Community reps shadow Beeghly doctors : Inside Children's Blog

5-year-old Issa is examined by Dr. Jeffrey Hord as Jennifer Arnold looks on as part of the Children’s Up Close shadowing event.

Jennifer Arnold’s eye-opening experience as part of the 7^th annual Children’s Up Close day included a test of an oncologist’s negotiating skills.

“A little boy was trying to convince the doctor that his bloodwork had to be redone; he was upset about not being allowed to play football because of his condition,” Arnold said.

Arnold, president of J Arnold Wealth Management, followed Dr. Jeffrey Hord during his morning rounds in the Hematology/Oncology department at the Beeghly campus. She was among 10 individuals invited to participate in the program aimed at opening lines of communication between the medical staff and community representatives.

Dr. Handler (center) chats with Dr. Nancy Landgraff (right), professor and chair of Physical Therapy Department at Youngstown State University, and Bill DeToro, president of Anatomical Concepts, who shadowed her later in the day.

“For us, it’s an opportunity to engage more people in the work that we do, and it’s a great way for the community to gain a more in-depth knowledge of a particular area of the hospital,” said JoAnn Stock, senior director of development, Akron Children’s.

Dave Sabine, senior vice president, Huntington National Bank, followed Dr. Jackie Lickliter as she saw patients in the Pediatrics department.

“I’m totally impressed with Dr. Lickliter, but I’m also impressed with the parents who cared enough to bring their children here, and who make it a priority to keep up on their health records,” he said.

Sabine was particularly moved after seeing first-hand how adeptly the mother of an autistic daughter managed the treatment of the girl’s ear pain.

“We want to learn from fresh eyes who come and see what we do and how we do it,” Bill Considine, Akron Children’s president and CEO, told the participants during a wrap-up session. “We are really proud of the responsibility we have here to take care of the children who come through our doors.”

Left to right, participants include Allana Magnolia, server at Eat n’ Park (paired with Drs. Bimal Dayal and Kerwin Jones in Anesthesia and Surgery); Dr. Nancy Landgraff, professor and chair of Physical Therapy Department at Youngstown State University (paired with Dr. Zaid Khatib in Sports Medicine); Mary Witkowski, Nursing Home Administrator, (paired with Dr. David McDonald in Radiology); Kristen Hephner, managing editor at WKBN (paired with Dr. Jennifer Manning in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St. Elizebeth’s); Dave Sabine, senior vice president at Huntington National Bank (paired with Dr. Jackie Lickliter in Pediatric Primary Care); Bill DeToro, president of Anatomical Concepts, (paired with Dr. Sheryl Handler-Matasar in Orthopedics); Jennifer Arnold, of J Arnold Wealth Management (paired with Dr. Jeffrey Hord in Hematology/Oncology); Bill Considine, Akron Children’s Hospital CEO; Joe Shorokey, CEO of Alta Care Group, (paired with Dr. Mary Costello in the Emergency Department); Diana Hogg, VP Commercial Lender at Home Savings & Loan, (paired with Dr. Leroy Eberly in Procedural Sedation/Emergency Department); Kevin Helmick, president & CEO of Farmers National Bank, (paired with Dr. Elena Pal-Wal in Hospital Medicine).

Kristen Hephner, managing editor, WKBN, met a 12 week-old baby in the NICU at St. Elizabeth’s Boardman who was delivered premature at 26 weeks, barely the size of a pop can. Today she’s continuing to grow and doing remarkably well.

“I was excited to be invited because I wanted to put a face to the issues facing the community, like infant mortality and the opioid epidemic, and better understand how Akron Children’s is helping families and children in light of these crises,” she said.