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

IU Health Saxony maintenance technician, Benjamin Reynolds, expresses gratitude to his hospital colleagues after undergoing open-heart surgery and cardiac rehabilitation following the discovery of a tear in his heart.

When Benjamin Reynolds talks about his recent health journey, he says, “I want to thank my personal lord and savior, Jesus Christ.” Right after that, he will tell you how grateful he is for the team at IU Health Saxony.

Reynolds, who is a maintenance technician for the hospital, is finishing up his last few sessions with the Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation team. But his journey began in the fall of 2023.

He was working, walking around the hospital, when he had a feeling of discomfort on the left side of his body. He spoke with a nurse he knows in the Short Stay unit, and she advised he go to the Emergency department.

The team there ordered a stress test and a heart scan, which was performed on September 11. Testing revealed a tear in his heart. The next day, he was at IU Health Methodist, undergoing open-heart surgery. The day after that, he had an additional surgery on an artery in his neck.

“That was truly a blessing that I made it,” Reynolds says. “Had that tear tore, I would have had internal bleeding and could’ve bled out.”

He is especially grateful to the Short Stay and Cath Lab teams for helping him in the process of finding out what was wrong.

After some recovery at home, Reynolds began cardiac rehab. He goes in three times a week to work out while the team there monitors his heart.

“Each patient, based off of their diagnosis, gets an individualized program,” explains Sarah Hunsley, lead exercise physiologist at IU Health Saxony.

“We have a multi-disciplinary approach,” adds Michelle Wolf, registered nurse. “That includes nursing, exercise physiology and respiratory therapy.”

Reynolds will soon complete his 24 sessions in cardiac rehab. The team then plans to recruit him into phase three of the program, which is ongoing maintenance.

“I feel pretty good. I give a lot of props to my cardiac rehab team,” Reynolds says. “I feel more energetic. My breathing is a lot better than before.”

Though he went through a terrifying ordeal, he is thankful he was able to get treatment where he works.

“It was to my advantage because it was like family taking care of me.”

Nurses, doctors, physical therapists often discover their career choice while in high school. But what about other aspects of healthcare? Here’s how some students are learning.

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

On a recent weekday Adrian Carlos was not in a classroom at his local high school. He was taking part in a different kind of learning – at IU Health.

Carlos, a junior at Providence Cristo Rey High School is one of 25 “Corporate Work Study” (CWS) students working at IU Health. Located on South East Street, Providence Cristo Rey is a Catholic, coeducational high school that provides a college and career preparatory curriculum to students with economic need. As part of the students’ career preparation, all students spend one day a week working at more than 100 companies throughout Indianapolis.

Like all of the students, Carlos works in a non-clinical position at IU Health. He is assigned to Marcy Strine’s Continuing Education Team. Carlos recently posed with Strine, Michelle Goode-Kelley and Tanisha Driver.

“Adrian is helping our team with education events for our team members. He does clerical work, organizes program supplies, and helps the department move and label our storage room supplies,” said Strine. “Our goal is to have him plan an education event with our support. When time allows we are having him shadow different education programs for career exploration. One of his favorite experiences was with the Pharmacy Tech program. They did a skills lab with the students simulating making Chemotherapy. He has also shadowed radiology and respiratory therapy. When he started he stated he wanted to learn about careers in healthcare and now he wants to know more about careers in pharmacy. “

Carlos said his experience with IU Health has opened his eyes to various options outside of the clinical aspect. He said he is hoping to become the first in his family to attend college and is looking into potential work in law and medical patenting.

“IU Health became involved with this program to contribute to workforce diversity while creating a pipeline for future talent and developing a culture of community involvement among employees,” said Carmen Martin, Administrative Coordinator, Talent Acquisition. IU Health became a corporate sponsor for the second time about six years ago. This year, IU Health is the largest corporate sponsor with students working in 18 areas of the hospitals.

Some of those areas include guest relations, marketing, president administration, talent acquisition, and library services.

Martin, a former middle school teacher has taken her passion for learning into a different classroom – serving as one of the student mentors. Last year, she was named the school’s “Mentor of the Year.” Martin has been paired with her student, Merli Portillo for three years and has had a chance to see her grow into the work-study program.

“In her time with IU Health, Portillo has worked on her soft skills and has made significant growth in areas such as time management, confidence, self-motivation, and adaptability,” said Martin. Her work-study student also advanced in Microsoft Office and other business applications. Portillo spent time shadowing at Riley Hospital for Children, and the IU Health Pathology Laboratory, and toured the Simulation Center.

“Merli is gaining valuable insights into the workforce and developing her skills in areas such as communication and teamwork,” said Martin, who also volunteers to teach courses in Corporate Office Readiness & Enrichment (C.O.R.E.) training. “I always tell Merli a hospital is like a city in itself. It’s not just doctors and nurses. You have cooks, cleaners, marketing, finance and all sorts of jobs. It’s really opened her eyes.”

Portillo plans to become the first in her family to go to college and wants to study forensic science.

“As a former teacher, working with these students gives me great job satisfaction,” said Martin. “I’m extremely passionate about mentoring and watching them grow. It’s amazing to see these minds open to the endless opportunities that await them.”

The patient engagement team at IU Health West Hospital is excited to launch a new nurse navigator position, where an experienced nurse will focus on the emergency department’s waiting room, providing care and important updates for patient and their families. “For most of our patients, they might not know how much care is being provided to them while they’re waiting for a treatment space to open up,” said Brian Murphy, IU Health’s regional director of patient and family engagement. “So they may go from the waiting room into a triage room and get a blood draw… but then they return to the waiting room. This navigator role will be someone who can explain, in detail, with specificity, how much care is being provided behind the scenes, while they wait. We want to show patients and family members how much we value their time and their trust.”

Miranda DIaz has been a surgical tech on IU Health West Hospital’s labor and delivery unit for 14 years. “She is very patient and has such a talent for what she does. We are very lucky to have her.”

Misty Lewis is IU Health’s executive director of health equity. She oversees a team that works to identify and close health disparity gaps for marginalized and minority patients. “For IU Health to have an office of health equity is huge. There are so many people reaching out to us every day to find out how we’re doing this work,” said Misty. “I feel like I’m in a position where I get to be this globetrotter. We’re starting something new. We don’t have all the answers yet, but we’re figuring it out as we go and there’s just such beauty in that.”

Nancy Davison, director of Imaging at IU Health North, Saxony and Tipton hospitals, has been at IU Health Saxony since it opened its doors 12 years ago—she even formed its first Imaging team. Now, she’s gearing up to double the size of her department as construction in the Fishers Community Impact Project continues.

By Charlotte Stefanski, cstefanski@iuhealth.org, writer for IU Health’s Indianapolis Suburban Region

More than a decade ago, as the opening of IU Health Saxony—soon to be IU Health Fishers—was announced, Nancy Davison, director of Imaging, was working to build her team of technologists, radiologists and more.

At the time, there wasn’t even a building to show prospective team members around. Instead, Davison interviewed them at IU Health’s Fairbanks Hall in downtown Indianapolis and showed interviewees blueprints and renderings.

It was an exciting time for Davison. She had been working downtown as director of Imaging at Riley Hospital for Children. When she heard a hospital was coming to Fishers, where she and her husband have lived for decades now, she jumped at the opportunity.

“In my entire career, I hadn’t ever formed a complete department or been part of a start-up. You don’t have that opportunity very often,” Davison says. “The opportunity to do that in the community where I live was really important to me.”

A passion for imaging

While Davison originally went to college for social work, she was introduced to Imaging and became intrigued.

She instantly fell in love with ultrasound and x-ray while completing her bachelor’s degree, and eventually, Davison wanted to advance her career and went back for her master’s degree.

She held the director position at Riley for 10 years before moving on to lead imaging at Saxony, and then eventually two other hospitals in the IU Health Indianapolis Suburban Region, IU Health North and Tipton.

“I really love developing programs,” Davison says. “Program development gives an opportunity to take a look and see where we are and where we can go.”

Within her roles, Davison developed a passion for both leadership and patient care. After being in Imaging for decades, she was recently asked if it ever gets boring.

“When I think about imaging and the changes I’ve seen, since I started at Riley to what we have today, is incredible, the amount changes in technology,” she explains. “Imaging continually changes and we continue to have new challenges. That’s what’s exciting for me.”

Doubling in size

As IU Health Saxony marked a major milestone in the expansion project this December, the Imaging department is gearing up to double its size.

Once the project wraps up, the department will have two MRI machines; two CT scanners; an additional ultrasound room; an additional mammography and ultrasound system dedicated to women’s health, which will increase mammography capabilities; and a second radiologist will be welcomed to the team.

Currently, Imaging is in the first phase of its expansion, with construction crews working on the space for the two MRI machines. The new scanner will arrive in the first quarter of 2024.

“The Imaging teams in the ISR are really strong. At Saxony, we have a few team members that are part of the original team, so they’ve been here for all,” Davison says. “Our manager, Ashley Poe, was actually one of our original team members. We’re just really, really blessed to have a strong staff.”

The culture of IU Health Saxony

IU Health Saxony’s expansion is a lengthy project, with a completion date set for 2025.

It can be challenging to keep team members engaged through construction, but Davison says teams have been involved since day one.

Several of the department’s frontline team members were involved in the design of the room, meeting with architects and voicing their needs in the new space.

“Team members’ voices were heard and they continue to be heard. We want our team members to continue to feel like this is their space. This is where they’re going to be working and I think ownership is an important part of that engagement.”

It’s part of the hospital’s culture, which has held strong since its doors opened in 2011.

Davison says there’s a warm feeling when you enter the hospital—patients and visitors can see that team members want to be there and want to help in any way possible.

“I think a lot of the culture is a servant culture. We want to make sure that patient and team members’ needs are met and they’re heard,” Davison says. “The folks that have been here, I would say that’s what their culture is. They’re really servant leaders.”

As the hospital’s expansion continues and teams gear up to serve their community in new and bigger ways, Davison is most looking forward to the growth and possibilities of what can be provided to her community.

“I’m excited about the services that we can provide as a community hospital—The expansion of services and the ability to really offer the community what it needs,” she says.

Life for Danniel Tutterow has always been about family. She spends most of her time with her husband, Bruce, their baby and their dog. But by the summer of 2020, with the world still in lockdown, her own well-being came into question from an unsettling pain from her armpits to her chest.

The pain reminded her of when she used to use aluminum deodorant. Back in 2013, she experienced a condition where the deodorant mixed with shaving gave her a painful rash. She figured the irritation was back, so decided to follow the same instructions she did then: no deodorant, no shaving, no restrictive clothing. But this time, the swelling persisted for eight weeks.

Tutterow reached out to her primary care physician and scheduled a full diagnostic mammogram and a subsequent journey through diagnostic mammograms, biopsies and MRI scans. The screenings found a small lump and her doctors recommended a lumpectomy.

“I spent a lot of time discussing the procedure with my husband, Bruce,” she says. “We really wanted to grow our family, and I kept wondering what if the cancer comes back.”

When she brought these concerns up with her doctors, they referred her to Edward Kubek, MD, for a more aggressive surgery option a full mastectomy and reconstruction.

A few weeks later, she and her husband went to the IU Health Ball Cancer Center for a consultation.

“It was like love at first appointment,” says Tutterow, “I immediately liked Dr. Kubek and his team was so knowledgeable about the process and care.” Dr. Kubek’s expertise and rapport with Tutterow and her husband solidified their confidence in their decision.

His office and the nurses helped coordinate everything for her surgery.

A month before the big procedure, Tutterow had her pre-surgery appointment. During the meeting, they went over her measurements and decided what implants to order.

“I wanted to stay proportional, and Dr. Kubek did a great job recommending what size and style of breast to get,” she says. The nurses reviewed her pre-surgery packet and the next time she was at the hospital was for the day of surgery.

When February rolled around, the Tutterow family was prepared for the eight-hour procedure. They would arrive around 6 pm to begin the pre-op meeting with Dr. Kubek. Her mother, Grandma Carney would pick up their daughter from day care and spend the rest of the night with her while Bruce went to the hospital and spent the recovery with Tutterow.

But like a classic Indiana winter, the biggest blizzard of the year decided to start. The light flakes turned into a full-on snowstorm. Roads were blocked and Grandma Carney was delayed in showing up.

“I knew I was in safe hands, so I told my husband to take care of our kid instead of me during recovery,” says Tutterow.

Bruce was only allowed into the hospital once because of COVID-19 restrictions. If he went to the pre-op meeting, he wouldn’t be allowed to leave and come back throughout surgery or recovery. So, he stayed home with their toddler until Grandma Carney was able to make it for the overnight.

The doctors and nurses called him regularly and updated him on the information and how the surgery was going. Once Grandma Carney showed up, Bruce was able to go to the hospital, and the couple spent recovery together.

The procedure went well; there weren’t any complications. Dr. Kubek visited her before she left and showed her how to put on a gauze bra.

She spent six weeks recovering, and their family dog never left her side.

“Obviously my life changed a little bit,” says Tutterow, “but everything was fine because I was educated and knew what was happening.” Her care team even sent her a get well soon card.

One week after surgery, she was ready to remove her drains. Dr. Kubek had her transition from gauze to a form fitting sports bra. On the third week of recovery her tubes and stitches were pulled. By the fifth week, Dr. Kubek gave a final recovery check and saw that everything was healing properly.

Today, she is working on regaining strength, but she hardly ever needs to wear a bra, and her scars are almost invisible.

“Choosing the aggressive surgery felt fright for me and my family,” she says with a newfound confidence. She continues to spend time caring for her preschooler and dog, while resuming work at a clinic.

Pam has been a nurse at IU Health since 2011. Listen to her story and learn more about why she loves being an IU Health nurse.

Join the team. Find out more about a career with IU Health.

Years prior to needing a lung transplant, Herb Wissel had been tracking his steps with a Fitbit. “I walked the dog about two miles every morning… even in winter time when it was 10 degrees outside I’d walk two or three miles. I was always active,” said Herb, who is now working back up to those miles with a set of transplanted lungs.