Insider
Together we make a difference. May/JUne 2015
Planning for the Future
The Concept of a New Community Hospital Begins to Take Shape Page 3
Reducing Avoidable
New MVHS Intranet
Win a $100,000
Harm at MVHS
a Valuable tool
Home Makeover
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Page 7
Page 10
Table of Contents 3 | Concept of New Hospital Begins to Take Shape $300 million for integrated healthcare delivery system 4 | News In Brief 5 | Making it Matter with Applause Program at MVHS Employee recognition opportunities 6 | Safety First Fridays Patient safety problems identified, safe practices put in place 7 | New MVHS Intranet a Valuable Tool for Employees 8 | Sister M. Johanna Remembered Inspiring legacy of former St. Elizabeth CEO 8 | Cancer Survivors Day Breakfast 9 | St. Elizabeth Restricts Public Entrances 9 | Starfish Stories 10 | 19 Annual Miracle Home Makeover Kicked Off Drawing for $100,000 home makeover
Introducing the MVHS Insider magazine W
elcome to the inaugural edition of the “MVHS Insider.“ Over the last year, we have made tremendous strides in working together to make a difference as the Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS). This bimonthly publication is a place for us to celebrate each other’s accomplishments and share information about all of the great things happening each day at MVHS. This spring we are celebrating the concept of building a new hospital for our community, made possible through $300 million from New York State. We invite you to learn more about this exciting announcement on page 3. Our publication will regularly feature stories about our employees, medical staffs and volunteers going above and beyond to make a difference in the lives of our patients, residents and their families. It will include information about our efforts to continually improve quality and patient satisfaction, and feature upcoming Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare (FSLH) Foundation and St. Elizabeth Medical Center (SEMC) Foundation events and news.
Many features of SEMC’s former Elizabethan Newsletter have been incorporated in to this new publication, while others will be moved online to the MVHS employee intranet or our hospital websites, including calendars of events, new hire lists, event registrations and more. The “MVHS Insider” is a resource for our MVHS family and the community, and we welcome the opportunity to develop a publication you enjoy reading and sharing. If you have suggestions for future editions, please contact our Marketing and Communications Department.
Scott H. Perra, FACHE President/CEO, MVHS
On the Intranet
Please visit the MVHS intranet for more information about:
• Making it Matter with Applause
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11 | Give Back to Your Community Volunteer opportunities at MVHS 12 | Staff Announcements 12 | Upcoming Events
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• Difference Maker Awards • Photo Galleries • Calendar of Events • Staff Announcements & Updates • Stationery Order Forms • And much more.
Concept of New Community Hospital Begins to Take Shape By Debra Altdoerffer
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arlier this year, Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed $300 million in the 2015 New York State (NYS) budget to help to “create an integrated healthcare delivery system in Oneida County.” The proposal for Oneida County and MVHS became a reality with the budget approval in April. MVHS is the affiliation of FSLH and SEMC. The two organizations affiliated in March 2014, and share a common 18-member Board of Directors and a single management team. “This is an incredible opportunity for our community and we are extremely grateful
to the Governor and our legislators,” commented Scott H. Perra, FACHE, president/ CEO of MVHS. “Last fall, we began exploring the idea of a new, free-standing hospital and now to be able to move forward is remarkable. It changes healthcare in our community and enhances what we are able to do for our region.” In the last few decades, only two new hospitals have opened in New York State. Orange Regional Medical Center, a 353-bed facility in Middletown, opened in August 2011 and Guthrie Corning Hospital, a 65-bed facility,
opened in Corning in July 2014. Kaleida Health recently broke ground on a new, 183-bed hospital on its Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, which is anticipated to open in early 2017. The new hospital would replace the inpatient care currently provided at the St. Luke’s Campus of FSLH and at SEMC. The project is estimated to take four to six years to complete and there are a number of steps that need to happen even before the first shovels are in the ground. Continued on page 7
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News In Brief
Scholefield Appointed to Chamber Board The Greater Utica Chamber of Commerce recently named Robert C. Scholefield, RN, MS, senior vice president for Operations of MVHS, to the Board of Directors. Scholefield began serving his first three-year term on January 1, 2015. In addition to the Chamber Board, Scholefield serves on the Boards of Directors for St. Elizabeth College of Nursing, SUNY Institute of Technology Foundation and St. Elizabeth Health Support Services.
Perra Receives Business Person of the Year Introducing Award the MVHS Difference Maker Award Scott H. Perra, FACHE, president/CEO of MVHS, has been named the recipient of the 2014 Business Person of the Year Award by the Greater Utica Chamber of Commerce. Perra received this award at the Chamber’s Annual Membership Meeting on Wednesday, April 22, at Hart’s Hill Inn.
“The Chamber’s Publicity and Tourism Council selected Scott as our 2014 Business Person of the Year for his exemplary service to our community,” said Pamela Matt, executive director of the Greater Utica Chamber of Commerce. “Scott’s hard work and dedication to our healthcare system will continue to make an impact in the Greater Utica area for years to come.”
Popeo Appointed to Nursing Boards Rita Popeo, MS, RN, NEA-BC, assistant vice president of Nursing for MVHS, has been appointed president elect of the Central New York Organization of Nurse Executives and Leaders (CNYONEL) and to the Board of the New York Organization of Nurse Executives and Leaders (NYONEL). Popeo oversees Medical-Surgical Services and the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit for MVHS.
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In April, MVHS awarded its first MVHS Difference Maker Awards to three individuals to recognize members of the MVHS family who truly makes a difference – those who consistently exemplify our culture of “Make it Happen! Make it Matter! Make a Difference!” The Difference Maker Award replaces SEMC’s Employee of the Month Award and FSLH’s Spirit of Caring Award and is awarded monthly to three individuals. All MVHS employees, providers and volunteers who have completed one year of continuous service are eligible for nomination. Nominations can be submitted through the Applause website or via paper nomination form found on the new MVHS intranet, and remain in consideration for six months from the month of submission or until the nominee is selected to receive the award, whichever occurs first. Winners’ photos will be featured in upcoming publications!
Thank You
The family of Mary (Zane) Khiemdavanh would like to thank everyone who donated, attended services, sent a card, or just said a kind word. All of your thoughtful gestures meant so much to our family during this most difficult time. Your generous expressions of sympathy are deeply appreciated!
Supervisor of Mental Health, Jodi Kapes, uses the Making it Matter With Applause website to recognize coworkers.
Making it Matter with Applause Program at MVHS By Jacquie Klotzbach
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oo often, in the commotion of our work day, we forget to take a moment to say “thank you” or “good work” to our coworkers. It’s easy to think of a time when someone went out of the way to assist us in finding an answer or provided a patient with excellent care. When we witness these acts of kindness and examples of teamwork it’s important to let others know that their actions didn’t go unnoticed — and more importantly, that they are appreciated! Making it Matter with Applause gives MVHS employees the opportunity to send and receive recognitions filled with kind words of support and appreciation. This recognition program is built around the Applause website, which is available through the MVHS intranet or at home via mvhs.performnet.com. Each employee has a unique username and password, and can login to the website to send a coworker a “Cheer Maker.” Cheer Makers are similar to electronic greeting cards.
Employees select a recipient from a searchable list, write a small message and hit send. Employees with an email address on file are notified electronically and those without an email will have the card delivered to their manager to share with the employee. Managers can also send special cards called “Smile Makers,” which deposit two Applause points into an employee’s account. Applause points are collected and can be used by employees to purchase items of their choosing from an online catalog. Items range from movie tickets and fine jewelry to kitchen appliances and apparel. “We want every member of the MVHS family to know that the work they do truly makes a difference,” said Jerry Plows, Service Excellence and Employee Engagement coordinator for MVHS. “Every employee is unique and deserves to be recognized and rewarded in an equally unique way. Our hope is that em-
ployees will order items with their Applause points that are meaningful to them and their families, and serve as a reminder of the great work they do for the patients and residents at MVHS.” Employees can earn points in a variety of ways, including monthly sweepstakes, into which anyone who sends or receives a Cheer Maker is automatically entered. “The greatest benefit of the Applause program is that it connects the entire MVHS family, whether you work at one of the main campuses or at an offsite medical office in one of the surrounding communities,” said Plows. “Teamwork is essential to our success as an organization, as caregivers, as employees. Applause helps to bring together teams through the power of appreciation!” Visit the Applause program today to learn more about the MVHS recognition program and to send some cheer to a coworker! v
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Safety First Fridays – Reducing Avoidable Harm at MVHS By Erin Gigliotti
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o some people the term “big hairy audacious goal” (BHAG) might not be a familiar phrase, but to employees at MVHS, it is becoming part of their daily language. In 2010, MVHS President and CEO, Scott H. Perra, FACHE, outlined a goal for all FSLH hospital employees to reduce the number of patient incidents of avoidable harm to zero by 2015. This became FSLH’s BHAG, which is a term widely used in Jim Collins’ leadership book “Good to Great.” When FSLH and SEMC affiliated under MVHS in March 2014, both hospitals put patient safety at the forefront of their goals, as reducing avoidable harm is vital to successful healthcare delivery. As part of the affiliation, all departments and services were asked to review current practices for efficiency and quality, bring together similar programs and services and adopt best practices for those areas where the processes differ. With the BHAG in mind, MVHS employees have worked diligently on evaluating policies and creating new ones to ensure that avoidable harm is reduced. Reducing avoidable harm can be something as simple as using a wet floor sign while mopping or remembering to conduct a “Time Out” before an operating room procedure. Both FSLH and SEMC are making tremendous progress toward our goal of zero avoidable harm incidents, but our work is not done yet. The next step in continuing to create a culture that is driven to eliminate avoidable harm was put in the hands of the Quality and Outcomes Management Department. It was given the responsibility of developing a system-wide program led by leadership that seeks patient and visitor feedback, along with primary caregiver input, to identify where harm could potentially occur across the entire system of care. Employees in the Quality and Outcomes Management Department took a look at patient safety rounding initiatives for MVHS and also traveled to New York Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City to experience its trademarked program in safety rounding and survey readiness. They gathered the best
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Left to right: MVHS employees Roger McReynolds, Maureen Franklin, Jim Getter, Shari Bolton and Wendy Bird round on Safety First Friday at SEMC.
practices from each organization and developed Safety First Fridays at MVHS. The goal of Safety First Fridays is to increase the identification of actual and potential patient safety problems with a fast, if not immediate, plan for correction, while increasing the interaction of leadership with employees, patients and visitors. The program allows for a fresh set of eyes to evaluate each area and gives staff the opportunity to provide candid feedback because leaders are assigned to round on units other than their own. “Safety First Fridays keep our patients, residents and their families at the center of our care while simultaneously increasing staff awareness and leadership’s commitment to patient safety,” said Barbara Folger, RN, MS, CPHQ, NEA-BC, CPPS, assistant vice president of Quality and Outcomes Management for MVHS. “The Mohawk Valley Health System wants patient safety to be everyone’s priority – whether the person is a nurse, environmental service employee, physician or volunteer. By rounding with the different departments, patient safety is brought to everyone’s attention – our patients, their visitors, our staff and the leadership team who is completing the rounding. It is a great way to keep patient safety on everyone’s mind.”
Safety First Fridays are held every other Friday morning – with one Friday devoted to FSLH units and departments and one Friday focused on SEMC units and departments. Those rounding include senior leaders, department directors, managers, physician champions and other key personnel to the process. The two-hour meetings include 30 minutes of education based on the safety focus for the month. Leaders are assigned to teams to audit the environment of locations throughout the hospital using a checklist to record answers. There are many items the teams are focused on when they visit units throughout our hospitals including environmental, infection prevention, engineering and equipment concerns. Teams also make it a priority to interview employees, patients and family members to get their perspective, as well. After the hour-long audit is completed, the group reconvenes and the team leaders report their findings. They discuss any immediate corrective actions taken and make note of any follow up needed such as submitting a safety report or maintenance request. All of this information is recorded and reviewed so when it is time for the next Safety First Friday, identified issues have been resolved, if possible. v
New MVHS Intranet a Valuable Tool for Employees I
n January, MVHS launched a single intranet to help share resources between our campuses, departments and teams. Having a single site accessible to all MVHS employees helps to streamline communication and unify efforts that promote employee engagement and collaboration.
As a portal for all SEMC and FSLH digital resources, the intranet is home to: • Phone Directories • Cafeteria Menus • Staff Announcements and New Provider Lookbook • Emergency Operations/Preparedness Plans • News Updates • Events Calendar • Job Postings • Photo Slideshows. Content can be viewed by organization and is searchable to help employees find information quickly and efficiently.
Information and features are being added daily, and requests for updates or corrections can be submitted through the Contact Us form on the intranet or by email to smarquez@mvhealthsystem.org. All MVHS policies and related documents are now located in the MCN Policy Manager document control system. The MCN system can be accessed from the MVHS intranet in
various locations – by a link under the search box, in the Quick Links and in the main menu. As policies are added, updated or converted to system-wide policies, notifications with links are added to the front page of the intranet and distributed via the Daily Operations Updates email for employees to review. The intranet is only accessible from home for employees with Citrix Remote Access. v
Concept of New Community Hospital cont. Continued from page 3
Building a new hospital is costly, estimated at $460 to $500 million. The $300 million helps to lay the foundation for funding, and MVHS will still need additional financial support from federal and state governments, lending institutions and philanthropic support from the community. “Since we began talking about this, one of the most frequently asked questions is ‘where would we build a new hospital?’ and we don’t know yet,” noted Perra. “We are working with Mohawk Valley EDGE to look for potential sites in our area. EDGE has tremendous resources and its support is invaluable. It will take time, research and planning to determine the best location.”
“We only have one chance to get this right and that is what we intend to do.” Scott H. Perra, FACHE, president/CEO of MVHS The final determination for the site will be made by the MVHS Board of Directors. The MVHS administrative team cautions that, while many are interested in where the new hospital will be located, there is a long list of additional
tasks that need to be completed. In the next 12 to 18 months a fully developed plan needs to be finalized including location, size of facility, structure, services provided, staffing needs and recommendations about what to do with the current FSLH and SEMC buildings. MVHS will also have to complete a Certificate of Need application for approval by the NYS Department of Health. “This is the beginning of a long and important journey,” said Perra. “We are excited and we recognize what an enormous responsibility this is for our Board of Directors, medical staffs and employees. We only have one chance to get this right and that is what we intend to do. We want to build a new hospital for the families that we serve, one that will make a difference for generations to come.” v
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Sister M. Johanna Remembered By Sandra Fentiman
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ister M. Johanna DeLelys, OSF, was a vital part of SEMC from 1965 until her retirement in 2010. She worked at SEMC in various nursing and management positions until becoming chief operating officer (COO) from 1991 to 2004 and then president and chief executive officer (CEO) from 2004 to 2010. She passed away in Syracuse on February 15, 2015. A member of the Sisters of St. Francis for 57 years, Sister Johanna was honored at a Mass at the St. Marianne Cope Chapel at SEMC on March 3. In the chapel where she sat hundreds of times, attendees remembered Sister Johanna as a person, a nurse and a quiet administrator through a eulogy presented by MVHS Senior Vice President of Operations, Robert Scholefield, RN, MS. “Sister Johanna was dedicated to continuing the hospital’s mission of caring for anyone in need, regardless of the person’s ability to pay,” he said. “And of course, when you saw Sister Johanna, you knew that Sister Rose Vincent wasn’t far away.” The Sisters worked as a team for decades, with Sister Johanna’s years as
COO occurring during Sister Rose Vincent’s tenure as president and CEO. Both Sisters were instrumental in founding the Mohawk Valley Heart Institute, bringing open-heart surgery and other cardiac services to the Mohawk Valley in a cooperative venture between SEMC and FSLH. Other highlights of her career include leading SEMC to meet the ISO 9001 and 14001 criteria, establishing it as one of the most accredited hospitals in the nation; renovating, expanding and modernizing the Emergency Department and Kitchen/Cafeteria; renovating the Cardiac Catheterization Labs; and opening a new, state of the art Orthopedic Unit in 2009. A diplomate of the American College of Healthcare Executives, Sister Johanna became a registered nurse after graduating from St. Joseph’s Hospital School of Nursing in Syracuse. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, and a Master of Business Administration in Hospital Administration from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio.
In addition, she contributed to board leadership and advisory committees for several local organizations. We are grateful to Sister Johanna for her more than four decades of service to the hospital and greater Utica community. v
Cancer Survivors Day Breakfast — June 7
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n Sunday, June 7, 2015, cancer survivors from the Mohawk Valley as well as their family and friends are invited to gather with employees, medical staff and volunteers from MVHS’s Cancer Center at the 28th annual National Cancer Survivors Day. The breakfast will take place at Hart’s Hill Inn, 135 Clinton Street, Whitesboro, with doors opening at 9am and the breakfast beginning at 9:30am. Cancer survivors are free and are allowed to bring up to two guests at the cost of $10 per guest. Reservations are required and can be made by emailing cancerinfo@mvhealthsystem.org or calling (315) 624-HOPE (4673). Please provide your contact information. Checks for $10 for guests should be made payable to The Cancer Center and mailed to: The Cancer Center Program Office, Faxton Campus, 1676 Sunset Avenue, Utica, NY 13502. The breakfast, sponsored annually by MVHS, is celebrated in communities across the world. This day provides an opportunity for all people living with a history of cancer – including
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America’s 12 million cancer survivors – to connect with each other, celebrate milestones and recognize the healthcare providers, family and friends who have supported them along the way. Extravagant baskets, donated by MVHS employees, are raffled off at the breakfast.
Michele Blatt, a MVHS employee and volunteer for the event, enjoys breakfast with her father, Ronald Blatt, a six-year cancer survivor, at last year’s breakfast.
“Our employees look forward to the Survivors Day breakfast all year long because it is a chance for us to be with our past patients and see how well they are doing,” said Nancy Butcher, MBA, RT(T), executive director of the Cancer Center. “Cancer touches everyone and these patients have touched our lives in
so many ways. We love getting together with them every year to celebrate their personal triumphs over cancer.” Please tell your family and friends about this wonderful event! For more information, please visit the intranet or www.faxtonstlukes.com/cancer. v
SEMC Restricts public Entrances
StarFish Stories Starfish Stories are about caregivers, protectors, companions and champions. They acknowledge special, and sometimes lifechanging, moments that make a difference for our patients, residents, their families and our coworkers. The following stories are about those individuals and teams who inspire us to always do our best. Mike Piazza and Joy Hameline Intermediate Care and Observation Unit (ICOU) - FSLH Michele Sandock Nursing Services - FSLH Alexandra Battista Case Management - FSLH Edwards Ambulance Nominated by Lisa Lounsbury, ICOU - FSLH
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n April, SEMC restricted the number of public entrances as a way to increase the safety and security of patients, visitors, employees and medical staff. Limiting public access provides greater manageability of traffic in and out of the building. The following four entrances are open to the public from 5am to 9pm and accessible by identification badges used by employees and medical staff during the hours between 9pm and 5am: • Front Hospital Entrance (wooden doors facing Genesee Street) • Parking Garage Second Floor Entrance (enters on to hospital’s fourth floor) • Admitting Entrance (left side of hospital) • Walk-in Emergency Entrance. An additional four entrances are closed to the public but accessible by identification badges used by employees and medical staff.
All patients and visitors will continue to use the Emergency Department entrance between 9pm and 5am. The technology allowing MVHS to implement our enhanced security system was made possible through the SEMC Foundation. v
A spectacular story of kindness, compassion and going above and beyond begins with a call from the St. Joseph Nursing Home to make Mike Piazza, RN, aware that the husband of one of his patients, who we will call Mrs. Heartfelt, was very ill and was not going to make it through the night. They had been married for 58 years and Mike knew he had to get Mrs. Heartfelt to the nursing home to say goodbye. Mike collaborated with Michele Sandock, nursing supervisor, and case manager Alexandra Battista to make this happen. Edwards Ambulance staff, who graciously donated their time, transported Mrs. Heartfelt to and from the nursing home. Joy Hameline, a care attendant, escorted her to the nursing home and stayed with her while she visited her husband. Joy helped Mrs. Heartfelt stand and then watched as she gently kissed her beloved husband for the last time. Mrs. Heartfelt then told him he had her permission to go and that she would see him soon. Shortly after Mrs. Heartfelt arrived back at St. Luke’s Campus, her beloved husband passed away. Mrs. Heartfelt, and her family were very grateful for this heartwarming gesture. It is moments like this that make my heart smile.
Farah Mason Special Care Unit - SEMC Nominated by Lissette Grimaldi, Nursing - MVHS This is a story of how being attuned to what is going on around you can make all the difference in the world. We had a patient drive from Oneida to SEMC. Farah Mason, a nurse tech on the Special Care Unit, encountered the gentleman in the hall. She noted the patient was sweaty and not looking well. When she asked if she could help him, the patient stated that he was looking for the Emergency Department (ED) and told her he was not feeling well. Farah knew there was something more happening, so she immediately placed the patient in a wheelchair and took him straight to the ED. Along the way, she was asking him questions and learned that he was experiencing chest pain. When she arrived at the ED, she took the patient straight to the desk and like a true advocate for the patient, made sure that someone helped him. Upon further examination it was discovered that this patient was having a STEMI, which is a deadly type of heart attack. The Cardiac Cath Lab staff was able to stop the attack and save his life. Thank you, Farah, for your attention to your surroundings and your advocacy for this patient. You truly made a difference! Stories are selected each month to be shared with the MVHS family and two will be featured in each publication. To recognize someone for going above and beyond, visit the Applause website.
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The 19th Annual Miracle Home Makeover Kicked Off April 24 T
he FSLH Foundation, in partnership with WKTV NewsChannel 2, Lite 98.7FM-WLZW, The Observer-Dispatch, Lewis Custom Homes and Home Builders and Remodelers Association of the Mohawk Valley, announced the start of the 19th annual $100,000 Miracle Home Makeover on Friday, April 24, 2015. The Miracle Home Makeover benefits our local Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Hospital at FSLH with one lucky person winning a $100,000 Miracle Home Makeover or $100,000 in cash. Tickets are $100 each and must be purchased with cash — no checks, credit cards or money orders can be accepted. Officials from the New York State Gaming Commission contacted the FSLH Foundation in March to inform the Foundation that tickets may only be purchased with “legal tender,” which is defined as cash only. The officials noted that all drawings in New York State can only accept cash as payment. “For the past 18 years we have accepted credit and debit cards, personal checks, money orders and cash as payment for the tickets,” noted Eileen Pronobis, CFRE, executive director of the FSLH Foundation. “We want to be in compliance with the statute in place for conducting drawings. However, we do believe that it is time to take a look at the current state guidelines to see if we can create a change for all charities in New York, as we feel these regulations are out of date. We have contacted our local legislators to see if they can work with their colleagues to change the statute to include credit cards and checks.”
to cash only, we feel that our community will find a way to support us. And we hope in the coming months our legislators will make the changes needed … changes that impact worthy charities in their districts.” A maximum of 4,300 tickets are available and may be purchased for $100 each. The FSLH Foundation worked with First Source Federal Credit Union, GPO Federal Credit Union and Chanatry’s Supermarket to provide tickets at the following locations:
Projects such as the $100,000 Miracle Home Makeover allow FSLH to make a difference in the lives of many children and families. Funds raised by our CMN Hospital stay here in our community. v
Chanatry’s Supermarket 485 French Road, Utica
First Source Federal Credit Union Locations Herkimer – 510 West State Street New Hartford – 4451 Commercial Drive North Utica – North Utica Shopping Center, 50 Auert Avenue Rome – 1822 Black River Boulevard South Utica – 1634 Genesee Street
GPO Federal Credit Union Locations Dolgeville – 39 North Main Street Downtown Utica – 301 Bleecker Street Ilion – 3 Central Plaza New Hartford – 4311 Middle Settlement Road
For nearly two decades, the CMN Miracle Home Makeover project has built miracles for the children in the community, and the project is the single largest fundraiser conducted by the hospital.
Oneida – 1000 Oneida Plaza Drive
“We want to move forward with this event,” said Pronobis. “The Miracle Home Makeover Project is very important to the continuation of programs, services and equipment that we are able to provide. The monies raised each year help us provide services for women and children with little or no insurance, supports programs and training initiatives for our staff as well as fund specialized care like our area’s only Level II Special Care Nursery. Even with the change
FSLH Foundation Office Faxton Campus, 1676 Sunset Avenue, Utica
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The drawing for the Miracle Home Makeover will be held on Wednesday, October 21, 2015, at 6pm at the St. Luke’s Campus of FSLH in New Hartford.
South Utica – 2711 Genesee Street
Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare Locations
Main Lobby, St. Luke’s Campus Wednesdays only – 1656 Champlin Avenue, New Hartford For more information visit the FSLH Foundation online at www.faxtonstlukes.com/mhm or call (315) 624-5600.
2015 Miracle Child Myles Siega, West Winfield, NY
Volunteer Marta Rietma greets patients and visitors at SEMC.
Give Back to Your Community — Become a Volunteer at MVHS By Caitlin McCann
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n honor of National Healthcare Volunteer Week, April 12 to April 18, 2015, MVHS celebrates the many active volunteers who donate their time, energy and talents to the organization and encourages others to start helping within their communities. During the week-long celebration, volunteers were offered discount coupons to the hospital gift shops and participated in prize drawings. Volunteers who have reached milestones in their hours of service are recognized at an annual recognition event in May. In 2014, MVHS had 562 individual volunteers who contributed more than 75,500 volunteer hours of service to patients and their families. That is equivalent to the work of 39 full-time employees, which saves the hospital nearly $1.7 million per year. The volunteers at MVHS provide vital services and support to not only the patients and their families, but also to the MVHS staff. Christine Bart, a patient advocate at SEMC, began volunteering four years ago when she
saw an ad in the paper indicating SEMC was in need of volunteers. “When I saw the ad that SEMC was looking for volunteers, I thought it would be a great place for me to donate my time,” said Bart. “I’d previously volunteered in other hospitals and really enjoyed being able to help the patients and their families. As a patient advocate, I visit each patient to ensure he or she is getting everything needed. If there is a concern, I work with the hospital staff to alleviate the issue. I like the opportunity to visit with people who might need cheering up as they often end up cheering me up! This interaction is so meaningful to me and I really look forward to it.” John Weakley was a well-known and very active volunteer at FSLH from 2003 until he passed away in 2014. He contributed more than 14,000 volunteer hours to the organization. John was such an advocate for volunteerism that he encouraged his siblings, including his sister, Jean Lesniak, to consider volunteering.
“John was such an inspiration to me to begin volunteering,” said Lesniak. “I saw the amazing contributions he made to FSLH and it motivated me to become a volunteer once I retired. I started donating my time this past September and it is more rewarding than I ever could have imagined. Until you start volunteering, you don’t realize that you get back so much more than you put in. I spend my time in the gift shop, surgery waiting room or delivering papers to each patient at the St. Luke’s Campus. Everyone, from the patients and their family members to the employees, is so pleasant and appreciative. It really makes you feel like what you’re doing matters and is helping out so many people.” To learn how you can make a difference in your community by volunteering at MVHS, please visit the FSLH website at www.faxtonstlukes.com/volunteer or call (315) 624-6142; or visit the SEMC website at www.stemc.org/volunteers or call (315) 801-8275. v
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Upcoming Event Highlights
PO Box 479 | Utica, NY 13503-0479
May 13 MVHS Employee Recognition Night May 16
SECON Graduation
May 27 CMN Telethon June 7 Cancer Survivors Day Breakfast June 13 Relay for Life June 15
FSLH Foundation Golf Open
June 26 St. Elizabeth Family Medicine Residency Program Graduation July 13
SEMC Foundation Golf Tournament
Please visit the intranet for a complete list of upcoming events at MVHS.
Staff Announcements & Updates January 2015 – April 2015
Vice Presidents & Directors
2015 SEMC Medical Staff Officers
Sergey Germanovich - Director of Language Assistance Program
Robert P. Fleischer, MD, President
Tracy L. Hilderbran, RN, MS - Director of Radiation Oncology
Mark E. Warfel, DO, FAAFP, Vice President
Greg Howard - Vice President of Human Resources
James L. Bramley, MD, Secretary/Treasurer
Corinne Ritzel, RT, RRT - Director of Advanced Wound Care
Managers Jamie Buell, BSN - Nurse Manager for 3A and 3B (SEMC) Michelle Castle, RN, MS - Nurse Manager for CTICU (SEMC) Karen Coyle, RN, BSN - Nurse Manager for 2E and Neuro/Pediatrics (SEMC) Tracy Lebert, RN - Nurse Manager for 2A (SEMC) Brianna Sangiacomo, RN - Nurse Manager for 3C (SEMC)
2015 FSLH Medical Staff Officers
Medical Directors Peter Hotvedt, MD, FACC - Clinical Cardiology Medical Director (FSLH) Michael Kelberman, MD, FACC - Clinical Cardiology Medical Director (SEMC) Hugh MacIsaac, MD, FACC - Cardiac Cath Lab and Interventional Cardiology Medical Director Thor Markwood, MD, FACC - Cardiac Electrophysiology Medical Director John Thomas, MD, FACC - Rehabilitation Services Medical Director
Brian P. Boyle, MD, President Waleed Albert, MD, FACP, Vice President Daniel C. Goodman, MD, FACP, Secretary/Treasurer
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Visit the MVHS Intranet for more details.