(Peoria, IL / June 10, 2014) –  Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing awarded the following degrees during its May 2014 graduation ceremony: Four Doctor of Nursing Practice; 40 Master of Science in Nursing; 109 Bachelor of Science in Nursing; and three Post Graduate Certificates.

DNP graduates (listed by hometown):

Decatur: Gail Fyke

Peoria: Isabel Bales, Maureen Mathews

Miami, FL: Wendy Cardenas

MSN program students graduating with distinction:

Bartonville: Holly Swearingian

Canton: Tricia Vaughan

Chatham: Melinda Whitelock

Chillicothe: Jennifer Montgomery

Deer Creek:  Mary McCance-Hackney

Delong: Kristina Gray

Dunlap: Stephanie Wieland

East Peoria: Rebecca Hall

Edwards: Jennifer Cuthbert

Eureka: Terri Punke, Megan Sparks

Germantown Hills: Nicole Lovin

Lacon: Marissa Nelson

Mapleton: Lisa Rumpf

Metamora: Susan Wolf

Moline: Toufic Khairallah

Morton: Angela Phillips, Connie Zurski

Peoria: Michelle Coleman; Margaret Grace; Christina Lowrance; Emily McKenna; Viviane Bandeira

Santos; Kathleen Smith; Cara Turnbull; Jennifer Vissering; Heather Walter

Princeville: Sally Coyle

Springfield: Keelan Dehart, Melissa Hinds

Tremont: Carissa Gorham

Washington: Heather Boore; Angela Jones; Elizabeth Moore

Denver, CO: Erin Gronenthal

Others receiving MSN degrees:

Bartonville: Tiereny Minassian

East Peoria:  Michele Britvec

Normal: Theresa Kauth, Molly Rodden

Post Graduate Certificates:

Morton: Laura Murphy

Normal: Jennifer Berkley

Washington: Stephanie Rinehart

BSN students graduating Summa Cum Laude:

Canton: Rebekah Baughman RN

Dunlap: Gretchen Michelet

Dwight: Karly Feddersen

East Peoria: KaSandra Hoelscher RN

Eureka: Cindy Stoller

Galesburg: Megan Clark RN

Germantown Hills: Angela Adams

Lewistown: Rachel Bucher RN

Metamora: Anna Figg; Taylor Phillips RN; Jennifer Seils

Oak Lawn: Richard Lanham RN

Pekin: Terri Severt RN

Peoria: Misty Burke; Nita Raut RN; Heather Tealbey; Teressa Washington RN; Vicki Weatherington RN

Wyoming: Coleen Magnussen RN

Brasov, Romania: Kinga Fejer-Simon RN

Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania: Oswarld Rusibamayila RN

BSN students graduating Magna Cum Laude:

Canton: Alexzandra Graham RN

Galva: Chelsea Mille

Germantown Hills: Julie Baker

Goodfield: Whitney Eastman

Rushville: Melissa Cameron

Tremont: Kastin Shepke

Washington: Jennifer Frame RN

BSN students graduating Cum Laude:

East Moline: Samantha Spurgetis-Neels

El Paso: Paige DeVary

Lexington: Maddie Myers

Normal: Karmon Cleary

Peoria: Erin Harrison, Sherry Webster RN

Washington: Jenna Cox, Kailey Strickler

The Excellence in Nursing Award was given to Cindy Stoller of Eureka and Heather Tealbey of Peoria.

Nominees must have a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average and are considered on the basis of involvement and contribution to the College, community, and profession in relation to the following criteria: dependability, accountability, enthusiasm, leadership, caring, positive attitude, and professional role model.

Other students receiving BSN degrees:

Batavia: Jenna Thiry

Bloomington: Angelica Smith; Lorrie Tice-Carr; Kellie Van Norman; Heather Wickenhauser

Bonfield: Tyler Hinspeter

Cambridge: Rusty Larson

Canton: Victoria Wethington

Chicago: Lobsang Dolma, Sage Scott

Chillicothe: Marci Furuholmen

Creve Coeur: Alisha Burroughs

Dahinda: Shana Harms

East Peoria: Jeremiah Barker; Jamie Gamber; Jessica Mallicoat; Jereme Pheasant; Megan Rude

East Moline: Koko Nicoue

Eureka: Christina Bowald, Kelsey Eigsti

Fairbury: Seth Broquard, Amanda Spenard

Galesburg: Terri Frymire, Brooke Smith

Galva: Tyler Endress

Germantown Hills: Loan Thi Nguyen

Glasford: Talia Verardo

Goodfield: Kaitlyn Monfre

Hanna City: Julie Bontz

Havana: Timothy Turpin

Hopedale: Connie Inselmann

Ladd: Katelyn Raineri

Marseilles: Adrian Thomas

Mason City: Taylor Trabue

Mendota: Emily Furar

Metamora: Caitlan Rohman

Morton: Anna Dryden; Madeline Sollberger

Naperville: Abbey Kromphardt

Oglesby: Maria Ernat

Ottawa: Sherry Jackson

Pekin: Jessica Jenkins, Leann Walsh

Peoria: Brittany Bursott; John Cealey; Samantha Gumayan; Christina Hidden; Hilary Holmes;

Logan Meixsell; Sarah Murray; Renda Musaitif; Amanda Nelson; Jordan Rediger; Daniel Slevin;

Da’Kira White

Peoria Heights: Dizzaray Hodgkins, Stephanie White

Peru: Audrey Sramek

Pontiac: Billie Sue Semmens

Princeton: Matthew Hassler

Princeville: Ashley Wineinger

Spring Valley: Kelly Baldenegro, Tammy Bergen

Trivoli: Samantha Hahn   

Utica: Lauren Senica

Washington: Melanie Ray

West Peoria: Meghan Foster; Nicholas Samulevich; Jennifer Strickler

Wyanet: Seth Ross

Detroit, MI: Cierra Watts

Thursday, June 19 at 7:00 pm

 The Grand View Alzheimer’s Support Group meets every 3rd Thursday of the month at 7:00 p.m. in the Grand View conference room. This group is affiliated with the Central IL Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. Programs are both informational and casual to allow those attending the opportunity to share their ideas and feelings. All residents’ family members are invited to attend, as well as anyone in the community who has an interest. Meetings last 60-90 minutes with time allotted for a guest speaker or video.

For more information, contact Grand View at 309-692-2484.

Refreshments will be served.

Please call 309.692.2484 or email Grandview-adm@jeaseniorliving.com to reserve a seat.

Tours of Grand View will be available after.

Peoria, Ill. (June 11, 2014) – Illinois American Water’s non-revenue water supervisor, Brent Oest, has been named to the Joint Utility Locating Information for Excavators (JULIE), Inc. Board of Directors.  Oest will serve as Vice President of Sewer and Water Utilities.  In this position, Oest will work in conjunction with the other board members to determine organizational policy, planning, finance, and public and governmental relations. 

“We congratulate Brent on this important role and his commitment to working with our utility partners.  These relationships are critical for the safety of our customers and employees,” said Barry Suits, Illinois American Water’s Vice President of Operations.

While a member of JULIE’s board of directors, Oest will serve on the public education and the operations committee. JULIE, Inc. provides Illinois excavators and underground utility owners with a continuously improving, one-call message handling and delivery service committed to protecting underground utilities and the safety of people working or living near them. 
                  
About Illinois American Water – Illinois American Water, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 1.2 million people. American Water also operates a customer service center in Alton and a quality control and research laboratory in Belleville.  

Founded in 1886, American Water is the largest publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company.  With headquarters in Voorhees, N.J., the company employs more than 6,600 dedicated professionals who provide drinking water, wastewater and other related services to approximately 14 million people in more than 40 states, as well as parts of Canada. More information can be found by visitingwww.amwater.com. 

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a dad in the animal kingdom? Visit the Peoria Zoo with YOUR dad this Father’s Day and have a visit with our Zoo dads, Sunday, June 15.  All dads will get in for the price of a child’s admission. Here are some amazing Dad facts from the Zoo that you’ll find interesting.

• A male lion’s primary job is to protect the pride and its territory.  The lion makes it on the list of amazing fathers because he can be defending up to 20 of his babies at one time.  He has to be careful because if another male lion takes over, the new male will kill all of the babies in the pride. The new male will only raise his own offspring, leaving the old male with no claim to future generations.
•  Darwin frogs lay three to 15 eggs every year. The male stays near the eggs for about 20 days, until the eggs are nearly ready to hatch. At that point, the male takes the eggs into his mouth where they enter his vocal sac and soon hatch. The tadpoles develop within the vocal sac for the next 50–70 days. After the young metamorphose, they crawl back into the father’s mouth from the vocal sac. The father then opens his mouth and the froglets hop out onto land.
• Male rheas are polygamous, courting between two and 12 females.  The male rhea then builds a nest where all the females lay their eggs.  The females are then done, but the papa rhea’s job has just started.  He then spends over 40 days and 40 nights watching over the eggs until they hatch.  Even when they hatch his job is still not done.  He alone cares for the striped young, jealously guarding them against all other animals (including humans!) for the next six months. When the young are half-grown they can wander on their own, but generally they remain in their father’s care for two to three years!
•  Marmosets are tiny South American monkeys. The fathers take care of their babies from birth. When the teeny marmoset is born, the father cleans it, but carries it to the mother only when it needs to be nursed. When the baby can eat solid food, the father will feed it.
•  A father Namaqua sand grouse of Africa’s Kalahari Desert flies as far as 50 miles a day in order to soak himself in water and return to his nest, where his chicks can drink from his feathers! Specially adapted breast feathers can absorb up to 40 ml of water. After wading through watering holes to absorb water, the male will return to the nest so the chicks can drink the water from his feathers.

• The male seahorse has a pouch on its stomach in which to carry babies—as many as 2,000 at a time. A pregnancy lasts from 10 to 25 days, depending on the species.  The father even has contractions as the babies hatch.  The contractions help the new father push the babies outside his body.  He continues to protect the young until they are able to live on their own.

If you have questions or for more information, call the Peoria Zoo at (309) 681-3513.

Join us for a light breakfast while learning about the Peoria Zoo’s Monkeys.  Then go monkey around with our monkeys as they enjoy their breakfast too!

The Peoria Zoo houses 4 species of monkeys:  cotton-top tamarins and spider monkeys which are New World Monkeys; colobus monkeys and mandrills which are Old World Monkeys.

Some New World Monkeys, including spider monkeys, have prehensile or grasping tails.  No species of Old World Monkeys have this adaptation.

Spider monkeys also have a friction pad on the underside of their tails to help with moving quickly through the tree tops.  Each monkey has a distinct ridge pattern on their friction pad, similar to human fingerprints

The Zoo’s Tropics Building houses the  spider monkeys and an exhibit is being renovated as a new home for the tamarins.  The Building also house 2 species of lemurs.  Lemurs are not monkeys but belong to the primate groups that also includes monkeys and apes.  Lemurs in the wild can only be found on the island of Madagascar.

A few fun facts to know about the animals you will see:

• Did you know our spider monkeys love celery
• our mandrill always leave broccoli behind
• our Ring-Tailed lemur like ice treats

Come and learn all about our primates and what they eat here at the Peoria Zoo. This event is perfect for the entire family – enjoy breakfast and then head out and see the rest of the Zoo. You can register for either day: Saturday, June 21 or Sunday, June 22, 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. Cost of this event is $7.50 for members and $15.00 for non-members.

For questions or to register, call the Peoria Zoo Education office at (309) 681-3513 or check our website at www.peoriazoo.org.

(Peoria, IL / June 11, 2014) –  U.S. News & World Report has ranked Children’s Hospital of Illinois Pediatric Urology in the new 2014-15 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings.

Children’s Hospital Pediatric Urology, led by Dr. Churphena Reid and Dr. Benjamin Rhee, was ranked 41^st nationally with highest marks coming for use of infection-preventing measures, nursing intensity, prevention of surgical complications, advanced clinical services, and patient and family services.

The Best Children’s Hospitals rankings highlight U.S. News’ top 50 U.S. pediatric facilities in cancer, cardiology & heart surgery, diabetes & endocrinology, gastroenterology & GI surgery, neonatology, nephrology, neurology & neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology and urology. Eighty-nine hospitals ranked in at least one specialty, based on a combination of clinical data and reputation with pediatric specialists.

“We are humbled that our dedication to our patients and their families has earned this national recognition,” said Dr. Reid. “This is a team effort that wouldn’t be possible without the support and collaboration with other pediatric specialties such as nephrology, anesthesia, neonatology, hospitalists, and radiology.”

“We work with the best clinical staff, including the operating room staff and pediatric floor nurses, which plays a major role in achieving the good outcomes we are being recognized for,” added Dr. Rhee. “We also appreciate the support from the Sisters and both Children’s Hospital and OSF Saint Francis administration which allows us to continue serving the children of central Illinois.”

“Children’s Hospital has a long standing commitment to excellent care for children. We continuously improve those critical pediatric services and it is rewarding to have this significant recognition of our efforts,” said Margaret Gustafson, President, Children’s Hospital of Illinois. “I congratulate each member of our team and thank them for their compassion and dedication that lead to this honor.”

U.S. News introduced the Best Children’s Hospitals rankings in 2007 to help families of sick children find the best medical care available. The rankings open the door to an array of detailed information about each hospital’s performance.

More information can be found online in the Best Children’s Hospitals rankings and will be published in the U.S. News “Best Hospitals 2015” guidebook, which will be available in August.

ABOUT CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL OF ILLINOIS – Children’s Hospital of Illinois is the third largest pediatric hospital in Illinois and the only full service tertiary hospital for kids downstate. With 132 beds and more than 115 pediatric subspecialists, Children’s Hospital cares for more children in Illinois than any hospital outside of Chicago. Formally established as a pediatric hospital within OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in 1990, Children’s Hospital has over 6,000 admissions; 2,500 newborn deliveries, and 18,000 emergency department visits each year.

Veterans Access to Care Act passes House 426-0

Bill gives veterans access to non-VA providers,
reduces VA waitlists and backlogs

EAST MOLINE, Ill.—Bobby Schilling’s veterans bill has passed the U.S. House of Representatives and is now headed for the Senate. The Veterans Access to Care Act, sponsored by Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Florida), was built on Schilling’s veterans legislation from the last Congress and passed the House of Representatives 426-0 on Tuesday. The bill Schilling authored and introduced in 2011, the Enhanced Veterans Health Care Experience Act, would allow veterans the ability to use their own doctors in their own hometowns when VA wait lists prevent veterans from getting immediate access to care. Enacting the provisions of the Schilling bill into law would provide a major safety valve by eliminating a great deal of the problems veterans have faced in recent years.

For more information on Bobby Schilling’s bill and the work he did to move it forward in Congress, click here.

The Veterans Access to Care Act is designed to begin the lengthy process of reforming the Veterans Administration and solving the waitlist crisis that has affected tens of thousands of veterans across the United States, including 40 veterans who died because of being fatally waitlisted at an Arizona VA Hospital.

Schilling released the following statement:

“Today is a great day for veterans across this great nation, but there is still much work to do.

“I’m thrilled that my friend, Congressman Jeff Miller, was able to get this bill through the House. This is a monumental step for veterans in this country who have been needlessly burdened with waitlists and backlogs from the VA for far too long. One of the key provisions of the Veterans Access to Care Act came straight from my bill I introduced in 2011, the Enhanced Veterans Health Care Experience Act.

“Now veterans have the right to use their own doctors in their own hometowns, rather than wait extended periods of time for the VA when they need care immediately.

“This is only the first step. The Senate must pass this bill and President Obama must sign this into law. And there are still additional reforms we need to pass to improve our veterans access to health care. But this is a great first step, and I’m pleased to see this bill pass the House. Working on this veterans issue was a passion of mine while serving in Congress, and it’s great to see our work pay off to help our heroes.”

Schilling recognized the problems in the Veterans Administration three years ago. After the problems his own father had with the Veterans Administration, Schilling analyzed the problem and designed a creative way to help solve it without expanding government bureaucracy. He was ahead of his time in introducing his bill and was very pleased to see it pass the House. Still, there is more work to be done to serve veterans, and Bobby Schilling is seeking to once again represent the people of the 17th Congressional District to put his problem-solving skills back to work for the middle class, the working poor, and especially our veterans in need of quality, accessible health care.

The Senate version of the bill, introduced by John McCain (R-Arizona) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), also contains Schilling’s language granting veterans access to non-VA facilities.

WHAT:           Farmer’s Market and Flea Market

WHERE:         Prairie Mills Windmill grass acreage – Golden, IL.

WHEN:          Each Saturday – July 5 to October 25, 2014

TIME:             1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

FEES:              $5.00/day

CONTACT:    Lois – 217-696-4672  loisnbob@adams.net or  Joan – 217-770-4859 joanrt@adams.net

Something new is happening at the Prairie Mills Windmill in Golden this summer. The Golden Historical Society is hosting a Farmer’s Market plus a Flea Market each Saturday from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. from July 5 to October 25, 2014.

We are looking for vendors to fill our grass acreage south of the Windmill Hall. Vendors may sign in at the Museum with a Windmill representative and set up in the designated area. Customers may park in the gravel parking lot.

Vendors may set up on a first come/first served basis. A signed agreement with contact information and fee is required prior to set up.

Market produce and flea market items must meet state and county guidelines for farmers’ markets and cottage food laws. A copy of these guidelines will be available for review at the Mill.

Participants must be 21 years of age to sign a valid agreement and younger participants must have adult supervision.

No vendor pets allowed/service animals permitted.

NOTE: Participant agrees to indemnify and save the Prairie Mills Windmill, the Golden Historical Society and its representatives harmless from all claims, loss, damage, injury, and liability however caused, resulting from, arising out of, or in any way connected with the operation of the markets or by alleged negligence on the part of any of the participants, agents or employees. The Windmill Market reserves the right to control products, entertainment, and activities associated with the market.

LOOKING FORWARD TO SEE YOU AT THE MARKET

The Peoria City/County Health Department reminds us this Father’s Day to give the gift of health and encourage men to take steps to live safer and healthier lives. Improving men’s health doesn’t need to take a lot of time and doesn’t need to cost a lot of money.

Here are a few facts about men and their health:

• Only 1 in 2 men visited a doctor in the past year.
• 3 in 4 men are overweight.
• More than 1 in 3 men has high blood pressure.
• 2 in 3 men have never been tested for HIV.
• Some men incorrectly think vaccines are only for kids.

This Father’s Day remind dads, brothers, uncles, and friends to take these steps to make healthy living a part of their daily routines:

• Find a Healthcare Provider to help get you started on overall health.
• See if You are a Healthy Weight. Overweight and obesity can lead to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer.
• Be Physically Active. Be active for at least 2½ hours a week. Include activities that raise your breathing and heart rates and that strengthen your muscles. You don’t have to do it all at once. Spread your activity out during the week, and break it into smaller chunks of time during the day.
• Eat What Counts. Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables every day. Limit foods and drinks high in calories, sugar, salt, fat, and alcohol. Choose healthy snacks.
• Get your Blood Pressure Checked Regularly and know what your numbers should be. High blood pressure can lead to heart attack and stroke. Check your blood pressure at home, at the pharmacy, at your doctor.
• Be Smoke-Free. Don’t smoke and avoid secondhand smoke. Within 20 minutes after smoking that last cigarette, your body begins a series of changes that continue for years.
• Get Tested for HIV. It’s important to make choices that keep you healthy and protect others.
• Get Vaccinated. Some adult vaccines include Seasonal Flu, Pneumococcal, Shingles, Tdap, HPV, Hepatitis A, and Hepatitis B.

Happy Father’s Day!

For more information on important Public Health issues, visit the Peoria City/County Health Department website at www.pcchd.org.