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Volume 1, Issue 4 - November 21, 2008 |
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Saint Joseph Health System Goes Smoke-free
Employees are encouraged to view a presentation regarding the new tobacco-free campus policy posted on their hospital intranet site. Employees at Saint Joseph - Martin and Flaget Memorial Hospital can access the presentation through Inside CHI, via this link: http://collab.catholichealth.net/gm/document-1.9.329177/tobacco_free_presentation.ppt SJHS employees are asked to assist in monitoring their campus and asking abusers to comply with the tobacco-free policy. Employees who would like scripted messages to use when asking people to abide by the policy, can contact their human resources office. Security or facilities should be contacted if someone refuses to stop smoking. Nicotine replacement therapy, such as gum or patches, can be found in the hospital gift shops (except for Saint Joseph - Martin).
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Top Stories |
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Yesterday
was the 33rd annual American Cancer Society Great American Smoke-out
and Saint Joseph Health System (SJHS) joined hospitals
across the state in permanently banning the use of tobacco products
on its campuses, including all properties that are owned and leased
by SJHS. The new tobacco-free campus policy is another positive step
in helping the organization fulfill its mission to create healthier
communities and support a culture of healthy living. 
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How One Employee Kicked the Habit As we embark on our new tobacco-free campus policy, here's an inspirational story shared by an employee at Saint Joseph Hospital who broke the tobacco cycle and has never regretted it. Breaking the Cycle
Weeks shy of my 12th birthday I picked up my first cigarette and headed down a long road that took 17 years to break. I idolized my grandmother and can remember to this day her sitting at the kitchen table smoking and drinking her coffee. I started by stealing cigarettes and then having friends get them for me when I was a bit older. I would hide my habit and blame the smell on other people. I began a full pack a day habit by the time I was 16. By age 21 being a smoker was part of who I was. My self image always included me holding a cigarette and I hated when I couldn’t smoke somewhere. I couldn’t picture myself being a non-smoker. I was an addict. I needed my smokes not just for physical needs but also because it was part of my whole person. I couldn’t be around cigarettes without needing one. I would find reasons to have to take a break and get one. I would rather have a smoke than eat if given the choice. I would stand in the freezing cold to get my smoke. I blamed non-smokers for taking away my right to smoke. I used to say they should just deal with it. Of course now I see how unfair I was being to them. I tried to quit many times and failed miserably. August 7, 2002 was the point in which I broke the cycle of addiction. I stopped cold turkey and it was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do. I was not much fun to be around for the first week or two as I felt physical withdrawals, headaches, nervousness, sweats, and general crankiness. For the first year my lungs coughed up things that made me wonder if it really was worth it.
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By
Kristie Wideman, Quality Management, Saint Joseph Hospital
I
will not lie and say the urge ever fully goes away but it does get easier.
I have found that my sense of taste and smell has returned although
I did not realize that it was gone, and I have saved so much money.
The best incentive I did for myself was that each month during the first
year I would do something to reward my perseverance to not smoke. Some
months it was a manicure or massage, other months it was a nice dinner
and a movie. Now on my smoke-free anniversary
I treat myself to something nice and think about how much better I have
made my life and how far I have come. I have to stay
strong as I know that if I ever have just one smoke I will go back to
smoking full time. I
wish the best of luck to each of you on your journey to improving your
health. |
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Thanksgiving services for Saint Joseph Hospital and Saint Joseph East will be on Tuesday, November 25 in the hospital chapels (11:30 a.m. at SJH and 1:30 p.m. at SJE). Any employee who would like to share a brief 1-2 minute “expression of gratitude,” can e-mail Judy Donohue at Saint Joseph East or Scott Buck at Saint Joseph Hospital. Canned goods and nonperishable items will be accepted for God’s Pantry. Thanksgiving Meal in Lexington A
traditional Thanksgiving meal will be served on Thursday, November
27 to both
patients and employees. Both lunch and
dinner will be served in the Saint
Joseph
Hospital cafeteria and in the Saint Joseph East cafeteria.
For
3rd shift employees, subs
will be served late in the evening (specific time to be announced).
Christmas Open House in Lexington Shop for special Christmas goodies on Tuesday, November 25, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., in the Saint Joseph Hospital and Saint Joseph East gift shops. Enter a drawing for a $50 gift certificate give-away with a $10 or more purchase. Look for a special Santa surprise! Sharing God's Blessings in Bardstown To celebrate Thanksgiving this year, the Mission Council’s Spirituality Subcommittee at Flaget Memorial Hospital invites employees to share God’s blessings for which they are most grateful. Tri-fold boards are placed near the time clocks in the hospital, across from the elevators in the medical office building, and at Hospice and the Immediate Care Clinic. You are encouraged to utilize them to share God’s blessings in the form of photographs, images, pictures from magazines and/or written text. A short prayer service will be held on Wednesday, November 26 at 11:30 a.m., and these blessings will be lifted up to God in Thanksgiving. Fall Harvest Food Drive in Bardstown
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Skilled
Nursing Unit, OB and Rehab For more information, contact Ben Wiederholt at 502.350.5046. Annual Food Drive in Martin Saint Joseph - Martin's annual food drive runs through Monday, December 8. Items donated are given to the Christmas Basket Program at Drift, a longstanding tradition for the hospital. Items can be dropped off at the time clock. Call Judy Salyer at 606.285.6580 with questions.
Saint Joseph - Martin employees are providing gifts to 106 children this year in hopes to bring Christmas to more families in Floyd County. Everyone's two wrapped packages are due between December 1-3; please bring them to the Business Office where they will be checked in and stored. 'Wall of Thanks' in Berea Please take a moment to visit the “Wall of Thanks” across from the Chapel on which staff, patients and visitors are invited to list and write about things and people they are thankful for. A Homegrown Program to Help Our Own in Berea Saint
Joseph - Berea’s homegrown program, Lights for Life,
helps low income and uninsured patients receive Each $10 donation will purchase one “light” on the Lights for Life Christmas tree in honor or in memory of a friend or loved one. The tree lighting ceremony will take place Friday, December 5 at 6 p.m. with a brand new outdoor Christmas tree on the lawn. Live Christmas music and refreshments will be provided. To find out more about the program, contact Katie Heckman at 859.986.6535.
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The
Fall Harvest Food Drive has begun at Flaget Memorial Hospital.
Donations will benefit St. Vincent DePaul Mission Store. As in previous
food drives a competition
will take place between department groupings.
This year the group with
the most food donated by weight will not only win the satisfaction of
helping
someone in need, but homemade pies as well. The final collection will
be December 1. The departments
are grouped as follows:
Children
of Families in Need in Martin
health-restoring
prescription medicines at no cost. If you would like to make a contribution
to this fund, please fill out a Lights for Life form which can be found
at the Hospitality Desk or in Administration. |
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The Daisy Award for Extraordinary Nurses program is currently in place at Saint Joseph Hospital, Saint Joseph East, Saint Joseph - Berea and Saint Joseph - Mount Sterling. The deadline for nominating a deserving registered nurse for the Daisy Award for this quarter is December 1. You can now complete & submit your nomination online at www.SaintJosephNurses.org. Or look for the Daisy Award brochures and nomination boxes throughout the hospitals. Rapid Response Team and "Condition H" in Lexington The
Rapid Response Team (RRT) process is a
collaborative effort. “Condition H,” known as family activated
RRT, will be fully implemented on December 1 at Saint Joseph
Hospital and Saint Joseph East. Aside from
the nurse who knows the patient best? Family members now have the opportunity
to activate the RRT if there is a noticeable change in the patient’s
health. Annual Safety Campaign in Mount Sterling Today is the kick-off for the Annual Safety Campaign at Saint Joseph - Mount Sterling. Employees can find the Safety Booklet on the Intranet (from home page, go to “education," then “updated safety campaign”). Department managers will have the blank tests, which are mandatory for all employees to complete and return to them by December 31, 2008. Blood Drive in Mount Sterling
November is Diabetes Awareness Month Diabetes is a chronic disease which means people will have it for life. For a person with diabetes, research shows that they are at a much greater risk for long-term health problems such as heart, kidney, eyes, nerve, vascular and feet problems. The good news is that diabetes is a controllable disease. It is a lifestyle disease because lifestyle changes are needed to help control it. To help control diabetes, the following is recommended: •
Follow a healthy diet (low in fat and calories)
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Blood Drive will be held at Saint Joseph - Mount Sterling
on Friday, December 12 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. More information to come! |
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The Saint Joseph Health System Fall Critical Care Conference, “Enhancing Your Critical Care Skills,” will be held on December 4 & 5 in the Saint Joseph Hospital Blakley Auditorium. The conference is designed as a 1-day conference with the same content being presented each day. This will allow staff to attend one day and work the next day so that their peers and co-workers can also attend. Please don’t forget to go to www.SaintJosephNurses.org and follow the link to get registered for the program. We hope to see you there! |
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Basic Medical Library Information Skills Get hands-on experience in using our medical information resources, including Saint Joseph’s Virtual Medical Library. This course is open to anyone interested in using these resources for work, study and research for school, or to do research to learn about health conditions or patient/family education. Register online at www.SaintJosephHealthSystem.org (education & events calendar). For additional information, contact Laurie Henderson at 859.313.1677.
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Saint
Joseph Hospital- Medical Library |
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