Angela Beck started her career as a registered lab technologist at IU Health Methodist Hospital in 2011. She was trained on the job and has worked both inpatient and outpatient.

A graduate of Franklin Central High School, Beck attended IUPUI for x-ray technology and began working at IU Health shortly afterward.

“My mentor reached out and asked if I’d be interested in working in the vascular lab and I didn’t know much about it, but I observed and liked it and the rest is history,” said Beck.

She remembers those first days at IU Health well – she started in July and got married to her high school sweetheart, Andrew, in September. They are the parents of two boys ages 11 and 14.

“Over the years the biggest changes in my role is the machines we work with. We always get good quality images but the machines are more mobile and compact,” said Beck. Her specific role involves noninvasive vascular testing of patients’ blood flow.

“Every day is a good day because I see such a variety of patients throughout the day and we’re always making connections. We talk about travel or other things we have in common and that keeps it interesting,” said Beck.

Travel, in fact, is one of her key interests. Over the years, her family has hosted eight exchange students. They have visited those students in Germany, Spain, Ukraine, Denmark, Slovakia, Ireland and France. Beck’s family also enjoys traveling around the country in their camper and hiking in national parks.

– By TJ Banes, IU Health Senior Journalist, tfender1@iuhealth.org

Due to a rise in the number of reported cases of flu and other respiratory viruses, IU Health will begin limiting visitors at its healthcare facilities to prevent spreading and protect patients and team members.

All IU Health hospitals except those in the South Central Region will limit visitors beginning Tuesday, Dec. 26. South Central Region facilities will begin Wednesday, Dec. 27. Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health is already observing restrictions.

The following restrictions will remain in effect until viral illness rates decline:

• There is a limit of two visitors (18 or older) at any one time (exceptions can be made for end-of-life-situations).
• Visitors younger than 18 years will not be permitted on patient units.
• Visitors who have flu-like or COVID-19 symptoms, such as fever, cough, chills or muscle aches, will not be allowed to visit patients.
• Masking is suggested for visitors to protect patients due to high levels of circulating viruses.
• Visitors, vendors, volunteers and team members must be vigilant about hand washing and covering coughs.

Darrah Starr is a nurse on the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at IU Health Ball, with two little ones of her own. A few weeks ago, her preschooler came home coughing and sneezing. Like any normal family the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) transferred through the house getting everyone sick. The family easily recovered, except for their infant, Jett.

He started with some nasal congestion that turned into a cough. He soon was struggling to breathe while sleeping. When Starr sent a video of him to her friends in pediatrics, they told her to go to the Emergency Room.

In the video, Jett had signs of a retraction where the muscles around the neck and ribs overextend, and an outline of the bones appeared. He was taking extremely deep breathes, which is a sign that respiratory support is needed.

When she showed up to the IU Health Ball Emergency Department, they gave him an RSV swab and the test confirmed he had it, so she taken to the pediatric floor. The average person can live through the cold and be fine after a few days, but for infants it can be extremely serious. The secretions from the virus often become too large for their little bodies to handle.

The pediatrician on call, Sadia Abbasi, MD, and the nurses developed his care plan. Jett was given a high flow cannula that provided oxygen through a tube to his lungs. For extra hydration, they also gave him an IV.

Over the exhausting four days in the hospital, Starr didn’t leave her son’s side. Her husband came to visit but spent most of the time taking care of their other child. She spent time with the Hospital Chaplin receiving emotional support.

“I really expected it to be a short stay like 24 hours not 100,” she says. Typically, the virus peaks between days five and seven, and Jett wasn’t released until his symptoms declined.

“I had to learn to be patient and it was going to take time for him to get better,” she says. Eventually, Jett recovered, and the family returned home.

From the experience, Starr learned how important it is to keep good hygiene prevent sickness in infants. With holiday and family reunions coming up, she is making a hard rule that everyone must wash their hands before picking up Jett, and if anyone is feeling even a little sick, they need to stay home and video call into the get togethers.

If you or someone you know has an infant, you can incorporate this practice to keep them safe. Refrain from kissing their foreheads, always wash your hands before touching them, and keep distance if you are feeling ill. It can be hard to not give them a hug at first, but it is safer for them in the long run. For more questions and information about RSV in children, reach out to your primary care provider.

Just a few short years ago Scott Youmans was working in lawn care with no medical experience. He heard about a new program through IU Health LifeLine that trains people to be EMTs and paramedics. LifeLine created the two programs as the nation faces a critical shortage of EMS professionals.

A few months after graduating from the EMT program, Scott learned he wanted to advance his career even further to become a paramedic. “Being a paramedic is not easy. The schooling is not easy. It’s just hours upon hours of living on an ambulance more than you’re at home,” said Youmans. “There were definitely rollercoasters, days where I didn’t know if I was going to make it to graduation, but now that I’m here I’m very proud. I’m proud of myself and my fellow classmates.”

Lucy York is a member of Ball State’s Code Red Dance team who’s been dealing with shoulder pain for a number of years. Imaging revealed a tear in her labrum. After failing to get better with conventional treatment, she decided to turn to IU Health surgeons for help. “The surgery itself takes about an hour or so. The recuperation is a little bit longer,” said Dr. Kevin Doulens, Lucy’s orthopedic surgeon. “The nice thing is, with a case like this, typically you can get back to a full level of play with no change in activities.”

By Emma Avila, epackard1@iuhealth.org, writer for IU Health’s Indianapolis Suburban Region

Tipton native, Lauren Shively, embraces hands-on learning in IU Health Tipton’s Imaging department, expanding her skills before graduation.

Lauren Shively is a Tipton native. When she got the opportunity to learn from healthcare professionals at IU Health Tipton, she jumped at the opportunity.

As a student in her second year of the radiography program at Indiana University Kokomo, Shively is required to get firsthand experience in multiple healthcare settings.

“Once you get in the program, you do clinicals the whole entire time you’re in the program, so two years of clinicals,” she explains.

Her time at the hospital has helped with hands-on patient care experience. She trained with the hospital’s technologists. Once they felt she was ready, she began doing patient imaging herself with a technologist available to support if needed.

“Everywhere you go, you’re going to see people doing exams differently,” Shively says. “They’ve shown me new ways of doing what I’ve already done, ways to be more efficient.”

Shively is set to graduate in May 2024. Her degree will signify she can perform X-ray imaging, but she plans to continue her education to eventually perform ultrasounds as well.

Even with her time at other healthcare facilities, Shively says there is something special about working with the team in her hometown.

“I would say that they’ve been very helpful. They really like to have students here. I feel like a part of the team here.”

If you are interested in joining the IU Health team, explore career opportunities at careers.iuhealth.org.

“I am your nurse. I will meet you in your pain, fear and loss. Together we will hold space for your soul to grieve and to breathe and find strength, knowledge and community to find hope in tomorrow.”

Aran Mordoh, IU Health Positive Link community health educator, knows being healthy isn’t just the absence of disease.

“Helping patients be their best advocate or feel like they’re empowered to be their best advocate is always my goal,” says the certified health education specialist and IU Health South Central Region Values Leadership Award (VLA) winner.

Mordoh does this by giving patients the information they need to make decisions that work best for them and then connecting them to others who may help in different ways.

“She could easily do her ‘job’ and get a client tested then on their way, but instead, she takes time to get to know people and provide the best care possible,” says one of her VLA nominators.

“It’s not just diagnosing HIV—we can help with medical services, case management services, housing, mental health, general health care, some nutrition stuff, support groups and more,” explains Mordoh. “If it’s something where we can’t get those needs met, I know community partners who may be able to help.”

Mordoh says her team and other community organizations constantly refer to each other in seeking the best fit for individuals based on their needs.

“It’s the mentality of the department I landed in where everyone really wants to help above and beyond as much as they can because we want people to be healthy,” she says. The photo above shows her and her team at an AIDS awareness walk in Bloomington.

That mentality guides her outside of typical duties as well. She and her dog, Hoosier, round weekly at IU Health Bloomington as part of the pet therapy team, and they volunteer at Indiana University for special de-stressing events.

“He brings joy wherever he goes,” says Mordoh. “The great thing with pets and doing this work in healthcare is that they’re not going to judge you, and just having that presence makes a big difference for people.”

Their dog therapy sessions did decrease during the pandemic, but Mordoh still found ways to go above and beyond. She took on shifts during surges at the hospitals, where her duties included helping patients communicate with loved ones digitally and restocking personal protective equipment.

“It was neat when all of that came up during the award presentation,” says Mordoh, noting how nice it was to hear that she and her team made a difference with the “extra” things they did for others.

“I always try to do the best I can, but you need a supportive team to make the best impact,” says Mordoh. “And I have that with Positive Link.”

Doctors at IU Health Joe and Shelly Schwarz Cancer Center invited team and community members in for free head and neck cancer screenings this week. “Early detection is key. These screenings, if we do find something, people are able to get it treated in a way that’s more successful,” said Dr. Michael Moore, an IU Health head and neck cancer surgeon. “These screenings, even for people who don’t have anything going on, they’re are able to learn more about risk factors and we’re just trying to raise that awareness.”