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Volume 2, Issue 29 - October 2, 2009 |
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Breaking Ground in Mount Sterling Saint Joseph Health System (SJHS) held the official groundbreaking ceremony for the new Saint Joseph - Mount Sterling (SJMS) on September 29. The ceremony was held at the site of the new hospital, on Falcon Drive in Mount Sterling (near Days Inn on Maysville Road, just off exit 110/I-64).
The ceremonial speakers included Gene Woods, CEO; Bruce Klockars, interim president of SJMS; Tom Byron, SJMS hospital council member; Mike Fiechter, chair of the SJHS Board; and James Rollins, MD, president of the SJMS medical staff, who all shared comments with attendees about exciting plans for the new facility. Sister Joan Wilson, a Sister of Charity of Nazareth, shared a reflection and Lexington Bishop Ronald Gainer blessed the new site. SJMS employees sang the hymn "Holy Ground" during the ceremony. Construction will begin this fall on the new all-private room hospital, scheduled to open in the summer of 2011. The facility will have private inpatient rooms, along with an intensive care unit, operating rooms, and maternity unit. The emergency department will also have private treatment rooms. Watch for more SJMS groundbreaking pictures |
In this Issue:
Beat the Bug. Get Your
Seasonal flu are FREE for all employees. Have you received yours? Click here to view details for your facility. |
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Annual Enrollment for Benefits to Start in November It is once again time for Saint Joseph Health System’s annual enrollment for benefits and this year’s program will launch some of the new components of CHI’s Healthy Spirit program. As you may recall, CHI Healthy Spirit is a system-wide effort to extend our mission of building healthy communities to the workplace, with a focus on physical, financial and spiritual health. The benefit and program changes you will see for 2010 place an emphasis on preventive care and staying healthy, as well as cost sharing between the employee and Saint Joseph Health System. This year, annual enrollment will occur from November 2-16 for Saint Joseph - Mount Sterling and November 6-20 for the remaining Saint Joseph Health System facilities. Each year, during this time, you can reevaluate your benefits and make changes that best fit your and your family’s needs. Listen in your Daily Line-Up meetings for more details, watch for an information packet to be mailed to your home and review the LEARN modules that have been assigned to you to learn more about the changes to the medical, dental and vision benefits. You can also visit www.SaintJosephHealthSystem.org to learn more (under “Saint Joseph Employees,” click on “Annual Enrollment”). Beat the Bug. Get Your Flu Shot! Saint Joseph Health System is offering seasonal (regular) flu vaccines to all employees at no cost. Gene Woods (CEO) and Dr. Dan Varga (chief medical officer) strongly recommend that all employees are vaccinated, even if you do not work in a clinical area, and even if you have not been vaccinated in previous flu seasons. This recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control will help us maintain our health during this potentially dangerous season. If you choose not to accept the seasonal flu vaccination, you will be required to sign a letter of declination which states that you understand the risk of not doing so (you will do this through a LEARN module, which you will find by logging on to your LEARN account). NOTE: If you receive a flu immunization at another location, such as your physician's office or Kroger, a receipt or documentation of the immunization will need to be provided to employee health. The H1N1 vaccination is expected to arrive in November; Flu Education, Mandatory LEARN Modules Beyond vaccination, education is another avenue to be sure that all of us understand our roles and responsibilities for infection control. We are caring for vulnerable members of our community such as newborns and very young children, immune compromised, and chronically ill. It is a serious responsibility that we do not infect those who are entrusted to us for their health care. A LEARN module has been developed for all SJHS employees regarding prevention, recognition of symptoms, proper use of respirator masks, and links to helpful resources. The LEARN module, "SJHS Emergency Flu Plan," has been assigned to every employee to be completed by October 31. A second LEARN module, SJHS Flu Vaccine Refusal, is required to be completed by all employees who do not opt to take the vaccine. Log on to your LEARN account through Inside CHI (click the LEARN link on the left side of the screen) or at www.SaintJosephHealthSystem.org/LearnInfo. What Happens if there is a Pandemic? If a true pandemic situation is experienced in our community, we would need to provide services in a disaster mode. Employees would be called similar to the model of our Disaster Personnel Pool, to help provide services. A short skills survey is a part of the LEARN module to help us determine how to best utilize our employees and skills across the system (you are required to take the SJHS Emergency Flu Plan LEARN module by October 31). In the event of a pandemic, it is estimated that up to 40% of our workforce could be infected at one time. Should this stage be reached, specific HR guidelines have been drafted to supersede current policy as related to PTO and EIB. We will share the details of this policy as we move forward, depending upon the seriousness of this flu season. Protect Yourself & Our Patients Proper hand washing with soap and water or a waterless sanitizer is your best defense against getting and spreading the flu. The power to stop infection is in your hands! Remember to follow the Infection Prevention and Control Policy: Isolation-Standard and Transmission Based Precautions:
If you do become symptomatic at work, contact your supervisor immediately, obtain a mask and leave the workplace. Everyone should follow current recommendations on seeing a health care provider and should not return to work until you are free from fever (100 degree F) for at least 48 hours. Please make every effort to keep yourself, your loved ones and our patients safe during this season. Saint Joseph Health System is posting messages at the entry points of all its hospitals encouraging visitors who are sick to delay their visit with patients until they are symptom free.
Beat the Bug. Get Your Flu Shot! Seasonal flu vaccines are FREE for ALL Saint Joseph Health System employees. If your health insurance is through Saint Joseph Health System, please bring your insurance card with you so the organization can be reimbursed for the cost of your shot. Saint Joseph - Berea Check with Elena Baker, 859.986.6740, if you need to make an appointment. Saint Joseph East Upcoming flu vaccine clinics are scheduled for (while supplies last): Saint Joseph Hospital Upcoming flu vaccine clinics are scheduled for (while supplies last): Saint Joseph - Jessamine Saint Joseph - London Saint Joseph - Martin Saint Joseph - Mount Sterling Flaget Memorial Hospital Location: Stress Testing Room near Oncology Logging Off HR/Payroll Connection Correctly Please remember to always log completely off HR/Payroll Connection AND Internet Explorer after checking your HR/Payroll Connection information! When checking HR/Payroll Connection from the Inside CHI Web site, you MUST not only log out of HR/Payroll Connection, but completely off Internet Explorer as well in order to totally break the connection to Inside CHI. Failure to do this will allow the next person to log directly into your HR/Payroll Connection information. PowerChart Users: Stay Updated on Use and New Functionality Several employees have requested updates on PowerChart use and new functionality. A PowerChart Reference Link is now available on the Saint Joseph Nurses Web site that you may find helpful for reviewing functionality in PowerChart. Visit www.SaintJosephNurses.org and click on the "PowerChart Information" link. The Online Modules for PowerChart, Physician’s Inbox and Remote Access to PowerChart are available for review. In the PC module you can use the menu on the left of the home page to navigate to a particular area of review. This module is also available via the LEARN network under SJHS PowerChart Review. Other references are available including a downloadable PowerChart Tips Booklet containing all the tips distributed on functionality for PowerChart. Individual needs vary so much throughout the organization and the Clinical Informatics Team is available to assist you—Eula Brown, 859.313.1863, and Paula Keally, 859.313.4776. Director of Nursing Selected for Saint Joseph East Deborah (Deb) Bryant is now the Director of Nursing for Saint Joseph East. Deb previously served as unit manager of the Emergency Department at Saint Joseph Hospital since 2003. New Fall Menu in the Green Leaf Cafe Nutritional Services unveiled its new fall menu on September 28 in the Green Leaf Cafe at Saint Joseph Hospital, and will do the same October 12 in the Green Leaf Cafe at Saint Joseph East. Changes were made based on feedback from the recent cafeteria surveys. The menu features new soups, entrees, burgers/sandwiches, sides and pizza. New items include: Homemade Veggie Lasagna, Beef Enchiladas, Apple Pork Loin, Chicken Divan, a Greek bar, Kentucky Burgoo, Roasted Garlic Vegetable soup, Mushroom Swiss Burger, Hawaiian Burger, Jamaican Jerk Wrap, BBQ Chicken Pizza, and lots more! New Lunch Program at Saint Joseph Office Park A Lunch To-Go Cart is now parked in the Saint Joseph Office Park, courtesy of Nutritional Services. A dedicated staff member will keep the meal cart full of freshly-prepared healthy options. Sandwich choices will include Turkey Clubs, Chicken Salad, Lite Tuna Salad, and Marinated Grilled Veggie Wraps. You can also choose from an assortment of Sun Chips, Baked chips, Pita Chips, Yogurts, Salads, Fresh Fruits, and beverages. The cart will be offered from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. It is a mobile cart that will start in Building B by the pedway. Requests are being sought for where else you may want the cart to travel within Saint Joseph Office Park (contact Amanda Goldman by e-mail or at 313.1251). This service is for all Saint Joseph Office Park employees, as well as Pinnacle Center employees. Saint Joseph Hospital Celebrates 132 Years Today On October 2, 1877, five Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, with Sister Euphrasia Stafford as their leader, began their work at Saint Joseph Hospital on 320 Linden Walk in Lexington (near Rose and Maxwell Streets) in a house that still stands today. In 1878, the Sisters moved the hospital to Second Street, where it remained until the 1959 move to Harrodsburg Road, where it lives today. On this special anniversary, let’s remember our foundresses' mission, which we still commit to today, to create healthy communities and to take care of people who need health care, treating them with dignity and respect. Foundation/United Way Annual Employee Campaign is Underway! Be an EARLY BIRD—Donate by Oct. 9 and you may win a prize! “LIVE UNITED” is the 2009 theme for the Foundation/United Way Campaign at Saint Joseph Hospital, Saint Joseph East, Saint Joseph - Jessamine and Saint Joseph - Mount Sterling. Your participation will help meet the needs of many critical programs and services that benefit employees and thousands of patients and their families in central and eastern Kentucky. One of the programs benefiting from your gift is the Saint Joseph Free Health Clinic. The Free Health Clinic’s goal is to provide primary health care services to the uninsured and poor residents of Fayette County. Starting out as the Saint Joseph Mobile Clinic in 1997, the Clinic has since moved to its current location at 1590 Harrodsburg Road. The new site allows staff to operate within a 2,400 square foot space, an increase from the 320 square foot mobile unit. The Free Health Clinic’s staff, which includes registered nurses, a family nurse practitioner and a social worker, manages more than 2,000 patients each year. The Free Health Clinic treats patients for cancer, cardiovascular disease, depression, diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, neurological disease, respiratory infections, pulmonary disease and orthopedics. The staff also provides illness prevention, medication management, nutrition education and psychological counseling.
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Walk to Remember This Weekend in Mount Sterling The annual “A Walk to Remember” will be held this Sunday, October 4, 2 p.m., at Easy Walker Park in Mount Sterling for those who have experienced a loss of a child. The event allows parents, grandparents, family and friends to come together for a day of remembrance and sharing. The program is coordinated by Jan Cornett, RN, nurse manager of the women’s care unit at Saint Joseph - Mount Sterling, which sponsors the event. A symbolic balloon release is held during the event to help families let go of a small amount of their grief. If would like more information, contact Jan Cornett at 859.497.6283. Open House for MedWorks, Outpatient Rehab Saint Joseph Health System is holding an Open House at Saint Joseph - Jessamine RJ Corman Ambulatory Care Center for MedWorks and Saint Joseph Outpatient Rehabilitation (Medical Office Building, Suite 101) on Wednesday, October 7, 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. The event will feature refreshments, tours, live jazz and door prizes. Everyone is invited. Saint Joseph Outpatient Rehabilitation also has locations at Saint Joseph - Berea, Saint Joseph East and Saint Joseph Park Physical Therapy (Saint Joseph Office Park/Saint Joseph Hospital campus). MedWorks also has locations at Saint Joseph - Berea and Saint Joseph East. Senior Health Fest Saint Joseph - Martin is hosting a Senior Health Fest for those 55 and older on Thursday, October 8 at Graceway Methodist Church in Langley (Maytown). Saint Joseph Health System's 2nd Annual Fall Critical Care Conference
October 8 or October 9 CONFERENCE HELD — Saint Joseph Hospital • Blakely Auditorium SPEAKER — Deborah Tuggle, RN, MN, CCNS
(Critical Care Clinical Nurse Specialist REGISTRATION — Limited to 200 participants each day. Cost includes one-day conference fee, continental breakfast, snacks and program materials. $75 for NON-SJHS employees who register online or by phone prior to the conference; $100 for NON-SJHS employees who register at the door. FREE for SJHS Employees (all Saint Joseph Health System employees must register online through the LEARN Web site). Annual Fall Festival in London Saint Joseph - London (SJL) will host its Annual Fall Festival on Saturday, October 10, 1:00 to 5:00 p.m., at the First Baptist Church recreation field (on the hill behind the church) on 5th Street. All SJL employees are invited. Plans are currently underway and will include great food, games, prizes and fun! Blood Drive in Martin Saint Joseph - Martin will host a blood drive on Wednesday, October 14, 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. The sign-up sheet will be posted October 6 beside the time clock. The theme is “Breast Cancer Awareness.” Plan to donate in honor or support of someone who is a breast cancer survivor or who has succumbed to the disease. If you can’t donate, ask someone to donate in your place! All donors will receive a free T-shirt. Remembering Our Babies in Bardstown A prayer service will be held Sunday, October 25 at 2:00 p.m. at Flaget Memorial Hospital. The service is called “Remembering Our Babies” and it is a memorial service for those whose lives have been touched by the loss of an infant during pregnancy or soon after birth. At the conclusion of the service there will be a balloon release and reception. The event is open to the community. October is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. |
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2009 Blood Glucose Standing Orders In-services Saint Joseph Hospital and Saint Joseph East are holding 15-minute in-services regarding the 2009 Blood Glucose Standing Orders. Attend any one in-service of choice at your convenience. TARGET AUDIENCE: Nurses, Unit Secretaries and Pharmacists. You MUST read the information packets before attending the in-service! Saint Joseph Hospital
Saint Joseph East
Basic Medical Library Information Skills Class 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 for this class by logging on to Inside CHI, then click the LEARN link on the left side of the screen. For additional information, contact Laurie Henderson at 859.313.1677 Saint Joseph Hospital Saint Joseph East Emergency Nursing Triage Course Emergency Department Registered Nurses are invited to participate in a very comprehensive and relevant course that will discuss legal and regulatory considerations as they relate to the specialty of triage nursing and triage documentation, consent, treatment of minors, EMTALA and elopes. Saint Joseph Hospital Kentucky Board of Nursing Credit Units: 7.00 CEU Registration: Register for this class through LEARN Upcoming Diabetes Workshops in Berea Care of the Hospitalized Patient with Diabetes Learning Objectives:
Registration: Register for this class by logging on to Inside CHI, Continuing Education Credit Units: 4.00, Kentucky Board of Nursing Understanding Diabetes Basics Learning Objectives:
Registration: Register for this class by logging on to Inside CHI, Continuing Education Credit Units: 4.00, Kentucky Board of Nursing Hospice Volunteer Training 11.1 FREE CONTACT HOURS FOR NURSES! Hospice of Nelson County, a service of Flaget Memorial Hospital, is offering free volunteer training for those who wish to become Hospice volunteers, or for anyone who wants to learn more about death and dying, and the Hospice concept of care. This free training will be provided Friday, October 16, from 6:00-9:15 p.m., and Saturday, October 17, from 9:00 a.m.-5:15 p.m., at the Hospice of Nelson County office, 111 North Third St., Bardstown. Breakfast and lunch provided Saturday by Hospice. Free CEUs for nurses and social workers. To register: call 502.350.5570. HIV/AIDS Educational Module: The following HIV/AIDS educational module has been added to the LEARN course library: KY Cabinet for Health and Family Services Approved HIV/AIDS Education for Nursing and Pharmacy. The learner can put in the key word "HIV" and will choose the above title from the listed courses. The LEARN module contains a link that will take the learner out to the Creative Educational Concepts Web site. This activity is supported by an educational grant from Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. This activity provides 2.0 CEUs for Nursing and Pharmacy. This course will expire on December 21, 2010. |
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Flaget Health Connection Offerings Flaget Health Connection is a service of Flaget Memorial Hospital. It is located at 111 N. Third St. in Bardstown. Call 502.348.7010 with any questions. Compassionate Friends of Nelson County Grief Support Group Blood Sugar Testing
Are You Ready to Quit Now? If you’ve been smoking for a while, you’ve heard many reasons to give up your dependence on tobacco: your health, your family, your money, the list goes on and on. But did you know the average person tries to quit tobacco several times before they are successful? Or that many doctors say that quitting nicotine is just as hard as kicking hard drugs? No wonder the thought of quitting can be daunting. When you think about quitting, you might be concerned about experiencing some of the side effects of nicotine withdrawal, and worried that it might be difficult to stay motivated. The Quit For Life® Program has helped thousands of people who had the exact same concerns. In our program, you’ll work with Quit Coaches®, experts trained in tobacco cessation techniques. By working with you one-on-one, our coaches can help you decide which medications you may qualify for, and how to take the medications for maximum effectiveness. Working with your coach, you will learn how to prepare to quit, plan a quit date, and develop a personal quitting plan. Best of all, you’ll be supported every step of the way. Does it work? Our results show that partnering with Quit For Life is eight times more successful than trying to quit on your own. You can do this. We’ll show you how. Give us a call today and learn how we can become your partner in success. Speak to a Quit Coach for FREE at 1.866.QUIT.4.LIFE (866.784.8454) or visit www.quitnow.net. Saint Joseph Health System employees can enroll for FREE! New
Cardiac Rehabilitation and Prevention Center in London Saint Joseph - London is pleased to announce an employee wellness offering at the new Cardiac Rehabilitation and Prevention Center located at 192 London Shopping Center. The wellness offering will be available Monday through Friday from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. There is a minimal fee of $10 per month to cover the cost of maintenance. The fee can be paid at the Cardiac Rehab Center and everyone is welcome to enroll. Employees should use the rear entrance to the area (behind the shopping center), since the front door will be locked after hours. Feel free to visit the new facility. For further information, call the Center at 606.330.2361. |
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Scholarship Recipients Thank Saint Joseph Saint Joseph Health System (SJHS) is a sponsor of the YMCA Black Achievers program and gives funds to provide scholarships to local students. SJHS has supported the YMCA Black Achievers program for many years. The program motivates African-American and Hispanic youth to set educational and career goals. Each year, Saint Joseph nominates employees to serve as "Adult Achievers" to work with the "Youth Achievers." Below are a few comments from recent scholarship recipients. "Thank you so much for giving me this scholarship. It will help me continue my education and one day have a great career. This really means a lot to me that you saw fit to help me. The money that I received will definitely be put to good use!" "Thank you for the generous contribution that you gave to me. I will be attending Kentucky State University and majoring in biology. Your contribution will be helpful to further my education. Thanks again!" "Thank you for the scholarship. It has already come as a big help to me and my family towards paying for college." |
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Employee Service Awards in London Saint Joseph - London recently held its annual Employee Service Awards Banquet at the local community center. More than 120 individuals were invited to receive awards with 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 years of service. Dinner was prepared by the hospital's Food & Nutrition staff and served by hospital management and members of the Employer of Choice Committee. During the banquet, the Employee of the Year was announced: Wesley Lovins (Respiratory Therapy). The Employee of the Year is chosen from the previous twelve Employees of the Month. Wesley Lovins, Employee of the Year, Saint Joseph - London Below are some of the comments that were made about Wesley:
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International Translator’s Day Every year on September 30 translators all around the world celebrate their profession. Translation (the rendering of a document from one language to another) and interpreting (the rendering of the spoken word from one language to another) have both come to be celebrated on this day. The date was chosen to pay tribute to St. Jerome, the Catholic patron saint of translators and interpreters. St. Jerome is revered because he translated the Old and New Testaments into Latin, which was later recognized by the Council of Trent as the official version of the Bible, the Vulgate. If you are working with an interpreter on this day, thank them for making your job easier. Saint Joseph uses both on-site and telephonic interpreting services. All efforts are made to arrange for on-site interpreting, as needed, in advance. If you are working at Saint Joseph Hospital, Saint Joseph East, Saint Joseph - Jessamine or Saint Joseph - Berea, please see the Language Services Department page on the Intranet for more details on how to contact a trained medical interpreter. If you are using translated materials, remember all the work that went into producing that document. Please send any translation requests (currently the only threshold language is Spanish) to the Language Services Department, 859.313.1510, in care of Lynn Fors. This week marked International Translator’s Day. Next week is: |
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Blessing of Saint Joseph - Jessamine, Dedication of New Garden On September 16, Lexington Bishop Ronald Gainer led a blessing ceremony for Saint Joseph - Jessamine RJ Corman Ambulatory Care Center (SJJ). In conjunction with the ceremony, the Dave Lafferty Serenity Garden was unveiled. The ceremony was held in the new garden, which is nestled in a corner of SJJ's spacious front lawn. Lafferty worked for the Saint Joseph family for 45 years, serving as the executive director of facilities. He retired January 2, 2009, the day SJJ opened its doors to the Nicholasville community. SJJ was Lafferty’s final project for Saint Joseph Health System. Special thanks to Dan Andrews, SJJ emergency department unit manager, for taking these photographs during the ceremony.
Saint Joseph – Berea Participates Fully in Spoonbread Festival Despite a little rain, the Spoonbread Festival was a fun and well-attended community event September 18-20 in Berea. Saint Joseph – Berea (SJB) sponsored and hosted the 5K race in which a record 483 participants ran or walked. SJB provided First-Aid services and a hospitality tent at Memorial Park for three days with an emphasis on disease prevention, service promotion, infection control, and flu education to the public. Several service lines at Saint Joseph Hospital and Saint Joseph East participated. More than 100 gracious employees and volunteers assisted with planning, hauling supplies, set-up, race preparation, service provision and staffing.
Saint Joseph - Berea Fall Managers' Retreat Saint Joseph - Berea (SJB) managers gathered together last week to reflect, create and plan. A major topic of discussion was the new Optimal Healing Environment initiative that SJB is about to embark upon. Managers worked together on a mosaic project which was a physical embodiment of the commitment by the management team to the new initiative.
Supporting Breast Cancer Awareness
2009 Spirit Award The Patient Financial Services team at Saint Joseph - Martin won the 2009 "Spirit Award," a new award that will travel every year to the department that shows the most spirit during Hospital Week. In 2009, Patient Financial Services employees embraced the Disney-themed Hospital Week, dressing as their favorite characters including imitating "The Pirates of the Caribbean."
Talk Like a Pirate Day Now here is a nationally recognized day that you don't often hear about. The Saint Joseph - London Pharmacy staff took a break from the normal routine on "National Talk Like A Pirate Day" on September 19.
Weekend Retreat at Nazareth Dorothy Zimmerman, Regional Director of Revenue Cycle Management, recently made her lifetime commitment to the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Associate program (visit http://www.scnfamily.org to learn more). During the retreat, she visited with several Sisters who have served at Saint Joseph Hospital.
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