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Volume 2, Issue 28 - September 18, 2009 |
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Spotlight Lexington: One-Year Countdown Saint Joseph Health System (SJHS) is the presenting sponsor for Spotlight Lexington, a seventeen-day downtown celebration during the 2010 World Equestrian Games (September 24-October 10, 2010). As presenting sponsor, SJHS will receive ongoing presence connected with the events, and will partner with the event to offer health screenings and wellness opportunities.
Saint Joseph Health System CEO Gene Woods spoke at a Spotlight Lexington press conference this summer, alongside
Mayor Jim Newberry (to his left), announcing SJHS will serve as the presenting sponsor of the
festival. Behind Woods is a horse topiary that is placed in the Courthouse Plaza as a visual,
growing reminder that the Games are getting closer. To celebrate the one-year countdown until the beginning of Spotlight Lexington, a party will be held during “Thursday Night Live” at Cheapside Park next Thursday, September 24, 5:30-7:30 p.m. SJHS will host a booth, promoting Go Red for Women, Saint Joseph Vascular Center and Saint Joseph Men’s Health. SJHS professionals will offer free blood pressure screenings, ankle-brachial index (ABI) screenings to detect peripheral vascular disease and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screenings for prostate cancer. Everyone is invited! Watch for ongoing details of our involvement in upcoming Saint Joseph communication. Visit spotlightlexky.com for more details. |
In this Issue:
Win Big! Contribute to the Foundation/ Employee Campaign and you could Select SJHS facilities
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Seasonal Flu Vaccine has Arrived The seasonal flu vaccine has arrived at Saint Joseph Health System. Employee Health leaders across the system are prepared to kick off the first wave of the routine seasonal flu vaccination during the last week of September. (Dates vary slightly by facility and will be announced very soon). The Centers for Disease Control are recommending vaccination this year, especially for health care workers. Unfortunately, the CDC reports that health care workers are notoriously low in vaccine compliance. It is even more important this flu season, because the world is experiencing a new virus strain, H1N1 (swine flu). We do not know how serious it will affect individuals and how many. The routine seasonal flu vaccine will be provided free of charge for Saint Joseph Health System employees, but it will not protect against H1N1. This will require a separate vaccination, and it is not yet ready for distribution. We will provide details on that vaccination when available. Flu Education, Mandatory LEARN Modules Beyond vaccination, education is another avenue to be sure that all Saint Joseph Health System employees understand their 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 Saint Joseph Health System employees regarding prevention, recognition of symptoms, proper use of respirator masks, and links to helpful resources. The LEARN module, “SJHS Emergency Flu Plan,” will be assigned to every employee to be completed by October 31 (details to follow). A second LEARN module, “SJHS Flu Vaccine Refusal,” is required to be completed by all employees who do not opt to take the vaccine. Employees will be asked to sign a vaccine refusal statement, indicating they have been educated and are aware of the risks of refusing vaccination. Various health care organizations across the country, such as Emory University, and the state of California have mandated that health care workers be vaccinated. Entry-Point Messages to Our Visitors Who Are Sick Beginning next week, Saint Joseph Health System will be posting messages at the entry points of all hospitals encouraging visitors who are sick to delay their visit with patients until they are symptom free. Restrictions on the Visitation Policy During this particularly difficult flu season, we are taking steps to protect our most vulnerable patients. Effective October 1, there will be new restrictions on the visitation policy in our maternity units at Saint Joseph East, Saint Joseph - London, Saint Joseph - Mount Sterling and Flaget Memorial Hospital. Details of this new visitation policy are forthcoming.
Breaking Ground in Mount Sterling A groundbreaking and blessing ceremony for Saint Joseph - Mount Sterling’s replacement facility will be Tuesday, September 29 at 10:00 a.m. at the new hospital site—off I-64 near exit 110 (Maysville Road) behind Wendy’s and Days Inn. Lexington Bishop Ronald Gainer will bless the new site, and the ground will be “broken” to prepare for the start of the construction this fall. The new all-private room facility will have a total
of 40 private inpatient rooms,
along with an intensive care
unit, operating rooms and
maternity unit. The emergency
department will have 14 private treatment rooms. These details are just a few
of the exciting plans for the upcoming hospital; more
will be shared as the project
moves forward. The grand
opening is anticipated to be in
the summer of 2011. Watch the Video! Who’s Looking After Us? View the first new animated video – "Who's Looking After Us?" – which is part of the employee communications supporting the new CHI Healthy Spirit initiative. The three-minute video introduces CHI Healthy Spirit and focuses on what employees can do to live healthier lives. CHI Healthy Spirit is a system-wide effort to build healthy communities within our workplace. New programs, benefit changes and employee communication and education will help us and our families live healthier lives in every way – physically, financially, spiritually and emotionally. The video is now available on Inside CHI, on the CHI Healthy Spirit page. (Inside CHI: About CHI/CHI Healthy Spirit/HealthTube Videos) Share Your Stories Catholic Health Initiatives is collecting stories for yet another edition of its hallmark publication titled Sacred Stories, to be published in early 2010. If you have experienced a special moment with a co-worker, patient or patient's family, please consider sharing your story. Preference is given to stories that address the spirituality at work in the routines of our ordinary, daily ministry, not just in extraordinary circumstances or extraordinary work performance. You can view examples of past sacred stories on the Inside CHI Web site. Your story should be no more than 450 words. The submission deadline is Tuesday, September 22. Type your story and send it to Dorothy Zimmerman via e-mail. Take the Reader Reward Challenge When you receive your September/October issue of Common Thread at home, make sure to take the Reader Reward Challenge for a chance to win a $75 Wal-Mart gift card! Congratulations to previous Reader Reward winners (July/August issue) Charlotte Anglin (Saint Joseph - Berea), Gui Cozzi (Saint Joseph Hospital) and Martha Bickett (Flaget), who each received a $75 Visa gift card. The September/October issue of Common Thread features Saint Joseph - Berea employee Brenda Merritt who used the Quit for Life Program to kick her 30-year tobacco habit. You can share your story ideas for upcoming issues at www.SaintJosephCommonThread.org. You can also read past issues of the magazine at this site. Is Your Mailing Address Up-To-Date? Annual enrollment materials will be mailed to your mailing addresses soon. To be sure you receive this important information, click the "Personal Information" tab in HR/Payroll Connection to confirm that your home and mailing addresses are correct and on file. (Saint Joseph - Mount Sterling employees can verify their mailing addresses with their local human resources office). 'Rapid Regulatory' Deadline is Fast-Approaching! Several mandatory LEARN assignments were assigned to all Saint Joseph Health System employees. Check your LEARN account regularly to stay on track! Rapid Regulatory Compliance I & II Deadline is fast-approaching: Sept. 30, 2009 Check your LEARN assignments and due dates by logging into Inside CHI, then click the LEARN link on the left side of the screen. For additional information, visit: www.SaintJosephHealthSystem.org/LearnInfo. Renew Your Kentucky Nurse License The 2009 Kentucky Nurse License Renewal period is underway. You must renew your license by October 31, 2009. Renew online at the Kentucky Board of Nursing Web site: www.kbn.ky.gov. Day Care Openings The Saint Joseph Children's Center (located across the street from Saint Joseph Hospital) currently has openings for 3- and 4-year-olds. Interested employees should contact Angela Woodrum, manager, at 254.7313 for more information. Foundation/United Way “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 noteworthy program is the Nursing and Allied Health Scholarship Program. The Nursing and Allied Health Scholarship Program was established in 2001. More than 108 deserving students have been awarded scholarships, totaling more than $349,000. The Foundation established this program to attract and maintaining quality health care professionals. Eligible nursing and allied health students can apply and receive up to two years of financial assistance, including tuition, books and fees. Upon graduation, students are obligated to serve as a full-time employee for each year academic funds were provided. Lorin Jenkins, nursing scholarship recipient, said, “I am so thankful for the scholarship because it has helped me further my education and the people at Saint Joseph have taught me what it means to be a nurse.”
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When the Stakes are High 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). Register by October 1. For more information or to register visit the LEARN Web site. Kentucky Bourbon Festival This Weekend Flaget Memorial Hospital will host a booth and provide health screenings and first-aid at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival this weekend, September 18-20, in Bardstown. The festival features distillery tours, displays, musical entertainment, southern food and contests. Visit www.kybourbonfestival.com for the complete schedule of events. Spoonbread Festival This Weekend The Spoonbread Festival is this weekend, September 18-20, in Berea. Festival highlights include live music, crafts, contests, a parade, hot air balloons, a kiddie land, food and delicious spoonbread. Saint Joseph - Berea is the presenting sponsor of the Spoonbread Festival 5K Run and 1-Mile Fun Walk once again this year and will provide health information and first-aid services in Memorial Park during the festival. The race is Saturday, September 19 and begins and ends at the hospital. Learn more and view the schedule of events at www.SpoonBreadFestival.com. Learn More about Your Retirement The Great West Retirement representative will visit Flaget Memorial Hospital on Monday, September 21, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the IT Classroom to assist employees with any retirement questions. 20th Annual World Chicken Festival Saint Joseph - London is a sponsor of the 20th Annual World Chicken Festival to be held September 24-27 in downtown London. The festival features entertainment, vendors, arts & crafts, carnival rides, contests (including a Colonel Sanders look-alike contest and an egg drop), plenty of food and the world’s largest skillet. Visit www.chickenfestival.com for a complete schedule of events. Saint Joseph - London will host health information booths at the festival. If you would like to volunteer or your department/unit would like space to provide education, contact Sharon Hershberger at 606.330.3135. The hospital will also offer free vendor booth space for employees and their families to sell their handcrafted items. For more information and to reserve your spot, contact Sharon Hershberger at 606.330.3135. Join the Saint Joseph Race for the Cure Team Saint Joseph Breast Center, a department of Saint Joseph Health System, is a proud sponsor of the Susan G. Komen 2009 Race for the Cure. Help in the fight against breast cancer and participate in the race on Saturday, September 26 in downtown Lexington. The race is open to men and women runners and walkers of all ages and ability levels, and there are several events for breast cancer survivors. Saint Joseph Breast Center staff will distribute literature about their services and the importance of early detection during the race-day health fair. Join the Saint Joseph team: • Go to www.KomenLexington.org To learn more, call Saint Joseph Breast Center at 859.967.5613. Saint Joseph Breast Center is located at Saint Joseph East, Saint Joseph Office Park and Saint Joseph - Berea. Lab Ride 2009 The Saint Joseph Hospital laboratory department is proud to host its first motorcycle ride! Join them on a scenic ride through Fayette, Jessamine, Madison and Clark counties, and get to know some of the people that work in the hospital laboratories in central Kentucky. Enjoy a ferry ride over the Kentucky River and gorgeous views of the Kentucky countryside. All bikes are welcome! Duration of the ride will be approximately 1-1½ hours. The ride will start and end at the entrance of Jacobson Park (Richmond Rd., Lexington) on Sunday, September 27. Everyone will meet at 3:00 p.m. Ride will be rescheduled in the event of rain. For questions, contact: Chance Potter, second shift laboratory supervisor, at 859.313.3156 or Fistgar@bellsouth.net. A Walk to Remember The annual “A Walk to Remember” will be held 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 you are interested in volunteering for the event or would like more information, contact Jan Cornett at 859.497.6283. Runners Needed for The Bourbon Chase Saint Joseph Health System is sponsoring a team for The Bourbon Chase, October 9-10, and needs 12 motivated and fun runners to participate! During the event, teams of relay runners will cover 200 miles of scenic byways along the famous Kentucky Bourbon Trail and Bluegrass horse country. Interested runners need to contact Greg Gerard at 859.986.6366. Visit www.BourbonChase.com to learn more about the event. |
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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 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 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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Heart of Saint Joseph Award Congratulations to Kelly Johnson for being named a recipient of the Heart of Saint Joseph Award at Saint Joseph East. Kelly is a labor and delivery nurse. Through the Heart of Saint Joseph Award, employees are recognized for outstanding performance in exemplifying Saint Joseph Health System's four core values: Reverence, Integrity, Compassion and Excellence. Any employee can nominate another employee for this possible recognition. The selected employee will receive the Heart of Saint Joseph Award certificate, $75.00, a preferred parking spot for one month and recognition in InCommon. The award is currently in place at Saint Joseph Hospital, Saint Joseph East and Saint Joseph - Berea. To nominate an employee, simply go to the Saint Joseph Health System Web site, www.SaintJosephHealthSystem.org (click on your hospital tab, then select "Saint Joseph Employees" and "Recognition & Awards").
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Saint Joseph East A Compliment for the Labor & Delivery Unit, Women's Care "I am writing to compliment you on your nursing staff in labor and delivery. My daughter recently came to your hospital for a scheduled induction delivery. Jenni, the RN taking care of her, was so sweet and helpful. She was also very informative and very patient with my daughter’s many questions. After her block and having her water broken by Dr. Berry Campbell, she settled back to wait for her child. While giving report, the nurses noticed heart beat deceleration and immediately responded. Things became very tense when the heartbeat could not be detected at all. The team of night and day nurses responded with expertise. She was out of her L/D room and on her way to surgery [and my granddaughter was delivered shortly after that]. Dr. Campbell was out of the building, in his car in the parking lot, returned and delivered her in 6 minutes. All of this would not have happened if your staff had not responded so quickly and so expertly. I am a nurse and know the consequence of any delay or hesitancy and the baby having an Apgar of 8 and 9 is a result of your staff’s initiative. Our entire experience at Saint Joseph East was very positive. As I have said, I cannot sing the praises enough of the labor and delivery staff. Post-partum staff was great, especially Trish. She spent lots of time in my daughter’s room answering questions and just listening to a new mother. Nursery staff was great as well, always responding to the needs of the mother and baby and always deferring to the mother’s wishes in regards to caring for the baby. My heart is so full and thankful, and my granddaughter is beautiful. I know when things go wrong you always hear about it, so I wanted to be sure to let you know when things go well. But I also wanted to thank you for having a staff that is knowledgeable and independent. I would recommend your facility to anyone preparing to have a child." Great job Saint Joseph East Women's Care Service team members! |
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Celebrating EVS Week in Nicholasville This week marked National Health Care Environmental Services Week and Housekeeping Week. To thank their environmental services team at Saint Joseph - Jessamine RJ Corman Ambulatory Care Center, Administrator Chris Bowe and Operations Manager Stacie Back treated them to a complimentary lunch at a local Nicholasville Mexican restaurant on Monday.
Go Red for Women Lunch & Learn in Bardstown Flaget Memorial Hospital and the American Heart Association hosted a Lunch & Learn event featuring heart disease survivor and clinician Jerri Passo, RN, BSN, who spoke on “The Heart Truth for Women.” The event was held September 8 at the Bardstown Country Club. Eighty-five women attended and enjoyed a complimentary heart-healthy lunch as they learned about their unique risk factors for heart disease. Saint Joseph Health System is the central Kentucky sponsor of the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women movement, and regularly hosts Lunch & Learns in its communities.
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