In Roads
Inside information for the employees of Mercy Medical Center
David Dunham’s Successor has Been Announced
September 12, 2014
“Kindness can become its own motive. We are made kind by being kind.” - Eric Hoffer
Local Firefighters work with our Foundation to Fundraise
By Delene Meidlinger, Annual Giving/Event Officer President, David Dunham with COO, Chuck Kassis.
After 10 years as the president/CEO of Mercy Medical Center, David Dunham has announced that he will retire December 31, 2014. The community board and Dignity Health Senior Vice President Jon Van Boening have approved the succession plan to promote Chuck Kassis, Chief Operating Officer, to president/CEO after David’s retirement. “The transition plan assures continued leadership and performance excellence for Mercy Medical Center and the clinical teams that serve their communities,” said Jon Van Boening, SVP Operations, Central California Service Area. Among David’s accomplishments was leading Mercy through the successful design, building, and opening of the new hospital in May of 2010. According to David, getting to open a new hospital is a special occasion and I am very proud to have been part of the “new” Mercy Medical Center. He began his 40-year health care career as a housekeeper at the University of Tennessee hospital in Knoxville. Before coming to Merced he was the president of the Southside Regional Medical Center in Petersburg Virginia.
Merced City Firefighters:
During October, Merced City Firefighters will wear pink to raise awareness about breast health and cancer. They are taking pre-orders for the $20 t-shirts (see flier on pg 3) to raise money for the Mercy UC Davis Cancer Center. Order form and payment must be received by September 19th to ensure delivery by October 1st. However, orders will be taken up to October 10th. The firefighters are coming to Mercy the week of September 15th to collect preorders, so bring your money and forms that week.
Chuck previously was the COO at Community Hospital of Los Gatos and at Doctors Hospital of Manteca.
Our president, David Dunham, has kindly given permission for all nonclinical employees to wear their t-shirts on each Friday during the month of October.
“David has laid the groundwork for the on-going success of Mercy. We have a fantastic team of dedicated, caring staff members here and my goal is to always keep us prepared for the future.”
If you have any questions, please contact Delene Meidlinger at the Mercy Foundation Office at 209-564-4200.
Enter the Kawasaki Raffle to Help Bring an Endoscopic Ultrasound to Mercy
New Employee Welcome
By Delene Meidlinger, Annual Giving /Event Officer
American Legion Riders: Save the Date for Wednesday, September 17th as the American Legion Riders will have a booth in front of the Medical Center to sell raffle tickets for a chance to win a 2002 Kawasaki Vulcan Drifter 1500cc motorcycle. Proceeds from the raffle will benefit bringing an Endoscopic Ultrasound to Mercy Medical Center.
If you have any questions, please contact Delene Meidlinger at the Mercy Foundation Office at 209-564-4200.
Top row from left: Valerie Huber, Alicia Marquez, Elbio Sabao, Rosa Cisneros, Thaomee Xiong, Puja Khullar, Amy Mancebo, Claudia Zeledon, Heather Brandauer, Jessica Schraeder, Aracelia Contreras, and Maria Rivera Bottom row from left: Debbie Soares, Odete Borges, Frances Greenamyer, Mee Vang, Many Mccoy, Alexis Spurrier, Clinton Christian, and Tricia Galloway
Gift Shop News First day of Autumn is September 23! We have Halloween out. Masks, jewelry, glow- in- the-dark wands, decor, treat boxes, and large treat bags for boys and girls to carry home their candy stash!
2014 Resident’s Retreat - September 5-7
New jewelry, Demdaco, Jelly Belly candies and plushes are here as well.
Employee Discount Week
Sept. 21-27 20% OFF
***Except: flowers/plants, candy/food, used books/newspapers We will be closed for our Volunteer Luncheon on Sept. 26th between 11:00 a.m. and 1:30p.m.
The residents, showing their Hello humankindness spirit in Monterey!
Frequently Asked Questions From the 2014 Open Forums
Q:
What is your plan for improving employee morale?
A:
We already have many activities in progress. The 2014 Open Forums were attended by 11,500 employees who were able to hear personally from Lloyd Dean and other senior leaders about Dignity Health plans and to ask questions about issues and concerns. Our new chief nursing officer, Page West, who was appointed in March, already has a team of nursing leaders and staff working with her to look at staffing models and ratios, a major concern of our nurses. Our Hello humankindness brand and advertising campaign recognizes and celebrates our employees’ commitment and achievements. We are also committed to better communication. A year ago we began to improve internal communications in our facilities by creating more frequent newsletters, having more town hall/employee meetings with opportunities for direct interaction with senior leadership, expanding rounding, and the use of “huddles.” We are continuing to strengthen communications at the facility level. All of these efforts are part of a total commitment to enhancing employee engagement and morale. They will continue, and we will add other programs. As Lloyd Dean discussed at the Open Forums, we understand that we haven’t done a great job of telling you about major decisions – what they are, how they were made, and why – and we are committed to improving that. Darryl Robinson, our chief HR officer, will be visiting every service area during the coming months to seek your suggestions on what more we can do. Please be sure to attend your facility’s Employee Forums whenever possible and participate – ask questions and raise your concerns. Your engagement and ideas are vital
in making our organization a better and more satisfying place to work.
Saving Water Is More Critical than Ever at Work and at Home With the serious drought in California and much of the Western United States, it’s incumbent upon all of us to help conserve water. Dignity Health is striving to conserve water throughout the system. If you have suggestions on how we can further reduce our use of water, please send your ideas to our Director of Ecology Sr. Mary Ellen Leciejewski at: MaryEllen.Leciejewski@ DignityHealth.org And be sure to do everything you can to conserve water at home as well. Here are some tips: • Plant drought-resistant plants. • Water your garden in the early morning or early evening when temperatures are cooler. • Turn off the water while brushing your teeth, doing dishes, or shaving. • Collect the water you use while rinsing fruit and vegetables. Use it to water house plants. You can find even more tips on the U.S. EPA Water Sense website.
Be Sure to Register to Vote in the Nov. 4 Election The Nov. 4 General Election is just around the corner. In coordination with the California Secretary of State, Dignity Health is encouraging you, your family and friends to vote. The last day to register to vote in this election is Oct. 20. Registration is easy at http://registertovote.ca.gov. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. Registered California voters can also vote by mail. Just fill in and print an application at http://www.sos.ca.gov/ elections/elections_m.htm. Then mail it in time so that it arrives at your county’s elections office by Oct. 28. For more information call the Secretary of State’s voter hotline at (800) 345-VOTE or visit www.sos. ca.gov/elections/voting-in-california.
Fill your plate with superfoods Each of the next several In Roads will feature a different superfood and its health benefits.
Apples
Apples have less than 50 calories but are a great source of antioxidants, fiber, Vitamin C and potassium, according to SuperFoodsRx.com.
BOOKS ARE FUN BOOK FAIR!
Come visit the new Books Are Fun Book Fair in the convenience of your workplace. With over 250 great titles at unbelievable prices, you are sure to find something for everyone on your list! Where: Downstairs on the Garden Cafe Patio Date: Tuesday, September 16, 2014 Time: 10:00am- 4:00pm Product categories include:
Children's Story Books, Cookbooks, General Interest Books, New York Times Best Sellers, Stationery & Scrapbooking, Music Collections, Gifts for all ages, Early Learning Products, and Children's Educational Products.
First run, top quality products from the world's leading publishers:
Time Life, Simon & Schuster, Dorling Kindersley, Harper-Collins, Penguin, Random House, Reader's Digest, Rodale, Disney, Publication's International, Thomas Nelson, Peachtree Publishing, and many more! For more information and a great video of what your fair will look like... click here!
Sponsored by the Mercy Hospital Volunteers
What You Can Do to Avoid Back Pain?
5 Misconceptions About Hospital Social Media Violations Make sure you know these 5 mistakes hospital employees make before you make one yourself. By Dan Hinmon, Ragan’s Health Care Communication News
Whether they host social media sites or not, most US hospitals have realized how important it is to develop social media policies for their employees.
At some point, most of us will suffer from back pain. In fact, it’s one of the most common reasons that people visit a doctor. Back pain can be caused by an accident or injury or something as small as sleeping in a strange position. And it doesn’t help if you are overweight, because that puts extra strain on the back. But there are some things you can do to help prevent back pain: • Exercise regularly to increase muscle strength and balance. • Use good posture. • Eat a healthy diet with plenty of calcium and vitamin D to strengthen your spine. • Try not to lift anything heavy. But if you must, keep your back straight and lift with your legs. • Maintain a healthy body weight. • Don’t smoke. Smoking restricts blood flow to the discs that cushion your vertebrae, lowers calcium absorption, and prevents new bone growth. • Don’t be a weekend sports warrior or overdo it with chores around the house. Back pain can be serious, and when the pain is intense or doesn’t get better in two or three weeks, you should see a doctor. But in many cases you can help keep the pain away by diet, exercise and some common sense.
But a quick Google search shows that the majority of HIPAA violations related to social media – at least those reported in the media—don’t take place on official health care social media sites at all. Instead, they’re posted on personal Facebook pages and Twitter accounts. What were they thinking? Here are five mistaken beliefs that can lead to HIPAA violations. Mistaken belief #1: It’s private. My communication is private. No one will see it except for the intended recipient. Reality: One of the key features of social media is the ability to share information among friends and associates, and among their friends and their associates. When you post something—anything—on any social media site you need to remember that it could end up anywhere. Even private posts are not private. Mistaken belief #2: I can delete my post. If I make a mistake and then delete my post/comment no one else will see it. Reality: Enormous server farms are constantly scouring the web, preserving every scrap of data. Even if you post something and delete it just a few minutes later, it’s still alive in the digital world and could come back to haunt you for a very, very long time. Mistaken belief #3: It’s okay if I don’t use a name. It’s okay if I talk about a patient on my
Facebook or Twitter account as long as I don’t use the patient’s name. Reality: Under HIPAA, patient information is really safe to use only when it is stripped of 18 identifiers. Particularly in small communities, any innocent comment about a patient may help others identify the subject of the post. Mistaken belief #4: She started it. My patient posted her protected health information on her own site, so I’m free to comment, like, share or re-tweet. Reality: Be cautious. It’s okay for a patient to disclose his or her own personal health information, but if you share or retweet it on your personal accounts, you are giving it new life and may land in hot water. Play it safe, and don’t do it. Mistaken belief #5: It’s so easy to be careless. It is just so darn easy to be careless— to type something and press send without thinking. Reality: The fifth mistaken belief is actually an accurate belief, but it fits so nicely in this list I had to include it. When HIPAA violations occur on personal social media accounts, it is almost always because the person was just not thinking. It is so easy to just type a few quick words and press send, especially when you’re tired or distracted. If every health care worker had STOP! and THINK! buttons on his or her Facebook page, it could save a lot of grief.
BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH Merced City Firefighters Local #1479 During the Month of October, Merced City Firefighters will wear PINK to raise awareness about Breast Health and Cancer. Have regular mammograms, do your monthly self-checks, and buy a T-Shirt to raise money for a cure! Proceeds Benefit Dignity Health Mercy UC Davis Cancer Center
Note: Order form and payment must be received by September 19th to ensure delivery by October 1st. Orders will be taken up to October 10th. The firefighters will be coming to Mercy the week of September 15th to pick up these forms. Men’s Sizes S
M
L
XL
2XL 3XL
Women’s Sizes S
M
L
XL
Total 2XL 3XL Quantity
Quantity
Cost $20.00
Total (Quantity X Cost)
Make your check payable to the Merced City Firefighters Local # 1479. Name: Address: Email: Phone #:
Order may be picked up at: Merced Fire Department 99 E. 16th Street Merced, CA 95340 For Additional Information Local1479@gmail.com Order Filled by: __________________ Date: ________________________ Amount Collected: _____________ Cash / Check # ___________________
Journey to Knowledge Class Respiratory Disorder
Class for CNAs and Techs.
This inservice provides information on Respiratory Disorders. Date: Tuesday September 16, Time: 8:00am-12:00pm Location: Dominican Campus Please Pre-register with Education 209-564-4384 Educator: Jose Soto R.N Contact Hours: Provider approved by the California Board of Certified Nursing Assistants: Provider number NAC 6753 for 4 contact hours. All must attend the full 4 hour session; no partial credit will be given. Course Fee: EMPLOYEES $10.00 Deposit (Only charged if one doesn’t attend class) NON-EMPLOYEES $20.00 Fee
Identify the major structures of the pulmonary system. Recognize signs and symptoms of the patients with pulmonary diseases.
Identify the primary cause of Respiratory Disorders. Identify risk factors and complications of pulmonary diseases. Identify diagnostic procedures used for pulmonary diseases.
Recognize and respond to respiratory emergencies.