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BIDMC Responds
to Hurricane

Karen Waldo, RN, NICU (right) was one of many BIDMC staff members who served as part of Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

When Hurricane Katrina wreaked its havoc on the Gulf coast, BIDMC and members of the staff were part of the relief effort.

“We saw people with chronic illnesses like diabetes and heart disease who had gone 10 or 11 days without their medications,” says emergency department nurse Dan Nadworny, RN, who was part of a federal international medical/surgical response team (IMSuRT). “Many people had scratches and cuts, and rashes from wading in the water. People were in shock and confused. Many of them were holding one bag — it was all they had left.”

IMSuRT is an eastern U.S. team called to duty along with three federal teams from Massachusetts known as disaster medical assistance teams (DMATs). The IMSuRT relieved teams from other states who had served in the initial trying days at the New Orleans airport, a staging point for patients and other helicopter-rescued residents...
>>This Story Continues

New Board Chair: "Anything is possible"

New BIDMC Board Chair Lois Silverman meets with (above, l-r) Feldberg 5 nurses Melissa Ryan, RN, and Eileen Cavicchi, and (below) talks with Feldberg 5 nurse Lauren Suarez, RN, and Cavicchi.

In 1958, Lois Silverman received a $300 scholarship from the Jewish Orphans of Rhode Island to attend the Beth Israel Hospital School of Nursing — a dream opportunity for a young woman who had spent part of her childhood in an orphanage. Last month she began a three-year term as board chair at Beth Israel Deaconess. Silverman sees her inspiring life story as a lesson to all BIDMC employees: anything is possible. “The nursing scholarship to the BI was the basis of all good things that subsequently happened in my life,” she says. “From a scholarship nursing student, to a trustee, to chair of the board…who would have thought that was possible?”

Silverman’s against-the-odds success story as a businesswoman and philanthropist began with a stint as a nurse on Beth Israel Hospital’s critical care unit. From there, she moved into the field of rehabilitation services, eventually starting her own firm and becoming one of the first women in Massachusetts to take a company public. She later founded the renowned Commonwealth Institute, which mentors female entrepreneurs, and has played an active role on the medical center’s board for 14 years.

“Lois possesses an entrepreneurial spirit, a passion for service quality and an inspiring personal story of achievement,” says BIDMC President and CEO Paul Levy. “She is the right person to lead BIDMC at this pivotal time in our growth
and development.”

Silverman is fervent about her new role. “As board chair, I have an opportunity to give back to the hospital where I started,” she says. “My passion for this hospital is very personal. I intend to focus on enhancing the quality of service for our patients and helping to raise funds to support our medical advances.”

RIGHT: Silverman with outgoing BIDMC Chairman of the Board Carl Sloane.

BELOW: (L-r) Feldberg 5 Nurse Manager Dee Burke with Silverman.

Several projects are already on Silverman’s radar screen. “BIDMC is composed of three areas: patient care, education and research,” she notes. “When we support research and education, we also enhance the quality of our services. In addition, we want to focus on further expanding our already impressive health care technology systems.”

Silverman’s 10 years on BIDMC’s development committee raising funds for the medical center have provided helpful preparation for her new role. “To me, development is about developing people, and getting them engaged — or re-engaged — in the institution,” she says. “One project I have especially enjoyed working on during my time on the board of directors is the Patient Care Services Committee, which focuses on improving opportunities for our staff. If we can grow people from within, we can be a strong institution and build the medical center of tomorrow.

“Our warm, personalized care and attention to the patient as a whole, not just as a person with an illness, is what makes our medical center — and its doctors and nurses — so special,” she adds, then shares a piece of wisdom she’s learned during her long career. “Making a difference is not always about the ‘big bang.’ It’s doing something in increments that makes a difference on a daily basis. If you can make patients and families more comfortable, then that’s a job well done!”