NHIF Awards First Scholarship for In-Home Infusion Nursing

This year, the National Home Infusion Foundation (NHIF) presented a registered nurse at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital with the first-ever Lynn Giglione Memorial Scholarship Award for Home and Specialty Infusion Nursing. The scholarship was created to honor nurse Lynn Giglione, a longtime National Home Infusion Association (NHIA) member who sought to improve patients’ lives by spearheading at-home infusion programs. She also stands out as the first female and first nurse chair of the NHIA Board of Directors. In her memory, the scholarship seeks to advance learning and leadership among nurses focusing on home and specialty infusion.

Moving forward, NHIF plans to award the scholarship annually to nurses who demonstrate dedication to and leadership in the field of home and specialty infusion. The funding provided by the scholarship covers the cost of travel and attendance to the annual NHIF conference, which offers industry-leading educational opportunities for clinical workers seeking to advance the field. Scholarship recipients can bring the knowledge gained during the conference back to their colleagues to help shape the future of at-home infusion.

Individuals interested in learning more about the foundation or applying for the Lynn Giglione Memorial Scholarship can visit NHIAFoundation.org.

Pentec Health Named One of Fastest-Growing Companies in U.S.

For the sixth consecutive year, Inc. magazine has named Pentec Health, Inc., to its list of the fastest-growing companies in the United States. Inclusion in the Inc. 5000 recognizes not just outstanding growth but also the culture of innovation at the heart of Pentec Health. The company’s three-year revenue growth of 65 percent reflects its commitment to extraordinary service to each of its more than 500 partners. This dedication ultimately means better support for health care providers and a higher level of care for patients.

The Joint Commission has continually recognized Pentec Health with its Gold Seal of Approval, which honors commitment to patient care and safety. The company stands as one of the largest privately held outsourced pharmacy service providers in the country, and it looks forward to continued growth driven by its dedication to innovation and better patient outcomes.

Future Ready Connects Philadelphia Students to Career Possibilities

In June 2015, the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce (GPCC) partnered with Wells Fargo and the School District of Philadelphia to inspire 200 local middle school students with a unique career education opportunity. The Future Ready program aims to engage students in the career-planning process by offering them new insight into the professional world.

Students began the day in their own classrooms, where they received instruction on professional development topics. They spent the second half of the day visiting one of 16 local companies, where they learned about the daily activities and various professional opportunities at many of the region’s leading organizations.

In addition to program sponsor Wells Fargo, the Future Ready host companies included Philadelphia Energy Solutions, Accenture, local broadcaster WPVI-TV, Aria Health, AT&T, and engineering consulting firm Pennoni Associates. The firms offered students a chance to learn about a diverse array of professional roles, including jobs in sales, marketing, accounting, and human resources.

The Future Ready program seeks to help students form a connection between their classroom experiences and the real world by tying their formal studies to professional opportunities. As described by GPCC president and CEO Rob Wonderling, the program is an effort to “invigorate” the greater Philadelphia workforce and ensure the development of a well-qualified talent pool.

Golfing Tips from Jimmy Walker - A Flexible Putting Stroke

An award-winning business leader, Joe Cosgrove currently serves as the president and CEO of Pentec Health, a specialty infusion solutions provider based in Philadelphia. Joe Cosgrove balances his responsibilities at Pentec Health with a wide range of additional interests, such as golf. 

In a Golf Magazine article, professional golfer and PGA Tour winner Jimmy Walker shared tips to help golfers lower their score and shoot their personal best. Walker’s first golfing tip is to develop a flexible putting stroke that generates a tight roll, rather than using a stiff putting stroke. According to Walker, golfers often miss putts because they keep the putter square throughout the swing and impact the ball with an open clubface. 

While practicing a putting swing that implements an arcing path, Walker recommends using an alignment stick to promote an inside line during the swing, and gently rocking the shoulders to produce the proper path. Walker also notes that many players position the toe of the putter slightly upward to enhance the curved stroke movement.

Tips for Cycling in Headwind

President of Pennsylvania-based Pentec Health, Joe Cosgrove possesses more than two decades of experience in the diversified life sciences industry. Away from Pentec Health, Joe Cosgrove spends his time traveling and cycling.

Among the many challenges of outdoor cycling is pedaling against headwind. Headwind occurs when the wind blows from directly in front of a rider, creating resistance against forward motion. Pushing through the resistance often causes exhaustion, but exercising a few techniques can help a rider overcome the windy obstacle.

Increased aerodynamics is achievable by lowering the body to reduce surface or skin friction. Riders should practice lowering their back to almost a horizontal state, or parallel to the ground, and keeping their elbows close to the body. The back should not be hunched over; to avoid this, riders must lift their head slightly until their back is flat. Riders who practice this position while pedaling into headwind notice an immediate change in the effects of wind resistance. Pedaling becomes easier because the body has minimized the surface area at which the wind can push back.

Another way to cycle against headwind involves seeking shelter behind other riders. Riders in a team can take turns at the front of the pack, allowing others to ride in the wake in a low pressure area; this practice is known as drafting or sheltering. The leading rider breaks through the direct force of the wind, allowing riders behind to exert less energy as they pedal.

The Jay Fund Provides Financial Assistance and Game Planning

A seasoned health-care executive with many years of experience in Pennsylvania, Joe Cosgrove currently serves as the chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Pentec Health in Boothwyn. Aside from his professional activities with Pentec Health, Joe Cosgrove supports the efforts of the Jay Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting families of children with cancer diagnoses.

The Jay Fund focuses primarily on providing financial assistance to families, helping alleviate some of the burden of hospitalization, home care, and other medical expenses. The organization furnishes grants to pay for expenses such as mortgages, phone bills, utilities, and rent payments. Each grant recipient receives financial planning materials to help them stay on top of their medical expenses, as well as access to a quarterly seminar on the financial challenges of childhood cancer. The Jay Fund also offers a series of scholarships, designed to support the educational aspirations of patients and survivors and help them realize their dreams. 

The organization supports these and its other activities through fundraisers such as the 2015 Wine Tasting Gala on March 20 and the 20th Anniversary Celebrity Golf Classic on May 17, 2015.

Pentec Health Provides Specialty Infusion Services

An experienced executive with a proven record as a turnaround specialist and business strategist, Joe Cosgrove currently serves Pentec Health, Inc., as its president, CEO, and director. A graduate of Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, he has spent his career in positions of progressively increasing responsibility and authority within the pharmaceutical and health care industry. Joe Cosgrove was vice president and general manager of Cardinal Health’s global pharmaceutical and supply chain services prior to his current position at Pentec Health.

Established in 1983 as Pentec Infusions, the firm is a leading provider of renal nutrition, such as intraperitoneal nutrition and intradialytic parenteral nutrition therapies performed for dialysis patients, as well as other specialty infusion and pharmacy services. The company’s specialty infusion division, which supports clients who have implanted intrathecal pumps, is accredited for home care by the Joint Commission and provides in-home care for patients with a broad range of disorders, including stroke, spinal cord injury, cancer pain, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, and other painful or debilitating conditions.

Pentec Health’s specialty pharmacy compounds sterile medications that are custom made for each individual patient in accordance with the prescribing physician’s exact specifications. In addition to preparing such traditional compounds as pain management medications, antibiotics, total parenteral nutrition, and intravenous immunoglobulins, the pharmacy also prepares preservative-free medications for patients with implanted infusion pumps and concentrates on nutritional compounds for dialysis patients. More information about the company is available on its website at www.pentechealth.com.