Volume 23
Number 15
July 26, 2012
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Made From
Scratch and Cooked to Order!
`` Catering associate Mary Owens-Reed provides Howard Alexander with a meal that was cooked to order!
Tuscany turkey sandwich. Sesame chicken. Herb-crusted fish. While these dishes may sound like entrees from a nearby restaurant, they are, in fact, just a sampling of HUP’s new “Great Living Menu” for patients. This upgrade in food — and an improvement in how patient meals are prepared — is changing the way patients look at hospital food. “We use fresh ingredients and everything is made from scratch, even the salad dressing,” said Robert Canney, manager of Food Services. “HUP is obviously one of the top hospitals in the country. We are striving to match that level of excellence.”
Inside Penn Joins Second-Largest Kidney Exchange in History.....2 Saving Energy and $$...............3 Still an “Honor Roll” Hospital....3 Help Our Patients: Donate Blood....3
In addition, HUP now uses a “cook-serve” process to cook and serve food before it cools. This replaces the “cook-chill” method of cooking food and cooling it down, just to reheat it before serving. The result is food that looks, tastes, and smells better and is part of a more nutritious menu at the hospital.
this way, the charge nurse can ensure that the patient is prepared to receive the meal. Mauri Sullivan, MSN, RN, clinical director of Medical Nursing, was instrumental in helping the nurses prepare for the changes, including developing a weekly team huddle flier to inform nurses of their role.
As part of the new process, a catering associate (CA) takes the patient’s order and answers any questions at the bedside. Next, the CA goes to the kitchen and assembles the freshly cooked food and delivers it to the patients. The CA pours the hot coffee or tea with the meal at a station on the patient’s floor and also reviews the tray with patients to ensure the order is correct.
The sweeping improvements also include new cook-serve trays and larger plates and soup bowls, orders taken closer to when they are delivered to the patient, and a “Heat on Demand” system that helps food remain hot for more than an hour.
CA Mary Owens-Reed goes through this procedure every day with patients on Ravdin 9. “I can’t speak highly enough of Mary and the work she does for our patients,” said Jocelyn Strong, MSN, RN, PCCN, nurse manager. Strong added that, because some nursing interventions depend on when food is served to the patient, Owens-Reed and other CAs call the floor when the food is ready. In
With better-tasting food comes greater nutrition — and a healthier impact on patients who eat those meals. “The whole menu has changed,” said Canney. “Patients see more whole grains, non-red meat items, more chicken, a vegetarian menu with fresh vegetables, as well as kosher and gluten-free menus to meet more individual preferences, allergy, cultural and dietary needs.” (Continued on page 2)
A Celebration of Life.................4
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Penn Joins Second-Largest Kidney Exchange in History A 2012 Facebook post that led to the reunion of two gradeschool friends who lost touch more than 30 years ago is now also responsible for planting the seed that would give one of them a life-saving kidney transplant. Earlier this spring, HUP and the National Kidney Registry — in partnership with 18 transplant centers across the country — successfully completed the second-largest kidney exchange in history and the largest to be concluded in under 40 days. Dubbed Chain 221, the swap involved 56 participants (28 donors and 28 recipients). Four patients at Penn Medicine — including two long-lost grade-school friends — participated in the chain, two receiving new, healthy kidneys, and two donating their own kidneys to other recipients in the chain. Of the participating centers, Penn Medicine was the only one in the tri-state region. Starting with one generously donated kidney, the life-saving chain grew as a family member or friend of each recipient volunteered to donate his or her kidney. In the 22nd swap of the chain, HUP patient Gerard Rozycki, Jr., received the kidney he had been waiting for since he was first placed on the transplant list in December 2011. Diagnosed with a hereditary condition when he was 5 years old, Rozycki had lived most of his life without any physical restrictions. That all changed a few years ago when test results showed rising levels of the waste product creatinine in his blood and urine, a clear indicator of kidney failure. In October 2012, nearly a year after being placed on the wait list, a friend Rozycki knew from grade school heard about his condition through a mutual friend on Facebook and decided to help. Distant friends on Facebook only, the two had not been in touch since graduating from high school over 30 years ago. John Furdyna initially thought he would give Rozycki his own kidney, but the two were not a successful match. Still, Furdyna’s willingness to donate on Rozycki’s behalf made the pair eligible for Chain 221. Rozycki ultimately received his kidney from another Penn patient in Chain 221, while Furdyna’s kidney was donated to a patient in Madison, Wisconsin.
Made From Scratch and Cooked to
(Continued from page 1)
Order!
Feedback from a patient-satisfaction survey shows improvements in food quality, courtesy of the new initiative. One of those patients is Howard Alexander, an esophageal cancer patient at HUP, who interacts with Owens-Reed for each of his meals on the unit.
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`` John Furdyna (l) donated a kidney to Chain 221 so that his grade-school friend Gerard Rozycki could get a kidney transplant.
“I knew early on that I wouldn’t be a match for Jerry, but I also knew that if I was willing to donate to someone else in the chain, that he would be guaranteed a kidney, too,” Furdyna said. “It was something I could do that would allow two people to live longer, healthier lives and ultimately wouldn’t have any long-term health effects for me, so I was glad that I could help.” Today, all 56 participants are recovering and doing well. The exchange took a mere five weeks to complete — a vast improvement over the last year’s record-setting swap, which took six months to finish. Experts say the speed with which the chain was completed demonstrates the vast improvements that have been made to the process for identifying organ matches for patients and shows promise for tackling organ shortages in the future. “Large swaps like Chain 221 increase the ability for our patients, some of whom have been waiting on the transplant list for a long time, to find matches,” said Peter Abt, MD, of Transplant Surgery. “Through living donors and kidney swaps, we’ve found an effective means of reducing the organ shortage in this country and ultimately saving the lives of many who are in need of a kidney.”
“With my cancer, I’ve lost more than 30 pounds,” said Alexander. “What Mary has been serving me has made it that much easier to enjoy gaining the weight back. She has a pleasant personality, I couldn’t ask for better, and all of the food is good.” Alexander hopes to leave HUP soon and go into rehab, but is getting as many meals in as he can for now. “Even though you’re in a hospital, it’s kind of like going out to a restaurant and enjoying a good meal.”
Saving Energy and $$ Energy is a critical and costly resource. Indeed, our three hospitals and PM@Rittenhouse consume $24 million/year in energy to provide the services our patients need. Ongoing conservation efforts, however, help keep energy costs in check. Over the last two years, HUP has concentrated on lighting upgrades, which have made a significant impact on our electricity use. For FY13, these changes have saved more than one million kilowatt hours! One recent project installed 3,648 more efficient light fixtures throughout the hospital, from LED (light emitting diode) lights in Grice Auditorium on 2 Dulles to the recently completed hallway lights on 8 Gates. The project also netted $67,000 in PECO rebates which will be reinvested in other energy savings projects. “The older-style fluorescent tubes are no longer available so we replaced them with new 28-watt lamps which actual increase light levels and consume less energy,” reported Peter Zeitz, UPHS energy manager. The lower lighting energy also consumes less heat so cooling loads are lower, noticeable in the peak summer heat.
This is a critical time for our electrical systems; hot summer days strain the energy grid. HUP and the rest of UPHS participate in a power-reduction program to limit our peak power use and save money. A “Red Day Notification” is called in anticipation of near-record power use — such as last week’s heat wave. During the predicted period (usually 3-6 pm) we try to reduce our power consumption. Here’s how you can help: Turn off unnecessary lighting. Report if you can’t turn it off. Turn off conference room lights. Turn off auxiliary equipment (AC units, copiers, printers).
`` Assistant executive director Mia Gonzales (shown with Clarice Dixon, medical assistant) was one of more than 100 members of Support Services who came to the Penn Medicine Blood Donation Center for the Nick Mincarelli Memorial blood drive, named for the son of Debbie Mincarelli, administrative director of Path & Lab Medicine.
Take the stairs. Turn up thermostats at night. Report cold or hot areas or high air noise. Report outdoor lighting that’s on during the day. Buy Energy Star equipment.
Help Our Patients: Donate Blood
Have an idea for energy savings? Email save.energy@uphs.upenn.edu or call Zeitz at 349-8500.
Summer is the most challenging time of the year to collect blood for patients. Indeed, the Penn Medicine Blood Donation Center — and other centers throughout the Delaware Valley — is feeling the effects of the summer trend. Blood donations have dropped significantly in the past few weeks. A blood shortage has been declared.
Still An ‘Honor Roll’ Hospital!
HUP patients use an average of 160 units of blood products a day — more than 63,000 units in a year. That’s more than any other organization in the region.
Report any remaining incandescent lights to the Physical Plant Service Desk (662-2301). Switching just one 60-watt incandescent bulb to a 7-12- watt LED bulb saves $30-40 per year.
HUP has once again been ranked among the nation’s top hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. It has been named to the publication’s Honor Roll in 16 of the past 17 years, and this year is ranked 11th out of 18 institutions on the Honor Roll, a list culled from nearly 5,000 hospitals nationwide. According to the magazine’s editors, the Honor Roll distinction “signals both rare breadth and rare depth of medical excellence,” with each hospital performing near the top of the rankings in at least half a dozen specialty areas. HUP was recognized for its outstanding performance in 13 specialties: Cancer; Cardiology & Heart Surgery; Diabetes & Endocrinology; Ear, Nose & Throat; Gastroenterology & GI Surgery; Geriatrics; Gynecology; Nephrology; Neurology & Neurosurgery; Orthopaedics; Psychiatry; Pulmonary; and Urology. The hospital was also cited as high-performing in Ophthalmology and Rheumatology.
You can help support patient care at Penn Medicine by donating blood or platelet cells. It’s easy and convenient. Walk-ins are welcome but you can also schedule an appointment at www.pennmedicine.org/give-blood or call 215-614-0406. The Center, located on the Penn Tower Bridge, is open weekdays, from 8 am to 4 pm.
Donate blood. Please.
Complete rankings as well as the survey methodology can be found at http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals.
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A Celebration of Life
Every year, communities across the U.S. and abroad hold celebrations on National Cancer Survivor’s Day to honor cancer survivors and show that there is life after a cancer diagnosis – and it’s worth celebrating. To show their support, staff of the Abramson Cancer Center and OncoLink hosted an informational table in the Perelman Center which featured the many services available to cancer survivors, including oncofertility, rehabilitation services, nutrition and social work. Below, Carolyn Vachani, OncoLink nurse educator, helped spread the word.
Come to An All Employee Meeting! Want to learn more about HUP and the Health System? It’s easy: attend an All Employee Meeting in Medical Alumni Hall, on 1 Maloney. The next three will be held on: `` Wednesday, August 7, from noon to 1 pm `` Wednesday, September 11, from 5:00 to 6:00 pm `` Wednesday, October 9, from 8:30 to 9:30 am
UC Dining Days Are Here There’s still time to take part in University City’s Dining Days, which run through Thursday, August 1. This year, 28 restaurants are participating in the “3 courses, 3 prices” promotion, including Dock Street Brewery, Jose Garces’ Distrito, and newcomer Han Dynasty. Participating restaurants offer a prix fixe, three-course dinner special for $15, $25 or $35. The discounted price points make it affordable to dine at a new location every night of the event! To learn more, go to http://universitycity.org/
Helping People All the Time
Congratulations to February’s winners in the Helping All You Can raffle.
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Chandra Alexander-Butler. . . . Dulles 4
Eleanor Ball . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Guest Relations
India Kearney. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Guest Relations
Justin Kobielnik. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Security
Leslie Mishoe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Silverstein 9
Rosamma Matthew. . . . . . . . . . Silverstein 9
Mary Brown-Cook. . . . . . . . . . . Admissions
Pamela Jackson. . . . . . . . . . . . . Admissions
Paige Madison. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rhoads 3
Andrea Palmeiri . . . . . . . . . . . . . Founders 9
Carry Clarke. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Founders 9
Stephanie Setero. . . . . . . . . . . . . Dulles 4
Denise Konate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Founders 9
Gretchen Schaller. . . . . . . . . . . . Staffing For All Seasons
Amanda Marra. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rhoads 6
Lauren Springman. . . . . . . . . . . . Founders 9
Catherine Armetta. . . . . . . . . . . . Staffing For All Seasons
Laura Mondadori. . . . . . . . . . . . . Rhoads 6
Irene Casey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Founders 9
Traci Hall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Silverstein 7
Sosamma Abraham. . . . . . . . . . Ravdin 6
Trish Hein. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Silverstein 7
Stuart Brooks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Silverstein 9
Michelle Rutherford. . . . . . . . . . Founders 9
HUPdate Editorial Staff Sally Sapega Editor and Photographer Julia Fiorello 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.