Volume 25
Number 12
June 13, 2014
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
HUP’s annual recognition of Trauma Awareness Month is a chance for members of Traumatology, Surgical Critical Care, and Emergency Surgery to “celebrate positive reminders, recognize excellence, and see continued healing of patients and families,” said John Gallagher, MSN, Trauma Program manager. “It reminds us of why we’re here,” added Patrick Reilly, MD, division chief. “It is wonderful and humbling to see the success in recoveries.” Last year, the trauma team cared for more than 2,100 trauma patients, 400 of whom were transferred from other hospitals. Among Level 1 trauma centers, “ours has the most severely injured patients. They were extremely complicated cases and yet, in spite of that, 96.5 percent survive to discharge,” said Patrick Kim, MD, Trauma Program director. “This gives us confidence to move forward in what we’re doing.” The celebration also recognized the winner of the 2014 Trauma Nurse Excellence Award: Keriann Hanlon, BSN, of Rhoads 5, a trauma ICU. According to her nomination letter, “Keriann is always searching for ways to improve her practice and help the novice nurse learn and
Inside Gentle Support for Perinatal Loss............................2 A Gift of Life Recognition.........3 A Poetic Tribute.........................3 Join the 5K for the IOA.............4
grow…. As a charge nurse, Keriann is able to easily manage any situations involving trauma patients.” Hanlon co-founded the Trauma/Surgical Critical Care Case Presentation which focuses on cases which are “extremely complicated and have an outstanding issue that is then used as an excellent teaching and performance improvement opportunity.” Hanlon is a strong advocate for primary nursing, frequently taking on the most challenging patients who are often in the last days of their lives. One of her patients wanted to be taken off the ventilator after a
`` Keriann Hanlon, winner of the 2014 Trauma Nurse Excellence Award, with Patrick Kim (l.) and John Gallagher.
prolonged hospitalization. Before he was ready to be taken off, “all he wanted was a Pepsi. She brought him the Pepsi and sat with him, suctioning as he took sips and providing the most amazing emotional support.” Hanlon has a “passion for advancement of knowledge and care of the trauma patient that is matched by few others. She is well deserving of the Trauma Nursing Excellence Award.” Gallagher noted that this will be HUP’s last Trauma Awareness celebration. Next year it will be at PPMC’s Pavilion for Advanced Care, scheduled to open February 2015.
Support the Veterans Wheelchair Games....................4
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Gentle support for Perinatal Loss Every month, Kelly Zapata, BSN, CBC, team leader of Women’s Health Bereavement Support, and Vicky Kroesche, BSN, OB, of Labor & Delivery, hold a bereavement support group for HUP patients and families who have lost a baby, either before or shortly after birth. “Patients often feel completely alone in their grief, that no one can understand what they’re going through,” Zapata said. “In the support group, families share stories, coping mechanisms, challenges — just to let them know that they are definitely not alone.” This group is part of UNITE, Inc., a Philadelphia nonprofit organization that provides grief support following the loss of a baby. This is just one of the ways HUP’s Perinatal Bereavement Committee, created by L&D and the Family Planning & Pregnancy Loss Center, helps patients through a loss that can be devastating, to both the patient and family. When there is a postpartum loss, staff often provide a small memorial box for the family which includes a small stuffed bear, a knit hat (donated to the unit), as well as the baby’s hospital ID tag and copy of the footprints, as mementos. “We will also offer to include a photo of the baby,” Zapata said. Partnering with Social Work, the Committee discusses different memorial options for patients and families who cannot afford a traditional burial. And all patients receive the Infant Loss Resource Guide to help guide them through the many decisions and available resources following the loss. Pastoral Care is very much a part of the process as well. When a loss occurs in a patient unit, staff can call a chaplain to come up, if the patient requests it, and offer a blessing over the baby as well as a certificate saying the baby has been blessed. Denise Statham, administrative chaplain in Pastoral Care, will also hold a private memorial service in the Interfaith Chapel for the parents, if they wish. Each year, the Committee also holds a special memorial service to coincide with Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day in October. “We’re giving voice to what’s not usually acknowledged in this culture,” said Kara Pravdo, BSN, RN, of the Pregnancy Loss Center. During the service, there are prayers, poetry and other readings, as well as a special ceremony where parents can light a candle in the baby’s memory.
`` Staff often provide a small memorial box for the family as part of HUP’s bereavement support.
“We’ve had grandparents, uncles, aunts attend,” Statham said. “Loss of a baby happens to a family, an extended family.” A patient’s loss affects the staff as well. “Staff often comes down to attend the memorials,” Statham said. “The charge nurse can also ask a chaplain to come up to the unit and talk with the staff after any unusually traumatizing circumstances or a significant number of deaths.”
Educating Staff Knowing what to say a patient who has suffered this type of loss can be difficult. To ensure that patients and families receive the compassionate care they need, Statham teaches modules about perinatal loss to incoming chaplains and staff. “We’ve been doing this for several years — the do’s and don’ts,” she said. “I put people in touch with the spiritual dimensions of that type of loss.” Although Labor and Delivery, Silverstein 7 (for OB/GYN oncology patients), and the ICN are the primary units that deal with perinatal loss, Zapata and Kroesche also hold in-services for departments that don’t see it as often. “For example, a woman could be in a car crash and lose her baby but she’ll end up on Rhoads 5.” She also talks with members of the ER, who see a lot of early miscarriages, “to help them think about the emotional component.” To learn more about HUP’s Pregnancy Bereavement Program, call 215.662.2616.
Heartfelt Thanks
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The evening I arrived at Founders 12 [unit for surgical patients] I was really dreading it. Let’s face it, no one likes being in the hospital. Much to my surprise, I was put at ease with the warm and friendly greetings I received from the front desk staff when I checked in… Over the next two weeks I encountered many staff members who all worked very hard to see to my comfort. I was consistently impressed by the work ethic, demonstrated extraordinary service, not just some of the time but on a daily basis. You can be really proud of the hard work your staff does for all your patients. I can’t say enough good about their compassionate care and felt that they should be recognized for their outstanding work… Keep up the good work.
`` Dorsey Green (r.) at his retirement celebration with Al Black, COO.
Photo credit: Gift of Life Family House `` Taking part in the presentation were (l. to r.) Garry Scheib; Ralph Muller; Abraham Shaked, MD; Howard Nathan; and Kim Olthoff, MD.
A Gift of Life Recognition For many of Penn’s transplant patients, the joy of receiving a compatible organ is mitigated by the reality of extended hospital visits for the patient and travel expenses for the family. Since 2011, however, two sources of lodging have made a significant difference in their lives: the Clyde F. Barker Penn Transplant House and the Gift of Life Family House. Each provides comfortable accommodations at affordable rates for transplant patients and families. At a recent event, Howard Nathan, president and CEO of the Gift of Life Program and founder and president of the Gift of Life Family House, thanked HUP leaders for their generous support of the Family House. Since opening its doors, he said, the Family House has provided nearly 2,900 lodging nights of care to Penn transplant patients and their families. Nathan, who was the driving force behind the Family House, said the idea for such accommodations was born in 1991 when he was waiting in a hospital with his mother during his sister’s liver transplant. “Another family came into the waiting room, a mother with two children whose father was having a transplant had just arrived from Hershey and asked, ‘Where are you staying?’” he said. “I realized the serious need.” A plaque in the Gift of Life Family House recognizes HUP’s generous funding for the living room. “We are very grateful for your support,” Nathan said.
A Poetic Tribute Dorsey Green of Patient Transport retired earlier this year after 44 years of service at HUP. As a tribute to his loyalty and hard work, Ronald “Bear” Williford wrote the following poem for Green’s retirement celebration: On this day we celebrate a career of success, We have come to honor one of Transport’s very best, You’ve traveled these hallways for over 40 years, Showing love for all your Patients and every one of your peers. The place won’t be the same not seeing your face, Hearing you say “it’s your world,” while walking at a rapid pace, We call you the “Source” because of your knowledge and information, Just an example of your hard work and Hospital dedication.
Once again, the “Expectorants” — members of Founders 14 and friends — teamed up to raise money for cystic fibrosis at the Narberth CF 5 Mile Run. Participating were (l. to r.) Marisa Santangelo, Diana Santangelo, Timothy Rowan, Rachel Semigran, Shawna Groff and, bottom, Benny Groff and Jimmy Groff.
As you complete this chapter and move on with your life, We wish you God speed for you and your wife, So hail to the “Chief,” a Transporter Supreme, You are one in a million, our brother Dorsey Green.
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Oncolink’s next brown bag chat: Date: Friday, June 27, 2014 Time: 12:30 pm Topic: Cancer Survivorship: Navigating Life After Cancer This webinar on Cancer Survivorship will provide information, tips and resources on transitioning from patient to survivor and making the most of life after cancer. To access the webinar, go to www.oncolink.org/webchat.
Helping People All the Time
Congratulations to February winners of the Helping People All the Time raffle. To nominate someone, go to pennpoint.uphs.upenn.edu/sites/HUP/hupse/ and click on “HUP Service Excellence Nomination” and then “New” at the top of the chart. You can also submit a name on a paper form, available at various locations throughout the hospital. Jennifer Mercuri. . . . . . . . . . Rhoads 7
Yvonne Mapp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rhoads 7
Stacey Hopkins. . . . . . . . . . . . Ravdin 9
Laura Haskins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ravdin 6
Antoinette Edwards . . . . . . . . Radiology
Helen Preston-Pelzer. . . . . . . . Admissions
Donni Rucci. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Radiology
Anthony Graves. . . . . . . . . . . . . Rhoads 1
Nicole Petsis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nuclear Medicine
Treesa Williamson. . . . . . . . . . Rhoads 1
Shana Huber. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Radiology
Kareem Major . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Materials Management
Caitlin McGovern. . . . . . . . . . . Rhoads 2
Shauntae Davis. . . . . . . . . . . . . Rhoads 1
Paul Uzonadi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rhoads 2
Monique Young. . . . . . . . . . . . . Ravdin 6
Doreen Johnson. . . . . . . . . . . . Rhoads 6
Stephanie Grimes. . . . . . . . . . . Ravdin 6
Carrie Defeo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rhoads 7
Jim Pisaturo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ED
Jordan Mellinger. . . . . . . . . . . Rhoads 7
Napaphan Somboonsong. . . . . Silverstein 11
Karen Pitter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rhoads 7
Shannon Reynolds. . . . . . . . . . ED
Stephanie Lynch. . . . . . . . . . . . Rhoads 7
Join the 5K for the IOA Be sure to save the date — Sunday, September 21 — for Penn’s Third Annual 5K for the IOA and Memory Mile Walk. The event will again be held on Penn’s campus, starting at Shoemaker Green between the Palestra and Franklin Field, and running through Penn Park, with its skyline views of Center City Philadelphia. The 5K Run will begin at 8:00 am and the Memory Mile Walk will begin at 8:10 am. Proceeds will help further innovative research by Penn’s Institute on Aging through the Pilot Grant Program, to fill funding gaps and foster exploration of new directions in research for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. Please visit pennmedicine.org/5kIOA to sign up, volunteer or donate today!
one of the upcoming All Employee Meetings. HUP’s senior leaders will be available to provide updates and answer questions.
All Employee Meetings are held in Medical Alumni Hall, on 1 Maloney.
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The National Veterans Wheelchair Games (NVWG) is a sports and rehabilitation program for military service veterans who use wheelchairs for sports competition because of spinal cord injuries, amputations or certain neurological problems. Attracting more than 500 athletes each year, the NVWG is the largest annual wheelchair sports event in the world. To learn more, go to PennMedicine. org/health-system/about/community/ community-events.html. If you have any questions, call 215.662.7030 or e-mail CAREs@uphs.upenn.edu.
HUPdate Editorial Staff Sally Sapega Editor and Photographer Tara Skoglund Designer
Administration
Susan E. Phillips Senior Vice President, Public Affairs Holly Auer Director of Communications
Come to learn more… Do you want to learn more about HUP and the Health System? Be sure to attend
Support the Veterans Wheelchair Games
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