Volume 18, Issue No. 37 - September 7, 2009

The Queen’s
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Connection
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QU
EEN’
S MEDICAL CENTE
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A Weekly Publication for the People of Queen’s • Vol. 18 • No. 37 • September 7, 2009
L.A. Girl has Heart for Hawaii, Queen’s
E
1.
Everything about Eliza Ilano, RN, suggests she is a local girl. She surfs, looks
like she’s always lived in Hawaii and fits
right into local culture. It’s her California inflection that gives her away. But
that’s OK, nobody minds. Far from it;
colleagues thought enough of Eliza via
their nominations that she has been
honored as QMC’s August Employee of
the Month. She took a few moments
away from the festivities to answer a
few questions for the Print Connection
about being on the open heart team, organizing the endovascular team, ways
to save the environment and being a
surfer who’s afraid of the water.
Eliza has worked at Queen’s OR since
1994, but worked as an OR nurse at
UCLA before moving to Hawaii. Born
and raised in the Philippines till age
9, she and her family emigrated to Los
Angeles. Eliza always knew she’d seek
a career in health care. “I always liked
anatomy and helping people,” she says.
Also, her step mother was a nurse and
Eliza saw that it was a good career.
While a senior at the UCLA Nursing
School, Eliza took an elective in the
OR. “If you passed, you got a job there,
and with more training, you became a
part of the staff,” she explained.
However, before entering nursing
school, Eliza spent a whole summer
in Hawaii and found she loved it. She
found the people friendly and felt at
home in the Islands. So, in the summer
of 1994, Eliza had a phone interview
with Queen’s and started in September
of that year. Some time later, she did a
stint as a traveling nurse, working at
the University of California, San Francisco, and at the University of Washington. The experience was good, Eliza
says, because she was able to compare
and found that Queen’s ranks favorably with those other top institutions.
“I’m pretty happy here,” she says. “I
would like to stay at Queen’s.”
Back in 1996, there was an opening
on the open heart team, and Eliza knew
1. Thinking she is being called in about a
patient “incident,” Eliza Ilano, RN, nervously
walks into her surprise EOM celebration.
it was the next level of learning for her
nursing career. “It was a big challenge,”
she recalls, “but I love doing heart; the
cases are challenging.” It wasn’t always that way. A colleague remembers
that in the beginning, it was rough for
Eliza, who would cry and worry that
(Continued on page 2.)
EOM Eliza Ilano
(Continued from page 1.)
she couldn’t do things right. Perhaps
it wasn’t so much a lack of confidence
as it was the passion Eliza’s colleagues
see in her. “She’s extremely passionate about her various causes,” said one.
“She is professional, a patient advocate,
and humble, and has been on several
Aloha Medical Missions.” Another described her as a dynamo of energy who
is thoughtful and considerate.
More recently, Dean Sato, MD, approached Eliza about being in charge
of the endovascular service since there
were few people involved with it. Someone needed to be in charge of supplies for this relatively new program.
A significant part of the program is
interventional radiologists’ placement
of stents to prevent aortic aneurysms
from bursting. Because stents are inserted through the groin, complications
are minimized and recovery is in a matter of days versus the week needed to
recover from an open abdomen surgery.
At first, Eliza admits she was hesitant,
but is now very glad she accepted the
challenge. “It’s a huge job,” said Leigh
Lasher, RN, who is also a part of the
endo team. “The equipment and supplies are very specialized. Eliza has a
vast knowledge of them and is a liaison between doctors and vendors, and
keeps track of doctors’ preferences.” At
first there was no team. Eliza took it a
step further and turned in a proposal to
2
form one. She trained other nurses and
scrub techs who were interested.
Eliza now works on the endo team
two days a week and on the open heart
team three days a week. She is also excited about new technologies in endovascular surgery and heart and prostate surgeries with the da Vinci robot.
A couple years ago, some nurses came
back from a conference where they talked
about environmental issues. Eliza asked
Joy Shapiro, RN, if Queen’s would have a
“Go Green” committee. Joy asked, “Why
don’t you start it?” and the initiative got
off the ground. After meeting for a year,
Eliza felt that the whole medical center
should be involved, so she made a presentation at the Administrative Forum
on how Queen’s should be more environmentally conscious. Thinking practically, Eliza points out that recycling
could actually save money. Because all
Queen’s general trash is considered medical waste (distinguished from biohazard
waste), there is a cost for its disposal.
Removing recyclable materials may reduce that cost. She is currently working
with Susan Abe of the Evergreen Project
to study the issue. Paula Yoshioka, QMC
Executive Vice President has given Eliza
the green light to work out the logistics.
“I would like to see Queen’s as a leader
in trying to save the environment,” she
says of her passion for going green. “I
started doing it in my own life; why not
do it at Queen’s?”
Outside of work, Eliza has an athletic bent. She used to do marathons,
completing the Honolulu Marathon
three times, and New York, Paris (with
her mom) and L.A. once each. Surfing
is now one of Eliza’s favorite pastimes.
However, while on a surfing trip in
Bali last year, she had a scare when she
lost her leash, causing a bit of residual
fear of the water. Eliza says she’s not a
strong swimmer because she learned
late as a teen. “I need to get more
comfortable in the water,” she admits.
Well, nobody’s perfect!
Print Connection Survey 2009
September 7 through 29
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Support
Your
Weekly.
3
The QMC 150th Anniversary Employee Volunteer Events committee
announces a service project in conjunction with National Make-A-Difference
Day. On Saturday, October 24, participants will volunteer at Lunalilo Home
from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm. Lunalilo
Home is a senior residence and adult
day-care facility whose focus is serving
our kupuna (elders). Approximately 150
Queen’s employees are needed to volunteer to help revitalize the landscaping in the porte cochere area and paint
the dining room and Koa Room. Lunch
will be provided. Please contact Jeannine Johnson at [email protected]
or call 537-7261 if you can volunteer
just four hours of your time (morning
or afternoon) on October 24.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Congratulations to Gisele Ige, RN,
BSN, OCN, Queen’s Cancer Center staff
nurse who successfully passed the Oncology Certification Exam (OCN).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Join the Queen’s team for the 2009
Alzheimer’s Association Memory
Walk on Saturday, September 12, at
7:00 am with a check-in at the Fisherman’s Wharf parking lot. The course
proceeds down Ala Moana Boulevard
and around Ala Moana Park and Magic
Island. Participants are invited to the
Ward Warehouse stage area for great
food, prizes and entertainment. There
is no entry fee for walkers. The QMC
team captain is Bret Flynn, MD. To donate or to join the Queen’s team, visit
www.alz.org/hawaii or call Christine of
Geriatric Services at 537-7361.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Creating a Journey for Women:
Making Life Happen, an interactive yet introspective session, will be
taught at the Women’s Health Center by Cari Uesugi, MC, on Thursday,
September 24, from 5:00 to 6:30 pm.
Participants will create a unique “Life
Journey” box, which reflects the pathway toward reaching their goals, using
creative mediums to express individual style. The cost is $10 and includes
light refreshments. Register online or
by calling 537-7117.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Join the Book Club at the Women’s
Health Center in reading their next
selection, The Shadow of the Wind, by
Carlos Ruiz Zafón. The group will discuss the book on Thursday, September
17 from 5:00 to 6:30 pm. Partake in
a dialogue about this coming of age
tale set in a labyrinthine repository
of rare books in postwar Barcelona.
Zafón spins a web of intrigue that ensnares the reader from the very first
line in an ode to the art of reading and
the all-encompassing power of a welltold story. There is a $2 fee; refreshments will be served. Register by calling 537-7117.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
In an effort to promote the Susan G.
Komen Race for the Cure, Kaiser
has challenged Queen’s to a contest
at Ward Center on Wednesday, October 7 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. The event
will promote awareness of the race
and highlight the Komen Pink Store
at Ward. Kaiser has already recruited a
large group to support the contestants.
Queen’s needs about 12 people to participate and more to cheer them on.
Come hear our Neurosurgery Band, featuring Dan Donovan, MD, Leon Liem,
MD, Eric Oshiro, MD and other QMC
staff. Events include a sushi eating
contest and other fun games. Contact
Diane Thompson, MD, at DiThompson@
queens.org to participate.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The next session of Hatha Yoga led
by Diane Halford will run September
14 to October 24 (except October 10)
from 5:15 to 6:30 pm at the Women’s
Health Center. The fee is $60 for six
classes. Register at 537-7117.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Anger, Forgiveness and the Healing Process, a six-hour seminar for
health professionals, will be held at the
Waikiki Marriott on Friday, October
16. For more information and registration, visit www.IBPCEU.com.
The Queen’s
Connection
Weekly
Rent:
Sell:
TV: Brand new Sony 46” LCD HD in box,
model KDL-46S4100. $850obo. 227-9342 or
pgr 578-8872.
’00 Honda Civic VP: 4-dr, silver, 68K mi,
exclnt cond, maint rec avail, p/l, alarm, CD.
$6,200. Call Kristin @ 292-1955.
’08 Honda Accord LX-P: Silver, 4-cyl, 10K
mi, pwr all, tint, alloy whls, clean title. Vry gd
cond; a must see. $18,000 obo. MUST SELL
ASAP!! Call Tracie @ 721-7178.
’03 Acura 3.2TL: Gray w/rear spoiler, 44K mi,
exclnt cond. $12,000. Call 561-5277.
4
Queen Emma Gardens: F, own BR in 2/1/2,
pool, garden area, lanai, security, 2 blks to
QMC. $800 w/pkg, 700 w/o, incl util. Call Iris
@ 777-9020 or 547-7965.
Misc:
Babysitter: Downtown area, infants & toddlers, M- F, flexible hrs. FT or PT. 595-6360.
Placing an ad: Queen’s employees only. Include
name, phone and Employee ID number. Mail
to Creative Services—Print Connection, fax to
547-4002 or e-mail to [email protected] by
Wednesday. The Print Connection reserves the
right to edit or refuse any ad. The Print Connection
does not make any warranty about the fitness of
any product or service listed in Q-Mart.
The Queen’s Print Connection is published
by Creative Services. If you have news or
wish to opine, call us at 537-7532 or e-mail
[email protected]. News deadline is the
Monday prior to publication.
QMC President. . . . . . . . . . Art Ushijima
Publisher. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Roy Cameron
Editor/Writer. . . . . . . . . . . . Jason Kimura
Assist. Ed./Writer. . . . . . . Glee Stormont
www.queens.org
Please recycle