Newsworthy

Dear Community Partners,

Here are today’s updates:

• Magic of Glow Wild Includes Marriage Proposal
• Emersen Frazier Provides Public Comment to Federal Work Group
• Walk with a Doc Saturday – Join Dr. Marc Baraban
• “To Your Health” on WIBW-TV Tonight

Magic of Glow Wild Includes Marriage Proposal

Jeff Johnson decided the magical lights at Stormont Vail’s Glow Wild event last week would be the perfect backdrop to work some magic of his own.

In front of a heart-shaped light display, Jeff, a surgical tech in Surgery, surprised his girlfriend Dana Wiggans, when he dropped to one knee and asked her to marry him. Dana quickly said, “Yes!”

“I had been going to do it, but didn’t know when or where, then I got the email about zoo light night and I thought that would be a nice place and it could be a surprise,” says Jeff.

Jeff had told Dana, who works at Topeka Ear Nose and Throat, they would be meeting a few of his co-workers at Glow Wild. The group planned to meet by the heart lights, where he asked a teammate to take the couple’s photo. While Jeff was talking to Dana leading up to the proposal, Dana was focused on the person who was going to take the picture. Then Jeff dropped to his knee and popped the question. “She had no clue,” he said.

Jeff’s co-workers from Surgery and other Stormont Vail team members passing by cheered when they saw what was happening. The proposal took place Wednesday – the first of two nights of Glow Wild, a private event at the Topeka Zoo for Stormont Vail team members and their families.

Word spread that a marriage proposal had also occurred. Jeff said the positive response he has received surprised him. “I thought it was going to be with a few people from work. I didn’t know so many people were going to be there,” he said.

Emersen Frazier Provides Public Comment to Federal Work Group

Emersen Frazier, Director of Health Equity and Policy, presented information Wednesday to the Interagency Technical Working Group on Race and Ethnicity Standards, which conducted a listening session for stakeholders of the federal Office of Management and Budgeting (OMB). The specific topic was about the OMB’s 1997 creation of minimum standard for racial and ethnic demographic data collection.

Emersen was able to share Stormont Vail’s journey to develop more specific racial and ethnic categories and collect more robust information to better address health equity efforts. Emersen noted that data is “powerful tool that we depend on to tell stories, create tools, and change lives” and that healthcare organizations need a better understanding of populations they serve by adjusting the way demographic data is collected.

Walk with a Doc Saturday – Join Dr. Marc Baraban

You are invited to walk a mile with Marc Baraban, M.D., and learn more about plastic and reconstructive surgery at 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 10, at Washburn University, east side of Lee Arena.

This is a free event and the community is invited. No pre-registration is needed.  Attendees are asked to park in the Lee Arena parking lot and meet on the east side of Lee Arena.

“To Your Health” on WIBW-TV Tonight

Learn more about Stormont Vail’s first graduates of the Emerging Leaders Program on tonight’s “To Your Health.” The segment will air at 10 p.m. on WIBW-TV, Channel 13. Participant Rueben Lara, Behavioral Health, and his mentor Heather Brewer, Rehabilitation Services, will share their insights from the program, and Dena Brake, Organizational Development, provides an overview about the origins of the program. The segment will typically repeat at 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. Fridays on 13 News This Morning and be posted on wibw.com.

We together,
Dr. Kenagy