KEEPINGWELL — SPRING 2022 Methodist Hospital | Atascosa nurse sings to heal patients Methodist Hospital | Specialty and Transplant makes historywith a new national kidney transplant milestone As a nurse with over 10 years of experience, Allison Walker has loved singing since she was a child. It wasn’t until 2008, when she was working through her clinicals at an Alzheimer’s/dementia facility that she began incorporating music into her work. Allison is a firm believer that being a nurse is more than just helping patients heal medically, but spiritually and emotionally, too. As a nurse at Methodist Hospital | Atascosa, she has been incorporating her love of singing into her everyday work to cheer up her patients and herself! “We’re here to take care of you, and how you feel and what you’re concerned with and what your fears are … these all matter to us, too. It’s part of your healing,” Allison said. Allison said that connecting with patients and helping them relax is a priority, especially during the past two years with COVID-19. “It’s a fearful time for patients. And so, sometimes, I will be gowned up in full PPE singing. I’ll hug patients, I’ll pray with them … whatever it takes,” said Allison. One Sunday, Allison was working and couldn’t attend church, so she sang hymns to patients who could not participate in church either. Tom Sablatura, a pastor, was a COVID-19 patient. Allison visited him and began singing “How Great Thou Art,” which Tom captured in a video. Tom said he would start to feel better when Allison sang to him. “If I can bring a breath of fresh air to patients and take time out of my day to just pause and help, I will. It ends up helping me pause and feel refreshed,” Allison shared. The video of Allison singing to Tom has since “gone viral” on social media and shared by many different outlets, including CNN National News! To see the video of Allison singing, visit any of our Methodist Healthcare System social media pages. United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) has recognized the kidney transplant program at Methodist Hospital | Specialty and Transplant as the nation’s only transplant program in history to perform more than 200 living donor and more than 200 deceased donor kidney transplants in a single year. According to recently released UNOS data, the program completed 221 living donor kidney transplants and 216 deceased donor kidney transplants in 2021. The program was also recognized as the largest living donor kidney transplant program, the largest kidney paired donation program, and the largest Hispanic kidney transplant program in the country. “This milestone demonstrates our commitment to improve the lives of people with kidney disease in our communities, one patient at a time,” said Kevin Scoggin, CEO of Methodist Hospital | Specialty and Transplant. “To achieve this national recognition at a community hospital that serves a majority Hispanic population and many underserved communities around Texas is a remarkable accomplishment.” A primary focus of the facility’s program is to overcome barriers to transplantation that many patients face, including diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and social determinants. “Our program has developed unique dual expertise in both living and deceased donor transplantation, which has allowed all of our patients a better opportunity to receive a lifesaving transplant,” Adam Bingaman, MD, PhD, transplant surgeon and Director of the Abdominal Transplant Program commented. Over 90,000 patients are on a waiting list for a kidney transplant, yet less than 25,000 received a kidney transplant in 2021. SAHealth.com 3 For more information about the kidney transplant program at Methodist Hospital | Specialty and Transplant, please visit SAHealth.com/specialties/ transplant-services.
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