Inside

Transformation Rewards 2

Change to health carecareer proves satisfying 3

Breast Center offersadvanced technologies 4

NuMoM2b study focuseson 1st pregnancy outcomes 5

Seckel named to AACNnational board of directors 7

Tips for back-to-schoolorganizing 10

F O C U S

the e-mail, and forgotten your pass-word, click on the link to get into theE-Pledge System and click on the "for-got password" button. Enter yourbadge number and e-mail addressand the password will be e-mailed toyou. Your User ID is your badgenumber.

Thank you in advance for your gen-erosity as we work together to reachour goal, and most importantly, sup-port our neighbors.

Christiana Care is again using the E-Pledge system on the United Way ofDelaware's Web site. Go directly to theUnited Way E-Pledge System throughthe portals.

Christiana Care'sUnited Way of

Delaware campaignkicked off on Sept. 14and runs throughDec. 10.

By participating inthe campaign,employees help theUnited Way ofDelaware addresssome of our state’smost pressing socialproblems.

Christiana Care's goal is for 4,100employees to give to the campaignthis year. With your generosity, wewill meet and surpass our goal. Everygift is important, no matter what thesize.

As in previous campaigns, employeesmay designate to support:

n The Community Impact Fund.

n Five specific focus areas within theCommunity Impact Fund.

n A specific 501 (c) 3 nonprofitorganization of your choice.

For example, you can designateChristiana Care's Visiting NurseAssociation and/or other areas ofChristiana Care. Use the agencysearch key at www.uwde.org to findorganizations you want to support.To designate where your dollars go,the minimum gift is $25.

All employees should have receivedan e-mail with your unique passwordand a link to United Way’s onlineE-Pledge System. If you’ve deleted

Support the United Way of Delaware

Supporting the United Way of Delawarehelps keep agencies like Christiana CareVNA active in the community and caringfor more of our neighbors.

(For more more photos of patient Beau andthe VNA home health care team, visitwww.christianacare.org and click onFlickr.com.)

The first year of our Transformation Rewards Program (TRP)has been a great success for Christiana Care and our com-munity. Our operating gain exceeded budget for the 2010

Fiscal Year surpassing the maximum performance level of the pro-gram. Our patient satisfaction score also exceeded the minimum per-

formance threshold.

The results of the TRP are a benefit to our neighbors in the community.Our success owes in part to several transformational efforts across the

spectrum of care that have improved dramatically the way we providecare, ultimately leading to safer and better outcomes and a higher quality

of care. These efforts also reduce our costs and enhance the experience forour patients and their loved ones.

Our efforts encompassed nonclinical initiatives that improve the way we dothings. In addition, obtaining Magnet status is a result of our hard work anddedication. Our success benefits our community by enabling us to invest innew technologies and programs to provide even better care. We can all lookforward to working together in the coming year to advance further ourtransformational efforts to benefit our patients and community.

within the order sets for hydromor-phone, a commonly prescribed painmedication.

“Almost immediately, overdosing andunderdosing of hydromorphone wasextinguished, which is a big win,” Dr.Steinberg says, noting that the modulehas been submitted for several qualityassurance awards.

Although the data is not yet in, shesays it is clear medication is getting topatients more quickly because doctorsand nurses can review orders for con-firmation immediately.

“CPOE is transforming patient care bydramatically reducing the risk of med-ication and order entry errors," Dr.Steinberg says. “In addition toimproving patient safety, care is deliv-ered more efficiently.”

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Transformation Rewards benefit Christiana Care and our community

Little more than six months afterComputerized Provider Order

Entry rolled out, patients are receivingcare more safely and efficiently as doc-tors and other providers haveembraced the electronic system forordering medications and tests.

“The physicians have been super-stars,” says Terri Steinberg, M.D.,MBA, chief medical information offi-cer. “We asked them to make a dra-matic change in giving up paper andthey have stepped up and performedmagnificently.”

Several community doctors haveopted to turn over care of their admit-ted patients to hospitalists. But all thephysicians working in WilmingtonHospital and Christiana Hospital areusing the system, she says.

Input from doctors continues to be an

T R A N S F O R M A T I O N

essential element in continuing torefine the system to make it safer,more efficient and user friendly.

For example, physicians have voicedconcerns regarding the CPOE helpdesk, which is currently staffed bytechnicians and technical analysts,who are unable to answer clinicalquestions. Those questions are relayedto clinicians but the delay involved ingetting the responses to doctors hasbeen frustrating.

“We listened to the physicians,” Dr.Steinberg says. “We are now lookinginto ways to virtually staff the helpdesk with clinicians.”

The input of the Pharmacy andTherapeutics Committee played animportant role in a significantimprovement in the system, establish-ing standard modules with doses

Physicians give their all to launching CPOE

ored strategy for people who areentering new fields, says SeanEllsworth, Director of RecruitingServices in the Human ResourcesDepartment.

“There is no substitute for thatfront-line work, that clinical credi-bility,” he says. “But if you have abackground in leadership in anoth-er field and transition into an entry-level position in health care, theskills from a previous position canhelp you move up the ladder andadvance your career.”

Training grant led to new skillsAfter she was downsized, Whyetook advantage of a governmenttraining grant to develop new skillsets.

“I always knew I wanted to go intohealth care but it was hard to even

think about quitting my job because Iwas making money and had a certainlifestyle,” she recalls. “When I was laidoff, all my excuses for not going toschool went away.”

It wasn’t long before Whye was certainshe had taken the right turn on thecareer path. Working with patients ful-fills her passion for helping others.

“Nikesha is extremely caring anddemonstrates compassion to those sheencounters,” Roberts-Baker says.

After several years in phlebotomy,Whye, decided to go to nursing school.She is now completing her clinicalstudies at Del Tech while she continuesto work at Christiana Care.

Eventually, she would like to become anurse practitioner.

“At Christiana Care, there are so manyopportunities,” she says. “People askme where I want to work after I gradu-ate—and the answer is obvious.”

Former bankers find health care careers more satisfying

Leslie McClendon and NikeshaWhye are phlebotomists, draw-

ing blood from patients for testing.

Before they entered the health carefield, the Christiana Hospital work-ers were focused on a different typeof withdrawal—transactions madeat banks.

McClendon held a number ofsupervisory positions and was aparalegal at one major regionalbank, and Whye was a credit ana-lyst at another.

Both women were laid off afterbank mergers. And both viewedlosing their jobs as an opportunityto retrain and embark on newcareers.

Glad to have been ‘downsized’“It sounds strange, but I was ecstat-ic when I was downsized,” recallsMcClendon. “It was the chance I hadbeen waiting for to do something dif-ferent.”

She trained as a medical assistant andvolunteered at Wilmington Hospital.She came to Christiana Care on athree-month assignment to assist withbiometric screenings for employeeHealth Risk Assessments. That job ledto another, with McClendon applyingfor a casual position as a phlebotomist.

Barbara Roberts-Baker, Manager,Specimen Processing andProcurement, says she is hesitant tohire phlebotomists who do not havehospital experience. But McClendon’smaturity, enthusiasm and life experi-ence won her over.

“After meeting Leslie, I saw sheexemplified our core values and Iknew her phlebotomy skills could begroomed to meet our expectations,”she says. “I knew Leslie was a real

find, someone who is very patientfocused and demonstrates a greatwork ethic and interpersonal skills.”

Six months later, McClendon wasoffered a full-time job.

“I showed to my managers that I wasdependable, someone you can counton to be there at 5 a.m.,” she says.

Future plans include nursing careerToday, McClendon is taking a coursein allied health management. She alsois considering studying to become anLPN or RN.

“Christiana Care invests in its employ-ees,” she says. “There’s no limit tohow far you can go if you are willingto do the work.”

Working your way up is a time-hon-

From left, phlebotomist Nikesha Whye,Barbara Roberts-Baker, manager,Specimen Processing and Procurement,and phlebotomist Leslie McLendon.

G R E A T P L A C E T O W O R K

H E L E N F . G R A H A M C A N C E R C E N T E R

“This type of image shows a total-vol-ume view of a potential tumor so itcan be more precisely measured fordepth and further treatment can beplanned,” says Darcy Burbage, MSN,CNS. “When physicians have moreinformation with which to proceed,the overall quality of care improves.”

New biopsy systemAnother advancement is a new biopsysystem which provides greater andmore consistent patient comfort bydelivering lidocaine, a numbing med-ication, intermittently during a corebreast biopsy, rather than just at thebeginning. “These improvements areexamples of the Breast Center’s ongo-ing effort to monitor and incorporatenew technology, to ensure that we’rebringing the best experience and qual-ity of care possible to our patients,”Mullaney adds.

Dedicated breast MRI systemThe Christiana Care Breast Center isalso the only facility in Delaware, andmuch of the surrounding region, witha dedicated MRI system designed forbreast imaging.

“Most breastMRIs are doneusing standardMRI equipment

The Christiana Care Breast Centerin the Helen F. Graham Cancer

Center is recognized as one of the bestfacilities for comprehensive breastcare, not only because of its physi-cians, surgeons, nurses and staff, butfor offering cutting edge technology aswell.

“Patients, visitors and physicians arepleased that we do breast biopsiesright here where we do the diagnosticimaging, and that we provide experi-enced nurse navigators to guide ourpatients through the entire experi-ence,” says Breast Center DirectorRenie Mullaney, MS. “We are proud tobe a center which is able to offer ourpatients excellent service, along withthe latest technology in breast imag-ing.”

3D ultrasound imagingOne recent improvement in technolo-gy that Mullaney cites is three-dimen-sional ultrasound for more in-depthdiagnosis when screening mammogra-phy indicates a need for closer inspec-tion. Lead Technologist Terry Smith,RTR (M), says that “compared to atwo-dimensional transducer, 3D ultra-sound provides a superior pictureenabling better assessment of thedepth of the area of concern in suspi-cious areas seen on mammography.”

Breast Center offers patients newest diagnostic technologythat was intended for use on thewhole body” says Wendi Rader, RTR(M), BS. “But that equipment wasnot designed for a patient to lie onher stomach for what can be anextended period, it is simply notvery comfortable.” The dedicatedbreast MRI unit offers padding inlocations appropriate for increasedcomfort. It also includes eight-chan-nel coils, resulting in faster scantimes and images of much higherresolution.

In 2006 the Breast Center took a bigstep forward switching from analogfilm technology to a paperless, film-less digital system. Three thingsdrove that change, according toMullaney:

n Christiana Care’s commitment tobest-practice standards and patientsafety.

n The efficiency afforded by the newability to share images more easilythroughout the health system.

n Our patients’ own interest in thenewer technology, which demon-

strates agood trendtowardpatients’ tak-ing activeroles in theirhealth.

To contactthe ChristianaCare BreastCenter call623-4200.

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well it is functioning,” she says.

Emotional and environmental ele-ments, including stress and lack of

sleep, also will be evaluated.

“There’s a lot of folk wisdom aboutthese issues, but not much data,” Dr.Hoffman says.

The budget for the nuMoM2b studyis more than $1 million, funded bythe American Recovery andReinvestment Act.

For more information or to enroll inthis study, call 302-733-3576.

Christiana Care has an importantrole in a groundbreaking study of

first-time mothers that will ultimatelyresult in identifying problems sooner,as well as new strategies and interven-tions to help moms and babies.

Sponsored by the National Institute ofChild Health and HumanDevelopment, the nuMoM2b Studyfocuses on understanding predictorsand causes of adverse outcomes inwomen with their first pregnancies.The study will enroll 10,000 womenacross the United States, including1,250 expectant moms at ChristianaCare, one of the highest volume hospi-tals for deliveries in the Mid-Atlanticregion.

About 40 percent of the women whogive birth in the United States arefirst-time mothers. That means doctorscannot rely on the medical historyfrom past pregnancies to identifypotential problems.

“We will be focusing on spontaneouspre-term birth and preeclampsia,which are important outcomes in first-time births,” says Matt Hoffman,M.D., director of OB/GYN Education& Research and principal investigatorin the study. “Moreover, preeclampsiais more common in first time moth-ers.”

Identifying associated genes“We hope to be able to identify thegenes that may be associated withthese conditions, as well as identifygenes that may protect against them.”

Occurring in about 7 percent of preg-nancies, preeclampsia is marked byhigh blood pressure and excess pro-tein in the urine after 20 weeks ofpregnancy. Untreated, it can lead toserious — even fatal — complicationsfor both mother and baby.

The risk of developing preeclampsiaescalates to 25-30 percent in women

O B / G Y N R E S E A R C H

Study focuses on pregnancy outcomes for first-time mothers

who have a first-degree relative—amother or a sister—who has had thecondition.

Christiana Care will recruit womenwho are less than 14 weeks pregnant,working with community doctors, aswell as with expectant mothers whoare having their first trimester screen-ing at Christiana Hospital, saysStephanie Lynch, OB/GYN researchmanager and the study coordinator.

“In addition to genetics, we will belooking at other factors, such as thedevelopment of the placenta and how

The national nuMoM2b study will draw 1,250 maternity cases—12.5 percent ofthe total required for the trial—from Christiana Hospital.

“We hope to be able to identify the genes that may beassociated with these conditions, as well as identifygenes that may protect against them.”

Matt Hoffman, M.D.,

Director of OB/GYN Education & Research

and credibility by modeling our corevalues and mission.

Christiana Care’s guidelines on opencommunication support an individ-ual’s right to privacy while ensuringthat one's personal commentary doesnot adversely affect our mission tocare for our community. All writtenand verbal communication, includingelectronic communication, reflect thevalue of the Christiana Care brand.

Social interactions over the Internetare becoming more frequent. You maybe are unaware that every e-mail, textmessage, Blog or entry on Facebook,MySpace, MSN, or iChat, leaves aninformation footprint that can bepicked up by third parties.

When employees identify themselvesas a part of an organization, the imagethey portray, even as private individu-als, can have a profound impact on theChristiana Care brand.

Our Crisis Leave Program contin-ues to be a great way for individ-

uals to support their Christiana Carecolleagues in a time of need.

More than 80 donations have helpedstrengthen the three-year-old programsince July 1, 2009. Those generouslydonated hours provided support to 22recipients who were dealing withcrises, such as a family member’s ter-minal illness, or other catastrophic lifeevents.

These generous Christiana Careemployees deserve a sincere thankyou for their support of the CrisisLeave program. Here’s a list of theirnames, excepting those who wish toremain anonymous:

Felisha AldersonLinda BakomenkoMarianne Barrow

Linda BruzdaCarmella Coates

Donna CurtisDebbie Dibert

Marykay EnnisTina Favazza

Beth FirzgeraldEverett FitzgeraldSalena GiddingsCynthia Griffin

Patrick GrusenmeyerJennifer Haines

Brian HumphreyMargaret Humphrey

Paula JacksonCharles JenkinsJonelle JenningsSophia JohnsonMary Lagowski

Stacy LourieDale Lowe

Mary Alice Martelli

Crisis Leave Program helps employees during life crises

Cindy McHughTheresa MessickKaren MohamedElizabeth Motyka

Lorraine MoyeRobert Mulrooney

Melani MurphyClyde PainterSimin Parvizi

Shawnae PhiferBarbara Roberts-Baker

David SingleyAllison StarrPeter Sullivan

Deadra SylvesterTina SmokovichJennifer Tetrick

With the rise of social interactionover the Internet, Christiana

Care wants to ensure that you under-stand the do’s and don’ts of social net-working and potential employmentimplications when identifying yourselfas a Christiana Care employee.

Please review the employee handbookon Communication Media on HROnline along with a short video aboutsocial media.

As a health care organization, howindividuals portray themselves has anaffect on the trust and credibility ourpatients, their families, and our com-munity place in Christiana Care.

Christiana Care depends on yourstrong clinical and technical competen-cies and collaboration among co-work-ers to meet the needs of our patients.In turn, Christiana Care relies on youto maintain our communities’ trust

Social Media Policy Reminder

Louise ThomasRobert Vagonis

Martha Zazzarino

How to donate

Employees may make donations at anytime throughout the year by complet-ing the Web form located on HROnline.

How to request CLB time Eligible employees may request CrisisLeave Bank time by completing therequest form on HR Online.

To learn more about this program, aswell as other Great Place to Work benefits,visit the Finance section of HR Online, orcall the HR Service Center at 327-5555.

6 ● F O C U S S e p t . 1 5 , 2 0 1 0

“Maureen is a role model for CNSpractice,” says Kathleen Schell, interimdirector of the UD School of Nursing.“She works with patients with com-plex health problems and is a teacherand mentor to staff, a partner andleader on interdisciplinary teams, anda researcher who implements evi-dence-based practice. Her work withAACN is a natural extension of herinterests and ability to make thingshappen for the nursing profession.”

"Maureen's clinical knowledge andinsight will be of great value to theAACN Board,” says JoanneMatukaitis, MSN, RN, NE-BC, FABC director, Cardiovascular/Critical CarePatient Care Services.

“We are very fortunate that she will beable to have a voice at a national levelthat will help to drive best practice forcritical care nursing."

Critical Care Medicine. “She bringsboots on the ground experience aswell as management and long rangedevelopment skills to the table. I amsure her leadership and vision will bewelcome additions to the board."

Seckel’s term of service on the AACNboard began on July 1. She previouslychaired the organization's evidence-based practice resource work groupand was a member of the researchwork group.

Seckel earned a bachelor of sciencedegree in nursing from BostonUniversity and a master of science innursing degree from the University ofDelaware (UD). She holds nationalspecialty certification in critical carenursing and CNS certification in acuteand critical care. She won the AACN’snational Excellence in Caring PracticesAward in 2002 . Maureen A. Seckel, APN, CCRN,

has been appointed to a three-year term on the board of directors ofthe American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN).

Seckel, a critical-care medicine/pul-monary clinical nurse specialist (CNS)in the MICU and 3D Pulmonary step-down at Christiana Care, has been amember of multiple critical care initia-tives, including team participation inthe 2007 Codman award for the SepsisAlert Program.

She has been a co-investigator on mul-tiple research studies, lectures locallyand nationally on pulmonary and crit-ical care topics, and has publishedmultiple articles and book chapters inthe nursing literature. She is also anadjunct faculty member in theUniversity of Delaware's School ofNursing.

“Maureen is a great choice for theAACN board,” says Marc Zubrow,M,.D., Christiana Care’s director of

Maureen Seckel named to AACN national board of directors

Clinical Nurse Specialist Maureen A. Seckel, APN, CCRN, (second from right)conducts rounds on the 3D Pulmonary Stepdown Unit at Christiana Hospital.

Maureen A. Seckel, APN, CCRN

1986 and completed her master’sdegree in human resources atWilmington University in 1987.

Van Luven is a member of the seniorleadership team, responsible for strate-gic planning, design and execution ofHuman Resource services that supportthe achievement of our Mission, Vision,strategic and operating goals.

She serves on the board of trustees forDelaware Technical & CommunityCollege, the board of directors for theDelaware Center for Maternal FetalMedicine of Christiana Care, and theDevelopment Council for DelawareTechnical and Community College,Wilmington/Stanton campuses. She isalso a member of the Society forHuman Resource Management, theAmerican Society for Healthcare

Human Resources Administration and the PhiladelphiaHuman Resource Planning Group.

Audrey Van Luven has beenappointed Senior Vice

President and Chief HumanResources Officer for ChristianaCare Health System.

“During the past eight months,Audrey has served very effectivelyin an Acting capacity,” saysChristiana Care President and CEORobert J. Laskowski, M.D., MBA.“The new title Chief HumanResources Officer reflects the vitalimportance of Christiana Care'smost important asset —our people.”

Van Luven began her career atChristiana Care in 1988 and hassince served in various HR leader-ship roles. She was promoted todirector of Human Resources in1998 and named vice president ofHuman Resources in 2006. She received her bachelor’sdegree in medical terminology from Wesley College in

Audrey Van Luven appointed Senior Vice President

Audrey Van Luven

Formulary update

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Therapeutic notes

In February 2010, the Food and DrugAdministration (FDA) issued a safety

alert regarding the use of long-actingbeta-agonists (LABAs) in the treatmentof asthma (see table below). The FDA’sanalyses of recent studies demonstratedthat use of LABAs was associated withan increased risk of severe exacerba-tions of asthma symptoms as well as anincreased risk of death in both pediatricand adult patients. The risk of increasedasthma-related death associated withLABAs has been known for some time,and these products already contain aBlack Box Warning relating to this risk.The revised labeling required by theFDA reinforces their continued concernabout LABA safety.

LABAs are effective bronchodilatoragents that help lessen asthma andchronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD) symptoms by relaxing musclesin the airway and lungs. The FDA deter-

mined that when LABAs are usedappropriately with an asthma-controllermedication their benefits for improve-ment of asthma symptoms outweigh thepotential risks. However, due to safetyconcerns, the FDA is requiring manu-facturers to make modifications to theproduct labels of LABAs. In order toensure safe use of LABAs, the FDA isrecommending the following new safe-ty requirements:n LABAs used as a single-agent arecontraindicated without the use of anasthma-controller medication such asan inhaled corticosteroid.

n Pediatric and adolescent patientswho need both LABA and an inhaledcorticosteroid should use a combina-tion product containing both an inhaledcorticosteroid and a LABA to ensuremedication compliance.

n LABAs should be used for the short-est duration of time necessary toachieve control of asthma symptomsand discontinued if possible when asth-ma control is achieved.

n LABAs should be used long-termonly when patient’s symptoms are notadequately controlled on asthma-con-troller medications.

n LABAs should not be used ifpatient’s asthma is adequately con-trolled on low or medium doseinhaled corticosteroids.

It is important to note that eventhough LABAs are approved for thetreatment of asthma and COPD, theFDA’s new recommendations applyonly to the use of LABAs in the treat-ment of asthma. The FDA is alsorequiring manufacturers to have a riskmanagement program for these prod-ucts, which includes a revised med-ication guide written specifically forpatients and a plan to educate health-care professionals about the appropri-ate use of LABAs. In addition, theFDA is requiring manufacturers toconduct additional clinical trials tofurther evaluate the safety of LABAswhen used in combination withinhaled corticosteroids.

may visit the credit union office at 926Centre Road, open weekdays 8:30a.m.-4 p.m., or the Glasgow office at400 Technology Drive, Newark, openweekdays from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

For more information about ChestnutRun Federal Credit Union, visitwww.chestnutrunfcu.org, call 302-999-3193 or e-mail memberservices@chest-nutrunfcu.org.

Chestnut Run Federal Credit Unionrepresentatives are now available

at Christiana Hospital on Wednesdaysfrom 11 a.m.-2 p.m., by the West EndCafe. Wilmington employees can visittheir representative in front of thecafeteria on the first Wednesday ofeach month from noon to 2 p.m.Employees can open new accounts,apply for loans, change payroll deduc-tion, make deposits and even pick up

Mom, where’s my backpack?

Have you seen my homework, Dad?

It’s back-to-school time. Those firstfew weeks of class offer a great oppor-tunity to earn an A-plus in organiza-tion and establish good habits thatwill carry you and your childrenthrough the school year.

Surprises can be fun—but save themfor birthday parties. You can avoidunpleasant surprises by posting a big

Tips to help your kids get organized for school

calendar where everyone in the familycan see it. Jot down all your appoint-ments as soon as you make them.

If Madison will need a ride home fromsoccer practice on Tuesday, pencil herin. If Duane has a piano lesson onThursday, make a note of it.

You can take the mayhem out ofmornings by planning ahead so thatall your family’s tasks aren’tscrunched into a single chaotic hour.

Here are a few ways you can take thestress out of your routine:

n Take showers at night to avoidbathroom gridlock in the morning,when kids are already busy competingfor the sink to brush their teeth.

n Pack lunches the night before. Stockup on fruit, low-fat yogurt, granolaand other healthy foods you canassemble quickly.

n After you clear away the dinnerdishes, set the table for breakfast.

Credit Union reps now available on site on Wednesdays

n Kids—and parents!—can save timeby picking out the next day’s wardrobewhen they arrive home from school or

work instead of wait-ing until morning.That way, you knowahead of time if a but-ton is loose or those

khakis need pressing. For maximumtime savings, choose five outfits oruniforms on the weekend to wear dur-ing the week.

n Establish a launch pad, the placewhere kids keep their backpacks, com-pleted homework, permission slips,jackets and anything else they need totake to school the next day.

Despite their protests, children thriveon structure. You can avoid strugglesover such issues as homework byestablishing a few ground rules. Forexample, no TV, video games orinstant messaging until assignmentsare complete.

Your kids might give you a hard timefor a few weeks after you lay down thelaw. But soon, they will realize thatorganization has taken a lot of thestress out of getting ready for school.

a check from their account.

Be sure to ask about new HolidayLoans with rates as low as 3.99 per-cent APR, first-time borrower loansfor members with high school and col-lege children and Visa promotions tohelp with holiday gift giving. Askabout discount Regal movie ticketstoo.

Employees posted at other locations

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Presenting,Appointments, Awards

Presenting

Appointments

Awards

events

Christiana Care contributes to Pakistan relief efforts

Christiana Care recently made a$10,000 donation to support relief

efforts for the devastating flooding inPakistan.

The crisis has not been officially desig-nated as a Christiana Care supportedevent. (See Christiana Care Guidelines

for Humanitarian Support or DisasterRelief.)

According to the U.S. Department ofState, at this time the most effectiveway to assist relief efforts is by mak-ing cash contributions to humanitarianorganizations conducting relief operations.

The magnitudeof the tragedyis staggering.After severeflooding fromnearly a monthof torrentialmonsoonrains—theworst inPakistan’s his-tory—a fifth ofthe country isflooded. Thedisaster hasdriven 15 to 20million people

from their homes. Six million are inneed of emergency assistance, such asfood and clean water. Millions of acresof the country’s best cropland areunderwater. Livestock drowned.Medical clinics washed away. Cholerathreatens survivors. And, flooding isexpected to worsen.

Despite the enormity of the crisis, theworld has been slow to respond.Enthusiasm for helping has beendampened due to a relatively lowdeath toll (more than 1,600) andbecause the tragedy unfolded over aperiod of time, not with a sudden joltlike an earthquake. Add to this, manydonors are fatigued from the challengeof rebuilding Haiti.

Organizations listed on GuideStar.org,are providing relief efforts. To make anonline donation, click on the organiza-tion's name, then click on the DonateNow button in its GuideStar report.