When an epidemic threatens, Christiana Care shows its preparedness
E
ven before the first cases of swine flu, clinically known as the H1N1 virus, were confirmed in Delaware, a multidisciplinary team at Christiana Care was mobilized, ready to deliver care and information in our region. “Our primary goals were to make sure that our messages were consistent with what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Delaware Division of Public Health were saying, says Marci Drees, M.D., MS, hospital epidemiologist and infectious diseases specialist.
2
“We needed to do this while responding in detail to concerns specific to Christiana Care, and to relay a sense of calm,” she says. Christiana Care runs several drills a year to practice for different types of emergencies, says Administrative Projects Coordinator Brian Humphrey, BA, MBA, MHA. Heightened state of alert But H1N1 put the system into a heightened state of alert. “This time, it was for real,” Humphrey says. “It was new territory for everyone.” Internally, leaders in various disciplines communicated through conference calls at least twice a day, often with as many as 40 participants. “We had systemwide commitment,”
says Robert Rosenbaum, M.D., chair of Emergency Preparedness. “Departments that were requested to have backup scheduling plans were ready to staff extra areas to care for an influx of patients. Supplies were ready, distribution plans were in place and leadership was ready if we needed to move forward with our plans.” Excellent communications work Chief Medical Officer Jim Newman, M.D., participated in Gov. Jack Markell’s press conference addressing the crisis and served as a liaison with the governor’s office, which was instrumental in obtaining supplies of the antiviral drug Tamiflu, both in capsules and pediatric liquid.
“I was proud of the work done by Christiana Care leaders who devoted their expertise and energy in making this as easy a process as possible,” he says. “There was good communication and cooperation between everyone.”
bers and volunteers also would be treated with a regimen of Tamiflu.
school, so the school shuttled Tamiflu to their homes.
“But because of the flu’s incubation period, we couldn’t wait until Monday,” O’Connor says. “So we called everyone in on Saturday.”
Classrooms scrubbed
Scott Mash, director of Web Services, The state health department delivered and Communications managers Spiros the medications at 7 p.m. Three stuMantzavinos and Bill Schmitt formed dents didn’t have transportation to a rapid response team to participate in conference calls and offer strategic communications advice. They also discussed the response to the outbreak with state communicators and those at other hospitals. The team popsted key messages to christianacare.org for the community and to the Portals for employees, provided daily updates to Christiana Care’s board of directors, trustees and Junior Board executive committee and fielded many media calls. “We worked extremely well together to instill a sense of calm in our messaging, whether the communication was for our neighbors, physicians, employees or the media,” Mash says.
students have compromised immune systems. The school’s 15 staff mem-
2
●
FOCUS May 21, 2009
Monday morning, students were back in school with no loss of class time.
Epidemiologist Marci Drees, M.D., embraces both patient care and research As an undergraduate at the University of North Dakota, hospital epidemiologist Marci Drees, M.D., MS, FACP, DTMH, remembers people on campus discussing their experiences living with HIV. Many were disappointed by their medical treatment. “But they each had found a personal physician who was not afraid of them and who really cared about their wellbeing,” she says. “I wanted to be a physician like that.”
Today, Dr. Drees works one day a week with HIV patients at a clinic in At First State School, a school for Georgetown. Her role has become chronically ill students on the increasingly busy due to new guideChristiana Care Wilmington campus, a lines and public reporting regarding student went to the nurse’s office with hospital-acquired infections. She also a high fever and complaining of fluis clinical investigator in Infectious like symptoms, on a Wednesday Diseases at the Christiana Center for morning, the same day as the goverOutcomes Research and director of nor’s press conference. Resident Research in the Department of Medicine. “As soon as the nurse saw him, she put a mask on him,” recalls Coleen “My own research has primarily been O’Connor, program coordinator. in hospital-acquired infections, and we have ongoing studies in methicillinThat Friday, a nasal swab confirmed resistant Staph aureus (MRSA) in the the H1N1 virus. A prevention plan was immediately set in motion to treat medical ICU at Christiana Hospital First State’s 16 other students as a pre- and in the Emergency Department,” she says. ventive measure because most of the First State School hit
Meanwhile, an environmental services team scrubbed down classrooms, offices and gathering spaces with an antibacterial agent.
She is a graduate of the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, where she was mentored by a teacher who specialized in infectious diseases. “That really sealed it for me,” Dr. Drees says. Between her Internal Medicine residency at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver and her Infectious Disease fellowship at Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston, she worked as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer with the Centers for Disease Control, a twoyear training program about public health and epidemiology. She was stationed with the Delaware Division of Public Health in Dover, which was her initial introduction to Delaware. “This experience not only broadened my horizons in terms of thinking about health on the population level as well as the individual patient level, but gave me some basic research skills and piqued my interest in doing research as a career,” Dr. Dreez says.
Molecular geneticist Csilla I. Szabo, Ph.D., joins Center for Translational Cancer Research
Molecular geneticist Csilla I. Szabo, Ph.D., will join the Center for Translational Cancer Research at the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center, as associate director of Cancer Genetics. Dr. Szabo analyzes the mechanisms of genetic susceptibility and the molecular genetics of breast cancer. Dr. Szabo comes to us from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, where she was senior research associate in the Laboratory of Medicine and Pathology and a 2007 recipient of the Mayo Rochester Early Career Development Award. She is currently a visiting scientist with the Genome Technology Branch of the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health. “We welcome Dr. Szabo’s scientific expertise and investigative experience as we continue to expand both our cancer genetics and translational research programs,” says Nicholas J. Petrelli, M.D., Bank of America endowed medical director of the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center at Christiana Care. “ From 1994-1998 at the University of California, Berkley and the University of Washington, Seattle, she was a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of MaryClaire King, Ph.D., renowned for her discovery of the breast cancer genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2. With Dr. King and others at UC Berkley, Dr. Szabo is co-holder of patents for identifying genetic markers for breast, ovarian and prostate
Molecular geneticist Csilla I. Szabo, Ph.D., joins the Center for Translational Cancer Research at the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center as associate director of Cancer Genetics. cancer that could potentially serve as new and improved targets to better predict, diagnose and treat these and other cancers. Dr. Szabo earned a degree in biochemistry from the University of New Hampshire and a doctorate in genetics from Cornell University. She was recruited by the Cancer Center and the University of Delaware (UD) to join the Center for Translational Cancer Research, a collaborative program directed by UD Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Robert Sikes, Ph.D. Her appointment will be in the UD Department of Biological Sciences.
Welcome New M-D Staff Anesthesiology Alison J. Brainard, M.D. 2 Reads Way Road, Suite 201 New Castle, Del. 19720 Phone: 302-709-4709 Family & Community Medicine Melissa M. Zale, M.D. Westside Family Healthcare 908B E. 16th Street Wilmington, Del. 19802 Phone: 302-575-1414 Medicine/Internal Medicine Juan Maria L. Cabrera, M.D. 131 Continental Drive, Suite 200 Newark, Del. 19713 Phone: 302-366-1868 Obstetrics-Gynecology Zahid Aslam, M.D. 111 W. High Street, Suite 207 Elkton, Md. 21921 Phone: 410-398-0590 Maryam Awan, M.D. 111 W. High Street, Suite 207 Elkton, Md. 21921 Phone: 410-398-0590 Swathi S. Vanguri, M.D. 2106 Silverside Road, Suite 202 Wilmington, DE 19810 Phone: 302-477-9660 Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery & Hospital Dentistry/Orthodontics Stephanie E. Steckel, D.D.S. Orthodontics on Silver Lake 42 Hiawatha Lane Dover, Del. 19904 Phone: 302-672-7776 Psychiatry/Child Psychiatry Peta J. Clarkson, M.D. 825 Washington Street Wilmington, Del. 19806 Phone: 302-655-7110 4
●
FOCUS May 21, 2009
Cindy Waddington, RN, MSN, AOCN
Tina Scherer, RN, MSN, OCN
Forty graduate chemo-biotherapy course at Graham Cancer Center
A
bout 40 participants graduated in April from a course on administering chemotherapy and biotherapy to patients undergoing cancer treatment given at the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center. The twice-yearly program covers various forms of chemotherapy and how to recognize and manage their possible side effects, said Cindy Waddington, RN, MSN, AOCN, a clinical nurse specialist at the Graham Cancer Center. Waddington and Tina Scherer, RN, MSN, OCN, a nurse navigator at the Graham center, co-taught the course using training materials developed by the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS), a national organization for oncology nurses
and other health care providers. “This is an excellent program,” Waddington says. “Because it’s backed by ONS, we know the content is current and correct.” Although the class primarily targets licensed RNs who are new to administering chemotherapy and biotherapy, people attending also included occupational and physical therapists who work with cancer patients, Waddington says. About half the attendees were Christiana Care employees, and the rest came from other organizations, including home health care agencies. The next session of the class will be December 7-8. Contact Waddington at 302-623-4707 for details.
Federal grant will expand cadiovascular disease and cancer research
A
five-year, $17.4 million federal grant will expand Christiana Care’s research on cancer and cardiovascular disease diagnostics and treatment. The National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Research Resources (NIH-NCRR) awarded the grant to the Delaware IDeA Network of Biomedical Research (INBRE). William Weintraub, M.D., chief of cardiology at Christiana Care’s Center for Heart and Vascular Health and head of the Christiana Care Center for Cardiovascular Outcomes Research, says the INBRE award is “a major step in the development of cardiovascular research in the state of Delaware, with cardiovascular projects both at Christiana Care and at the University of Delaware. “The INBRE grant will help develop a broad range of translational research projects and make new ideas for improved diagnostics and therapy available to the state and nation.” Established in 2004 through an NIH-NCRR grant to expand geographic distribution of NIH funding, INBRE includes Christiana Care, the University of Delaware’s Delaware Biotechnology Institute, Delaware State University, Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Delaware Technical and Community College, and Wesley College.
Beginning May 1, the grant supports 15 research projects, including Christiana Care’s cutting-edge research on cancer and cardiovascular disease to improve the health of Delawareans—and of people around the world. “The INBRE funding allows us to continue translational cancer research on cancer stem cells and biomarkers,” says Nicholas J. Petrelli, M.D., the Bank of America endowed medical director of the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center at Christiana Care, who will lead INBRE’s cancer-research program. One of several research partnerships Christiana Care is also involved in a host of other clinical and biomedical research partnerships, including the recently announced Delaware Health Sciences Alliance in which it collaborates with the University of Delaware, Thomas Jefferson University and Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children on cancer, cardiovascular disease and rehabilitative medicine research.
Annual diabetes symposium becomes more popular each year
Mr. Dillard plays piano to lift the spirits of people living with cancer
A
“What a Wonderful World,” “Over the t the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center, Duane Dillard sits at the keyboard, filling Rainbow” and “Pennies from Heaven.” “I try to select songs that are beautiful and melodthe air with music and positive thoughts. ic,” he says. Dillard has been playing piano professionally for about 30 years. But when touches the keys Dillard began playing at Helen F. Graham a year ago, soon after he was laid off from his of the gleaming Yamaha baby grand in the cancer center lobby, he plays solely to lift the job at a computer company. spirits of patients and their loved ones. A friend suggested he volunteer at the He also plays from the heart. Dillard’s dad died of multiple melanoma and he is dedicated to lifting the spirits of people who are living with cancer. His repertoire includes standards from the Great American songbook, such favorites as
6
●
FOCUS May 21, 2009
Graham Cancer Center, and he has been traveling from his home near Fair Hill, Md., about once a week since then. “People have come up to me in tears, grateful that I’m trying to brighten their day,” Dillard says.
A Victoria Laor, D.M.D., a PGY4 resident in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, won first prize for a poster abstract, out of a total of 31 oral and poster abstracts at the Annual Meeting of the American College of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Dr. Laor’s abstract describes a 33year-old patient with Zimmerman Laband Syndrome, a genetic, previously undiagnosed condition marked by overgrowth of the gums and bone resulting in extensive facial deformity. “We were able to evaluate and treat his condition and improve his quality of life,” Dr. Laor says.
It’s time to share how you are achieving excellence. All Christiana Care departments, units and teams are invited to share projects demonstrating improvement in process or outcomes. To participate, please complete the application (letter of intent) by May 31. http://inet/webforms/pi/applicati onfoeaward.asp
n April 27 surgical procedure at Wilmington Hospital marked the first time that a Christiana Care oral surgeon used software that integrates CT scanning to pinpoint the optimal location for a patient’s dental implant. Joseph F. Spera, D.M.D., a Wilmington oral surgeon and an attending in the Department of Oral And Maxillofacial Surgery at Christiana Care, used the new SimPlant software and Biomet Navigator System for CT-Guided Surgery, during implant surgery on a 30-year-old woman whose teeth that had been damaged as a result of radiation treatment she had received years before to treat childhood cancer. Replacing a missing or seriously damaged tooth, a dental implant is a crown on a metal screw placed in the bone. Finding the optimal spot in the bone for placing the implant can be challenging, especially with patients who have experienced bone loss. A CT-scan generated a virtual 3-D model of the patient’s mouth that helped guide Dr. Spera in placing the implants. “The software allows the
doctor to place the implant more precisely,” says Dr. Spera. Dr. Spera teamed with Kendra Schaefer, D.M.D., one of a relatively small number of maxillofacial prosthodontists in the nation. Dr. Schaefer is an assistant professor in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Division of Prosthodontics at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Zucker was instrumental in helping the dept. obtain the software and instrumentation as well as mentoring me and reviewing the case, Dr. Spera says. The new system is an important step forward for patients requiring complex dental surgery, says Edwin L. Granite, D.M.D., chair of Christiana Care’s Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. “This navigational system enhances our ability in oral and maxillofacial surgery to place implants more precisely to restore the form and function of the jaws and face,” Dr. Granite says.
Therapeutic Notes The April 23 issue of FOCUS intro- Regimen B: a “Lowered-dose” regduced two new tools developed by the imen based on a starting dose of National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG) 3E 12 units/kg/hr (e.g., ACS patients). Anticoagulation team: The warfarin ■ It changes monitoring aPTT from 6 preprinted order sheet (MD5605) and to 8 hours to time the labs more the Continuous IV Heparin Orders for closely with heparin steady-state. Adults (MD5613). ■ It slightly changes some aPTT dose The April 23 issue discussed MD5605 adjustment ranges. in detail. This issue highlights the When using the new three-page order details of MD5613. sheet: Required element of performance ■ Complete all of page one, includOne NPSG 3E heparin requirement is ing selecting either Regimen A or that the organization develop order sets B. for therapeutic heparin use. ■ Complete all of the shaded areas in Although Christiana Care prescribers the ordered regimen (page 2 = have used the current heparin continuRegimen A, page 3 = Regimen B). ous infusion preprinted order sheet, ■ Sign all pages. MD5408, for several years, the team Problems when ordering heparin updated dosing and monitoring requirements, expanded the indications The new form does not correct two heparin ordering problems: and changed the format to improve ease of use and understanding for pre- ■ Handwritten orders for “start scribers, nurses and pharmacists. heparin protocol.” Christiana Care does not have a continuous Order sheet MD5613 in use heparin infusion protocol. Effective June 16, the heparin continuHandwritten orders do not address ous infusion preprinted order sheet key elements—dosing weight, MD5613 replaces MD5408. bolus detail and other order From that date forward, DO NOT USE parameters—that need to be clariMD5408. fied. So, handwritten orders may result in a delay in therapy, espeThe new order sheet streamlines ordercially with several regimens to ing heparin therapy and prompts prechoose from. When it is possible to scribers for required elements of the use MD5613, handwritten orders orders. are strongly discouraged. MD5613 is distinctly different from ■ Order sheets not completed in MD5408: full. As above, the need for clarifi■ It establishes a dose standard in cation may lead to delays in thera“units/hour” as opposed to py. “mL/hour.” Direct your comments or questions to ■ It includes TWO regimens: Medication Safety Specialist Dean A. - Regimen A: a “Standard” Regimen Bennett, RPh, dbenbased on a starting dose of 18 nett@ChristianaCare.org. units/kg/hr (e.g., DVT and PE patients). 8
●
FOCUS May 21, 2009
I
magine doctors and nurses, receptionists and trustees, administrators, lab techs and physician assistants, books in hand, sitting in a circle in a hospital conference room, cafeteria, or lounge discussing a novel, play or poem they have just read, reflecting together on what it means to them. Literature & Medicine: Humanities at the Heart of Health Care is a national award-winning reading and discussion program for health care professionals sponsored by the Delaware Humanities Forum and Christiana Care. DHF launched its Literature and Medicine program in 2007. This year’s readings include excerpts from Imagine What It’s Like, a literature and medicine anthology, Pat Barker’s Regeneration, and Tracy Kidder’s Mountains Beyond Mountains. This program is open to all Christiana Care employees. Orientation is June 16, 6 p.m. in Room 14 of the John H. Ammon Medical Education Center. Participants meet monthly for six sessions from July through December at either 12:30 p.m. or 6 p.m., in either Christiana or Wilmington Hospital. A $35 participation fee is required, which covers the books and readings. Lunch or dinner is provided.
Medical editors can polish your manuscripts and presentations
C
hristiana Care’s Office of Academic Affairs and Research offers all Christiana Care teaching departments editing help with manuscripts and presentations. Whether you have a clinical abstract, book chapter, letter to the editor, poster or full-length research study, medical editing can help you produce a professional finished product. Starting with a rough draft or even just an idea, Medical Editing works with you to determine the best way to organize and present your material, speak to your intended audience and select a target publication. Available services include substantive editing for consistency, analyzing message and audience; proofreading for spelling and grammatical errors or omissions; copyediting for syntax, clarity, style and referencing; and interfacing with publishers and responding to reviewers’ inquiries. Scheduling is first-come, first-served. For a substantive edit of a full-length manuscript, allow a minimum of six weeks from initial draft to submission.
Focus on Excellence - Best Practice Medicine Consistent with our strategies for engaging staff in continuous improvement and best practices, we regularly review important topics in FOCUS to help reinforce safe-practice behaviors. These tips reinforce information and enable staff to better articulate our safety practices during an unannounced survey. Q. What is the Best Practice for verifying the correct patient and collecting specimens for clinical testing? A. The best practice is to identify the individual as the correct patient and to MATCH the service or treatment to that patient. This includes collection for blood, urine, stool, sputum and specimens from procedures. BEFORE COLLECTION: ■
Compare patient ID label with lab requisition/order using two unique identifiers.
■ Take specimen label and specimen For more information, visit Medical container to bedside. Editing on the I-Net at ■ Compare patient ID band with the Education/Academic Affairs/Medical specimen label using two unique Editing. Look for the Manuscript identifiers, and then collect the Submission form to submit your draft specimen. to the editor. Or, you may call or e-mail Academic Affairs Medical Editor Cynthia Clendenin at 302-733-1572, References at cclendenin@christianacare.org. http://inet/holdings/RefWorksSupport Help is also available from our medical PageFinal.htm librarians. Check out these resources Writing Resources at http://inet/ on the Medical Libraries Web site: holdings/
AFTER COLLECTION and BEFORE LEAVING THE ROOM: ■
Place your initials, date and time of collection on the label.
■
In the presence of the patient, place the specimen label on the container.
■
If the patient collects the specimen himself (urine collection), it is to be handed to staff and labeled immediately in front of the patient.
BEFORE SENDING: ■
Compare the labeled specimen with the lab requisition using two unique identifiers and then bag the specimen and requisition.
To ask questions, contact the content expert: Sharon Lucernoni, 428-6873. To reach the Safety Hotline, call SAFE (7233) from within Christiana or Wilmington hospitals. From outside the hospitals, call 302-623-SAFE. Further information is available in the Archives of Best Practices. From your portal, choose Focus on Excellence, Joint Commission Readiness, Ongoing Strategies, Educational Strategies, Monthly Q&A.
Understanding biostatistics at http://inet/Holdings/MedpageGuide-to-iostatistics.pdf.
or in the Residents Survival Kit at http://inet/Holdings/ ResidentSurvivalWritingCaseReport.htm ResidentKitfrontpage.htm.
VNA maternal/child health program delivers specialized care
K
indergartner Zoe Jeffcoat’s morning routine is easier now that her home has a wheelchair accessible ramp. Jeffcoat, who has cerebral palsy and a seizure disorder, relies on her wheelchair and ttwo private duty nurses from the Christiana Care Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) to attend school. Until recently, family and caregivers would transfer the child, her wheelchair and equipment in and out of her home separately. Moved to action That’s all changed now. VNA nurses Gina Krambeck, RN, and Vickie Duke, LPN, held a yard sale to fund a ramp for Zoe. With the $540 in proceeds they were able to buy the lumber, and Krambeck and her husband Ron actually built the ramp and deck.
Christiana Care’s Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) has transformed its maternal/child health program to provide special care for at-risk mothers and infants.
■
Prematurity.
■
Respiratory or cardiac problems
■
Hyperbilirubinemia.
■
Tube feeding.
When primary care physicians order home care, experienced nurses provide support and training as well as medical care.
■
Maternal/Child Health director Patricia Lynch, RN, believes that incorporating home care into an at-risk patient’s plan of care is important.
■
Wound care after cesarean section.
■
Training in administering medication.
“Many babies in our community could benefit from individualized attention,” she says.
■
Support for postpartum depression.
■
Instruction on when to call a doctor.
Assessing mothers’ physical and emotional health is equally important to maximizing good health and promoting appropriate growth and development for their vulnerable infants.
■
Evaluation for environmental concerns.
Today travel is a breeze for Zoe Jeffcoat. She and her equipment cruise up the ramp each day without much fuss. “We wanted to make things easier,” explains Krambeck.
The program also offers services for high-risk pregnant mothers to support healthy and full-term delivery, and for children with medical needs up to age 18.
“Gina and Vickie’s actions exemplify the spirit of Christiana Care’s visiting nurses,” says Christiana Care VNA president Lynn Jones. “It’s great to work with so many caring professionals at VNA, who provide compassionate home health care to some of the most vulnerable individuals, particularly the elderly and individuals with disabilities.
When to make a home care referral
10
●
FOCUS May 21, 2009
Ostomy care. Mothers may benefit from: ■ Monitoring for preterm labor, hypertension or gestational diabetes during pregnancy.
Common infant conditions or symptoms that may warrant homecare include: ■ Failure to thrive (weight loss or no weight gain). ■
Drug exposure.
“We devote a tremendous amount of time to each family,” says Lynch. Visits typically last 30 minutes to an hour and include individualized education. Nurses answer questions, address family concerns and meet the family’s health care needs − all of which helps prevent or reduce rehospitalization. For more information or to make a referral, call 302-327-5200.
Spirit of Women Award celebrates those who work to improve women’s health
hristian Care recognized three Delaware women May 5 for working to improve the health of women and their families in the surrounding community.
women. She is co-founder of Miles for Melanoma of Delaware, a non-profit organization that has raised more than $90,000 for the Melanoma Research Foundation since its founding in 2006.
The women received regional Spirit of Women Awards at an event held at the John H. Ammon Medical Education Center on the Christiana Hospital campus.
Julianne Dominelli – Young Person Role Model Award. Julianne Dominelli volunteers for the Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation, raising money and awareness for pediatric cancers in Delaware. She recently organized and hosted a variety show for the foundation, raising $850 for cancer research. She also serves as a speaker for the foundation, educating local Girl Scout troops and the Student Council of Delaware about the need for additional pediatric cancer research.
C
Awards recipients: Lavaida Owens White – Healthcare Hero Award. For the past decade, Lavaida Owens White, RN, MSN, has spearheaded a statewide awareness program promoting the growing movement for health ministry and faith community nursing. In her role as a Faith Community Nurse for Christiana Care, she educates and informs women, men and their families throughout the community, promoting health screenings and emphasizing the importance of a healthy mind, body and spirit. Anna Marie Farro – Community Hero Award. Diagnosed with Stage III melanoma in 2006, Anna Marie Farro dedicates herself to raising awareness of the causes and prevention of melanoma—with much of her efforts focused on educating young
The winners enter into consideration for the Spirit of Women national awards, announced Friday, July 10, at the Spirit of Women National Executive Meeting in Washington, D.C. Spirit of Women, a national coalition of hospitals and health care facilities advancing the cause and business of women’s health, organizes the Spirit of Women Awards. Christiana Care has been a member of Spirit of Women since 2008.
Many services and programs at Christiana Care exist to serve you and promote employee health. Employee Fitness Centers ■ ■
Christiana Hospital: 733-3925 Wilmington campus: 428-2850
Weight Watchers at Work 327-5555 Employee Assistance Program Visit HR Online via your portal Imaginations Childcare Visit www.brighthorizons.com while.u.work Convenience Center ■ Christiana Hospital: 733-1650 ■ Wilmington campus: 733-1750 Family and Workplace Connection Visit HR Online via your portal Community Health Outreach ■ Cancer screenings: 765-4161 ■ Chronic screening: 765-4161 Work-Life Balance Visit HR Online via your portal Nutrition/Weight Management Center 661-3475 Living with Diabetes 661-3070 Health Psychology 661-3000
W
e live in a stressful world— getting out of the house in the morning, traffic on I-95, difficult patients or co-workers, trying to pay bills, fighting about curfews. And those are just the daily challenges. Big life events—birth, death, a wedding, a divorce, getting a new job, losing a job—can be overwhelming. Although stress is sometimes healthy—the fizz that comes with earning a promotion, becoming engaged or completing a road race, prolonged stress—being a caregiver for a seriously ill family member, having to choose between the rent and groceries, living under the threat of abuse—may lead to serious health problems, just from the stress itself. And unhealthy reactions to stress— smoking, excessive drinking or eating, dieting compulsively, shutting out family and friends—can have physical consequences that exacerbate stress. Stress-related health problems include insomnia, sexual dysfunction, indigestion, headaches, muscle aches, extreme weight gain or loss and high blood pressure, which can contribute to a stroke or heart attack. People who are stressed might also 12
●
FOCUS May 21, 2009
feel depressed or anxious. They might take out their frustrations on a spouse or the kids. Even though we can’t always control the cause of stress, we can control the way we deal with it. We can learn simple techniques to help us manage day-to-day stress in a healthy way. Need some stress-busting ideas? Try these. Breathe deeply. Take a deep breath and feel your mid-section expand. Hold your breath for a few seconds, and then exhale slowly. As you breathe out, visualize stress leaving your body.
Relax. Try this progressive muscle technique: Sit or lie down. Tense the muscles in your feet as hard as you can. Then relax. You’ll notice a difference in the feeling. Continue up your body, with your legs, arms, stomach, back, neck and head. When you’re finished, stay quiet and relaxed for a few minutes. Stretch. Sit and place your upper body forward on your lap, with your head hanging down. Slowly roll up, starting at the base of your spine, until your back is straight, and finishing by rolling your head up. Tilt your head to the right, and slowly roll your head around and up to the left. Repeat in both directions.
Meditate. Close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing. Each time you exhale, mentally repeat a soothing word or visualize a peaceful place. Repeat for at least five minutes. (For maximum effect, meditate for 30 minutes.)
Massage yourself. Sit and relax your shoulders. With your right hand, massage your left shoulder and neck, working your way up to your head. Repeat with your left hand.
Talk to yourself. Replace negative messages with positive thoughts. Instead of thinking “I can’t handle this,” try “I know I can do it.”
And you can do them almost anywhere. So the next time you get stuck in traffic or your teenager acts out, don’t let stress spoil your day. Take care of yourself. If stress becomes overwhelming, ask your doctor for help and advice.
Give yourself a laugh. Read a joke book or watch a sitcom.
These stress busters are quick, easy and effective.
Tony Reed, M.D., received the Visionary Award from the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN). Dr. Reed has been the medical director of the forensic nurse examiner team at Christiana Care since 1996. He is an educator for forensic nurse examiners and the community.
David M. Bercaw, M.D.
The annual award recognizes one individual outside of nursing that has contributed significantly to the advancement of forensic nursing.
Thomas E. Jenkins, D.M.D.
David M. Bercaw, M.D., interim chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Christiana Care, (pictured) and James M. Gill, M.D., MPH, a member of Christiana Care Medical-Dental Staff, were named Physicians of the year by members of the Delaware Academy of Family Physicians.
Thomas E. Jenkins, D.M.D., was elected President of the Delaware Academy of General Dentistry at the academy’s March meeting.
The Academy’s Annual Dinner in April included:
Dr. Jenkins is a former Teaching Fellow in Pediatric Dentistry at Temple University and holds a Master of Dental Sedation from the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology.
Installation of officers for 2009-2010: Hugh Bonner III, M.D., president, Heather Zinzella Cox, M.D., president-elect, Omar A. Khan, M.D., vice president, James M. Gill, M.D., MPH, secretary, Karen L. McGhee, D.O., assistant secretary, M. Diana Metzger, M.D., treasurer, and William B. Funk, M.D., assistant treasurer.
Dr. Jenkins practices with an emphasis on special needs adults. He is an attending at Christiana Care and at the Stockley Center for Special Needs Patients in Georgetown, Del.
Tony Reed, M.D.
He is a Fellow of the Dental Organization for Conscious Sedation, a Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry, and a Fellow Academy of the Academy of Dentistry International. Dr. Jenkins' term will run from August 2009 to July 2011. He is the first African American to hold the Presidency of a Delaware dental society.
14
●
FOCUS May 21, 2009