A South Dakota Department of Health COVID-19 initiative to review infectious disease precautions at congregate living facilities brought together Stephanie Hanson, BSN, RN, program manager for the South Dakota Foundation for Medical Care (SDFMC), and Eric Weber, chief executive officer for the Union Gospel Mission (UGM) in Sioux Falls. The two never imagined their phone conversation would end up saving a life.  

Naloxone or Narcan is a medication used for emergency treatment of known or suspected opioid overdose. A standing order makes the medication available through the pharmacy without a prescription.  It is an effective solution for reversing the impact of an opioid overdose and legal for anyone to have and use in an emergency.  

Weber acted on Hanson’s recommendation.  

“The day that I got it (Narcan) I was thinking, ‘I can keep it for an emergency’. The next morning, I used Narcan for the first time ever.  

I saw a guy laying in our back alley that was non-responsive. I tried to get the gentleman up by rubbing his chest and yelling and saying, ‘Hey, guy, get up! Let’s go! You can’t sleep here.’ Then I found out he wasn’t sleeping. He was actually out. So, I got out the Narcan, called 911, and started to spray and pray! About two minutes, that seemed like forever, I had movement, and then the police department showed up and did what they do best. They took over and was able to get him to medical care.”  

I want to make sure my team can be trained and be able to notice what is going on in an overdose situation, what to do, and how to handle it!  I’m nothing special, but just doing what I’m called to do: love God, love people, and help as best I can!“ 

The Union Gospel Mission is the largest emergency shelter in the Sioux Falls area offering the following services.

• Shelter and meals for an average of 125 men, women, and children each night
• Resident addiction recovery program
• Weekly distribution of an average of 900 food boxes

Additional resources on substance use disorder can be found on the Great Plains Quality Innovation Network website.

Having a baby means many changes, and any new mom can experience postpartum depression (PPD). It can develop after the birth of any child, not just the first. For half of women diagnosed with PPD, it is their first time to have depression.   

For the one in seven women who are impacted by PPD, there are resources available to support them. Having a Bright Start nurse during pregnancy can help. Carlson points out, “During both the prenatal period and the postpartum period, we complete anxiety and depression screenings on all our mothers enrolled in the Bright Start program. PPD is the most common complication for women who have just had a baby and our team has been able to assist many moms connect with the help and resources they need.”    

There is no single cause, but genetics can play a role, in addition to physical changes and emotional issues. A few signs to look out for that can increase the chances of PPD include:  

• The mother has extreme changes in feelings.  
• The mother has extreme changes in everyday life.  
• The mother has extreme changes in thoughts about themselves or the baby.  

To learn more about signs and symptoms of PPD visit Mayo Clinic .  

For mothers experiencing PPD, there are steps that can help mitigate symptoms. In addition to healthy eating habits and getting physical activity, it is important to ask for help when needed and reduce stress as much as possible. Seeking counseling from care providers and support groups may also help to reduce PPD, along with prescribed medication.  

If you feel you may have PPD, seek guidance from a health care provider immediately or call/ text the PPD Helpline at 1-800-944-4773.   

Other resources:
South Dakota Suicide Prevention (sdsuicideprevention.org)   
Help for Moms | Postpartum Support International (PSI)   

Following the birth of a child, many new experiences occur when a mother meets her child for the first time and welcomes the newborn into the world. While it may seem chaotic during this time, Bright Start nurses advocate for skin-to-skin contact whenever possible, including immediately following delivery and as much thereafter as possible.   

Carol Phillips, RN, Bright Start nurse home visitor for the South Dakota Foundation for Medical Care (SDFMC) says,

Skin-to-skin contact is a common practice and using this method is a start to a healthy emotional attachment. Furthermore, this direct contact helps to regulate breathing and the heart rate of the newborn. The mother’s chest acts as a natural way to warm the baby and provides what the womb once did, reducing infant stress.  

The results speak for themselves when it comes to skin-to-skin contact with lower rates of hypoglycemia and hypothermia, which lowers costs of healthcare. Additionally, there is an increase in the success of breastfeeding. It also stimulates a specific part of the newborn’s brain which encourages emotional and social development.   

As a Bright Start nurse, Phillips strives to educate clients about skin to skin and hopes to help mothers and fathers become more aware of the benefits through daily practice with their infants.  

To learn more about Bright Start visit their website.

As a lifelong citizen of South Dakota, Cindy Schuch’s, MS, RN, CPHQ, goal as a nurse has always been to improve the quality of life for individuals and communities. Schuch has capitalized on the vast varieties of nursing positions throughout her 30 plus years in healthcare. The South Dakota Foundation for Medical Care (SDFMC) is excited for Schuch to join the team and provide her expertise as a program manager.    

She believes that the experience of each opportunity builds on another to provide the best high-quality care for a person, whether at the bedside or building systems or resources that deliver or support care.

Prior to joining SDFMC, Cindy held a variety of positions within Sanford Health. Her clinical foundation began in the cardiac realm in the hospital and clinic settings. After she obtained her master’s degree, she was an RN Administrator for an assisted living facility. The world of quality and accreditation drew her back to the Sanford system where she spent another 8 years supporting the entire scope of services in quality improvement, regulations, and accreditation.      

She took this knowledge and experience globally when she worked with Sanford World Clinic, particularly in the clinics of Ghana. She led the team to achieve SafeCare certification, one of few in their country, as well as built standards of practice for several service lines in those clinics.

She later returned to Sanford where she was a clinical supervisor in a busy internal medicine clinic. During that time, it was a designated site for the covid vaccine when it was rolled out. Most recently, she was a clinical care leader in the Preoperative area, assuring patients were prepared and cleared for surgery. Schuch also worked with SDAHO on a project to increase collaboration of opioid abuse response efforts in selected communities in South Dakota.    

She said joining SDFMC was an easy decision, “I chose SDFMC because I wanted to align my work more closely with my professional aim and to capitalize on my broad experience as a nurse. SDFMC allows me to do just that.”   

To learn more about Schuch and read her biography visit SDFMC.   

South Dakota Project Firstline (PFL) Office Hours provides an opportunity to listen to a new educational topic each month. PFL office hours allow participants to join a Q&A discussion on topics of interest and relevance to the attendees. Additionally, new office hours now include Cheri Fast, BSN, RN, CIC, LTC- CIP, and her healthcare acquired infection (HAI) knowledge.   

Register here and join PFL’s office hours call this month. Make sure to bring an infection control topic or question that can be discussed following the educational topic for the month of August.    

Attendees are invited to share topics they would like discussed in upcoming sessions. They can provide suggestions during the call or send an email with a topic of interest. Infection Control and Prevention is a healthcare area that has the potential to impact everyone. Actively participating in ongoing education and training in infection prevention are key practices for healthcare workers in preventing healthcare acquired infections.    

SD PFL Office Hour sessions are recorded and available for review at https://www.sdprojectfirstline.org/office-hours.