The Latest News
Two FHN Nurses Receive Ferguson ADN Scholarships
February 17, 2025 –
Kiley Weltzin and Paige Gallentine are the recipients of the 2024 Mildred F. Ferguson Nursing Scholarship.
The scholarship was endowed in 2003 by Ferguson's daughter, Nancy Ferguson Seeley, in honor of her mother's contributions during her decades of nursing service to the people of Freeport. Recipients receive full tuition as they pursue an associate's degree in nursing.
Including Weltzin and Gallentine, 53 FHN team members have received scholarships since 2003. One of the original scholarship recipients still serves as a nursing supervisor at FHN.
Applications from FHN team members interested in advancing their nursing career are accepted each spring.
For more information on nursing careers at FHN, visit fhn.org/careers.
FHN Offering Two $134 Heart Month Specials
February 4, 2025 –
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States, and early diagnosis is key in fighting the disease. FHN is celebrating American Heart Month in February with special cash pricing on two heart health tests.
Call 815-599-6860 by Friday, Feb. 28 to schedule a Standard Walking Treadmill Stress Test or Calcium Scoring CT Heart Scan and pay just $134 for the test.
“The treadmill stress test is a screening test for determining a patient's heart health when they are able to walk and have no history of cardiac disease,” said FHN Director of Imaging and Cardiac Services Katie Alvarado, MBA, RT(R)(N), CNMT. “The patient walks on a treadmill while a specially trained registered nurse monitors how his or her heart is working through an electrocardiogram. This test helps determine your exercise capacity and the circulation to the heart, which is helpful in determining the cause of unexplained fatigue, shortness of breath, irregular heartbeats during exercise or existing or borderline high blood pressure.”
“Another beneficial screening test that FHN offers is a CT scan to detect plaque in the arteries,” Alvarado said. “The test is non-invasive and is used to predict the probability of future heart problems. Like the treadmill test, it doesn't take long to complete.”
For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 815-599-6860. Tests must be scheduled by Friday, Feb. 28 and performed by Friday, May 30, 2025 to qualify for the special rate.
These tests do not replace consultations with your healthcare provider, and are not appropriate for persons with a history of heart trouble. If you do not have a primary healthcare provider, FHN will work with you to determine how to handle your test results when they are communicated to you. Payment for the tests is due (cash, checks and credit cards accepted) at the time of service.
FHN Awards Four Healthcare Career Scholarships
January 15, 2025 –
Four area students have been awarded scholarships to help cover the cost of healthcare education. Again this year, an outstanding group of students submitted applications for the scholarships.
Each student wrote an essay about their career path along with strengths and personal goals to support the healthcare needs of FHN's service area, and the top candidates were selected for face-to-face interviews.
After the interviews, three Healthcare Career Scholarship applicants and one Diversity Healthcare Career Scholarship applicant were chosen to each receive a $1,000 scholarship. All of FHN's scholarships are funded through donations to the FHN Foundation.
The 2024 Healthcare Career Scholarship winners are:
Emily Allison from Ridott, who is pursuing a Physical Therapist Assistant degree at Highland Community College in Freeport with plans to transfer to Blackhawk Technical College or Elgin Community College to finish her degree.
Abbey Hammer from Shannon, who is pursuing a Nursing degree at Highland Community College in Freeport.
Hayley Smith from Warren, who is pursuing a Doctorate of Pharmacy degree at UW-Madison in Madison, Wis.
The 2024 Diversity Healthcare Career Scholarship winner is Bintou Timbiné of Rockford, who is pursuing a Doctorate of Pharmacy degree at the University of Illinois-Chicago, Rockford Campus.
FHN's Get Fit Program is Back - and FREE - for 2025
January 2, 2025 –
FHN's popular wellness program is back to help participants work toward their best health. Get Fit 2025 is heavy on tips, videos, and recipes to help participants build a healthy lifestyle for years to come!
Get Fit 2025 is a FREE 12-week online program beginning and ending with in-person screenings - and participants can join as an individual or as part of a 4-person team.
From Jan. 19 through April 13, participants will receive special Get Fit 2025 newsletters with healthy lifestyle information including exercise tips and healthy recipes. They also can take advantage of special offers from local fitness partners and participate in fun contests, and of course, win great prizes!
Participants must attend both an initial and ending screening to be eligible for this year's major prizes. The free program signup includes the chance to schedule an appointment for a kick-off screening from 3 - 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 14 and from 8 - 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 18 at FHN Family Healthcare Center - Burchard Hills in Freeport.
Signup for FHN's Get Fit 2025 is open now at www.fhn.org/getfit.
Lincoln-Douglas, Open Bible Earn Top Community Festival of Trees Honors
December 18, 2024 –
A tree from the fourth graders at Lincoln-Douglas School won first place from FHN's panel of judges and second place in People's Choice voting for this year's FHN Community Festival of Trees at the Freeport Public Library.
The class will receive $700 for its "The Best Way to Spread Holiday Cheer is Singing Loud for All to Hear" tree - $500 for the judges' category and $200 for People's Choice.
Open Bible Learning Center Elementary School's "Christmas Cheer for All to Hear!" took first place in the People's Choice category and third place from the panel of judges, and will receive a $650 donation. There were 816 votes in this year's People's Choice competition.
The tree from Freeport High School's National Art Honor Society, "Singing Through the Holidays," earned second place from the judges for a $300 prize.
Blackhawk Elementary's "Holiday Cheer World Tour" took third place honors in the People's Choice voting, netting a $100 prize.
The FHN Community Festival of Trees brings non-profit organizations from across the area to decorate holiday trees, with cash prizes awarded by a panel of judges and the public. The Community Festival of Trees is on display free of charge at the Freeport Public Library (100 E. Douglas Street in Freeport) through Monday, Dec. 30.
Freeport Community Luminaria Night is Dec. 22
December 16, 2024 –
FHN is proud to again be part of the Freeport Community Luminaria Night, a chance to slow down and enjoy the beauty of the season.
Residents along Freeport's Stephenson Street and Lincoln Boulevard “ including FHN Memorial Hospital and the Leonard C. Ferguson Cancer Center at FHN Memorial Hospital - will light luminaria at dusk Sunday, Dec. 22, the last Sunday before Christmas. Visitors are encouraged to walk or drive along the streets to enjoy the view.
This event is free and open to the public.
Catch ‘Holiday Affair' on the Big Screen This Holiday Season
December 4, 2024 –
FHN and Classic Cinemas Lindo Theatre are proud to team up again this year to share a Holiday Classic Movie for area families to enjoy.
Two special showings of the 1949 hit Holiday Affair will be held at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 11 at the Classic Cinemas Lindo Theatre, 115 S. Chicago in Freeport.
Admission is a free-will offering and/or a food donation (there will be barrels available for food contributions, and monetary contributions also will go to the food drive). Donations will be distributed among area food pantries.
Starring Robert Mitchum, Janet Leigh, and Wendell Corey, Holiday Affair tells the story of a young widow who is torn between a boring attorney and a romantic ne'er-do-well.
Designed to offer movie-goers the experience of viewing time-honored American film classics on the big screen, the Classic Movie Series is hosted by Alan Wenzel and Ed Finch, who share fun facts and lead a discussion about the movie at both showings.
For more information on this or any FHN Festival of Trees event, fhn.org/festivaloftrees.
FHN OB Team Presents PBA-OB Program at National Perinatal Event
December 3, 2024 –
FHN's Perinatal Healthcare team is sharing the impact of its Post-Birth Alert Orange Bracelet Program (PBA-OB) with the nation's perinatal care leaders. The leadership team recently presented at the Synova Perinatal Leadership Forum in Florida, a premier event for perinatal care leaders, highlighting the program's innovative approach to reducing maternal mortality and improving postpartum care.
The FHN Post-Birth Alert Orange Bracelet Program, one of the first of its kind in the nation, is focused on giving every new mother an orange bracelet to wear as an alert to potential medical complications. Alert bands are worn six to twelve weeks after delivery of their baby. The patient and her support person also receive focused education, utilizing the AWHONN (Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses) Post-Birth Warning Signs guidelines, linking the importance of the Post-Birth Alert orange band and recognizing when to seek immediate care.
Women in the first six to twelve weeks after giving birth face heightened risks of life-threatening complications, including hypertensive disorders, venous thromboembolism (blood clots), sepsis, cardiomyopathy, perinatal depression, and substance use disorder. Recognizing these dangers, FHN developed the Post-Birth Alert Orange Bracelet Program, which includes all education, to empower EMS personnel and families to act quickly in emergencies and identify the orange post-birth alert band.
“The program is designed to improve the survival rate for postpartum women by training EMS personnel to recognize and respond to obstetrical emergencies quickly,” said Danielle Wittig, BSN, RNC-ONQS, Perinatal Quality Nurse at FHN Memorial Hospital. "In partnership with EMS and providers, we aim to reduce maternal complications and death by enhancing recognition and treatment protocols for postpartum complications.”
Region 1 EMS covers Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Winnebago, Boone, Carroll, Whiteside, Ogle, Lee and Dekalb counties. As a provider of curriculum and ongoing education, FHN created Post-Birth Alert education materials that are now an integral part of Region 1 EMS's on-boarding and annual competency training, ensuring that emergency personnel are equipped to identify and respond effectively to postpartum complications.
“If a woman has a medical emergency and isn't able to communicate, the bracelet will alert providers and emergency personnel of her postpartum status,” said FHN OB Service Line Perinatal Educator Keri Schubert, BSN, RNC-MNN, C-EFM. “That fast identification can be crucial in saving that woman's life.”
Linn Carter, MSN, APN, NEA-BC, Director of Women's Health Services, has already seen the orange bracelet identification in action. “Within ten weeks of implementing our program, our first post-partum mom, experiencing severe high blood pressures was identified and treated within twenty-two minutes of arrival to the emergency department due to being identified by the orange bracelet.”
The FHN Post-Birth Alert Orange Bracelet Program team has information available on postpartum risks, as well as program materials for EMS and medical professionals. Visit fhn.org/PBA-OB for more information.
