Tufts Medical Center News Headlines
Week of January 15, 2007 - January 22, 2007
The following headline stories are re-printed from the Tufts Medical Center News, Tufts Medical Center's weekly publication.
March of Dimes and Floating NICU Support Program Launched
The Floating Hospital for Children has been selected by the March of Dimes as the first site in Massachusetts to implement a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Family Support Program. It provides enhanced information and comfort to families of premature and other critically ill newborns. This new collaboration was announced at a press conference held at the Floating Hospital last week.
Floating Hospital’s Kevin Petit, MD, Pediatrician-in-Chief, Jonathan Davis, MD, Chief of Newborn Medicine and Paige Church, MD, discussed the importance of support for families with newborns in the NICU and how excited the whole NICU team is for the program. As part of the initiative a March of Dimes parent consultant will be on staff in Floating’s NICU.
At the event, Jennifer Howse, PhD, President of the March of Dimes, expressed how pleased the Massachusetts March of Dimes Chapter is that the Floating Hospital for Children has been selected as the first NICU in the state to incorporate their Support Program.
The NICU Family Support Program is an important component of the March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign. It offers guidance and support to those families to alleviate the fears and stress that often accompany having a hospitalized newborn.
Boston Celtics and Supporters Visit Floating Patients, Donate Books
Betsy Banks Epstein, a Celtics Women’s Group member, and her husband, David Epstein, a Celtics Board Member, donated 1,000 copies of the Boston Celtics Hero Book to Floating Hospital for Children last week. After a brief donation ceremony, Celtics forward Ryan Gomes, Celtics legend JoJo White, and members of the Celtics Women’s Group joined Betsy Epstein for a special reading session with children from General Pediatrics and the Wang YMCA.
The Boston Celtics Hero Book was created to help children identify characteristics they admire in other people while encouraging them to emulate these traits in their own lives. “We are thrilled the Epstein family has made this generous donation of books to Floating Hospital,” said Robert Sege, MD, PhD, Chief of the Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. “This is a wonderful fit with the positive messaging we work on with our patients, and also gives our physicians the opportunity to discuss important issues like self-esteem and healthy lifestyle choices.”
The Boston Celtics Hero Book will be given to children in grades five through eight during their well-child visits at General Pediatrics and in neighborhood clinics.
The Boston Celtics Hero Book was a collaborative effort between Ellen Sabin, an award-winning author, and The Celtics Women’s Group. The book includes a chapter entitled, “The Celtics Celebrate Heroes” with contributions from Celtics players and legends including Red Auerbach, Danny Ainge, JoJo White, Paul Pierce, Doc Rivers and many others.
The Celtics Women’s Group is an organization of women who are partners, wives, and mothers of Boston Celtics players, coaches and managers. They work to advance the philanthropic goals of the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation.
Tufts Medical Center and Tufts University’s IRB Office Receives Positive Evaluation by the FDA
The Boston Institutional Review Board (IRB) and IRB Office at Tufts Medical Center and Tufts University has received a favorable evaluation after a not-for-cause inspection by the Inspector General (OIG) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The FDA spent four days in August reviewing studies, IRB meeting minutes, and various documents from the last three years, including emergency use studies.
Both Elayn Byron, Vice President for Research Administration at Tufts Medical Center and Peggy Newell, Vice Provost for Tufts University agree that this is the best possible determination that the FDA could have made, and were very pleased with, and proud of the outcome.
IRB Chair David Chelmow, MD, the IRB Vice-Chairs, IRB Administrative and Operations Manager Jennifer Graf, and all of the IRB office staff worked to prepare Tufts Medical Center for the inspection, and to ensure that service to investigators was not interrupted.
The successful inspection helps to advance the outstanding research conducted both at Tufts Medical Center and Tufts University.
Boston Wine Expo Supports Floating’s Summer Camp Program
The Floating Hospital for Children’s “Summer Camp Program for Children with Disabilities” will once again be the major beneficiary of proceeds from the Boston Wine Expo this year. The 16th Annual Boston Wine Expo will take place Saturday and Sunday, February 10 and 11 at the Seaport World Trade Center and Seaport Hotel.
The Floating’s “Summer Camp Program” provides funding for children battling chronic diseases and learning disabilities, as well as those dealing with the difficulties of family dysfunction and urban violence, to attend summer camp.
The Boston Wine Expo is the largest consumer wine event in the country, featuring over 1,800 wines from around the world. Since its inception the Boston Wine Expo has donated more than $565,000 to the charity.
Tufts Medical Center employees who purchase tickets before Friday, February 2 can receive a $15 discount off the already discounted ‘advance’ price of admission for either the entire two-day event or for a single-day admission on Sunday, February 11. Discounted tickets cost $105 for the two-day admission, and $55 for the Sunday-only admission. To take advantage of the ticket discount use TUFTS as the promotion code upon purchase.
For more information, visit the Boston Wine Expo website at www.wineexpoboston.com.
Shaw’s Supermarkets, Tufts Medical Center Governor Brighten Holiday for Floating Patients
Shaw’s Supermarkets brightened this past holiday season for Medical Center patients by donating 250 teddy bears to the Floating Hospital for Children. Rick Tremblay, Shaw’s Manager of Community and Ethnic Marketing, delivered the bears to the children admitted to Floating 7, the PICU, NICU, and the new Pediatric Emergency Department. Additional bears were also given to Tufts Medical Center’s Department of Social Work Services.
Also, this past holiday season, Bob Merowitz, a member of Tufts Medical Center’s Board of Governors, donated 94 tickets to the Boston Ballet’s production of the Nutcracker. Patients and their families from the Neely House, the Center for Children with Special Needs, Floating Children’s Cancer Center and Child Life services were able to enjoy a wonderful holiday tradition through the generosity of Merowitz.