A publication for Staff and Physicians of IH
A new flavour for the CEO message, just in time for the New Year!
Preparing for the 2015 Employee Engagement Survey, we want to know what each Gallup Q12 question means to you.
The Take Home Naloxone program makes help available the moment an overdose happens.
Respite offers rest and relief for caregivers.
Learn how to protect yourself and your personal information.
IH Engagement Apprentice Flat Stanley shares appreciation for his adventures throughout IH.
A chat with Tracy Carroll, Emergency Department RN, and what’s neat and new at East Kootenay Regional Hospital.
Shining a spotlight on the many communities that make up where we live, work, and play.
Snapshots of our staff in action over the last month.
Who are these dastardly criminals? Read the full story on p. 18. (Photo credit: Kim Anderson/United Way).
The @InteriorHealth magazine is a monthly publication created by the Communications Department of Interior Health. Past issues of @InteriorHealth can be found on our website under About Us/Media Centre/Publications & Newsletters. If you have story ideas for future issues, please e-mail: IHAcommunications@interiorhealth.ca Deadline for submissions to the February 2015 @InteriorHealth magazine is January 12. Editors: Amanda Fisher, Breanna Pickett Designers: Breanna Pickett, Kara Visinski, Tracy Watson IH Communications Contributors: Lisa Braman, Lesley Coates, Susan Duncan, Patrick Gall, Karl Hardt, Megan Kavanagh, Breanna Pickett, Erin Toews, Tracy Watson
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CEO Dr. Robert Halpenny.
At Interior Health, we want to set new standards of excellence in the delivery of health services in B.C. and to also promote healthy lifestyles and provide needed health services in a timely, caring, and efficient manner. To achieve this, we are guided by the following strategic goals: Goal 1 Improve Health and Wellness Goal 2 Deliver High Quality Care Goal 3 Ensure Sustainable Health Care by Improving Innovation, Productivity, and Efficiency Goal 4 Cultivate an Engaged Workforce and Healthy Workplace
The articles featured in the @IH newsletter are great examples of how we’re achieving our goals … and realizing our vision and mission.
t’s a new year … a fresh start, a new beginning … the perfect time to make improvements and do better.
I look forward to the addition of a new member to our team at the end of this month. Wendy Hansson will join us as the Vice-President of Community Integrated Health Services (CIHS), With that in mind, I have met bringing a fresh perspective and a with the @IH team to talk about wealth of progressive leadership changing up my monthly message. experience. Wendy is known for her We want to keep it interesting values-based and collaborative style, and of value to staff and and also her passion for inspiring diverse physicians, so we have decided groups of stakeholders to stand behind to broaden the scope and invite a common vision – qualities that will serve our vice-presidents to be guest her well in the CIHS portfolio. writers in what will transition to a senior executive column. The arrival of our new VP is timely as the growth and development of programs and In every other issue going forward, a services in the community sector is a top guest VP will share his or her perspective priority for Interior Health and the Ministry on priorities and challenges in their of Health. We are seeing a provincial focus portfolios, as well as touch on progress on target populations in the Ministry’s and successes. This will give you an Setting Priorities for the B.C. Health opportunity to learn a bit more about System document as well as a greater how we all work together as one IH team, focus on prevention and integrated and how each portfolio and every person community care to decrease the demand working in it has an important role to play. on acute and residential care. In IH, we have also chosen preliminary priority I will kick things off by talking about the areas for 2015/16 and those include: organization as a whole – my role in mental health and substance use, bringing it all together and our priorities diabetes, cardiovascular disease, COPD, and challenges for the year ahead. and dementia. As CEO, I keep my finger on the pulse of every portfolio and am always looking ahead to how decisions made and actions taken may have a domino effect. For example, when Residential Services opens new beds or makes a change to its admission process, what does this mean for Acute Services and Community Integration? And how will it affect our patients and clients? It’s important for us to think about impacts across the spectrum and plan accordingly. Fortunately, we have a terrific collection of senior executives with varied backgrounds and expertise, who act as one high-functioning team. We might not always agree on everything, but we each have a voice that is heard and there is synergy in our approach to leadership. This goes a long way in helping us make the best decisions for the organization.
Priorities also translate into challenges because keeping up with all the initiatives, directives, requests, and demands is a challenge for all of us, at every level of the organization. To help address that challenge, our Change Management Office is guiding us through a portfolio change-mapping process that will help better focus our efforts. The first step is to create a list of all current and planned initiatives within each of the VP portfolios. Next, these initiatives will be prioritized using specific criteria and we will then develop plans to support each initiative moving forward. Watch for more information about our change mapping work coming your way in early 2015. Happy New Year … and stay tuned for our first VP message in the next issue of @IH.
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his June, Interior Health employees will be asked to complete an Employee Engagement Survey. The survey, made up of 12 questions (Q12), is offered through the Gallup organization. These questions have consistently been found to measure the aspects of employee engagement that link to business outcomes.
In preparing for the 2015 IH Employee Engagement Survey, we want to know what each Gallup Q12 question means to you, and how it relates to your level of employee engagement. In last month’s @IH, we opened for discussion the following engagement survey topic: At work, my opinions seem to count. Among some of the feedback and thoughts we heard was a note written from Rusty Chartier, Home Support Supervisor, Penticton Health Centre. He says: “An employee's motivation is a direct result of the sum of interactions with his or her manager.” The communication and trust Rusty has with his manager, Jeff Dias, enable him to freely share his opinions and feel like his opinions count. Jeff Dias (L), CIHS Manager for Oliver/Osoyoos, and Rusty Chartier, Home Support Supervisor at Penticton Health Centre.
JANUARY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Q8. The mission or purpose of my organization makes me feel my job is important. Q9. My associates or fellow employees are committed to doing quality work. With these questions in mind, share your thoughts. Do you feel that your job is important? Are you proud of the work that your co-workers are doing? Tell us what you think and consider how you will answer these questions in June when you are asked to take the Engagement Survey. Please send your feedback to YourOpinionsCount and we’ll share excerpts in the next @IH. As always, the complete list of responses is posted on the Engagement web page.
Saving Lives
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im Jacobs has helped save eight lives in less than two years. Kim is not a nurse or a doctor or a paramedic; in fact, she doesn’t even work in the health-care field. However, what Kim knows how to do is recognize the signs of an overdose and administer a life-saving drug called naloxone.
Naloxone (also known as NarCan) is a medication that reverses the effects of both prescription and street opioid drugs such as heroin, oxycodone, fentanyl, morphine, and methadone on the body. Within minutes, naloxone can restore normal breathing and prevent severe brain damage and death. The Take Home Naloxone (THN) program is a partnership between the BC Centre for Disease Control and the health authorities. The program uses a “training of trainers” model to get this life-saving drug into the hands of people using opioid drugs and their support people.
Learning to recognize the signs of an overdose is an important part of the Take Home Naloxone program. Jessica, from the Cammy LaFleur Street Program, is one of many community partners delivering training to at-risk clients and their supports.
Jeff Walsh, Harm Reduction Coordinator for Interior Health, is responsible for training front-line staff and our community partners. The training covers valuable information on overdose prevention, recognizing signs of an overdose, and how to use the naloxone kits. Once trained, staff and community partners then go out and train those who may be at risk of overdose and their support people. “The great thing about this program is that it really is saving lives. It is getting medication into the hands of those who are able to respond to an overdose first. This program has meant dozens of our fellow community members have been saved. For individuals, families, and communities, this is huge,” says Jeff. Taking care of people comes naturally to Kim, who describes herself as a bit of a “mama bear.” “People on the street often come to me for help and I listen,” says Kim. “I have been around overdose for a long time and I was trying to save people without the NarCan.” Kim attended Take Home Naloxone training at the Cammy LaFleur Street Outreach Program in Vernon in March 2013. Since her training she has used naloxone kits to reverse eight overdoses, with the most recent being just a couple weeks ago. Her entire presence lights up as she recalls how she was recently able to bring a man back from the brink of death at a time when just a few moments made all the difference between life or death. The THN program makes help available right at the moment an overdose happens. Kim says that is crucial. In her
Left: Jessica and Kim practice drawing naloxone into a syringe. Right: Hands-on training allows participants to practice giving a naloxone injection using a stuffed toy or an orange.
experience, many people who overdose are reluctant to seek help from traditional emergency services due to fear they may be discriminated against or worries about police involvement. Naloxone provides vital minutes of oxygen and can help stabilize a person until emergency services arrive. For those who decide not to access emergency services, naloxone gives them a fighting chance that they never would have had. More information on the Take Home Naloxone program is available at Toward the Heart. If you would like to find out more about offering the program in your community, contact Jeff Walsh, Harm Reduction Coordinator.
More about Take home naloxone The THN program launched in Interior Health in November 2012. The first kits were dispensed by the Cammy LaFleur Street Outreach Program in Vernon. Since the launch:
396
42 629
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In March 2014 Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops became the first emergency department in Canada to provide overdose prevention and response training, and naloxone kits to at-risk patients. Learn more in Hospital News. The community of Vernon has one of the highest reported overdose reversal rates in the province thanks in large part to the Take Home Naloxone program and the Cammy Lafleur Street Outreach program.
BC AWA R D S 2015
H E ALT H C AR E BC HEALT H C ARE A WA R D S
Rewarding bright H E A LT H C A R E ideas in health care. BC
AWA R D S
BC EALTH CARE AWARDS
Nominate a deserving person or team today! BC HEALTH CARE AWA R D S
9th annual BC Health Care Awards
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BC HEALTH CARE AWARDS
BC HEALTH CARE AWARDS
BC HEALT H C ARE A WA R D S
BC HE ALT H CARE AW A R D S
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The BC Health Care Awards recognize excellence and innovation in our province’s health care community. Awards are for projects that improve health care delivery and for individuals who inspire those around them. Award categories: • Top Innovation – Affiliate • Top Innovation – Health Authority • Workplace Health Innovation • Collaborative Solutions • Health Care Hero (eight winners!)
Learn more & nominate online at BCHealthCareAwards.ca Nomination deadline: 5 p.m., Friday, February 27, 2015 BCHealthCareAwards.ca Twitter.com/@BCHealthAwards Facebook.com/BCHealthCareAwards YouTube.com/BCHealthCareAwards
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family member acting as caregiver has many responsibilities: cooking, cleaning, shopping, banking, feeding, dressing, grooming, mobility aid, incontinence care, medication management … the list goes on. Although many families enjoy caring for loved ones, the physical, emotional, and financial consequences can be overwhelming without support. Caregivers may neglect their own well-being and that, in turn, can affect the quality of care they provide. Fortunately, respite care is available to support those caring for loved ones. “Respite is intended for genuine relief of caregiver burden.
Interior Health provides a range of services and information on solutions to help lighten the burden,” says Home Health Director Kathy Chouinor. Respite services take many forms: adult day programs in the community, short-stay respite care in residential facilities, some in-home services, and hospice palliative care. Sylvia Gandy says her life would be quite different without respite support. She became her husband Bill’s primary caregiver 14 years ago when he had a stroke. “Your life can change in an instant,” says Sylvia. “We were living in Prince George. He was still young and he had always been so active. He was involved in junior hockey and belonged to the Lions, among other things. After the stroke he was just sitting around, which is the worst thing you can do.” Recognizing they needed to make a change, the couple moved to Kelowna. Now, they benefit from milder weather, Rockets games during hockey season and, most importantly, the Adult Day Services program at the May Bennett Wellness Centre. With the support available through the program, Sylvia is able to maintain her active lifestyle and a busy volunteer schedule. At the same time, the outings provide Bill with an important opportunity to socialize. “Without the program, it would be terrible,” says Sylvia. “Bill goes to the Stroke Recovery Club in Kelowna, but that is only a couple hours each week. The respite program is amazing. He really enjoys it. The staff are great and the food is good. “He also gets bathed once a week. I can’t bathe him and he likes to be able to lie back in the tub and relax. They give him a cup of coffee to enjoy. Little things like that are so important.” Sylvia is a strong ambassador for the program. “I would tell anyone who is thinking about it to try it.”
Kelowna residents Bill and Sylvia Gandy regularly access respite care through the Adult Day Services Program at May Bennett Wellness Centre.
For more information about respite including information about applicable fees, please visit Respite Care under Housing & Health at www.interiorhealth.ca.
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ith Canada’s busiest holiday season just past, many of us will spend January paying off bills for holiday purchases.
“The credit cards come out so often during the holidays,” says Mark Braidwood, Director of Technology Architecture & Services and Information Privacy & Security. “It’s important to be extra vigilant about protecting your financial information. Whether you shop online or in a store, there are many scams out there aiming to steal your identity.” Identity theft happens when someone steals your personal information and uses it to impersonate you and conduct fraudulent financial transactions without your consent. Techniques to steal your identity include everything from stealing your mail and looking for personal information you throw out, to using the internet or email to trick the unsuspecting into giving away personal information. Individuals who fall victim often do not realize what has happened to them or the seriousness of this crime. “These criminals can use your stolen personal or financial information to access your bank accounts, apply for loans and credit cards, make purchases, or receive government benefits,” says Mark. “It’s alarming to see the havoc they can cause with a few pieces of your personal information. I’ve seen it happen all too often.” Unfortunately, several IH staff and physicians have fallen victim to these schemes. As one of the largest employers in the Interior, IH’s Information Privacy & Security team has been collaborating with the RCMP on their ongoing investigations. “Rest assured that your personal information at Interior Health is kept strictly confidential and is protected by various security systems and administrative controls,” says Mark. Follow these tips to increase your chances of not being a victim: Be suspicious of unsolicited emails, phone calls, or mail asking for your personal information. Carry only the identity documents you absolutely need. Periodically check your credit reports, bank and credit card statements, and report any irregularities promptly. to the relevant financial institution and to the credit bureaus. Always shield your personal identification number when using an ATM or a PIN pad. Shred personal and financial documents. When you change your address, make sure you notify the post office and all relevant financial institutions. Check out the Identity Theft/Fraud tip sheet on InsideNet and BC Government’s Security Awareness web page. If you suspect identity theft has happened to you, contact your local police department immediately. “The best thing you can do is to avoid it in the first place,” says Mark. “Read our tip sheet for suggestions and be extra vigilant about how you store, share, and dispose of your personal and financial information. A little bit of caution might help you to avoid a major hassle down the road.”
ngagement is alive and well at IH! That’s what Flat Stanley, Engagement Apprentice, has learned during his eightmonth journey throughout our region. “There are so many people in our organization that make a difference every day,” says Flat Stanley. “It has truly been an inspiration to see the teamwork that goes on and the genuine level of kindness we have towards each other.” Flat Stanley, as a representative of engagement, began his travels in May 2014. Along the way, he met with employees to find out what they do at work, how they engaged with one another, and the individual value they bring to their workplaces. “Thank you to everyone who showed me around.” See all the photos of Flat Stanley’s adventures posted on our Facebook page.
At Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital in Trail, Flat Stanley spent time in Diagnostic Imaging with X-Ray Technologist Kyrstan Grunerud (L) and in the Intensive Care Unit with Dr. Jeff Hussey (R).
Tracy Carroll, ED RN @IH: Tell us a little about your role in IH. My role is unique in that I work in both acute and community. I am an Emergency Department RN at EKRH in Cranbrook, and I also provide nursing services at the Kimberley Primary Health Care Centre as well as live in Kimberley.
@IH: Are you from Kimberley originally? I’ve lived and worked in Kimberley, and for Interior Health, for 11 years. Originally, I’m from Selkirk, Manitoba.
@IH: Between your two roles, what is most important to you?
Working in both acute and community gives me the opportunity to help navigate a patient through the hospital and assist in their transition back into the community. I’m also able to share my acute-care skills that I practice in the ED, when I am working in the Kimberley community.
@IH: Working at EKRH, do any changes stand out you?
The biggest change was to become regionalized with the rest of Interior Health and with the East Kootenays. The amount of patients and our workload increased, but with that also came more health-care specialists. Now, we have a great team of nurses and doctors here, who really embody a team approach.
@IH: Is there anything exciting happening?
Right now, the Intensive Care Unit is being renovated – it will be so great. The unit often struggles because of the limited space; this will be a huge improvement and a wonderful change.
@IH: What makes for a really great day at work?
For me, it’s being able to communicate with patients and understand their needs. Then to provide the right care and
Tracy Carroll (L) with colleague and “nurse extraordinaire” Catherine Blake, Congestive Heart Failure nurse.
see them get better. Like in the Kimberley Well Women clinic, I can connect with women, educate and share things they didn’t know, and they have the opportunity to ask questions about their health. I feel like I’ve made a difference.
@IH: Final thoughts or words you live by? Every day – go above and beyond.
East Kootenay Regional Hospital Cranbrook
110,502
Meals to patients — equivalent to three meals daily, for a family of four, for 25 years.
22
4,800,000
Kilowatts per hour — enough energy to run a fridge for 6,400 years.
429
Babies born
Gathered from 2013-2014 data
69
Permanent ED nurses (Jan. 2015)
Acute care beds
22,176
Unscheduled emergency department visits
47
Years old
McCulloch Lake Submitted by: Glenn Coello
Crystal Mountain Submitted by: Tina Leibel Shuswap Lake Submitted by: Donna Wright
Nakusp Submitted by: Lorna Henschke
Sun Peaks Submitted by: Carole Pugle
Where We Live & Work ... A Spotlight on Our Communities Covering over 215,000 square kilometres, Interior Health is diverse in nature and composed of vibrant urban centres and unique rural communities. Our spotlight photos are submitted by employees taken throughout our health region. Submit your photos of the beautiful places that make up IH to: InsideNetWebmaster@interiorhealth.ca.
snapshots from the region ... Employees from the Elkford Health Care Centre, along with two supporters, participated in the Dirty Sneakers Adult Volleyball Tournament fundraiser for sports at the Elkford secondary school. Their team, Eballa, was named in awareness of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and the Ebola preparedness going on across IH. It was an afternoon of fun, exercise, and team spirit. Although they didn’t place in the tourney, the Eballa crew came in third for best costume.
Kelowna General Hospital's Renal department employees dressed as Wizard of Oz characters to promote a Kidney Independence Day event. The “There’s No Place Like Home” theme was “awesome” according to attendees. The decorations and costumes received great feedback. The following Oz characters were present (L-R): Glinda (Karen Forsberg), Dorothy and Toto (Lauren Gardner), The Wizard (Susan Haskett), and the Cowardly Lion (Laurie Munday).
The public got a sneak peek at the new Interior Heart & Surgical Centre (IHSC) through the eyes of the media thanks to a tour led by the KGH Foundation; Dr. Mike Ertel, Chief of Staff; Dr. Guy Fradet, Medical Director Cardiac Program (pictured here); Dr. Gary Goplen, and Sharon Cook, Health Service Administrator. Opening next fall, the IHSC will be home to cardiac; thoracic; urology; neurosurgery; vascular; plastics; obstetrics/gynecology; ears, nose and throat; orthopedics; and general and trauma surgeries. It will also feature a hybrid OR that will allow minimally invasive surgery to be performed under the guidance of specialized digital imaging. The fourth floor perinatal unit will open in spring 2016.
Kimberley Health Centre staff and patients have good reason to be grateful to the Kimberley Health Auxiliary, which always seems to be there at the right time to make the perfect donation. Here (L-R), Public Health Nurse Amy Blerot, Auxiliary Secretary Heather Mackenzie, Home Health Nurse Mary Longston, and Primary Health Nurse Tracy Carroll gather around Auxiliary President Jacquie Perrault sitting in the latest donation, a comfortable chair for patients.
The Royal Inland Hospital chain gang was hauled away in the RCMP paddy wagon on Nov. 27 as part of Kamloops’ annual Jail and Bail event. The suspicious-looking lot, comprised of employees, physicians and administrators, had a lot of fun while raising a total of $9,959 in donations for the United Way. This is a favourite charity for employees of Interior Health as it supports many pivotal agencies and programs that benefit IH patients and clients. (Photo credit: Kim Anderson/United Way).
Overlander Extended Care manager Denise Slevin and assistant manager Matt Renfrew ensured that one of their employees, care aide Tianna Braaten, was properly rewarded for her commitment to quitting smoking by giving her a day off with pay on Dec. 9. Denise and Matt took on Tianna's duties instead – although we hear that Tianna did check up on them, to see if they were doing her work properly! The reward was the grand prize in Overlander’s staff smoking cessation campaign held in the summer. Visit www.quitnow.ca for more smoking cessation resources.
Limit salt and sugar ... to reduce your risk of cancer.
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