Category Archives: NSMC News

Nurse Tawanna Wright is always cheering up the people around her at North Sunflower Medical Center. But she almost didn’t become a nurse.

“In high school, I would tell you I never would have been a nurse,’’ Tawanna tells us. “Now I can’t think I would ever want to do anything different.’’

Over the past few weeks we’ve been sharing stories of our talented nurses and showing the many paths that lead to the important field. Someone reading this may recognize themselves and consider trying out a medical career. We hope so.

Tawanna is a wife and mother of two daughters. She also brings joy every day to NSMC patients.

Our social media post about Tawanna Wright being selected as the August Clinical Hero of the Month reached over 18,000 people!

“I’m always the peppy, happy-go-lucky singing one at work,’’ says Tawanna, who has been a registered nurse for two years.

Like many of our employees, Tawanna’s first job was a steppingstone – although she did not realize it at the time.

“I was a pharmacy tech, and the pharmacist encouraged me to do more,’’ Tawanna says. “Angela Lang said ‘I just want you to go back to school.’ It took some convincing.’’

Tawanna continued her tech job while going to school. She started as an LPN, or Licensed Practical Nurse. And then she took on a bigger challenge and became an RN, or Registered Nurse.

As a Registered Nurse, she is more involved in decision making. North Sunflower Medical Center is a workplace that encourages employees to follow their dreams. Tawanna said she watched one of her mentors continue their education. So she was determined to do the same.

“The great people that I work with made me want to be an RN,’’ she said. “Seeing people do what you think you can encourages you to do more.’’

Tawanna says her background in Belzoni, with a mom who was also doing for other people, taught her to love people. With her nursing career, she can help people every day.

Tawanna still drives 45 minutes from Belzoni to Ruleville and back every day.  She said she loves to be with her family in Belzoni, but she couldn’t imagine working anywhere else.

“From the minute I got in it, I fell in love with medicine,’’ she says.

She’s also passionate about training new nurses. “I enjoy every second of teaching a nurse a new skill.  It makes me feel so accomplished,’’ she said.

“I started North Sunflower the day I graduated.  I had always heard great things about NSMC and I want to be part of something great. Everybody is part of an awesome family.  You get so close to so many people it always feels like you are at home,’’ she says.

“It’s the truth, I promise you.’’

Joyce Perez was once told she couldn’t make it through nursing school. The single mother of four proved the college administrator wrong.

The odds were stacked against her: she was 36 and older than many of the students. No one in her family had graduated from college. And she was working to support her children while driving to another state for nursing classes.

She said one of the administrators singled her and another new student out: “He said some of you may as well quit now because you’re not going to make it. That was my driving force to succeed,” says Joyce.

“I tell young people no matter the odds against you, if you stay dedicated and put God first you will succeed.”

Joyce is one of the talented members of the North Sunflower Medical Center nursing team. We are featuring their stories to encourage others to pursue the medical field – and to give you a glimpse into the special people who passionately care for patients each day at NSMC.

Joyce’s experience shows the varied backgrounds and experiences of our team.

Joyce has worked in multiple places, but she tells us this is home.

“It is a fantastic place to work. North Sunflower is for the employees and patients,” she says. “They are all about family.”

Joyce had loved tending to injured things since she was an 11-year-old growing up in a rural community near Belzoni. Neighbors brought her cats and other ill animals.

“I decided I want to take care of people. It just never ever went away,” says Joyce, a self-described country girl.

Joyce started her journey as a CNA, or certified nursing assistant. She said that is one way for someone to get a feel for the field. She spent 12 years as a CNA.  Nurse assistants help patients with healthcare needs under the supervision of a registered nurse or a licensed practical nurse.

“It will help you with your skills. It’s a good place to start,” Joyce tells us.

She said the step to a nursing degree was intimidating at first. She decided to become an RN and ended up relocating her family to Arkansas for her studies.

“You can’t just look at the prestige of it. You have to have a heart for it,” she says.

At NSMC, Joyce is a supervisor. She said she is constantly learning from the staff, while also helping them build their skills. She says she never gives up on her patients.

“We are a team. My biggest job is learning and teaching,” she says. “It’s really rewarding. You help others. You take care of the whole person. You take care of their family. You give to them and they give back to you.’’

We hope Joyce’s story will inspire others to look into our jobs at https://northsunflower.com/careers and to not be discouraged by obstacles. We want you in our family.

“Nursing is one of the most rewarding careers,’’ Joyce says, adding, “North Sunflower Medical Center is the best place to be!’’

By Robyn Marlow

Susan Steen doesn’t see nursing as just a career.
 
It’s a passion, and she wants more people to join her in improving the lives of others through the medical field.
 
Susan is the director of nursing at the Walter B. Crook Nursing Facility.
When she was a student working on her nursing degree at Holmes Community College in Grenada, she may not have realized the impact of her vocation choice.
 
“Nurses experience more emotion in a day’s work than some people experience in a lifetime ‘at the office,” she says. “Nurses are there for the birth of children and for the end of life process, and for every moment in between these two dates.’’  

A Nice Place to Be

Nursing is one of the fastest-growing career fields in America. Here at North Sunflower Medical Center and the Walter B. Crook Nursing Facility we are looking for nurses to join our family. Susan says it’s a really nice place to be.
 
“The care provided by our employees makes me proud to be a part of this team. The atmosphere is welcoming, and our residents are happy. We pride ourselves in professionalism without being impersonal,’’ she says.
 
We appreciate that feedback because we care about all our team members and the personal connection that they make every day with patients and residents.
 
Susan hopes to see more people starting studies in nursing. Times of crisis like the world is experiencing now, reveal the importance of dedicated health professionals, she says.

One of the things Susan enjoys is getting to connect with family members, as well as residents. The work of a nurse is complex.
 
Nurses, she says, “are loyal to the provision of care, teaching and explaining, communicating and advocating, defending and supporting, and understanding all aspects of all needs of their patients and their patients’ families.’’ 
 
She says people who want to serve the community should look into nurse training options. Traits that serve a nurse well, she says, include compassion, understanding, kindness, neutrality, and tolerance.
 
“There are so many blessings and struggles which belong to the heart and mind of a nurse, and a true nursing heart is grateful for both,’’ she says.
 
If you are interested in learning more about our job opportunities, go to our Careers page.

By Evelyn Rios

Brooks Rizzo’s dad, Billy Marlow, encouraged her to apply for a hospital job when she was just 14. Now she’s a Family Nurse Practitioner and hopes to see more people find joy in nursing careers.
 
We’re sharing her story – and those of some of our other fantastic team members – as we continue to showcase the nursing profession. Here at North Sunflower Medical Center, we have a habit of promoting good nurses on to career-building opportunities.  

That’s why we are always on the lookout for more nurses who want to join the NSMC family and become #healthcareheroes. Just like Brooks.

Working Her Way Up

For Brooks, it all started with a part time job at then-North Sunflower County Hospital. “My dad, Billy Marlow, thought medicine was a good profession that was stable,” Brooks tells us.
 
So, as a teen she began a series of jobs at the hospital, first handling paperwork as a clerk and then as an assistant getting to know all the positions. “I learned how to take blood pressure in the ER. I remember it to the day,” she says. “A part time job in medicine can give you so much experience. It’s very rewarding.”
 
“At the time, there was a one-room rural clinic,” she says. “Now we have 96 employees.”
 
Not only is Brooks a Family Nurse Practitioner, she is also the provider coordinator and clinic director at the Sunflower Rural Health Clinic.
 
Brooks said one of the many positives of nursing is the ability to continue training for more specialized jobs, as well as the option to switch to different types of positions in various departments – from the emergency room to obstetrics to geriatrics.
 
Nursing is a growing field. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists nursing as one of the top occupations in growth, with the RN workforce expected to increase from 2.9 million in 2016 to 3.4 million in 2026. An additional 203,700 new RNs are needed each year through 2026 to fill newly created positions and to replace retiring nurses, according to the bureau.

Saving Lives, Helping People, Making Connections, Bringing Joy

Brooks said her grandmother, Lillian Carpenter of Drew, was a nurse. Today’s technology has dramatically changed nursing, like phone apps that provide instant helpful information and electronic charts.
 
Some things remain the same. Like the personal relationships nurses make.
 
“You are saving lives. You are helping people both physically and mentally. You make connections with families,” she said. “That brings joy.”
 
After getting her nursing degree, Brooks returned to school for a master’s. One of her tips for aspiring nurses: “It’s important to have a mentor on the job when you are new to learn from and keep you grounded in the fast-paced environment.”
 
Brooks remembers her early years getting comfortable with the hospital routine. “I thought I can do that.”
 
She encourages anyone with an interest in helping others to consider a career at North Sunflower Medical Center.
 
“You will meet people who motivate and inspire you,” she said.
 
If you’re inspired by Brooks’ story, you can learn more about career opportunities by going to our Careers page.

Last year we told you about Mary Rose and her passionate care of residents at the Walter B. Crook Nursing facility, which is part of the North Sunflower Medical Center Family. That blog – “Mary Rose Loves Her Job!” – was recently honored with an Aster Award.
 
Aster Awards are part of an elite competition dedicated to recognizing the most talented healthcare marketing professions for outstanding excellence in advertising, marketing and communications.

We were honored to receive multiple awards in 2020.  But what really made the recognition special was that the Mary Rose blog received a Gold award.
 
Mary is one of the hardworking professionals on our team, and we share their stories because we know that they make a difference every day. Mary was incredibly busy even before the pandemic. She told us last year, “I have a smile on my face as soon as I walk in the door.’’

Changes with COVID-19

She still has that smile, but Mary said this week that the changes with COVID-19 have made everything different at Walter B. Crook, a 60-bed facility with only private rooms.
 
“This is very challenging every day,’’ she said.
 
Her residents must now remain in their rooms, but staff are creative in keeping them active and engaged, Mary said.  Residents play games and activities while sitting in their doorways. Bingo is popular.

Because the residents cannot have visitors, Mary encourages visits through the glass windows. She’s also using technology to connect residents through virtual calls.

“It’s heartbreaking to watch them have to see their loved ones through the window. They are wanting hugs. They are wanting kisses,’’ Mary said.

Mary has never been shy about letting the residents know she cares about them. Now that personal connection is critical.

“You take up more time talking with them and visiting with them,’’ she said. “You have your moments where you just wish you could change things for them. They are my family.’’

Safety, of course, is the top concern at NSMC and Walter B. Crook. Mary said residents and staff have been through several rounds of virus testing. Any staff member with health concerns is immediately sent for testing and quarantined until they are cleared.

But even with the virus and the restrictions, Mary tells us, “I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love it here, staff wise and resident wise.’’

“It’s a great place to be,’’ she said.

2020 Aster Awards

We know the care and service provided at NSMC is superior, but we appreciate the national recognition in programs like the Aster Awards, judged by a diverse panel of industry experts. Here’s a rundown of our 2020 Aster Awards:

• Blogs: Gold, Mary Rose Loves Her JOB!
• Special Events: Silver, P.R.O.M. Promise – Please Return on Monday
• Billboard Design: Bronze, 3D Mammography
• Logo Design/Letterhead: Silver, CCM – Chronic Care Management
• Total Advertising Campaigns: Silver, 3D Mammography
• Miscellaneous: Silver, Dancing Through The Decades 

As you already know, North Sunflower Medical Center is constantly looking for innovative ways to improve care for our patients. This month we are launching an exciting new program that will provide individualized experiences that last beyond a single hospital visit. 

We have always gotten to know our patients one-on-one. With the Chronic Care Management (CCM) program, patients will deal directly with the health care professionals who know them best. That care will continue out into the community.

“CCM is a new way of managing health care for our patients,’’ Patient Care Coordinator Sandy Tidmore tells us. “It is a personalized care plan specifically for that patient and their condition.’’

Tidmore has been with NSMC for the past eight years and the favorite part of her job is the people she gets to work with. And that’s just part of the reason why she’s in charge of the rollout of this important program.
 
The program is through Medicare, which is the federal health insurance for people over 65 and some younger people with disabilities. NSMC serves many seniors with chronic medical conditions. The program will allow us to easily follow up with them and make sure they get to the hospital for serious issues – and are able to stay home and be treated over the phone for minor things.

Once a patient joins the program, they will be assigned a nurse who becomes their personal connection to the hospital.
 
The nurse will call the patient each month to make sure they have their medicine refills and are following the best medical advice. For a patient with diabetes, they will check on their blood sugar and diet. Patients with hypertension may be asked to track their blood pressure.

“It is a team approach to providing our patients with the best care possible. It keeps them out of the emergency room and helps them from not having to make unnecessary medical visits. A lot of patients don’t have access to transportation. This will be a Godsend for them,’’ Tidmore says.

She said nurses will act as case workers, scheduling appointments when needed.

Tidmore tells us, “Patients with access to the plan will understand how to take care of themselves from home. This gives them access to us 24/7. They can call anytime. During the week, they can access their specific nurse.’’

She said the program will be particularly helpful as the pandemic continues, to keep patients at home except for necessary visits. People who have continuing issues like arthritis, asthma, heart disease, mental health and osteoporosis will greatly benefit from the specialized monitoring.

“We are striving for better health outcomes. We want to keep patients healthier,’’ Tidmore says.

“NSMC is on top of things in finding new treatment for patients.’’

Hadonica Murphy cheerfully cares for patients each week at North Sunflower Medical Center. Away from the hospital she has a second career in photography, documenting the beautiful diversity of the Mississippi Delta.

In both settings, Hadonica is a healer.

Hadonica spent six years as a travel emergency room nurse. She saw a lot of hospitals during that time but knew that NSMC was the one she wanted to make her permanent home.

She turned down other opportunities, waiting for an offer to join the staff in Ruleville earlier this year.

“North Sunflower to me is the best, most welcoming hospital. They truly care about their nurses, providers and patients. They go above and beyond for their patients,’’ Hadonica said.

Hadonica’s path to the medical field is an emotional one. Her mother died of cancer 11 years ago, and Hadonica was inspired by the care her mom received.
 
“The passion I saw from the nurses. I said `that’s what I want to be like one day,’’’ she said. “I wanted to do that for someone else.’’
 
Hadonica, who is originally from the Bahamas, married a Delta native and both work on the nursing staff at NSMC.
 
Craig supported her as she started a business, Hadonica’s Photography, three years ago while also training for a more advanced degree to become a nurse practitioner.
 
She finished her degree and joined the North Sunflower Medical Center family in February, just weeks before the pandemic changed the world.

With her phone, she captures images at work and shares them with all of us, to show the commitment we all share at NSMC to provide the best care anywhere.

Hadonica is also an advocate for strong mental health. She said mental illness is an underlying issue in some of the patients she sees.
 
And it can be a problem for health care industry employees. Hadonica’s time as a travel ER nurse showed her that.
 
“I went through a bout of depression and burnout. With people in the ER, there was so much trauma. I’m an emotional person. It’s easy for people to say leave your job at work. I couldn’t,’’ she said. “When my patients hurt, it makes me hurt.’’
 
She said her co-workers at North Sunflower Medical Center have a variety of side hobbies, from playing guitar to singing, that make them more centered at the hospital.

“If you look at numbers, health care workers have a higher rate of depression. It’s a stressful job,’’ she said. “You have to have a balance that’s not always just critical thinking, whether it’s gardening or knitting or photography or listening to music.’’ 

She also likes to take advantage of Ruleville’s convenient walking trail on her mental health breaks.

Hadonica mainly copes with stress through her photography. Her home is also her studio. One of her favorite things is helping people find their inner beauty through seeing themselves in a portrait. She has photographed people who have been through painful experiences, like abusive relationships and divorce.

“Once you see yourself as confident, there’s nothing someone can tell you. 
I help people believe in themselves,’’ she said.

Hadonica said her mother chose her unique name. To honor her mom she decided to photograph 40 women over age 40 this year. She is celebrating the diversity of those women and will have an exhibit of their stories and pictures in Cleveland.

“My mom would have been 46 this year. The women I photograph are telling me things my mom would have been able to tell me. My clients become my family and friends,’’ Hadonica said.
 
The exhibit will accurately portray women and their strength, and combat inaccurate portrayals in the media, Hadonica said.
 
Hadonica said she is thankful to North Sunflower for encouraging her to balance her photography and her medical career.
 
“North Sunflower is the best place to work because of the culture,’’ she said. “They help me have both my passions.’’

May is one of our busiest months of the year for celebrations. National Hospital Week, National Nursing Home Week, Employee Appreciation Day, and more all fall within the month of May. With all those events, many departments stand out — but without NSMC’s Environmental Services Department, most of the celebrations would not be possible.

Every May, NSMC celebrates with an annual Employee Appreciation Day. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our celebration could not take place. The NSMC Environmental Services Department is always a big part of this day by helping set up and clean up the day’s events. So this May, we wanted to celebrate our Environmental Services Department because they are a large part of what makes NSMC such an amazing place. Or, as most of us call it, The Clean Team.

The Clean Team

Our Executive Director Billy Marlow likes to say, “If you can find a speck of dirt around here, I’ll give you a quarter.” And Billy hasn’t had to give out any quarters.

Doris Ledford is our Director of Environmental Services. She’s the captain of The Clean Team.

Keeping a hospital clean and germ-free is always a big deal. Under the current COVID-19 pandemic, keeping every inch of the facility clean is a matter of life and death. It is a job Ms. Doris has always taken a lot of pride in, well before the rest of the world noticed its importance.

“When I started 16 years ago, we were a little bitty hospital,” Doris told us. “Today, it includes a hospital, wellness center, surgical suite, nursing home and 21 outside medical and office buildings that we are also responsible for keeping clean and stocked.”

Keeping a state-of-the-art medical campus clean and operational isn’t the type of thing that captures a lot of attention — unless it’s North Sunflower. In 2012, NSMC was named one of the 40 cleanest hospitals in the nation. It was the number one cleanest critical access hospital in the country, and the only hospital in Mississippi named to the list.

Keeping Things Clean During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“I’ve had one nurse tell me if you set still for too long, they will clean you. ‘If you’re eating they might wipe the mustard off your face,’” Doris told us.

“The doctors and nurses are here to care for the patients. We take care of the facility,” Doris said. “This is hard work, and it’s not for everybody. Without “The Clean Team,” the medical staff could not do their job. When you walk into the building, before you see a provider, you see how clean it is. First impressions are important.”

COVID-19 has put a bright light on how germs are spread. This is something The Clean Team has been working on for years. “We went through different kinds of viruses, but our hospital is so on top of things,” Doris told us. “I’m in awe of the work our team does. We make sure every surface is clean so that each of us can be comfortable knowing we would want a member of our family to stay here.”

Doris is proud of the relationships members of The Clean Team make with the patients and residents. “For some patients, housekeeping is their lifeline. They get close to our staff and it makes their stay here better. That’s how we stand out. You won’t find a harder working group of people.”

Many older people grew up in a time when mental health wasn’t discussed as openly as it is today. But growing older often means adjusting to big changes in life. That can include everything from depression and anxiety brought on by the loss of a loved one, to issues like Alzheimer’s, bipolar disorder or dementia.

Our goal here at North Sunflower Medical Center is to provide the best health care services you can get anywhere. Because of that, we have worked hard to become one of the leading centers for behavioral health for the Delta’s aging population. North Sunflower’s Senior Care Unit is a program that works with Medicare patients who may be having some form of mental health issue.  They treat seniors going through any diagnosis that would affect mood, behavior or state of mind.

Celeste Lofton, who is a community educator in the Behavioral Health Department, told us that when people are experiencing behaviors that they do not typically exhibit, they bring them into the hospital for a sound medical evaluation to see if there is something that can be changed to make them feel better.  “Many times, there is something that hasn’t been diagnosed that is causing the change – like a urinary tract infection, anemia, decreased social function, or just a change in medication that is causing them to be off-balance. Is there an adjustment we can make that will make this person’s quality of life better?”

If the issue can’t be solved with surgery or medication, Senior Care provides a range of services to help get patients on the right path.  That includes group therapy, so they talk about things that are going on. Activities that are fun and good food. “We work towards getting them into a routine.  When you’re older and you have something like Alzheimer’s, they do a lot better when they are in a routine.  It is a neat program and it gives families a relief knowing that we are looking after them,” Celeste said.

Celeste works with Susan Gilbert, also a community educator, to evaluate patients. Together they serve as our NSMC senior care ambassadors in the community.  But getting patients to seek out their services isn’t always that easy.

There was such a stigma to mental health issues a long time ago.  It is getting better, but it is still there.  A lot of people don’t want to admit that they are having a mental health problem.  Most people say they don’t think they need a psychiatrist.  They don’t want that stigma,” she told us.  “We find a way to work through that with them.  You’re not alone in this.  So many people suffer from these very same things.  Let’s see if we can get you in and get you feeling better so that you can go on with your life.”

In the United States, almost half of adults (46.4 percent) will experience a mental illness during their lifetime. Even still only 41 percent of the people who had a mental disorder in the past year received professional health care or other services.

What does Celeste think makes our inpatient behavioral health department unique? “Not everyone realizes what a wonderful psychologist we have.  There aren’t a lot of psychiatrists in our area who work exclusively with the senior community.   Dr. Cassada  is very knowledgeable and that’s rare.”

But the admiration for fellow co-workers goes both ways.  Dr. Margaret Cassada, a board-certified psychiatrist, and behavioral health superhero, went out of her way to sing praises of the entire behavioral health team at North Sunflower. “People come from 200 miles away because the staff is great.  They have invested in that area to make it the best it can be.”

By Robyn Marlow

This year is our 70^th anniversary here at North Sunflower Medical Center.  So we understand that when you’ve been together so long, it gets a little hard to find new and exciting ways to make that special someone’s heart flutter. We get it.

For us, there’s no better way to celebrate Valentines’ Day than $125 heart checks. 

$125 Heart Healthy Screenings for February

Some people like roses and chocolates.  We prefer CT Calcium Scorings, Abdominal Aortic Ultrasounds, ABI’s and Carotid Ultrasounds at one reasonable price.

No, we’re not kidding!

Saying “I Love You” is almost as wonderful as saying, “I want to be around you for a long, long time.” And since February is National Heart Month, we’ve made a tradition of offering heart-healthy screenings for just $125.

Heart disease is no joke.  Many of the patients who have taken advantage of our February Heart Month special have been able to detect serious heart conditions before they became life-threatening problems.

We want everyone to better understand their own health.  We know that by making these checks more simple and easier to get, we are helping our friends, family members, and loved ones live longer and healthier lives. Nothing says ‘I Love You’ quite like that.

Simply the Best Place to Get Valentine’s Day Happys

If you are looking to get that special someone something special – in addition to a $125 heart check – call or come by Simply Sunflower Gift Shop.  It is simply the best place in the delta to get anything that would make your Valentine’s heart melt.

Flowers, Teddy Bears, Balloons, Candy, Candles, Gift Baskets, Jewelry, Home Décor and more. And free delivery within 20 miles of downtown Ruleville.  Call (662) 756-4438.

More News About the Lilypad Award

Last week we told you about Rural Sunflower Health Clinic receiving the Lilypad award, designating it as one of the top 50 rural health clinics in the country.  Well, news travels fast around here.  The Enterprise-Tocsin carried a story about the big news that you can read here. DeltaNews.TV also ran a story that you can read here.