Introduction
Dear School of Nursing and Health Professions colleagues, students, partners, and alumni:
In this newsletter, I wanted to spotlight the partners of our nursing, nutrition, occupational therapy, community and public health and exercise science programs. Academic clinical partnerships improve patient safety and competencies among students, which in turn impacts the health outcomes of patients. The dedicated commitment of our partners has led to graduates who are prepared as leaders and competent health care providers. Without those opportunities, the educational experiences of our students would be greatly impacted. We appreciate your support and look forward to our continued relationship.
We are tremendously grateful for our clinical partners who are serving during this time. The global pandemic has clearly put into focus the critical importance of nurses and other healthcare workers in our society. We wish to recognize, honor and support those partners.
Thank you for your resilience and service to your patients. Thank you for everything that you have done to support our students and our programs. Your continuous efforts are making a difference, and for that you have our lasting gratitude.
Thank you,
Dr. Dina Byers, interim dean
School of Nursing and Health Professions
Dana Bazzell
Having a baby is one of the most exciting times for families and Dana Bazzell may just understand this better than anyone after being a part of thousands of deliveries at Murray-Calloway County Hospital. Bazzell recently retired from her position as director of perinatal services after providing 44 years of care to new moms, babies and families in the region.
When Bazzell began her education at Murray State University, she planned to be an elementary education teacher. After her son Chad was hospitalized in Murray-Calloway’s pediatric area, she was so impressed with his care and how the staff treated her family that she changed her major to nursing. She graduated in December of 1975 from Murray State and began working Jan. 6, 1976 at Murray-Calloway County Hospital after being hired by Nadine Turner, the director of nursing at that time. Bazzell was assigned to the fourth floor 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. shift where Dorothy Higginbotham was her supervisor. Bazzell still has her first paycheck stub showing she made $3.98 an hour when she started.
“The fourth floor was the closest I could get to working with laboring mothers and newborns,” said Bazzell. “Working labor and delivery became my favorite area. Patients came for an exciting reason, and they weren’t sick. In fact, they were eager to deliver, learn about being a mom and take home their baby.”
At the time labor and delivery was a part of fourth floor, but later that year it was separated and became a labor, delivery and postpartum unit. Bazzell took the head nurse role of the unit in 1978, and worked labor and delivery for the next six years. In 1984, she became the clinical director of this unit as well as the fourth floor medical, surgical and gynecological area. She continued as director of the obstetrics unit, and the medical surgical and gynecological area when they were moved in 2007, up until her retirement earlier this year. These units were the first in the hospital to offer all private patient rooms.
“I love that I decided to be a nurse in labor and delivery,” said Bazzell. “There are sad times where you cry with your patients, but ninety-nine percent of the time, it’s a happy occasion. I really like the closeness of all the people here – everybody helps each other. It really is like a family, and I’m glad I’ve been able to work with such great staff over the years.”
Bazzell reminisced about some of her most memorable stories at Murray-Calloway County Hospital. Just recently she was there for a newborn’s birth in which she was previously in the delivery room of the newborn’s mother and grandmother. Bazzell also remembers a busy labor shift where she and Dr. Tom Green delivered four babies in eight hours. And another time when Dr. Green was trying to calm a young teenage patient. As soon as he asked the patient’s family to go back to the waiting room, Bazzell and Dr. Green both had to run to get the patient to the delivery room in time for the baby to be delivered. Bazzell also talked about being in a delivery with Dr. Gene Cook, where everything was going normally, until he asked her to assist him again. They were all surprised by the arrival of the newborn’s twin.
“Dr. Green always made the patients and staff laugh,” said Bazzell. “He would sometimes stand on his head, wear masks at Halloween, and always loved taking pictures of the new babies and the families after delivery. Dr. Cook was also great to his patients. He delivered our daughter Keri. He had an excellent bedside manner that showed his patients he truly loved his profession. I really enjoyed working with him as well.”
Bazzell has been married to her husband Dickie for 49 years. She has one son, Chad, who is a sales representative in Bowling Green, Kentucky with Avanos. Her only daughter, Keri, is a clinical pharmacist at Norton Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky and was married on March 14. Mickey, her rescue cat, is two years old.
After retiring, Bazzell says she wants to start working on some much needed home renovations. She loves reading, being outside, and is looking forward to doing yard work, gardening and walking at the Murray State Arboretum just down the street from her home. As a kid she always enjoyed fishing with her dad at the lake and their family ponds and plans to take up the hobby again. Bazzell also loves to cook and bake, and is ready to make more of her famous banana bread and chocolate oatmeal cookies she is known for from the hospital bake sales. One of her bucket list items is to travel more and she has already begun planning a trip to Israel next January.
A retirement reception will be held for Bazzell at Murray-Calloway County Hospital at a date to be determined after social distancing mandates are concluded.
Purchase Area Health Education Center
The Purchase Area Health Education Center (AHEC) system is comprised of a regional, state, and national network designed to carry out the overarching mission for developing, promoting and sustaining the healthcare workforce in rural areas by Connecting Students, to Careers, Professionals to Communities and Communities to Better Health.
Murray State University serves as the host agency, and the School of Nursing and Health Professions is the academic home. The regional service area includes 12 counties in far western Kentucky: Ballard, Calloway, Carlisle, Crittenden, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Livingston, Lyon, Marshall, McCracken and Trigg. Community partner organizations serve as local connections to help identify needs, available resources and potential opportunities for development within the communities served.
The services and resources the Purchase AHEC provide to the region span a wide area of healthcare promotions. Purchase AHEC’s mission is to provide educational support services from K-12 students to practicing health professionals. Their aim is to support the healthcare needs of the rural region and ultimately create a pipeline of resources to strengthen regional healthcare.
Purchase AHEC’s partnership with K-12 school systems is laying a strong foundation for the youth of the region. Through health education programming and teaching resources, they are working in the classrooms and with teachers to provide hands-on activities for students. These activities allow students to explore future careers and pursue further education in health care. Purchase AHEC’s health programs have provided health career workshops and programming to students at Murray-Calloway County Area Technology Center, Marshall County Area Technology Center, Livingston County High School, Trigg County High School, and Mayfield/Graves County Area Technology Center. Additionally, area youth have the opportunity to attend health care enrichment programs through involvement with the Baptist Health Medical Explorers program and through a partnership with Jackson Purchase Medical Center’s summer enrichment program.
The Purchase AHEC also coordinates clinical rotations for students in medical, dental, pharmacy, physician assistant, physical therapy, and dietetics schools who are completing rotations in their service area. Students work shoulder-to-shoulder with the best health care professionals in the region to hone their skills and gain hands-on, real-life training and experience. These clinical rotation placements are only possible through strong partnerships among the Purchase AHEC, regional hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, and health care providers. Currently, the Purchase AHEC places students at the following hospitals: Murray-Calloway County Hospital, Jackson Purchase Medical Center, Marshall County Hospital, Baptist Health Paducah, Mercy Health – Lourdes Hospital, Crittenden County Hospital, Trigg County Hospital, and Livingston County Hospital. Additionally, students are completing rotations at satellite clinics, independently owned practices, and community pharmacies across our entire region. While completing clinical rotations, students are making connections in our region and beginning to map out their future careers.
Pictured on right: Dr. R. Brent Wright, president of the Kentucky Medical Association and associate dean for rural health innovation at the University of Louisville School of Medicine (ULSOM); Dr. Ashley Jessup, Baptist Health Family Medicine in Calvert City, Kentucky; and ULSOM third year student Hayley Spires.
Pictured below, first photo: Dr. Michael Adams, Primary Care Medical Center in Murray, Kentucky; ULSOM medical student Michael Eizyk.
Pictured below, middle photo: Dr. John Cecil and Dr. Caitlyn Cecil from the Cecil Clinic in Paducah, Kentucky; Pikeville Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine medical student Brandon Rosell.
Pictured below on right: Pikeville, Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine medical student Travis Hoover; and Dr. Jonathan Walters, Massac Family Care Clinic in Metropolis, Illinois.
School of Nursing & Health Professions
Our school offers many different health careers that offer you the opportunity to influence the well-being of individuals, families, and communities.
Website: murraystate.edu/sonhp
Location: 120 Mason Hall, Murray, KY 42071
Phone: 270-809-2193
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MSU-School-of-Nursing-Health-Professions-100228168258965
Twitter: @MsuSonhp