To be a health care provider is to answer a calling. For some, the journey to health care is a straight line; for others, the road is winding. This series features stories from ECU Health team members who took the winding road, but found the destination to be worth the effort.
Lacey Boldyrev, staff nurse II in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), has worked for ECU Health since 2020. “I started in the middle of COVID,” she said. “My last semester of nursing school was entirely online and we weren’t even allowed to go into the hospital for clinicals, so it was a challenge.” Prior to attending Coastal Carolina Community College for her RN degree, Boldyrev was a stay-at-home mom while her daughters were young, and once they went to school, she pursued her dream of being a teacher.
“I started school but didn’t finish my degree,” Boldyrev said. “I was a substitute teacher and a paraprofessional in Brooklyn, where we lived, for seven years.”
At that time, she and her family moved to North Carolina where she worked in a preschool at Camp LeJeune until the birth of her son.
“He was born at Onslow Memorial Hospital,” Boldyrev said. “We had a normal pregnancy and ultrasounds, nothing special. But after he was born and I went to get him, they told me I couldn’t pick him up. They told me to return to my room and the doctor would see me.”
It was at that moment Boldyrev learned that her son had congenital heart disease and the hospital was sending him to Maynard Children’s Hospital at ECU Health Medical Center in Greenville. “I had never had a child with health issues before,” Boldyrev said. “All of the sudden we’re living in a hospital for a year and a half and taking medical flights to different states.” Her son died on Christmas Day, 2015.
“After he was gone, there was this big empty hole,” Boldyrev shared. “I didn’t know what to do with myself.” The time she spent with her son in the hospital, she said, inspired her to pursue a degree in nursing. “I had given him his medications and his oxygen and feeding tubes,” she said. “All these things I’d done for him, and I learned from the nurses taking care of him. I took that as a sign.”
Although she had never previously considered a career in health care, her work with children in education set a foundation for how to communicate with kids and their families in the hospital. “I understood from my work in the schools some of the challenges children face and how they develop,” Boldyrev said.
After graduation, Boldyrev knew she wanted to work at Maynard Children’s Hospital. “Everyone who was working there when my son was there treated me with such compassion and listened to me. The PICU was the only place I wanted to be; I’m not sure I’d be as happy if I was anywhere else.”
Part of what makes her work so special, Boldyrev said, is the PICU team. “The reason I came back to Greenville, and keep in mind I commute over an hour to get here, is my team,” she said. “The people I work with provide exceptional care. Not once since I started have I felt alone or that my team doesn’t have my back. There are other places I could work that are closer but that’s not what makes a good job. It’s the people and the pride you take from what you do.”
Boldyrev’s experience with her son has given her a unique perspective for the patients and families she serves in the PICU.
“You don’t know anything about what it’s like if you’ve never had an unhealthy child. When my son was born, it opened a new world. I didn’t even know what congenital heart disease was, but now it’s unfathomable that I didn’t know,” she said. She recognizes that working in health care can be challenging, but it’s also the most rewarding thing she’s ever done. “If you’re passionate about medicine and helping people, but you’re hesitant to start the journey into health care, I say put your fears aside and take that first step.” Being able to provide compassion and support to children and families is something she’s very proud of, and she’s glad she took that first step. “I can be there for families going through the same type of situation I experienced,” Boldyrev said. “I feel like I’m able to make a difference in their lives. I believe there are reasons why we’re set on a path, and I take a lot of pride in saying that I’m a nurse.”
Read more
Pediatric patients at the Maynard Children’s Hospital at ECU Health Medical Center had an opportunity to get outside in beautiful spring weather and have a little fun with their care teams during a Jell-O toss event on Tuesday, April 2.
With doctors, nurses, therapists and more Maynard team members lined up in chairs, patients dipped their hands into bowls of Jell-O and tossed the snack onto their care teams.
For patients, it was an opportunity to get out of their rooms, see their providers in a new way and relieve some stress.
One parent, Jillian Berntsen, said the opportunity was invaluable for her daughter Ella. While she was hesitant about participating at first, her care team encouraged her to join the event. Jillian said her daughter was glad she attended – even if she was covered in Jell-O by the end.
“This is incredibly important. For children like Ella who have long stays here in the hospital, it’s really important to get the outside and thinking about something other than their diagnosis so that they can have those moments being a child again,” Jillian said. “She’s just 13 years old so being stuck in a hospital room for most of her day can be tough. Things like this that get her smiling, laughing and around others are really important.”
For Abby Coderre, a pediatric nurse at the Children’s Hospital, the event meant more to her than a few laughs with patients and fellow members of her care team as she was splattered with the green Jell-O.
In 2019, Coderre was a patient herself at ECU Health Medical Center with lymphoma and shared a special relationship with her care team. She said passing on her experience as a patient to those she cares for now is crucial and these events give her a chance to connect with her patients in a different way.
“It’s great to give them an outlet and something fun to do while they’re at the hospital,” Coderre said. “Anything to make them smile, I would do it. It’s just a great opportunity to get to know these kids and continue to build that relationship.”
Ella Berntsen was diagnosed with leukemia in November and recently had an infection which led to eight surgeries. Her mother, Jillian, said the care teams at Maynard Children’s Hospital have been a difference-maker for her daughter and the connection she has to the care team is special.
“We feel so supported by all of the staff here, I can’t compare them with anything,” Jillian said. “The relationships and bonds we have formed with these people throughout this short period of time have been unbelievable – they’re like family to us. Ella has been through an incredible struggle, for me there has been a lot of doubt. To have these moments of happiness, it’s just really important.”
Further reading
Watch: Doctor and nurse share unique bond, respect after life-saving encounter
Nurses and child life staff from ECU Health went to Pactolus Global School on Tuesday, March 19, to host the Teddy Bear Hospital event as part of Pitt County Health Sciences Academy. This fun, interactive event aims to familiarize elementary-aged children with health care workers in a friendly environment.
Elementary school students donned scrubs and personal protective equipment (PPE) to bring their favorite stuffed animals to the Teddy Bear Hospital. Students assumed the role of parents responsible for the toy’s care, starting with checking their stuffed animal into the waiting room to be triaged. ECU Health nurses then examined the stuffed animals and gave them a diagnosis. Nursing staff provided a treatment plan to help the stuffed animal get better. Through this interactive process, ECU Health nurses and child life team members engaged with the children, fostering valuable interaction and promoting health during workshop sessions.
According to Reed Potts, coordinator of Pitt County Health Sciences Academy, the event serves a number of purposes including to increase the awareness of health care, reduce anxiety around doctor’s visits and introduce students to different health care careers.
“They’re having an absolute blast,” said Potts. “You never know, we may have a couple of nurses and doctors in here who wind up taking care of us one day.”
Nancy Turner, workforce development consultant, ECU Health, said students have really been engaged with the event and enjoyed the process.
“Students are learning all about health care process as if they are at a doctor’s office or even a hospital,” said Turner. “The students have been great. We’re talking to them after their rotations, and they’re excited to share how our nurses helped their stuffed animals ‘get better’ whether it be with a cast or a band-aid.”
While this may be the first exposure to health care careers for some students, it will not be the last. ECU Health team members, in partnership with Health Sciences Academy, participate in a number of career exploratory events with middle school and high school students including job shadowing, career fairs and “Chat with a Doc.”
“The most important thing is we are able to reach out to students of all ages,” said Turner. “We expose students to health care careers starting in elementary school and continue in middle school and high school letting them know that there a lot of different careers in health care. We’re letting students know there is a health care role for anybody and everybody.”
The Pitt County Health Sciences Academy is a partnership between ECU Health, Pitt County Schools, Pitt Community College, East Carolina University, the Brody School of Medicine, Colleges of Allied Health Sciences, Engineering and Nursing at East Carolina University, School of Dental Medicine at East Carolina University, the Eastern Area Health Education Center and the Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce.
Each Halloween, patients, families and team members at Maynard Children’s Hospital at ECU Health Medical Center get a chance to break away and enjoy the holiday.
Parade floats from team members and community groups flowed by the Children’s Hospital on Halloween afternoon, giving the children a chance to see some of their favorite characters, like Barbie and Ken, Minions, and floats from Toy Story, Trolls and Encanto. Even the Mystery Machine, a Jeep full of sharks and a pirate ship appeared – all to help make the day a little brighter for the youngest patients at ECU Health Medical Center.
Amanda Jones, a child life specialist at Maynard Children’s Hospital, said there is always a lot of planning that goes into the event, but it’s worth it each year to give the children something to look forward to during the holiday.
“This is a really fun event where they can still celebrate Halloween even while they’re here at the hospital,” Jones said. “It allows kids to be kinds while they’re in the hospital. It’s something that they would normally be doing if they weren’t in the hospital so it kind of brings a little bit of that holiday spirit to the event here.”
For parents, it can also bring a source of comfort. Angela Blanton’s 8-year-old son, Chance, is a patient at the Maynard Children’s Hospital and has a rare condition called Walker-Warburg Syndrome. Blanton said Chance could not be outside for the event, but she still wanted to celebrate Halloween – her son’s favorite holiday – while at the hospital.
She shared photos of past Halloween costume contests he had won and reflected on what this event meant for her. She wore an inflatable chicken costume, worn earlier this month at a Halloween party with her son dressed as Colonel Sanders.
“He would love to be down here, but he can’t be. So I think it’s amazing for the all the children that can be here,” Blanton said. “Seeing them light up, and even me, in this silly costume. Some of the kids wanted to take a picture with me, and I thought that was awesome. To see the smiles from the kids and parents and know how important it is for everyone. Not just the children, but the moms who have been there by the bedside.”
She shared that these events mean a great deal to the patients and families looking for a piece of normalcy in a challenging time.
Patients across the hospital receive goodie bags with art supplies and toys after the event, whether or not they could come. Jones said the event is important for team members
“This is a great event for team members that participate in the parade and for those that come out and watch it,” Jones said. “It’s enjoyable to be able to step away from the bedside and spend time with patients on events like this. I think it’s really uplifting for everyone.”
The way Dr. Aundrea Oliver met Abby Coderre was, in Dr. Oliver’s words, “fortuitous.”
Abby was a sophomore at East Carolina University when she needed surgery for a mass in her thoracic cavity. Dr. Oliver’s colleague received the call about her situation, but couldn’t perform the diagnostic procedure on her, so Dr. Oliver was asked to step in.
“We just kept going”
At the age of nine, Abby was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, so she was no stranger to hospitals. As she grew older, however, she began experiencing unusual symptoms.
In high school, she noticed bruising on her legs, but she attributed those to being a dancer. During the summer before her sophomore year, Abby experienced chest pain, but an initial doctor visit diagnosed her with a pulled muscle.
“The muscle relaxer the doctor prescribed didn’t help, so my sister insisted I go to the emergency department,” Abby said. “They did an x-ray and saw my esophagus was pushed off to one side, so they did a CT scan. That’s when they saw the mass in my chest.”
“Her mass was located next to her pulmonary artery and had invaded her pericardium,” Dr. Oliver said. What was supposed to be a four-hour surgery ended up taking Dr. Oliver eight hours to remove as much of the mass from Abby’s body as possible. “We tried to remove the majority of the mass and basically did a full resection.”
As a result, the doctors were able to correctly diagnose her with lymphoma and provide the right treatment.
That decision, Abby said, saved her life: “Who knows if chemo would have been able to get all of it?”
While Dr. Oliver has performed countless surgeries, she said Abby’s story sticks with her. “She was this young, vibrant college student who could have been my daughter, and her case was hard.” Dr. Oliver knew she wanted to do everything she could to help Abby. “We just kept going – we weren’t stopping until we got an answer,” Dr. Oliver said.
Abby’s recovery was, as Dr. Oliver put it, “slightly miraculous.”
“We cut through her phrenic nerve, so she shouldn’t have a voice at all. She should not be able to cough. But she still has great function.” Beyond the physical recovery, Dr. Oliver said it’s been gratifying to see Abby succeed in life: “To see her become this wonderful, exciting, vibrant caring woman and to go from being a happy college student to a mature individual – that gives in a way that I can only hope for is impressive.”
After surgery, Abby completed a two-and-a-half year chemotherapy regimen. Dr. Oliver was impressed by her commitment to her classes and studies while receiving treatment. “I was really proud of her. Whenever someone has to work twice as hard in order to achieve success, there is a greater depth of value in that education.” Dr. Oliver was doubly proud when she found out Abby wanted to be a nurse. “I was over the moon,” Dr. Oliver said. “She let me know she was interested in doing pediatric oncology, and I told her it was a perfect fit, that she was bright enough and she had the people skills to be a great nurse.”
A struggle worth the effort
Although it was challenging, Abby said it was important to her that she remain in school while undergoing treatment. “I needed to have some normalcy in my life,” she said. It became even more challenging when she transitioned to the actual nursing program. “I’d have to get chemo one day, and then the next day I’d be in the hospital as the student nurse and not the patient,” she said. “Then the next day I’d take a test.” As a result, Abby had to study extra hard and often took her notes with her to study during her chemotherapy treatment. She also took classes and tests online, even taking a few while she was in the hospital. “I took one final exam while I was in the ER, but it helped me get my mind off what was happening and gave me something else to focus on.”
Although Abby said she wondered when her cancer journey was going to be over, she advised anyone out there going through the same thing to remember it won’t last forever. “What you’re working for is worth it, no matter how hard the struggle. Just look at the end goal and do anything you can to make it good.”
Abby rang the bell to signify the end of her cancer treatment in November 2021, and when she graduated from college, she invited Dr. Oliver to the celebration.
“It’s not common to be invited to a patient’s graduation,” Dr. Oliver admitted. “To have someone years later have an important life event and say, I want you there – that means everything to me.”
Bridging two worlds
Now, Abby is a pediatric nurse working at ECU Health.
“When I first started nursing school, I didn’t want to stay in Greenville,” she shared. “But I really fell in love with the hospital. The team I was treated by was amazing, and I saw the impact they had on me as well as other kids. I couldn’t imagine working anywhere else.”
While their professional lives may not intersect much, Dr. Oliver is thrilled to have Abby as a colleague: “Abby is the perfect container for life, and she’s going to give it to a bunch of little kids who are scared life is going to be taken away from them.”
Coderre agreed that bridging the worlds of patient and nurse gives her a unique perspective that has helped her be a better nurse. “It gave me a lot of empathy toward my patients, because I know what they’re going through. I know what it feels like to be on the other side of things. I wouldn’t be half the nurse I am if I hadn’t been a patient also.”
As for Dr. Oliver, she said the value of her work has been solidified. “It’s easy to feel like what you do doesn’t matter or doesn’t have an impact. If I never have another patient like Abby Coderre – if Abby is my one Abby – then my career is complete. That was the best eight hours I could have ever spent.”
Looking back, Abby said she wouldn’t be here if not for her ECU Health team working together.
“I couldn’t say anything better about ECU Health. It’s amazing, with the best nurses and doctors.” She also holds a special place in her heart for Dr. Oliver: “She is just an amazing human being.”
In her ECU Health profile, Abby wrote that her role model is “Dr. Aundrea Oliver, the most amazing surgeon and person that has ever graced my life by saving my life.”
As the fall season begins and young students head back to school, safety is top of mind for the Injury Prevention and School Health programs at ECU Health Medical Center.
Laurie Reed, nurse manager for the School Health Program, said starting the school year out on the right foot begins with staying healthy. Reed said it is important for parents to make sure children have an annual physical exam with a primary care provider to make sure they are healthy and have what they need to be successful in the classroom.
For students entering public schools for the first time, a health assessment is required by a physician within 12 months of starting school. Reed said providers need to fill out a form and have it submitted to the school.
“If their child has had a physical in the last year, it may just be a matter of taking that form to the provider’s office to have them complete it,” Reed said. “If they haven’t had that physical in the last year, it’s really important that they go ahead and reach out to their child’s doctor to get that appointment scheduled.”
Additionally, she noted the importance of students being up-to-date on their vaccines to help keep them in school. Reed said there are specific vaccines and boosters for children as they reach kindergarten, 7th grade and 12th grade, all of which should be part of their annual physicals.
Reed said it’s important to understand that these vaccines and boosters are all part of keeping young students healthy and in the classroom.
“These are actually diseases that are still out there and that children actually could get if they don’t receive vaccines,” Reed said. “Of course, in a school environment where children are in close conditions, it’s a public health concern if we would have a student that would come down with one of these illnesses. If other students are not vaccinated, then, of course, then it could it could spread within a school setting. Generally, just for their overall good health, it’s just very important that students are receiving their vaccines on a routine basis.”
Reed encouraged families to contact their local school nurse or the Maynard Children’s Hospital for more information.
School bus safety
Another important aspect of back to school safety focuses on our roads.
Ellen Walston, Injury Prevention Program coordinator at ECU Health Medical Center, urged motorists to use caution when driving near school buses and in school zones.
Walston said that distracted driving is a problem and to combat that challenge, some modifications have been made in school zones in the area. These updates include mounted speed boards and flashing beacons at crosswalks to alert drivers to pedestrians.
“It is really important that we emphasize distractions within school zones and any time that you’re driving,” Walston said. “Students are also distracted when they’re walking to and from school. So any education we can provide around that is important and that applies to the driver as well as a pedestrian.”
Richard Hutchinson, director of transportation for Pitt County Schools, said it’s crucial for drivers to follow the law and stop when a bus is at a pick up or drop off spot to keep children safe.
Hutchinson shared that over 3,000 stopped school buses are passed each day in North Carolina and this creates a risk for children. He asked that drivers follow the law, stop and wait for the school bus to continue.
“As soon as you see the amber lights come on, it would be good to slow down and be prepared to stop,” Hutchinson said. “If the busses come to a stop, you should come to a stop, even if that stop arm has not come out yet. That’s just going to help keep everyone safe.”
Resources
Independence Day is celebrated across the country with cookouts, family gatherings, fireworks and more. While fireworks are a fun way to celebrate, they can be dangerous if not handled by professionals and can cause serious harm including devastating burns and other injuries.
More than 3,000 children under the age of 15 are sent to the emergency room each year in the United States because of fireworks, according to Safe Kids. During July 4 celebrations, it is important to remain mindful of safety and injury prevention while enjoying festivities, particularly those involving fireworks.
Ellen Walston, Injury Prevention Program coordinator at ECU Health Medical Center, said firework injuries are far too common, including those that can be sustained from sparklers.
“We have an extended holiday weekend, but we want to send the important message to let the professionals handle the firework displays,” Walston said. “Some children really enjoy using sparklers but we just ask that you use extra caution because the tips of those sparklers can exceed 1,200 degrees and cause a third degree burn.”
She said supervision of children is key when using sparklers and to make sure they are fully distinguished after use by pouring water over the sparkler, as they can still run around 450 degrees after they are finished burning. Walston said glowsticks are a safe alternative option.
From 2018-22, Walston said there were 11 admissions to ECU Health Medical Center for firework-related injuries. Typically, she said, the injuries are to hands and fingers and the most common age group is 20-29.
“Any time that you are in a situation where there are fireworks involved, we ask that you provide very close supervision to any children, don’t let them near the fireworks,” Walston said. “We want everyone to have fun with their families but it’s so important to do so safely and that starts with supervision.”
Leaving a child, senior or pet behind in a car can pose serious danger, even if it’s just for a few minutes.
That was the message of the hot car safety event hosted by Ellen Walston, Injury Prevention Program coordinator at ECU Health Medical Center, along with the Martin-Pitt Partnership for Children, Pitt County Sheriff’s Office, Safe Kids North Carolina and Greenville Fire Rescue.
Walston said it’s dangerous for anyone to be left alone in a vehicle because of how quickly they can heat up, especially for children.
On June 29, Walston and community partners shared the information in the parking lot of Kohl’s in Greenville. During a somewhat overcast afternoon with temperatures around 90 degrees, it took about 15 minutes for the display car on hand to reach 123 degrees inside.
“Our campaign is never leave your child alone, not even for one minute,” Walston said. “That means when you think you can just run in and do a quick errand in the store or any situation, we don’t ever want a child to be left alone in a car, not even for a minute. That also includes our senior adults and pets.”
Walston said leaving the windows cracked for a child, pet or senior with the engine off is not enough ventilation to be safe, and even leaving them in the car with the air conditioning on can pose dangers.
During the event, Walston and team demonstrated how the heat inside vehicles can literally cook s’mores by roasting them on the dashboard. She said there have already been eight deaths in the United States this year from children being left alone in cars. While there have not been any in North Carolina this year, the state had four of the 33 national deaths last year.
“One death is too many, that’s why we’re out here today educating the community,” Walston said. “The car we have out here today actually has a feature that has a reminder to check the backseat when you turn off the engine. It’s important to put something tangible in your backseat that you need to get out when you leave the car – your pocketbook, your cell phone, a briefcase, your lunch bag – just to remind you to always check the backseat.”
Walston said that while many parents think this could never happen to them, it can be as easy as breaking your routine to make a parent forget a child is still in the car. More than 50 percent of child deaths from hot cars are from children that have been forgotten in vehicles, and only 17 percent have been intentionally left.
Walston earns North Carolina Coordinator of the Year
Allan Buchanan, Safe Kids North Carolina director, was on hand during the event to recognize Walston as Safe Kids North Carolina Coordinator of the Year.
Buchanan said Walston is a great role model for other Safe Kids Coordinators and is a great leader for the program across the state.
“She does a wonderful job here in Pitt County, getting the message out on injury prevention,” Buchanan said. “In North Carolina, we actually have 46 coalitions across the state. Ellen does a fabulous job here in Pitt County for injury prevention program across a number of different risk areas. She’s just a vital access to the community and creating risk reduction in this area. We’re very fortunate to have Ellen as a coordinator.”
Last year, Safe Kids Pitt County was recognized as the North Carolina Coalition of the Year. Walston said she’s just happy to share the recognition with her many community partners across Pitt County and eastern North Carolina.
She said the nomination was anonymous but she believes the events her team hosts, the collaboration with community partners and the work that Safe Kids Pitt County does with other Safe Kids coalitions across the state helped earn the award.
“I do think when they see these type of events and the work that we do in Pitt County and beyond that, they pay attention and we really try to partner with other Safe Kids coalitions,” Walston said. “So I’m all about sharing resources and working together, that’s how you make it happen. We’re really fortunate to have such great partners.”
The Maynard Children’s Hospital at ECU Health Medical Center is celebrating its 10th year of offering high-quality, compassionate care in a soothing environment for patients and families in eastern North Carolina.
Dr. Matthew Ledoux, pediatrician in chief at Maynard Children’s Hospital, said the children’s hospital has immensely benefited the youngest patients in the East and made for more seamless care.
“The children’s hospital itself has given us the opportunity to grow services – we started an ECMO program, we’ve started and developed a dedicated Children’s Transport Team that flies all over the region and picks up kids and brings them back here,” Dr. Ledoux said. “The fact that we have all the subspecialty care, we have all the surgical care and generalized pediatric care here makes all the difference. It’s really a shining light in the East.”
Over the past 10 years, countless improvements have been made that have positively impacted the lives of many children and their families in eastern North Carolina. Other key expansions included the Pediatric Day Medical Unit, Pediatric Radiology Unit, and Pediatric Pharmacy among several other additions.
Kim Crickmore, PhD, RN, senior vice president for Women’s and Children’s Hospital and Community Health Programs, said the Maynard Children’s Hospital is an integral part of health care in eastern North Carolina today. Over the last 10 years, the children’s hospital has delivered more than 37,000 babies, with more 61,000 inpatient admissions, 216,000 emergency cases, 223,000 outpatient cases and an additional 700,000 pediatric outpatient visits through the ECU pediatric outpatient center.
“When we consider the impact to the region over the last 10 years, it’s really unbelievable,” Crickmore said. “It means so much to us here at the hospital that we’ve been able to provide care, primarily under one roof and unite all the services and to be the destination in eastern North Carolina for children who are sick or injured and need the specialty care we provide.”
Crickmore and Dr. Ledoux both said one of the services they are most proud of is the Children’s Transport team. The team consists of intensive-care trained nurses and respiratory therapists skilled in providing the specialty care many children need from the onset of transport to arrival at Maynard Children’s Hospital. Crickmore said it has been an intentional focus to build the program over the last five years and the program has seen many successes.
The Space
The amenities offered in the under-the-sea-themed Maynard Children’s Hospital are designed with patients and families in mind. Soothing young patients in a health care setting is no small task, but the children’s hospital is uniquely equipped to handle the challenge.
Dr. Ledoux said the community has stepped up time and again to provide resources and make donations that make a real difference for patients and families.
When thinking about his favorite area of the Maynard Children’s Hospital, Dr. Ledoux came back to the light tower, which can be seen when driving past the hospital. He said it’s a reminder of why he, and every children’s hospital team member, shows up to work every morning – to take care of the youngest patients in eastern North Carolina. He said he’s often asked what the colors on the light tower mean when people drive by at night.
“The reason is, we’re generally celebrating a child, we’re celebrating the end of a treatment, they’ve finished chemotherapy, or maybe they’ve been in the NICU for two or three months and they’re getting to go home,” Dr. Ledoux said. “We really try to make sure that the families and children get to pick the color and the time, but any time you see the color change anything different from our usual light blue, we’re celebrating a child and a family so it’s pretty exciting.”
Into the Future
Crickmore and Dr. Ledoux both said the next 10 years are something they’re looking forward to with the Maynard Children’s Hospital. They hope to continue expanding services and looking more to the region to bring specialty care closer to home for patients and families.
Dr. Ledoux said he and other physicians in the system have enjoyed their time spent in the region and the ability to help patients and bring key services closer to home for patients makes it special.
“I think the biggest thing is the distance that people have to travel,” Dr. Ledoux said. “We know that it’s a very underserved population and there’s a lot of poverty. People have challenges paying for gas or even having a car. The closer we can be to them to provide those services, the better.”
Another upcoming project that will impact pediatric patients in the East is the behavioral health hospital, slated to open in Greenville in 2025. ECU Health is partnering with Acadia Healthcare to build the state-of-the-art facility that will feature 24 inpatient beds specifically for children and adolescents with mental health needs. These beds will be the first of their kind in ECU Health’s 29-county service area and the only child and adolescent beds within 75 miles of Greenville, North Carolina.
Join us in celebrating the Maynard Children’s Hospital and all of its team members for the last 10 years of service to eastern North Carolina.
For more than 25 years, the Pediatric Asthma Program at the Maynard Children’s Hospital at ECU Health Medical Center has worked to help patients and families living with asthma lead healthy lives.
Jeanine Sharpe, social work care manager for the Pediatric Asthma Program, said the goal of the program has always been to decrease emergency department visits, reduce school absences due to asthma, provide education and improve quality of life for patients and families.
“Currently, there are about 5.1 million children under the age of 18 that have asthma in the U.S. and it’s the leading chronic disease for children,” Sharpe said. “Just for our service area last year, we had 1,687 pediatric asthma patient referrals. It’s the number one reason for school absences and the number two reason for hospital admissions for children. But we know that asthma is a controllable disease. What we find is that a lot of times the missing piece is just education.”
Sharpe said the program has touched many families over the years, whether it’s just one interaction or years of working on a family’s case. One family that has seen the impact of the program recently is the Carr family.
Dalton Carr III was diagnosed with asthma three years ago and struggled with wheezing, coughing and attacks in the years since.
Dalton III’s mother, Shanika said she was scared when her son was first diagnosed and she wasn’t sure how to handle certain situations. This past December, Dalton had an incident and was seen in the emergency department for his asthma.
“That’s when I met Ms. Sharpe,” Shanika said. “I was confused at the time, but ever since I met Ms. Sharpe, it’s been easier to learn things. I was confused with the things different doctors were telling me and I really didn’t understand how serious it was.”
Dalton III’s father, Dalton Jr., said it has been a great experience working with Sharpe and the Pediatric Asthma Program team.
He said the education and support offered have helped their son be confident and join in the everyday activities of other children his age. While he used to struggle, today he does not wheeze, cough or have flare ups from his asthma. Dalton Jr. credited the work with the Pediatric Asthma Program for this turnaround.
“She got us in a good routine for him. Ever since we’ve gotten Dalton on a consistent routine, he hasn’t had any problems,” Dalton Jr. said. “It’s even to the point where he can tell us when he needs his pump. He might say, ‘Mom or dad, I need my pump’ or ‘I’m good.’ He plays football and he’s running and tackling and it’s a lot but with Ms. Sharpe being in our lives these last few months, it’s just helped a lot.”
Dalton Jr. encouraged families to reach out for help and to learn what might work best for their child’s asthma.
Malorie Whitaker, respiratory care manager at ECU Health Medical Center, said the program is designed to help patients from one to 18 years of age feel more comfortable while they manage their asthma and participate in normal childhood activities.
She also said the program is set up to meet children where they are and eliminate barriers to care.
“Sometimes they’ll come into our office to do different testing or do some education, but usually we meet them,” Whitaker said. “So we’ll get into the homes, we’ll go into the schools, into the clinic, wherever they are. Some of these kids that we see don’t have transportation or transportation is difficult for them, so that’s why we like to go into the school or into the homes to help them.”
To learn more, or to speak with someone close to you, visit the Pediatric Asthma page or call one of the ECU Health locations offering pediatric asthma services.
- ECU Health Bertie Hospital: 252-833-2861
- ECU Health Chowan Hospital: 252-833-2861
- ECU Health Edgecombe Hospital: 252-641-7382
- ECU Health Medical Center: 252-847-6835
- ECU Health Roanoke-Chowan Hospital: 252-209-3117