IN PULSE Vol. 37 No. 3 •
News from Waldo County General Hospital • May 2017
WCGH executive team changes
Kent Clark, MD, has been named vice president of medical affairs at Waldo County General Hospital. CEO Mark Fourre, MD, said in his announcement of Dr. Clark’s new position: “Dr. Clark is a trusted member of the executive team and will be reporting to me in his new
position. He will continue to help with clinical duties in the emergency department and work collaboratively with leadership at Pen Bay Medical Center to enhance collaboration between our two hospitals. Rob Fowler, RN, who was serving as the associate chief operating officer, has accepted the role of
interim regional chief nursing officer. He will assume the duties of CNO Paula Delahanty, RN, who is transitioning into the senior regional director of education and professional development. In making the announcement, Dr. Fourre wrote, “This alignment optimizes our ability to meet the needs of the communities we serve...and position Coastal Healthcare Alliance as the employer of choice for all disciplines.”
Two longtime WCGH staffers retiring After 43 years at Waldo County General Hospital, Ann Hooper, the director of imaging services, has announced her retirement effective in early July. She joined the hospital as a radiology tech in the winter of 1974. Besides serving as the head of imaging services, Hooper also served as a member of the Waldo County General Hospital Board of Directors, now the Coastal Healthcare Alliance Board of Directors. After working tirelessly over the
years to ensure that WCGH was always at the forefront of patient care by building a state-of-the-art imaging center, Hooper has spent the last few years assisting with planning and creating a specialized women’s imaging center. The center is scheduled to open in late June. After 40 years as a surgeon at Waldo County General Hospital, David Crofoot, MD, will retire from his practice on June 15. Dr. Crofoot plans to spend his retirement years with his grandchildren, sailing in Maine and
enjoying life in Belfast. He said he is proud of the progress that Waldo County General Hospital has made. “I look back with pride at what a small number of dedicated physicians and staff have accomplished to transform our little rural hospital.” In 1977 when Dr. Crofoot opened his practice at WCGH, the physician staff included two internists, one family practitioner/obstetrician, a new pediatrician, an eye surgeon, two surgeons, including himself and a half-time radiologist. There was no anesthesiologist, orthopedist, cardiologist or emergency room doctors. “We were on call a lot,” he recalls.
MH excellence team wins quality award A program started at Pen Bay Medical Center, which expanded to almost every organization across the MaineHealth system has won the 2017 Quality Improvement Leadership Award from Maine Quality Counts, a nonprofit organization working to transform health and healthcare. The MaineHealth Operational Excellence Team works to engage colleagues in work
focusing on improving safety, quality and patient experience. A key aspect of the program is daily walks where leaders visit numerous departments to talk about the work being done there, how it can be improved and any obstacles to achieving that improvement. WCGH currently has 58 departments participating and more than 400 improvement initiatives have been completed.
Michelle Radloff, regional director of operational excellence at Pen Bay Medical Center and Waldo County General Hospital, and Erik Frederick, regional chief operating officer, with the QC award.
WCGH awarded $45,566 cancer grant Waldo County General Hospital has been awarded a grant of $45,566 from the Maine Cancer Foundation to increase colorectal cancer screening rates. Under the new program “Waldo Screen to Save,” three patient care coordinators from the hospital’s population health team will work with primary care providers and staff to deliver colorectal cancer prevention education, screening kits and other educational and screening resources to more than 1,600 patients over the course of the
two year grant. The goal is to increase the colorectal cancer screening rate to 76 percent from the present 63.8 percent. Colonoscopies, which reduce the chance of dying from colon cancer by 60 percent, are seen by many patients as embarrassing, uncomfortable, time-consuming and expensive. Recent studies have shown that many patients prefer home-based tests, and those offered the option of sending in stool samples were more likely to participate in screening than
those referred for colonoscopy. With this project, funds will support the mailing of kits and information/ education letters to more than 1,600 WCGH patients who are due/overdue for colorectal cancer screening. Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Maine. Increasing screening rates is a costeffective evidence-based strategy to reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer cases and deaths.
WCGH’s Women’s Health adds to team
A third certified nurse midwife and a licensed clinical professional counselor have joined the women’s health program. Danielle Pelletier, CNM, comes to WCGH from Women’s Health Care in Newburyport, Massachusetts. She graduated with honors with a master’s degree in nursing and a
Certificate in Midwifery from Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing, Hyden, Kentucky in 2013. She will provide comprehensive women’s healthcare, including well-women and preventative services, family planning education and obstetrical care to women throughout their lives. Wendelanne Augunas, LCPC,
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has extensive experience in women and family health, individual/family counseling, clinical supervision and community outreach. She is skilled in clinical assessment, case management, risk reduction and crisis intervention. She has worked at Pen Bay Women’s Health since 2010. For more information or to make an appointment, please call 338-9939.
Aid holds its annual meeting, honors volunteers The WCGH Aid held its annual meeting/volunteer recognition at Penobscot Shores May 17. During the past year, volunteers donated 5,797 hours, earned more than $20,000 in the gift shop and almost $8,000 from fundraising. Current members honored for donating more then 4,000 hours of service over the years were Sally Millhorn, Ellen Kenney, Ed Kelley, Muriel Krakar and Wilma Moses. Receiving gold awards for more than 500 hours of volunteering during the past year were Joe Altilio and Sally Millhorn. Earning silver awards (350-499 hours) were Jane Doak, Ellen Kenney, Wilma Moses, Ed Lord, Geary Tibbetts and Phyllis Gaul. Given bronze awards (100-249 hours) were Jean Dunham, Judy Warren, Judith Cox, Clare Tresham, Larry Quinn, Judy Johnson, Charlie Gradie, Bill Taylor, Elisabeth Pollock, Bryant Dutch, Velma Kinsley, Lucy Ledien and Jean Russell.
Aid treasuer Peter Tidd presents the new Belfast Public Health Nurse, Sue Dupler, with a $2,000 donation. CEO Mark Fourre, MD, thanked the Aid for their service to the hospital and its patients.
Re-elected as officers for the upcoming year were Wilma Moses and Ellen Kenney, co-presidents, Sally Millhorn, vice-president, Jane Doak, secretary, Peter Tidd, treasurer and Phyllis Gaul, corresponding secretary.
Breastfeeding support group forming A breastfeeding support group is being formed at Waldo County General Hospital. The group will meet in the Classroom (ground floor, enter by the back door) from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the second Saturday of each month. It’s a great way to meet other new moms who are breastfeeding their babies. The group offers support and guidance to breastfeeding mothers from certified lactation consultants and certified lactation counselors. Among the topics to be discussed are fussy babies, common problems and solutions, going back to work, nutrition and long term breastfeeding success. Siblings are welcome. For more information, contact lactation services at 338-2500 x4109.
Amy Root, Director of Development for Lifeflight of Maine, thanks the Aid and Geary Tibbetts, the retiring gft shop manager, for a $3,500 donation
Aid News The Aid’s spring yard sale netted $1,200 while its auction brought in another $461. ***** Volunteer Inservice Training will be held Tuesday, June 20, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in the Classroom (gound floor, enter through the back door). The next training session will not be until October. For more information, please call Jamie Geretz at 921-6707 or email: jegeretz@penbayhealthcare.org.
New hospital website Barbara Young, CGRN, the endoscopy resource nurse, and Bobbi Jo Gillway, CST in the endoscopy department at WCGH, were all smiles when the inflatable colon visited WCGH last month.
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Have you seen the hospital’s new website? www.wcgh.org
Community Health & Wellness Briefs
Registration required for all events, please visit http://journeytohealth.coursestorm.com or call 921-3950 Cooking for Health: Eating Well with Diabetes Are you looking to boost your healthy cooking confidence? Join us for a free two-session cooking class to learn diabetes cooking basics, such as using herbs and spices to reduce sodium and fat and including more fruits, vegetables and whole grains. We will eat sample portions of all foods we prepare and teach you to cook your own healthy meals at home. Eating Well with Diabetes is part of the Cooking for Health series, made possible by a generous $60,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation. Pen Bay Medical Center and Waldo County General Hospital would like to thank the Walmart Foundation for the grant, which will allow the Journey to Health program to
offer 40 free hands-on healthy cooking classes throughout Knox and Waldo counties. The classes are designed to be accessible to everyone, with a focus on rural populations, lowincome families and those with chronic health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. Classes: • St. George: Thursdays, June 1 & 8, 10:00 a.m. – Noon • Liberty: Mondays, June 12 & 19, 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. • Brooks: Tuesdays, June 13 & 20, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. • Rockland: Wednesdays, June 14 & 21, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. For more information or to register for any of the Cooking for Health classes, please visit journeytohealth.coursestorm. com or call 921-3950.
More than 150 women of all ages attended the Healthy & Well Women’s Conference at Point Lookout on May 6. The event, sponsored by LincolnHealth, Pen Bay Medical Center and Waldo County General Hospital, featured workshops on increasing your happiness, art therapy and nutritional needs at different ages. A panel of our own healthcare providers also answered health-related questions from participants.
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Fresh Salads in a Jar Mason jars aren’t just for canning – they make portable, portion-control meals simple and keep salads fresh for up to a week. Join the Community Health & Wellness team to learn how to make perfect and tasty mason jar salads. Participants will create their own salads to take home. Monday, June 12 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. Lincolnville Central School 523 Hope Road Lincolnville Registration fee is $10. For more information or to register, please visit journeytohealth.coursestorm. com or call 921-3950.
Colleague recognition
Nominees for the 2017 Nurse Excellence Award for RNs were, front row from left, Danielle Millay, Robin Parker, Beth Eldridge, Patty Trask, Charles Braine and Melissa Lord. Not present were John Hawkins and Leslie Bray.
Nominees for the 2017 Nurse Excellence Award for CNAs were, from left, Lesli Lowe, Sylvia Wood, Dorrie O’Toole, Ruth Littlefield, Nancy Dodge and Mykenna Grotton.
2017 Nurse Excellence Awards given out
Melissa Lord, who works in the WCGH Women & Infants Health Care Unit, has been selected as the RN 2017 Nurse Excellence Award winner. The CNA 2017 Nurse Excellence Award winner is Ruth Littlefield, who works in the Intensive Care Unit. Both women were described as advocates for their patients and
role models for their colleagues. The person nominating Lord wrote: “Melissa is a leader at the bedside...always delivering excellent nursing care to all her patients in labor and postpartum. She treats patients as if they are all her family members... She is always researching the most evidenced based up-to-date information for her patients...She has personally assisted me when I have had questions or concerns.” The co-worker nominating Littlefield wrote:
Seekins wins Sunshine Award
Moore wins Daisy Award Lindsay Moore, an RN on the Medical Surgical Unit, was the winner of the Daisy Award for the quarter. The international Daisy Award was created to recognize extraordinary nurses who make an enormous difference in the lives of so many people by the work they do every day. The patient nominating
“Ruth places the family and patient first at all times...she asks patients questions and listens to their responses... She remains positive and upbeat while encouraging others to do their best...follows through with her commitments to patients and staff. Treats others how she would want to be treated.”
An employee described as “the glue that keeps our department together and the oil that makes us run smoothly,” has been awarded Waldo County General Hospital’s Sunshine Award. Clae Seekins, CNA, is the scheduler for perioperative services. The colleagues who nominated her for the award made it clear that she does much more than just her position as the scheduler
her wrote: “As a patient in a lot of discomfort, Lindsay made all the difference in the world. Everyone was wonderful and there are others who went the extra mile, but Lindsay went the ‘extra marathon’ with me... She made me smile, eased my pain, gave me tips for here and home.” Congrats to the other nominees Krystal Brouty, Kelsey Menard, Melissa Lord, Amanda Gurney, Laura Irish and Susan Dupler.
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for the operating room suite. “She turned her job into a position that does whatever is needed for patient care and staff satisfaction. Clae rearranges the schedule to accommodate patient needs and is always planning fun things to boost staff morale.” The Sunshine Award was created to recognize CNAs, technicians and unit secretaries, who provide vital support to nurses in patient care.
Waldo County General Hospital 118 Northport Ave n P.O. Box 287 n Belfast, Maine 04915 (207) 338-2500 n www.wcgh.org Address service requested
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For advanced ticket information, please call 207-921-6713 or visit www.penbaywaldofoundation.org