeemer School for 10 years and a resident nurse at Casa Verdugo Home for 13 years. She is survived by her husband, Kilmer F. Stanton Sr.; daughters, Kathleen Robertson of Reseda and Joanne Dornhuber of Canoga Park; sons, Kilmer F. Jr., Patrick of Anaheim, Michael of Sunland and Ralph of Kings Beach; 15 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and sister, Jeanne Tague of Laguna Woods.

Toon Prasertsit, RN, has been named director of the med/surg unit at Verdugo Hills Hospital, effective immediately. Prasertsit has an extensive background in healthcare management and direct patient care. Most recently he was the nurse manager for the Hematology/Oncology Complex at Los Angeles County-University of Southern California (LAC-USC) Medical Center. Prior to that he served as an assistant nurse manager of the LAC-USC infusion center and was a staff nurse for both hematology/oncology and the HIV unit at LAC-USC.

Darleene Barrientos Students at Holy Family High School got a glimpse of career choices by talking with nurses, police officers, firefighters, journalists and other professionals during the school's Career Day. Instead of having several professionals visit just one class, the entire school was involved in its Career Day on March 15. Students from each grade chose four sessions to ask questions and get a picture of...

A new condominium development three blocks from the Americana at Brand that languished for years is now selling units at a discount for "Hometown Heroes," including veterans, teachers, first responders, doctors and nurses. Eligible home buyers get 1% off the net sales price of the 26 urban-style condos in the Residences at Jackson Glen. With two-bedroom units running at $429,000, that would be a savings of $4,290. “That's quite a bit of cash,” said Mary Jean Duran, spokeswoman for the development, adding that the condominiums in the three-story building start at $399,900.

Beryl Fowlie passed away January 28, 2013 in Monterey, California surrounded by her family after a brief battle with cancer. She was 83 years old. Beryl Bernice French was born in Detroit, Michigan on February 13, 1929 to Herbert Fredrick French and Dorothy May French. Known as “BB” to her family and close friends, she, along with her brother Wayne, grew up in the Detroit area during the Great Depression. They visited their grandparents in Canada often and even moved there for a brief time during the depths of the Depression.

Nellie Cathryn Strand September 24, 1913 to August 14, 2012. Nellie Cathryn Strand was a wonderful mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother who lived to be 98 years old (just one month shy of 99), outliving her husband Paul and two of her children, James Edwin Strand and Lawrence Richard Strand. Born in Meridian, Mississippi, Cathryn would move with her mother and sister through several southern states, ending up in a Catholic orphanage in Alabama where her mother went through nurse training.

Two employees of the Glendale Community College nursing department this week spoke against planned spending cuts that they said would paralyze some services. Earlier this year, college officials announced they would reduce the hours of 115 employees campuswide - that number has since dropped to 95 - and cut 80 positions this fiscal year. Another 18 positions are on the chopping block for 2013, saving the school an estimated $816,000 over the two-year period. But the plan has garnered significant push-back from employees who say reducing hours and cutting positions will significantly hurt services - even as college officials also cut back on the number of courses and class sessions.

MONTROSE - Officials at the state attorney general's office say investigators are looking into a recent incident involving a nursing facility patient who ran away and barricaded himself in a neighborhood restaurant. Officials declined to comment further on the July 26 incident, but confirmed it would be “wrapped up” in additional investigations into the Montrose-based Verdugo Valley Skilled Nursing and Wellness Centre for abuse and neglect of a suicidal patient who eventually killed himself, said Nicholas Pacilio, a spokesman for the agency.

GLENDALE - The Montrose-based Valley Skilled Nursing and Wellness Centre was named in a grand jury indictment for abuse and neglect after a patient killed himself by discharging a handheld fire extinguisher down his throat, officials said. State Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris on Monday announced indictments against the facility and its former administrator, Phyllis Paver, claiming they were complicit in attempts by the 34-year-old patient, Charles Morrill, to kill himself three times before the fire extinguisher incident on Feb. 28, 2009.

Fremont Elementary School parent Cara Ruyle Wednesday waited calmly in the school auditorium for her turn with the nurse. That a pint of blood would soon be drawn from her body didn’t bother her. “After you have two kids, no biggie,” Ruyle said. She has a rare blood type — B negative — that makes donating blood even more important, Ruyle added. “It is a great way to support a school activity and show my daughter that we are connected to the world, that we are our brother’s keeper,” Ruyle said.

Glendale's Pacific Community Center became a doctor's office Saturday as hundreds of people had their eyes, blood and balance checked at the inaugural Glendale Health Festival. People from around the region filled the gym as doctors, nurses, physical therapists and others offered their services for free. Dr. Vicken Sepilian, chair of the event, said he was pleased with the support of local hospitals and doctors, as well as the enthusiasm of the public. "We have a great turnout," he said.

This is the final chapter in a series. It is early Monday morning. As he had promised his son the night before, the father arrives at BHC Alhambra Hospital hoping to speak with the physician in charge of the juvenile unit. The 72-hour psychiatric hold has expired. The father is now trying to understand why the hospital has placed an additional 14-day psychiatric hold on his son despite verbal and written objections. After trying unsuccessfully to speak to his son's doctor, the father has to settle for a nurse.