Volume 27
Number 5
March 4, 2016
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
`` Derek MacMath is one of several medical students who read to infants in the Babies to Books program.
READING TO INFANTS: Even at these very early stages, this exposure to language is beneficial to the language development of preterm infants. – Lori Christ, MD
INSIDE Before the Walls Come Down...............................2 Providing Support and Resources for Epilepsy Patients.......................3 Special Heartfelt Thanks...........4 Patient Safety Awareness Week Is Coming.........................4
While many believe that babies enter the world with a clean slate, so to speak, that’s not the case. Babies can actually hear – and learn – in utero, weeks before they’re born. Studies show associations between what the babies are exposed to before birth, starting from as early as five months in the pregnancy, and their intellectual development. Based on this research, soon-to-be moms are encouraged to talk, read, and, in general, communicate with their babies while pregnant. But babies born prematurely can lose this important part of their growth and, as a result, are at high risk of language delay and learning disorders. “These babies can be years behind their peers before they even start elementary school,” said Laura Rubinos, MD, a fellow in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine. Now, Babies & Books, a new program in HUP’s intensive care nursery (ICN), encourages parents to read to their newborns to help them regain some of what they missed from their premature birth. “We want to get parents in the habit of reading to their babies in the ICN and hopefully continue the practice when they go home,” said Rubinos, who created the program. “Providing a stimulating environment for babies helps the baby’s intellectual development. The association is very powerful.” The program also provides a second important benefit. “When babies are very sick or premature, parents feel they can’t contribute anything to the baby’s care. The sense of helplessness is a recurring theme,” she said. “Most love the idea of reading, knowing that they can do something that will help their baby’s brain.” (continued on page 2)
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READING TO INFANTS: “Even at these very early stages, this exposure to language is beneficial to the language development of preterm infants,” said Lori Christ, MD, assistant medical director of the ICN. On a newborn’s admission to the ICN, each family receives a welcome packet which contains educational handouts on the importance of reading to even the youngest of `` Diamond Jones reads to daughter Mali. babies in the ICN. Parents also receive training on the proper way to read to their infants, with a goal of 10 minutes twice daily. When parents can’t be there to reach that goal, others fill in the gap, including members of the ICN staff and students from the Cornfeld Pediatric Interest Group at the Perelman School of Medicine, who volunteer their time weekly. “It’s a tangible way to make a difference,” said first-year med student Marybeth Keiser.
Though premature, the infants are aware of the interaction. “You can tell they’re listening,” Rubinos said. “Some remain quiet but their vital signs show that they’re in a calmer state. Those who can look around will make eye contact with the reader [although their vision may still be unfocused] while others will try to look at the book.” To help her get the program off the ground, Rubinos established a partnership with literacy-based organizations* in the community. The groups helped get over 1,000 books donated. In addition, “the Center for Literacy donated book shelves in the waiting area and the Rotary gave us a second grant to purchase parent education materials,” Rubinos said. The ICN staff set up a family library in the waiting area for “gently used” books – for both adults and older siblings – and a mobile book cart with beginner books that parents can read from. “Sometimes a sibling will choose a book from the cart and read to a baby brother or sister,” Rubinos said. Parents enjoy reading the beginner books, but “what they read isn’t as important as how they read, the inflection,” she said, adding that the reading also counters the many equipment sounds that surround the babies. At discharge, each family takes home a new book, with the baby’s name on it, and a tip sheet from the American Academy of Pediatrics on reading to infants. “We try to impress upon the families the importance of doing this simple act,” Rubinos said. “I’m passionate about it.” *Rotary Club of Philadelphia, Center for Literacy, Friends of the Free Library.
Before the Walls Come Down
RECYCLING OF PENN TOWER
In a sense, the construction site for the Penn Tower demolition project sits on the PT garage. Not as it was originally, but on the 17,000 tons of concrete that came from the garage’s demolition and was re-used as a bed for construction vehicles. Recycling is a key part of the entire demolition process, said Bryan Heigh, project manager in Real Estate, Design and Construction. The goal is to recycle 85 percent of the materials. In other words, only 15 percent of what’s taken down will be sent to landfills. The rest is diverted. Recycling started before the actual demolition. Furniture from Penn Tower that was in good working condition was either reused in other areas of the Health System or stored in a warehouse for future use. Furniture beyond its useful life was sent to a recycler who was able to recycle 80 percent of the materials. Although that phase ended in August, “we still get calls about things left in Penn Tower!” he said. From the outside, the process of taking down the Tower seems to be at a standstill but inside is a different story. “Most of the energy is inside the building now,” Heigh said. Much of the electronics (for example, TVs or monitors) was removed and recycled as were light fixtures, light tubes and other items from each floor. As each floor is cleared, the
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Providing Support
and Resources for Epilepsy Patients Although many patients with epilepsy are able to control their seizures through medication, diet, and other therapies, about one-third of this population cannot, no matter what approach they try. This inability to control seizures often means they can’t drive or work, resulting in little social outreach and a solitary existence. “They often have no solid relationships,” said Bethany Frasch, CRNP, epilepsy nurse practitioner. “Social isolation can be a such a huge part of their lives.” Wanting to help them overcome these challenges, Frasch and coworker Rachael Mealey, CRNP, decided to start an epilepsy support group. “We saw the need to provide a safe and friendly environment for people to meet others experiencing similar situations and discuss how they handle common challenges,” she said. The support group meets monthly and is open to all epilepsy patients and their families. Some meetings host speakers who discuss specific needs of epilepsy patients, for example, available medications, dietary therapies, palliative surgery, or the use of seizure rescue dogs.
`` Bethany Frasch (c) with participants in Penn’s Epilepsy Support Group.
“Patients may not know about all of the available options,” Frasch said. Frasch especially reaches out to younger adults. “Some of these adolescents have been bullied or have had to pull out of college because of seizures,’ she said. “It’s so rewarding for me to help.” Patients who regularly attend find the support group “easy to relate to. We keep the topics current and applicable to them.” The Penn Medicine CAREs grant she recently received will be used to create a medical literature library, “to provide
All employees and faculty are encouraged to participate in our patient safety culture assessment. The results will provide data to benchmark with other organizations as well as a comparison to our last survey conducted in 2013. This, in turn, will allow us to evaluate our strengths and opportunities for improvement in patient safety.
Right now they’re clearing the 18th floor so “it’s a shell of the building you’re seeing from there to the ground,” Heigh said. This clearing out process will continue until the demo team reaches the top. A large crane will be brought in to assist with the dismantling of the upper panels on the 21st floor, he explained. “Then we take the floors down, one level at a time.” The demolition is expected to be completed by late summer.
18,500 4,000 529 1,000
The Epilepsy Support Group meets the third Wednesday of the month, from 6 to 7:30 pm, in the Neurosurgery Conference Room on 3 Silverstein. To learn more, contact bethany.frasch@uphs.upenn.edu.
TAKE THE PATIENT SAFETY CULTURE SURVEY
demo team installs a system of scaffolding to shore up the floor above. “It’s kind of counterintuitive to shore up the building – it’s stronger than it’s ever been – but, as a hotel, these floors were not meant to support the weight of Bobcats and other heavy machinery that we’re using to clear each floor.”
Recycling by the Numbers:
patients with material and videos about epilepsy that we have identified as reliable resources,” she said. “If patients are better informed, they’ll make better decisions which can lead to improved long-term outcomes.” Frasch said the grant will also provide patients – many of whom are from the surrounding area – with parking vouchers to attend the meetings.
`` Shoring supports the weight of the heavy machinery used to clear each floor.
pounds of light bulbs and fixtures
pounds of miscellaneous electronics
Our theme this year is the Olympics: Be a Patient Safety Champion. It is an anonymous online survey and takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. The survey will available Monday, March 14 through Sunday, March 27. Look for an email on March 14 for the link to the survey!
Go for the Gold: Tell us what you think. All participants are eligible for weekly raffle of: Fitbit Go Pro and Wawa $25 gift cards.
pounds of batteries tons of steel
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Special Heartfelt Thanks
The January 8 HUPdate highlighted some of our great community outreach efforts for those less fortunate. These included “adopting” 40 shelter families and 35 veterans (from The Veterans Group) for Holly Days. All those contributing to The Veterans Group received a thank-you card signed by each of the veterans. Below is a sampling of the wonderful thankyou notes adopted families sent:
“I would like to thank you for the sparkle you put in my children’s eyes for Christmas.” “ The look on my children’s faces brought tears to my eyes that there are people out there that do so much for others. My goal is to one day give back what was so graciously given to me and my family.” “I never knew that people would care so much about us. This has really changed my feeling about the good in people.” “I went home before Christmas and had no money because I used all I had to get the things me and my children needed. When I saw was what given to me, I began to cry.”
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“I was ashamed of not having any way to give my children Christmas but I prayed for help and God answered my prayers. I will always remember the miracle of this Christmas.”
PATIENT SAFETY AWARENESS WEEK IS COMING!
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Patient Safety Awareness Week (March 14-18, 2016) is an annual education and awareness campaign for health care safety led by the National Patient Safety Foundation. Each year, employees promote awareness for all staff, patients and visitors. This year’s theme — United for Patient Safety — seeks to spread the message that “every day is patient safety day.” Everyone in the health care process plays a role in delivering safe care and by uniting and sharing that common goal, we can make a difference in patient safety.
Please join us at our annual Patient Safety Fair on Wednesday, March 16, from 10 am to 2 pm in both Ravdin Mezzanine and the Perelman Center. There will be live demonstrations as well as posters of projects to improve patient safety and information for both patients and staff.
DIVERSITY, INCLUSION AND CULTURAL COMPETENCE Diversity and inclusion are embedded in our Mission, Values, and our Blueprint for Quality and Patient Safety. Because these principles are so important to the work that we do, a new training module called Diversity, Inclusion, and Cultural Competence has been developed to help lay the foundation for how we should treat our peers, patients, families, and all who come in contact with Penn Medicine. The module, which will take 30 minutes to complete, is available on the Knowledge Link Learning Plan for all UPHS staff. It replaces or enhances other cultural competency training that has been completed previously. If there are any questions, please contact your HR Employee Relations specialist.
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HUPdate EDITORIAL STAFF Sally Sapega Editor and Photographer Alexa Creter Graphic Designer
ADMINISTRATION
Susan E. Phillips Senior Vice President, Public Affairs Holly Auer Director of Communications 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.