Kentucky Children's Hospital

The best part of my job is the opportunities I have to share the wonderful work happening on our campus. It is especially fulfilling when I get to tell you about the work our students are doing on campus and across our community and state. DanceBlue is a prime example of energy and enthusiasm happening at UK.

This weekend, thousands of UK students will participate, either as dancers, organizers, volunteers or spectators, in DanceBlue; UK's 24 hour no-sitting, no-sleeping dance marathon that benefits the Golden Matrix Fund, the Pediatric Oncology Clinic at Kentucky Children's Hospital and cancer research. This entirely student-run organization has raised more than $2.6 million since its beginning in 2006. Their efforts have helped pay for two fulltime social workers at the clinic who serve DanceBlue’s mission of aiding the children and the families in the clinic.

I recently met with the student leaders of this year's marathon, and their energy and enthusiasm was infectious. The passion they have for DanceBlue, and the children and families they work with at the Pediatric Oncology Clinic, is unparalleled.

Their leadership was tested as our community and state braced for Friday's severe weather threat. They showed incredible maturity and flexibility as the University acted in the interest of safety for the UK Family.

Following the severe weather outbreak across Kentucky and the southeast, the start of the DanceBlue dance marathon was rescheduled. The marathon will begin at 8 a.m. on Saturday, March 3, in Memorial Coliseum on UK's campus and is open the entire 12 hours of the marathon, concluding at 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 3. The top of each hour features a line dance performed by more than 700 dancers. Family and memorial hours at the marathon begin at 5 p.m. on Saturday.

I encourage the entire Wildcat family, students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends, to visit this year's marathon. If you are unable to attend, view the live stream of the event on the DanceBlue website at www.danceblue.org.

FTK – For the Kids!

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 20, 2012) − A new emergency transport unit specially designed for neonatal and pediatric patients was unveiled Jan. 19 in front of the University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital's Makenna David Pediatric Emergency Center.
 

Each year, up to 470 newborns are transported from hospitals across Central and Eastern Kentucky to Kentucky Children’s Hospital’s level III newborn intensive care unit. Additionally, the hospital’s pediatric team transports more than 260 critically ill or injured infants and children each year from area hospital emergency rooms to Kentucky Children’s Hospital, the region’s only level-one pediatric trauma center.
 

Dr. Carmel Wallace, interim chair of the UK Department of Pediatrics, and Dr. Scottie Day, pediatric critical care specialist, recognized representatives from WHAS Crusade for Children and Speedway who donated funding for the new pediatric critical care ambulance. 
 

Also attending were members of the emergency transport team known as Kentucky Kids Crew, a specialty team that provides inter-facility (hospital-to-hospital) critical care transportation for neonatal and pediatric patients. The team, which has been providing transportation support to physicians and health care since 1979, is directed by neonatologists and pediatric intensivists, and includes critical care nurses with advanced training in neonatal and pediatric procedures.
 

"We greatly appreciate the support of WHAS Crusade for Children and Speedway and those that have contributed to their efforts to help provide this very special vehicle which helps our transport team deliver the most precious cargo to our hospital for life-saving, advanced specialty care," Wallace said. "We are grateful for your support of our team and for your commitment to helping infants and children of the Bluegrass."

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 20, 2012) − Throw off the winter doldrums and support the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry's Mobile Van Outreach Program at the same time by participating in the annual Heart Sole and Glove 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, Feb. 11, at Coldstream Park (Newtown Pike and Aristides Blvd.).

The 12th annual 5K sponsored by UK's Health and Wellness is open to the community. Entry fee for the race is $15 for pre-registration or $20 the day of the race.

The name of the race 'Heart Sole and Glove' was coined by John's Run Walk Shop when they first managed the race until UK Health and Wellness took over in 2005.

"Heart comes from the race being in February around Valentine’s Day," said Helen Moseley, wellness specialist with UK Health and Wellness. "The 'Sole' comes from the bottom of your running shoe, and the 'Glove' comes from the cold weather and the running gloves given to race participants instead of t-shirts."

Each year proceeds from the race benefit different UK programs, most recently the Kentucky Children's Hospital, the Barnstable Brown Kentucky Diabetes and Obesity Center.  This year, the money raised will benefit the Mobile Van Outreach Program and be used to provide dental care to children in Kentucky without financial resources and access to dental care.

"In 2010-11, our outreach mobile programs provided more than $550,000 in dental care to uninsured, needy children in Kentucky," said Robert Kovarik, division head for Dental Public Health at the UK College of Dentistry. "As grant and state funds are becoming more difficult to obtain, these programs are at risk of being cut. The funds raised by the Heart Sole and Glove 5K event will completely and directly benefit these children by providing support for their care."

Awards will be presented after the race for the overall top three males and top three females and the top three males and females by age group.

For anyone wishing to pay by cash or check, entry forms can be mailed to UK Health and Wellness, 116 Seaton Center, Lexington, KY 40506-0219, postmarked no later than Feb. 6, or they can be dropped off at the Seaton Center no later than Feb. 10.  Credit card users can register online through Feb. 10 at 4 p.m. Registration will also be open on race day from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. at Embassy Suites at 1801 Newtown Pike.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 9, 2012) — Christy Johnson, mother of a Kentucky Children's Hospital (KCH) patient, stumbled upon the "Beads of Courage" program while researching her daughter Kerrington’s congenital heart defect. Diagnosed moments after birth with a series of congenital heart defects, Kerrington was immediately transported to KCH. Since then, she has undergone open heart surgery and may have to undergo more surgeries in the future.

"I was very impressed with the program and what it stood for," said Johnson. "The feelings that I experienced when I received Kerrington’s Beads of Courage in the mail were ones that only can be understood by a parent who has had a child that has experienced the same journey."

The Beads of Courage program is designed to support and strengthen children and families coping with serious illness such as congenital heart disease. Through the program, children are given the ability to tell their stories using colorful beads as meaningful symbols of courage that mark milestones they have achieved along their unique treatment path.

All the beads provided are hand crafted by bead makers all over the world so the unique beads are not just any ordinary bead that anyone can get without going through the journey. Each bead represents a different treatment milestone and are given to the child by their cardiology care team to add to their Beads of Courage collection throughout their treatment as determined by the Beads of Courage Bead Guide. The program helps to decrease illness-related distress, increase the use of positive coping strategies, helps children find meaning in illness, and restores sense of self in children coping with serious illness. 

The Cardiac Program Bead Guide was developed in collaboration with experts in the fields such as nurses, doctors, child life specialists and social workers, to reflect meaningful acknowledgement of a child’s treatment journey. For instance, patients get a yellow bead for an overnight hospital stay, a black for pokes, a glow-in-the-dark for an echocardiogram and a square heart bead for a cardiac surgery.

Johnson, who began a program called Kerrington's Heart in 2009 to support the patients and families during their journey, wanted to bring the "Beads of Courage" program to congenital heart patients at KCH. With the generous donations of supporters, the Beads of Courage Program is able to begin in January 2012.   

"We are excited about bringing this program to the Kentucky Children's Hospital because just like medals, ribbons, and certificates, these beads signify strength and courage for the patients and families," Johnson said. "A child facing another needle or procedure can look at their beads and realize that they made it through before so they can do it again."

For more information on Kerrington's Heart or to donate to the KCH Beads of Courage program, visit www.kerringtonsheart.org.

Media Contact:  Kristi Lopez, (859) 323-6363 or kristi.lopez@uky.edu

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 20, 2011) — Amidst the individual anxiety of studying for exams, three University of Kentucky freshmen thought beyond their tests during Dead Week on campus this year.

Freshmen Achmad Hidayatullah, Connor Appelman and Devon Wilson launched UK's first Study for the Cure event in the basement of Keeneland Hall from 3 p.m. to midnight on Dec. 4 and Dec. 8.

All Keeneland residents were given the opportunity to participate in marathon study sessions and raised $239 for UK HealthCare's Kentucky Children's Hospital.

Hidayatullah worked with local businesses and the College of Arts and Sciences to sponsor students for each hour they studied. A total of 945 hours were studied during the events.

"Tutoring provides a service that lifts a burden off of the shoulders of students," said Hidayatullah, who tutored international students in high school. "We want to solve problems. If you miss one concept in a class, it can affect the rest of your experience."

Tutoring is a form of charity work for Hidayatullah, and he was looking for a way to combine scholarly service with a local charitable organization in order to give back.

Large tables were set up in the Keeneland Hall basement where advanced graduate students assisted Keeneland residents in studying for critical final exams in courses including Math 113 and Chemistry 105. The College of Arts & Sciences provided snacks. "These were long study sessions," said Hidayatullah. "But it was worth it. We hope that students get better grades and that patients get the care they need."

Hidayatullah, Appelman and Wilson are all a part of A&S Wired, a new living and learning community at Keeneland Hall created by the College of Arts and Sciences. Debuting this fall, A&S Wired is home to nearly 200 freshmen in a unique interactive space that combines education and residence life and features a technology-infused curriculum designed around the concept of a 21st century liberal arts education. 

Study for the Cure was sponsored by the WIRED Programming Committee and Keeneland Hall Government.

This is a pilot year for the program, and the trio hopes to expand campus wide next year.

"Living in A&S Wired has given us so many opportunities," said Hidayatullah. "We need to give back."

Listen to a podcast on the event here: http://www.as.uky.edu/study-cure