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ER manager Lori Baitx lives life full time |
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Thursday, 15 May 2008 |
By Stacey Powells
Mammoth Times Staff Writer
 Lori Baitx has been driving up and down U.S. 395 from Crowley to Mammoth Lakes for more than 20 years, being the very involved mom of all seasonsPHOTO/STACEY POWELLS
Lori grew up the youngest of three children in Southern California. “My parents were very involved in our lives,” Baitx said. “My dad volunteered with the Boy Scouts so because I had two older brothers, I was toted along on all their outings.” Her parents were always at her track meets and gymnastic events and were very supportive in anything she did.
Lori's older brother graduated college with a degree in computer science when computer science degrees were far and few between and her other brother took a different route. “He is the complete opposite of my older brother who had a pocket protector for as long as I can remember. He had the long hair and the van.”
After graduating from Villa Park High School in Orange County she entered the nursing program at Cal State Long Beach. “It was just one of those things. I always knew I wanted to be a nurse,” said Baitx. “I started taking classes in high school knowing that I already had a goal.”
She graduated college and started working at Long Beach Memorial Hospital for a year doing home health. “Long Beach has such an incredibly diverse population. On one end of the city you have the very rich and on the other end is the ghetto. I dealt with all kinds of situations and all kinds of people.” After a year of dealing with the best and the worst of Long Beach, Lori decided she wanted to try something different. Her parents bought a house in Mammoth Lakes with a mother-in-law unit attached so in May of 1983 she packed her bags and moved north. “I was going to work in Mammoth for a year then go back to Southern California,” Baitx said. That never happened.
During one jaunt back to Southern California to attend the wedding of one of her friends, she ran into an old school mate. “Chris and I went to the same high school but didn't really know each other. We reconnected at the wedding,” Baitx said. It was love at first sight. Chris loved the mountains and as soon as he graduated from the fire academy he moved to Mammoth and started working at the hospital. That was in August of 1985. In September, 1985 Lori gave birth to their first son, Jake. “Chris and I wanted to raise our kids up here so going back to the city wasn't an option.”
“I've always had tons of animals to take care of so having kids was just another addition to the menagerie.” Middle son Nate came along in January of 1987 and in October 1988 they added the final jewel to the Baitx crown, Katie.
Considering how involved her own parents were in her upbringing and in her extracurricular activities, it's no surprise that Lori was immediately involved in each of the schools her kids attended. She was president of the Mammoth Elementary School PTO, and was MMSO president as well as the Mammoth High School Booster Club president. “I followed the kids along to whatever school they attended.” She was also a Girl Scout leader and helped with soccer, T-Ball and cheerleading. Whatever they were involved in, she was involved in. “Luckily Chris was involved with the activities too so it wasn’t so stressful,” Lori said. “He wasn’t Booster president but he would build the cheer box and coach some of their teams.”
As of August 2006 all the kids have been out on their own and it's been a big adjustment. “It took me about a year and half to feel good about all of them being out of the house,” she said. “I had been doing so many extracurricular activities that involved the kids so when they all left I was wondering 'what do I do now' with my time and energy.
This year they came back from spring break and when they left I didn’t cry. It was a turning point. I waved goodbye and didn’t break down. Everyone was doing good, including me.” Last Christmas was also a turning point in helping to dissolve her empty nest syndrome. “They were all home and left their stuff everywhere. It was very hectic. When they left I said, 'Phew!” It's also helped that the kids have their own paths. “We've worked very hard at raising them and they are doing great.”
Lori has been working at Mammoth Hospital for 25 years and loves what she does. She has worked in employee health, infection control where she reviewed charts and made sure patients got the right antibiotics and in “med surg” which is the in-patient wing of the hospital. She was also the paramedic liaison nurse for 10 years but when she landed in the Emergency Room, she knew that's where she wanted to be.
Her current title is Emergency Department Manager and she's been in the ER for 10 years. “I love being able to do patient care and working in triage,” said Baitx. “I get to have patient contact, which is really important to me.” The only thing that bothers her about nursing is when she has to deal with mucus. “I don't know what it is. I'm okay with blood and vomit and diarrhea but I get weak-kneed if someone hocks up guck from their throat.”
When not managing the emergency room at the hospital, Lori is finally getting to projects around the house that have been neglected as well as continuing to take care of the animals on her little ranchette in Crowley. She and Chris take mini holidays like the recent getaway to Benton Hot Springs for Lori's birthday (“There are no televisions or phones or housework. We don't have to travel far to relax”) and in June she will be entering the Danceskin Triathlon for Team Mammoth Hospital with 25 other women. “I've run marathons and they hurt. I like mixing it up. I think it's healthier for your body.”
Until the kids are out of college she and Chris are staying exactly where they are but it's possible they might find a home in the desert and split their time between Mammoth and somewhere warmer. “I really like what I do so I don’t see myself completely getting out of the nursing profession.” Some kids take decades to complete a college education so unless all three of their kids are on the fast track to finish college, it looks like Lori and her husband will be around town for quite some time.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 22 May 2008 )
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