[Thomas George, MD, said the race was challenging but he was able to maintain a "reasonable pace toward the end."
Three cheers for Thomas George, MD, a resident at Primary Children’s Hospital, who recently won the Salt Lake City Marathon right after working a 12-hour, all-night shift.
Dr. George says he knew he’d have to prepare well to do a marathon on no sleep, so he did test runs after all-night shifts. He says he not only proved to himself he could do it, but his times were so good he knew “a quicker marathon was within my capacity for this race.”
“It does require a considerable amount of time and training, especially in the preceding weeks before the race,” Dr. George says. “And so, I really put my nose down and did that. I didn’t have a lot of other things I was doing at that point in time because of training.”
Even with all the preparation, he was nervous about running after working all night.
“The weather was sub-optimal, to put it lightly,” he says. “So that was something I was also worried about because, where you are mentally during races can impact how well you run and how well you do throughout the race. Down the stretch it can become very emotionally and mentally taxing.”
He says even though he’s run marathons before he’d never experienced one that included such high elevations. That, coupled with colder than usual weather, “really combined to make it a more challenging race. With all the hills, we were getting quite tired but I was able to maintain a reasonable pace toward the end.”
A reasonable pace indeed. He crossed the finish line first with a time of 2:29.22, about 14 seconds shy of the course record set in 2005. He says after the race he went home to go to bed so he’d be ready for his next all-night shift later that day.
Two other Intermountain residents ran the same day. Amanda McLearn-Montz, MD, came in at 52nd among the women and 253rd overall and Yuji Wakimoto, MD, placed fourth in the half marathon race that’s run on the same day.
Greg Poulsen is one of five new members appointed to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission last month.
Stand up for Greg Poulsen, senior vice president of policy, who’s one of five new members appointed in May to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC).
Congress established MedPAC in 1997 to analyze access to care, cost, and quality of care, and other key issues affecting Medicare. MedPAC advises Congress on payments to providers in Medicare’s traditional fee-for-service programs and to health plans participating in the Medicare Advantage program.
“The committee advises Congress on how it should pay for Medicare services and that includes small and finite details on how it should pay for something like a knee replacement or an appendectomy to recommendations on overall strategies the program should consider,” Greg says. “Next year, Medicare will spend a trillion dollars and few people understand how big a number that is. I mean, it’s just enormous. It’s far more than the United States spends for defense.”
“I recognize I wasn’t picked because of my own capabilities,” Greg says. “I was picked because of the many successes Intermountain has enjoyed. I think I’m fortunate to work with a great organization and it’s a big deal Intermountain has been recognized for what it has to offer with this honor.”
For 40 years, Greg has helped lead strategy development, research and planning, marketing, IT development, population health, and health policy for Intermountain. He’s been deeply immersed in all of Intermountain’s insurance, hospital, and physician activities.
Merideth McGlincy, left, poses for a picture with David Flood, right, with their Patriot Awards. Jim Lamadrid, center, nominated them for the awards.
Recognition goes to Intermountain and two Intermountain leaders who were honored by the Department of Defense Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) program for their support of military caregivers.
Intermountain received the Above and Beyond Award, which is given to employers who provide more benefits and support for military members than is required by law.
Bill Williams, ESGR Utah Military Outreach Coordinator, presented the awards.
“The kind of support Intermountain offers military employees makes a huge difference, not just for the military member, but for their family,” he says. “It’s hard on both when they leave to do their duty and knowing there are people back home who will check in makes a huge difference.”
Meridith McGlincy, cybersecurity director, and David Flood, chief development officer and executive sponsor of the Military Caregiver Resource Group (CRG), were also presented with Patriot Awards. The Patriot Award is given to individual leaders who are nominated by a member of the National Guard or Reserve for supporting that servicemember as they fulfill their military duties.
“Both Meridith and David provided unwavering leadership and support for me as the co-chair of the Military CRG during the pandemic,” says Jim Lamadrid, cybersecurity consultant, who nominated Meridith and David for the award. The group was able to accomplish a lot during a tough time, and we wouldn’t have been able to do it without them.”
Jim has recently been promoted to lieutenant with the U.S. Naval Reserves.
Meridith and David expressed gratitude for Jim and all the military and veteran caregivers.
“We want to continue to grow the evolution, the trajectory of the military within our organization, because they bring such unique and fantastic skillsets that can’t be learned anywhere else,” says David.
The awards were presented on May 25 during a short ceremony at the Central Office in Salt Lake City.
Linda Gaunt was recognized with the Hospice Staff of the Year Award.
Linda Gaunt, senior administrative coordinator, was also honored by the Homecare and Hospice Association with the Hospice Staff of the Year Award. When she heard she received the award, she says she assumed it wasn’t for her and tried to get it to the person she thought had earned it.
“I was shocked,” Linda says. “When I finally realized it was for me, I was like, ‘Wow, this is a great honor for our company.’”
Linda, who works at Homecare and Hospice in Ogden, has been with Intermountain for 29 years.
Shawna Cales, social worker, nominated Linda and says she’s the “brains” of their team.
“There’s a saying in our office, ‘If you don’t know something, call Linda, she knows everything,’” Shawna says. “Linda plays a critical role in the function of our office and team. She’s dedicated to achieving the very best outcome for all of our patients and our team. She’s always willing to take time out of her day and schedule to assist team members with questions or problems that need to be solved. Even though Linda works behind the scenes and doesn’t interface with patients directly, her role is just as crucial as the nurses and others that work face-to-face with patients. Our team couldn’t function without Linda and we’re so grateful for her and what she does for us.”
Amanda Clark was named Hospice Volunteer of the Year.
Applause for Amanda Clark, a volunteer coordinator at Intermountain Homecare and Hospice in Salt Lake City, who has been named the Hospice Volunteer of the Year by the Homecare and Hospice Association of Utah.
Amanda says when she first heard she’d received the award, she thought it was a mistake because she’s not a hospice volunteer.
“I told them, ‘I’m not a volunteer and the award should go to a frontline volunteer, someone who works in the trenches,’” she says. “And they said, ‘We wouldn’t have volunteers if it weren’t for volunteer coordinators,’ so they gave it to me, and it was amazing. Very, very nice.”
Jenn Cornett, a social worker, is one of three caregivers who nominated Amanda.
“I know that hospice volunteer coordinator of the year isn’t a specific category listed, but I work with Amanda Clark at Intermountain Hospice, and she’s the best volunteer coordinator we’ve ever had,” she wrote in her nomination. “She’s not only increased our volunteer hours tremendously, but has improved our volunteer programs and created new ones. She’s a delight to work with, our patients and their families love her, she’s able to get wonderful volunteers for us, and has created some amazing programs and volunteer opportunities. She truly deserves to be recognized.”