Volume 25
HUPdate
Number 26
December 26, 2014
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Keeping Spirits High for the Holidays For the past 20 years, the Abrahamsohn Christmas & Easter Committee has helped raise the holiday spirit for staff, patients and visitors alike. Members decorate the public areas of the hospital and do holiday caroling throughout HUP on Christmas morning. But it’s the annual tree-decorating competition for patient-care units that stands out as a favorite. With creative juices flowing, staff members come up with a variety of themes to brighten their units. The Abrahamsohn Committee then has the tough decision to “whittle the winners down to five,” said Carol Appino. “The trees all showed a lot of creativity, hard work and forethought.” Thanks to everyone for making the hospital a happier place for the holidays!
DEEP-SEA DIVING on Silverstein 10
It took seven hours for Dawn Namiotka and Ashley Brennan (shown at right) and other members of Silverstein 10 to put up all the decorations for their entry but it was well worth it. It’s like taking a trip down to the ocean floor. A variety of sea creatures decorate the tree. Topping it is a huge octopus, with a 60-inch balloon head and long tentacles made from
INSIDE Keeping Spirits High for the Holidays......................2-3 Take a Fresh Step Into 2015!....4 Ebola Preparedness at Penn Medicine.......................4
painted and rolled up bubble wrap. Jellyfish, made from plastic bowls with streamers, hang from the ceiling, along with crepe paper crabs, fish and turtles. A sunken ship covered with algae sits on the ocean floor. “It’s been here a while,” Namiotka quipped. A beautiful mermaid is part of the undersea sights, with a tail of cupcake wrappers and hair made from curly packing material. And, because Silverstein 10 is a cardiac unit, her bikini top is made of hearts. Namiotka said it was a theme she always wanted to do “but Ashley [who had an art minor] truly brought it to life.”
How the
grinch Stole Trauma
ht. n onto Presby one nig The Grinch looked dow site the in ing tak g, He sat there stewin e marked with strife new trauma unit, his fac his of my life.” “Hashtag, worst day of He sneered as he said ve, did not want it at all. He did not want to mo all!” ma” he said, “steal it “I will steal away trau
Thus set the scene for the winning tree on Rhoads 5. According to Sebastian Ramagnano, nurse manager, they chose that theme because about half the nurses on the surgical unit will move to PPMC’s Pavilion for Advanced Care when Penn Medicine’s Trauma transitions there in early 2015. (While Penn Medicine’s Trauma Center and certain associated inpatient units will be moving to PPMC, HUP’s Emergency Department will remain busy as ever, handling more than 60,000 cases each year of patients with time-sensitive illnesses and injuries.) Michelle Willard and Meredith Spang
took the lead on the project but “all the nurses on the shift helped to decorate the photos and the tree,” Ramagnano said. “They put it up in one day!” The tree featured not only the Grinch himself (handmade by Willard) but also specially decorated ornaments, each of which included a photo of the staff. Rebecca Syx wrote the new words for the Grinch poem (based on the book by Dr. Seuss) and David Alfonso did a wonderful recording of it. Rhoads 5 may have the most wins under its belt. It has won this competition nearly every year since it began! Read the entire poem and listen to a wonderful rendition of it by David Alfonso of Rhoads 5 at http://news.pennmedicine.org/inside/hupdate/.
Fight for a Cure The winning tree on Dulles 4 (PACU) is dedicated to members of their unit — or loved ones — who have been touched by cancer. The beautifully decorated tree, which comes alive with sparkling ornaments, ribbons and beading, was created by Thelma Santos, whose husband is battling the disease. Many ornaments have words of encouragement: “courage,” “hope,” “love,” and “believe.” Fans of fake money show the importance of donations to help fund research.
As part of the theme, Mike Ham created two drawings. One is a pink ribbon —representing breast cancer — over boxing gloves. The other shows multi-colored ribbons representing many cancers. The $150 winnings will be donated to the American Cancer Society, a cause chosen by Santos.
`` (From left): Mike Ham, Kelly Foreman, and Karen Norbeck.
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Cradle to Crayons Books, warm mittens and hats, shoes and boots. These are just some of the items — three boxes full — that Dulles 6 donated to Cradles to Crayons as part of its entry. The nonprofit organization provides children living in homeless or lowincome situations with the essential items they need to thrive — at home, at school and at play. “Last year we focused on those who served in the military,” said Jennifer Miller. “This year we wanted to do something for children.” Jaime Nguyen and Lindsey Rehl created all the ornaments on the trees — tiny pairs of shoes and cradles, with a crayon star on top. This year’s entry was “very special for us,” said Kristen Smith. The staff will also be moving to Trauma at PPMC next year.
A Focus on
65 Roses…and Butterflies
Silverstein 11 decided to highlight one of their larger patient populations for its entry: those suffering from cystic fibrosis. “We work closely with the CF outpatient clinic,” said Diane Santangelo. “And we care for many CF patients after a lung transplant.” (continued on page 4)
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Take a Fresh Step into
2015!
We all want to be happier and healthier in the New Year. Good health happens when the physical, emotional, social, and environmental parts of our lives are in balance. Let the Reward for Resolutions challenge help you take the first step in making and sticking to your goals for 2015. The challenge is simple….just follow these steps: 1 Join the Reward for Resolutions challenge
on the Healthy Rewards site (uphshrandyou.com).
2 Set up three resolutions for the New Year. 3 Create a plan for maintaining them wherever
is most convenient for you.
4 Track that you have kept your resolution for at least
20 days from January 5 until February 8, 2015.
Bonus:
Earn $100 if you complete this challenge, complete the Well-Being Assessment, and complete “Know Your Numbers” by February 8!
EBOLA PREPAREDNESS AT PENN MEDICINE
««
Preparations for the possibility of caring for a patient with Ebola have been underway for several months at HUP, and we must maintain competency in our ability to care for these patients. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently announced that HUP is part of an elite group of 35 hospitals nationwide — and the only adult hospital in Pennsylvania — capable of safely caring for patients with Ebola. As always, we encourage all staff to continue to check for updates at http://pennpoint.uphs.upenn.edu/sites/ebola/default.aspx. As a reminder, two phone lines are available to assist clinicians and staff around the clock: • Clinicians with patient-related questions should call 215.614.0524. A physician will answer and handle calls about screening, isolation and, if necessary, lead arrangements for patient transport to HUP from another entity. • General questions not pertaining to direct patient care can be directed to 215.615.2929.
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A Focus on
65 Roses…and Butterflies (continued from page 3)
According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation website, the connection between 65 roses and the disease started in the 1960’s, in a family of three young boys who all had the disease. Unable to correctly pronounce the name, they called it what they heard: 65 roses. The butterfly is a symbol of lung transplant. During the final stage in the lung transplant procedure, when the new lungs are connected, with the patient’s first breath, they look like a butterfly spreading its wings. The unit combined both in its tree. “There are 65 roses on and round our tree, handmade by staff,” Santangelo said. A huge butterfly tops the tree but there are also many on and around the tree. And everyone had a part in decorating the tree — nurses, CNAs, and even patients! “It was all hands on deck,” said Torrey Vanner. The unit went beyond just drawing attention to the disease. They will use the more than $340 they raised to purchase gift cards to supermarkets, Target, Walmart, and other stores to make the holiday a happier one for CF patients in need.
HUPdate EDITORIAL STAFF Sally Sapega Editor and Photographer TrissyErnst Harding Abby Designer
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