Volume 23
Number 18
September 7, 2012
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
`` Maurice Howerton (c.) with the coworkers who saved his life, Gregory Caison (l.) and Damon Coleman.
Saving Lives... OUTSIDE OF HUP Admissions but one day this past spring in Hutchinson gym, they were suddenly confronted with a life-and-death situation.
Health-care providers save lives every day at HUP but their life-saving activities don’t always occur inside the hospital.
Without warning, Howerton collapsed to the floor. Coleman initially thought it was a seizure but when he saw that his friend wasn’t breathing, he and Caison — who are both trained EMTs — immediately began
Suddenly Not Just a Game Damon Coleman and Maurice Howerton of Patient Transport frequently played basketball with Gregory Caison of
INSIDE HUP Medical Board Honors Betty Adler.................................2 3rd Quarter CPUP Excellence Awards....................2 Road Trip a Success for Blood Donation Center.............3 Get Wellfocused on Your Numbers!..........................3
Howerton has no memory of the incident. “Last thing I remember I was drinking Gatorade at the gym,” he said. “When I woke up, I was on Founders 8.” While Howerton said he is still not back “100 percent,” thanks to his co-workers, “I’m alive.”
I Was On Autopilot
just kept doing CPR until medics We from the fire rescue arrived. — Damon Coleman, Patient Transport
CPR. Coleman said they tried using an automated external defibrillator, but “that didn’t bring him back. We just kept doing CPR until medics from fire rescue arrived.”
Jason Chen, a technologist in HUP’s Blood Bank, was walking to work earlier last month when the man in front of him suddenly fell. “At first I thought he had just tripped,” he said. But, on closer examination, he discovered it was much more. “I asked if he was all right but there was no response.” Chen’s training as an EMT took over. He turned the man over, discovered he wasn’t breathing, and immediately started CPR. (continued on page 2)
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HUP Medical Board Honors Betty Adler For the first time in its history, HUP’s Medical Board recognized a non-physician for ‘above and beyond’ service to the hospital and the Board. Betty Adler, senior counsel in the Office of the General Counsel, received the annual award given in memory of Dr. C. William Hanson II. “Betty has always been very actively involved,” said his son, William Hanson, III, MD, chief Medical Information officer. “Historically the award has been given to doctors but we felt strongly that Betty has contributed uniquely in her role as a lawyer.”
such a good feeling—knowing you’re It’s making an impact.
“This is a well-deserved recognition for someone who always does an outstanding job in support of our patient care efforts,” said HUP executive director Garry Scheib.
— Jason Chen, Technologist, HUP Blood Bank
PENN’S ANNUAL HOUSING FAIR
(continued from page 1)
“I didn’t even think about it. I’ve done it so many times before that I was on autopilot. “ Luckily for the man, Chen had received EMT training through his local ambulance corps. He started volunteering at 16, worked part time there during college, and still volunteers two weekends a month. “It’s such a good feeling—knowing you’re making an impact.” A 911 call from a bystander brought an ambulance to the scene and that EMT took over. The man, who will never know who helped save his life, was whisked off to a hospital. Chen said it took until he got to work “for everything to sink in; I did it all instinctively,” he said, adding “I’m very thankful for the people who trained me.”
Penn Home Ownership Services invites you to attend the 2012 Annual Housing Fair on Wednesday, September 19, 3:00 to 6:00 pm, in the Hall of Flags, Houston Hall. This is an opportunity for all attendees to discuss with industry experts the national real estate market and its implications for Philadelphia, and to gain access to a wide array of housing-related information and resources for West Philadelphia and the wider community. Representatives from Penn Home Ownership Services as well as its banking partners will be on hand to discuss the Enhanced Forgivable Loan Program and the Closing Cost Reduction Program, which are available to full-time employees of the University and Health System. Prizes will be awarded. There is no admission charge for this event. For more information, visit www.upenn.edu/homeownership or contact Penn Home Ownership Services at 215-898-7422.
3RD QUARTER CPUP EXCELLENCE AWARDS Congratulations to the individuals and teams who received CPUP’s Service Excellence Awards, recognizing their “significant contributions to CPUP practices.” Individual winners for the third quarter of FY2012 are: Monica Pedrick...... Penn Lung Center Carolyn Douglas.... OB/GYN Betty Alston........... GI Sophia Wright........ Medicine Kathy McNelis....... Ophthalmology
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Team winners are: OB/GYN at 1000 Courtyard (photo) Nursing Access Center at 3701 Market Street.
To see photos of all our winners, go to news.pennmedicine.org/inside/hupdate/
ROAD TRIP A SUCCESS FOR BLOOD DONATION CENTER Collecting a pint of blood is not a simple process. Indeed, as Don Siegel, MD, PhD, director of Transfusion Medicine and Therapeutic Pathology, wryly noted, “There are many rules to be followed …. A whole FDA book’s worth!” So when staff from the Penn Medicine Blood Donation Center took their ‘show’ on the road to Penn Medicine, Rittenhouse for a blood drive, it took a lot of pre-planning … and portable equipment. Donating blood starts with the screening process, which includes checking the hematocrit level of potential donors to make sure they’re not anemic. For the blood drive, the team brought a portable version of the equipment, which Siegel said must be recalibrated every time it’s moved. “It’s not just a matter of plugging it in and using it.” They had to bring special portable cots -with attached armrests -- for the donors to lie on as well as portable scales. As Siegel explained, “Blood bags don’t just lie on the floor. They’re on a scale by the side of the cot that’s weighing the blood as it flows in.” When the right volume is reached, the scale automatically clamps the tubing so the blood stops flowing from the person’s arm. “You need a precise amount because the bag contains anticoagulant to keep the blood
from clotting. Too little blood or too much will make it unusable.” Once the bag has the exact amount of blood, the nurse uses a special tool to push a small amount of blood back into the tube from the bag and another to heat seal the tube at 1½ inch intervals (think in terms of sausage links). “This allows the blood to be tested and cross-matched for compatibility without opening the bag itself, which would compromise the sterility.” The units were carefully checked in — and kept in a specific order — and then packed in special insulated styrofoam boxes that have been approved by the FDA to maintain temperature in a certain range for a specific number of hours. Then, each pint of blood was transported back to the HUP Blood Bank where it was separated into a unit of red blood cells and a unit of plasma. All in all, the drive required a lot of effort, but the final results made it all worthwhile. At the end of the two-day drive, they had collected about 40 pints of blood. The average daily intake for the Blood Donation Center is 5 to 15, depending on whether a HUP-centered blood drive is taking place.
`` Joe Cooney (l.), assistant executive director at GSPP, worked with Don Siegel and other members of the Penn Medicine Blood Donation Center to bring the blood drive to Penn Medicine, Rittenhouse.
“We want to gradually build up our base of donors,” he said. “Once people donate at a drive, we anticipate that they will become regular donors for us.”
If you’d like to donate at the Penn Medicine Blood Donation Center, go online to www.pennmedicine.org/give-blood
Based on these results, Siegel said that they plan to hold quarterly drives at Rittenhouse and also expand to University schools.
Get Wellfocused on Your Numbers! Our healthy workforce initiatives — known as Wellfocused — provide you with access to programs, tools and resources that can help you to be more aware of your current health status, and improve your health, if necessary, or maintain your good health. The next step in the UPHS Wellfocused healthy workforce program is to help you become more aware of the numbers associated with your health — blood sugar (glucose), cholesterol, body mass index (your height and weight), and blood pressure. Our goal is to provide you with facts, tools, interactive activities, programs and policies to keep you aware of your health numbers throughout the year. Between now and October, the focus will be on diabetes and how knowing your blood sugar levels
can help you prevent Type II diabetes and maintain or take control of Type I diabetes. A healthy workforce promotion table will be set up throughout the month of September at the following locations:
• HUP: Founders 2, outside of the cafeteria Friday, September 13, from 11 am to 2 pm. • 1500 Market Street: Kahunatorium Monday, September, 17, from noon to 2 pm You’ll find information about Knowing Your Numbers, healthy workforce programs, weight management program options, and STEP OUT: Walk to Stop Diabetes. Stay tuned for more information for the healthy workforce activities for the months to come!
Join the Wellfocused Team to Stop Diabetes! Sign up to be a part of the Wellfocused UPHS Team to do the STEP OUT: Walk to Stop Diabetes on Saturday, October 6. Visit http://main.diabetes.org/ goto/UPHS to join the team and walk for a good cause!
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DATE: Friday, September 21 TIME: Noon to 1:00 pm TOPIC: Focus on Brain Tumors Join the OncoLink team for a webchat to learn about pediatric and adult brain tumors. Go to www.oncolink.org/webchat to submit questions to our experts in advance, view and participate in the webchat, and read a transcript after the live event. You can also use your (public) Twitter account to participate during the live event (hashtag #oncochat).
There’s Still Time for the 5K for The IOA You can still register for the 5K for The IOA and the Memory Mile Walk, and help support Penn’s Institute on Aging. All proceeds from the event, which will be held on Sunday, September 30, will help further research at the IOA in the treatment and care of patients with Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. The walk/run will go through Penn Park — 24 acres of continuous open space. Race packet pick-up will be held in the Perelman Center on Friday, September 28, from 1 to 5 pm, and on the day of the race, from 6:30 to 7:45 am. The run starts at 8 am; walkers begin 10 minutes later. Free parking will be available in the Perelman Center with the race bib (supplied in the race packet). Register before September 15 and the cost is only $20 ($25 after that date). For more information or to register, go to the Intranet home page and click on ‘5K for the IOA’ under What’s Hot. If you’d like to volunteer to help out at the event, go to http://goo.gl/cmUNV or e-mail CAREs@uphs.upenn.edu.
IMAGINE AFRICA: Free Community Day at Penn Museum Africa and the African diaspora take center stage on Saturday, September 15, from 1:00 to 5:00 pm, when the Penn Museum offers a free community afternoon featuring African storytelling and African safari face painting, African drum and AfricanAmerican hip hop dance workshops, and a film screening with an Afro-Latino focus. One year after the opening of the ‘Imagine Africa with the Penn Museum’ gallery project, the special event also features on-air personality Lady B on site at the Museum between noon and 2:00 pm.
`` Storyteller Sarai Abdul-Malik invites guests to listen and take part in intricately woven stories of African folklore during the Imagine African community day at the Penn Museum.
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While a host of special activities run from 1:00 to 4:30 pm, the Penn Museum opens its doors free to the community for the entire day (10:00 am to 5:00 pm), with plenty of time to explore ‘Imagine Africa,’ as well as the African Gallery, the ancient Egyptian Galleries, and beyond. The Penn Museum is located at 3260 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (on Penn’s campus, across from Franklin Field). For general information call 215.898.4000.
HUPdate EDITORIAL STAFF Sally Sapega Editor and Photographer Abigail Ernst Designer
ADMINISTRATION
Susan E. Phillips Senior Vice President, Public Affairs CONTACT HUPDATE AT: 3535 Market Street, Mezzanine Philadelphia, PA 19104 phone: 215.662.4488 fax: 215.349.8312 email: sally.sapega@uphs.upenn.edu HUPdate is published biweekly for HUP employees. Access HUPdate online at http://news.pennmedicine.org/inside/hupdate.