Lavander and Mint

I miss Dr Helen Amorin.  She was my mentor, ally and biggest fan/supporter.  We would spend 30 minutes over the phone discussing strategies and she would give me advice like an older sister.

Ever since I joined VSMMC in 2013, she had been providing me with strength to DARE institute changes for reform in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 

We started with changing the admission guidelines to the 12-hour obstetrician-on-duty, adopting the system from PGH with residents assigned to the OB Admitting Section, ER Gynecology, Labor Room, Delivery Room, and Operating Room. This provided additional accountability to the consultants and residents in charge.

Then we scheduled additional conferences like the staff conference, sonologic surgico-pathologic conference, mortality conference, grand rounds, pre-op/post-op conference.  We also had quarterly trophoblastic conferences, perinatal statistics, joint OBGYN-IM conference and mutli-disciplinary conferences as needed.

I was happy to know that there was somebody who was as passionate and hard-working as I am, probably even more... so that the busyness of daily operations didn't seem too overwhelming.  My main concern then was difficulty waking up early for these conferences, but mam Helen would always give me an early wake up call when I was needed for those special events.

We also had time to disconnect and have a social dinner or coffee with blueberry cheesecake.  She always knew my favorite!  When shd ventured into soap-making, she gifted me with peppermint-scented bath soap which brought me a lot of comfort.  Mam Helen preferred LAVANDER and I would remember to pick up small stuff for her when I would see Lavander.  Lavander-scented showers refresh her and make her happy.

Together, we were the dynamic duo.  When we had a series of three (3) non-puerperal uterine inversion, she would operate abdominally and I would be her vagina girl.  We were Helen A and Helen M.  She was the early one and I would be the night duty.

Yesterday, I was part of a plenary panel discussion for the POGS Organization of Government Institutions, telling the story of the Central Visayas Electronic Health Referral System.  I couldn't tell the story without starting from where it all began... and I just had to mention Dr Helen Amorin, who asked me to review the 29 maternal mortalities for the month of May in 2015.

I had to explain that most ambulances transported patients to Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) which was most often the hospital of choice.  The audience laughed when I told them that to me the ambulance sirens sounded like "Sotto, Sotto, Sotto!"

More importantly, the audience seemed to be attentive to the unfolding of OUR STORY.  The realization that "no hospital can do it alone" and that it is actually the strong working relationship between hospital healthworkers that make sure THE RIGHT PATIENT is at the RIGHT FACILITY at the RIGHT TIME ALL THE TIME.

I miss mam Helen.  She was proud of me when I described the Program for Young Parents before the DOH National Staff Meeting in 2014.  I'm sure she would have been proud of OUR STORY when I narrated it to the POGS Annual Convention in 2024.

Layo pa 'ta pero layo na 'ta.

This one's for you, mam Helen!  Helen A and Helen M, lavander and mint!