Staff Matters - July/August 2016

STAFF MATTERS

Update for Catskill Regional Medical Center employees, physicians and volunteers

July/August 2016

September/October 2015

A Message From Our Leader Employee commitment to Catskill Regional is crucial to the health and well-being of our community. We are halfway through the year and as patient-centered care is always paramount, our decisions must stay directed on what is most beneficial to our patients.

I am proud of the many accomplishments that we have achieved so far. My sincere thanks to everyone who works hard to make Catskill Regional our patients’ healthcare choice. Additionally, my sincere appreciation to all those who participated, in any way, to make our annual golf tournament in July a huge success.

To date, our financials are very good. We continue to grow stronger by staying focused on providing exceptional experiences to our patients, offering new services such as bariatric surgery, transforming our Dr. Gerard Galarneau environment to one that fosters healing and by expanding our accessibility to services.

CEO & CMO At our Harris Campus, the recent renovations to front entrance, lobby and Starbuck’s café are extremely welcoming to visitors. To enhance our inpatients’ experience, we are now live with the TIGR System. This new on-demand technology provides patients with bedside access, via their television, to healthcare education that will assist them in their recovery.

In early fall, our renovated cafeteria should be opened to employees and visitors. Our transformation will provide a pleasant dining experience sure to be enjoyed by all. In October, we will celebrate the construction of our new Medical Group Office, in Monticello, with a groundbreaking event.

I am also pleased to inform you that our Grover M. Hermann Hospital Division has received the honor of being one of the top 20 critical access hospitals (CAH) in the nation. This is the second time this recognition has been awarded to the Hospital in the past three years. The 20 highest ranked critical access hospitals in the country, as recently determined by iVantage Health Analytics, will be honored at an awards ceremony during the National Rural Health Association’s Critical Access Hospital Conference in September in Kansas City, Mo. The Top 20 CAH selection is based on nine measurements of strength: inpatient market share, outpatient market share, population risk, cost, charge, quality, outcomes, patient perspectives, and financial stability.

It’s clear we are heading in a positive direction. Keep up the great work. Our patients and community depend on us. Let’s deliver beyond their expectations.

Sincerely, Gerard Galarneau, MD CEO & CMO

Skilled Nursing Unit Receives Leadership Award The American College of Health Care Administrators (ACHCA) honored the Administrator of Catskill Regional Medical Center's Skilled Nursing Unit, Pamela Banker Mann, as a 2016 recipient of the ACHCA Eli Pick Facility Leadership Award.

The ACHCA Eli Pick Facility Leadership Award recognizes administrators who provide excellent leadership and whose teams have achieved dimensions of organizational quality that few others have been able to reach. Eligibility is based on three years of Skilled Nursing facility survey data, including the health, life safety and complaint surveys, as well as top quartile performance on designated quality measures.

GHVHS Medical Group

Update

NEW and IMPROVED communication! In an effort to keep all GHVHS employees and physicians apprised of what is happening across all Medical Group locations, this new GHVHS Update has been created. If you have news for consideration, please send it to jdefeis@ormc.org.

Dr. Lucy Cheng has joined the Infectious Diseases team. She received her medical degree from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and completed her residency in internal medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. Dr. Cheng completed a fellowship in infectious diseases at Columbia University Medical Center/New York-Presbyterian Hospital.

Dr. Cheng is Board-certified in internal medicine. She has co-authored presentations and publications on emerging infection, antimicrobial stewardship, and quality improvement. Her interests include gram-negative bacteria resistance and transmission, Hepatitis C infection and opportunistic infections.

Dr. Cherry Song has joined the Trauma, Acute Care Surgery and Surgical Critical Care Team.

She graduated from Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences as a Doctor of Osteopathy and completed her general surgery residency at Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY. She subsequently completed an Acute Burn Surgical Critical Care fellowship at UTMB-Galveston, Texas in 2014 and a Trauma/Surgical Critical Care fellowship at UK Medical Center in Lexington, KY in 2015. For the past year, she stayed on staff as Clinical Instructor at UK Medical Center and was Co-Medical Director of Wound Care Center at UK Medical Center.

She can be reached at csong@ormc.org.

Out and About The Urgent Care Association of America (UCAOA) had its first regional conference in Philadelphia on July 14. Dr. Rona Heublum-Colton and Practice Manager Katherine Bergmann attended to network with other local UC providers and managers.

ORMG Monroe in The Photo News!

Orange Regional Medical Group’s Monroe Office was mentioned in an article that appeared in The Photo News about a Bowl-a-Thon fundraiser for Safe Homes of Orange County. Safe Homes is a not-for-profit agency dedicated to assisting survivors of domestic violence, teen-dating violence, and human trafficking by providing free and confidential services.

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Leading The Way Jan Calhoun, MSN, EMT has been promoted to Emergency Department Manager. Jan has been with Catskill Regional since April 2010 where she started as a Nursing Supervisor. In August 2010, Jan then transferred to Staff Development as a Nursing Educator. Furthering her clinical career, she then assumed the role of Clinical Director of the Mental Health Unit in March of 2012 where she oversaw the renovation of the unit before returning to Staff Development to resume her role as Nursing Educator in 2014. In addition, Jan is also CRMC’s AHA Training Coordinator and serves on many CRMC committees.

Jan graduated from SUNY Delhi with her Associates degree in Nursing in 2005 and then in 2012 with her BSN. Jan received her MSN in Nursing Education from Norwich University in June of 2015. Jan has also spent many years serving her local community as a firefighter/paramedic and teaching EMT classes.

Arvind G. Kamthan, M.D., M.R.C.P. (U.K.), FACP, Board-certified Medical Oncologist, is now leading our Hematology, Oncology & Infusion Services Department at Catskill Regional. Dr. Kamthan completed his medical training at SMS Medical College in India and residency training at Charleston Area Medical Center at West Virginia University with a fellowship at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York. He has been practicing medicine for over 23 years. Dr. Kamthan’s clinical research in oncology has appeared in multiple publications and he is a Travel award winner for Research in Oncology by American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Jeanette Simko recently joined Catskill Regional’s Skilled Nursing Unit as the Director of Nursing.

Jeanette was previously employed at the Golden Hill Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, where she acted as the Assistant Director of Nursing Services, overseeing all aspects of patient care for 280 longterm care residents. In her career of over 37 years, Jeanette also served as Director of Nursing Services at The Baptist Home, Director of Nursing at Woodland Pond at New Paltz, Director of Nursing at Wingate at Beacon, as well as Director of Nursing at Ferncliff Nursing Home. In her new role at Catskill Regional, she will have responsibility over all aspects of patient care in the Skilled Nursing Unit. Jeanette received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from The King’s College in Briarcliff Manor, NY and her Master of Science Degree in Healthcare Administration from the New School for Social Research in New York, NY. She also holds an Associate Degree in Nursing from Dutchess Community College.

Kimberly Peterson has been appointed Emergency Management & Safety Manager at Catskill Regional. Kimberly is responsible for the coordination of all Emergency Management policies at Catskill Regional. She also assists the Greater Hudson Valley Health System's Manager of Emergency Management, Robin Masiero, in conducting training on areas related to Emergency Management for the Health System. This includes the Health Emergency Response Data System, Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive Events, Hospital Incident Command System and HAZWOPER/ HazMat 4 Healthcare. Kimberly is also responsible for providing quarterly reports as to the status of grants, drills and all other mandates required. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Geoscience from Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Georgia and is a member of the Orange County HAZMAT Team, Urban Shield Team and the Board of Volunteer Firefighters League of Professional Women.

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Woodland Garden Café Renovations The Woodland Garden Café is in the beginning stages of an incredible four phase renovation project. The renovations will benefit the staff, by making the kitchen more efficient, as well as the patients, by expanding in-room food service options. Renovations should be complete in the fall.

Phase 1: Preparations – This phase is crucial as the plan is to continue to offer food and beverage service out of the Woodland Garden Café during a majority of the renovations. Preparations include the relocation of sinks and kitchen equipment, as well as construction of temporary walls and doors. These preparations will keep the construction debris and dust out of the cooking and service spaces to ensure that there is no contamination.

Phase 2: Demolition – This phase includes the deconstruction of the

existing dish-washing area and removal of original plumbing, as well as the reconstruction of the area to alleviate drainage issues.

Phase 3: 'Catering to You' and Replacing Kitchen Appliances – Catskill Regional will be offering a new food delivery service for patients and residents of the hospital that is designed to aid in the patients’ health and recovery. Patients will be greeted by a Catering Associate upon arrival to the unit, who will explain the program and let them know that their food decisions can be made throughout the day an hour or two before meal time.

The Catering Associate will take the patient’s food order and deliver their meal. He or she will also be responsible for troubleshooting as necessary, interacting directly with the patient face-to-face upwards of nine times per day.

This program will allow patients to have personal interactions with Catering Associates regarding their nutritional needs and menu choices for each meal.

Catering Associates will also work closely with the Nursing Staff regarding diet restrictions and changes for each patient. The goal of implementing this program is to boost the patient experience while continuing to provide exceptional healthcare.

The second aspect of Phase 3 will be the renovation of kitchen appliances.

The kitchen will be receiving new equipment that will replace the existing equipment that is original to the building.

Phase 4: Café Renovations – The Woodland Garden Café eating and

seating area will receive new paint and flooring throughout the entire space.

Some of the service lines’ counters will be upgraded as well. During this phase, the Café will be closed. During that time, the Lobby Coffee Shop will offer plenty of food options, including a Chef’s Table, which will be available Monday through Friday. The date of this phase is to be determined. The Woodland Café renovations are part of the continued plan, which included the Lobby Coffee Shop renovations, to better the patient and guest experience at Catskill Regional by expanding the food and beverage service offerings.

For more information about this exciting transformation and the new ‘Catering to You’ program, contact Colette Berger, Director of Morrison Healthcare at Catskill Regional, at 794-3300 ext. 2030 or bergerc@crmcny.org.

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Celebrating Our Employees We were so grateful to host our employees for a celebratory lunch in early July. The celebration was in recognition of our increase in patient satisfaction scores. Thank you all for your hard work and dedication to delivering quality care to our patients.Â

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CRMC Golf Tournament The Catskill Regional Medical Center Foundation held its 38th Annual Golf Classic on July 13. Golfers and sponsors were invited to tee up in support of the Hospital’s mission of providing exceptional healthcare to our community.

The tournament was held at the Villa Roma Resort’s award-winning golf course in Callicoon, with a barbeque lunch, cocktail hour and buffet dinner and awards. Catskill Regional Medical Center’s Golf Classic serves as the Hospital’s top fundraiser. Obesity continues to be a major heath concern in Sullivan County. Proceeds from this year’s event will be used to support the new Bariatric Surgery program. To view more Golf Tournament photos, please visit www.crmcny.org/photo-gallery/golf-tournament-2016.

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The Power of Pet Therapy A submission by June Lombardi

“A family recently asked that their loved one (and patient) be able to hold our therapy dog, River’s, paw to complete a prayer circle. This picture I took of the experience speaks volumes. The patient’s daughter is honored and touched by it.

This visit was powerful for them and for me. They were so grateful. We embraced and then said good-bye, but not before exchanging contact information. The patient’s daughter told me that she has followed through on adopting a puppy. The puppy is providing therapy already!”

EVS Wins Quarter 1 HCAHPS Challenge Again The Environmental Services Department has won the Crothall Quarter 1 HCAHPS Challenge for a second time.

The team achieved a 16.11 percent increase, the highest HCAHPS percent increase in the Kiscaden Division.

To celebrate this honor, the EVS team enjoyed a recognition luncheon. For more information, contact Director of Environmental Services, Tracy Pilgrim at 794-3300 x2028.

Goldstein Lieberman Cares for Catskill Regional Phillip E. Goldstein, managing partner of Goldstein Lieberman & Company LLC, presented a Goldstein Lieberman Cares donation in the amount of $1,000 to CEO of Catskill Regional Medical Center, Dr. Gerard Galarneau.

“We are confident our contribution will assist in Catskill Regional’s continuing efforts to provide world-class medical care to the surrounding community,” Mr. Goldstein remarked. “We applaud the tremendous strides the medical center has made particularly in recent years and were happy to support the momentum,” he added.

The Goldstein Lieberman Cares Program supports a variety of regional not-for-profits throughout the year. The firm has awarded over $400,000 in donations since the inception of the Goldstein Lieberman Cares program in 2009 and is a recipient of Rockland County Business Association’s Pinnacle Award due to their outreach.

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STOP DIABETES WALK

Annual Employee Holiday Party

September 17, 2016 10:00 a.m.

Hanofee Park, Liberty

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Saturday, October 22, 2016 Bernie’s Holiday Restaurant Rock Hill 6:00 p.m.

Masquerade Apparel (optional)

More information to follow!

Annual Education Reminder

CRMC at Riverfest

Annual education for the Greater Hudson Valley Health System can now be accessed. Employees who joined the System in 2016 and have completed the general hospital orientation have already fulfilled the annual education requirement. For all other employees, annual education must be completed by November 30, 2016. For more information, contact Manager of Organizational Development and Learning, Naomi Lippin, at 333-0228 or nlippin@ormc.org.

Thank you to the Grover M. Hermann staff for manning the Catskill Regional tent at Riverfest in Narrowsburg!