HUPdate 7 25

Volume 25

Number 15

July 25, 2014

Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

Alana Carter: An “Awesome” C N A A certified nursing assistant (CNA) is a critical component of inpatient care. As Regina Cunningham, PhD, HUP’s chief nursing executive, noted at the annual CNA award ceremony, “The CNA’s relationship with patients has a huge impact on the patient experience. Human interaction has a profound impact on people.

They are the eyes and ears of nurses.”

This year’s winner was Alana Carter of Rhoads 7. Carter has worked on this oncology unit for almost 13 years. She considers her patients “my family. I always ask, ‘What can I do to make your day pleasant?’”

A few years back, one of her patients called her “awesome” and the name stuck. “Now everyone calls me that!”

Carter’s assigned rooms on the unit do not have a view of the University, which disappoints some people, but she tells them, “You don’t have the view but you have the love!”

Many of her patients receive stem cell transplants, which require longer stays on the unit, so Carter gets to know them well. The wife of one patient, who couldn’t visit during the week because of her work and the distance to HUP, told her, “I feel so comfortable knowing you’re taking care of my husband.”

Inside Help Create a World Free of MS..................................2 Outreach Brings HIV Awareness..........................3 Every Trinket Tells a Story........3 Security Honors Officer Lee Williamson.............4

`` Carter with Regina Cunningham (l.) and Rhoads 7 nurse manager Paula Pearson.

This feeling of trust and caring extends to all her patients. A bone marrow transplant patient shared his appreciation in a letter: “I want to let you know about a particular superstar on your team. My CNA Alana Carter was always there for me, lifting my spirits, making sure I was comfortable and attending to every need. She is a true angel sent from heaven. It is people like her that make this process of recovery possible.”

In addition to a deep compassion for her patients, Carter’s nomination letter noted that she has “an understanding of the issues affecting oncology patients and is reliable in communicating these findings immediately…. Alana is able to adapt her care to the individualized needs of patient, even the most challenging ones.”

Carter is open and receptive to change, the nomination continued.

“She is always eager to precept a new team member, whether it is a new CNA or Drexel Co-op student. She excels at every component of CNA care. Her patients and colleagues are benefactors of her genuine compassion and smile every day.”

“I’m just doing what I do best,” she said.

Penn Medicine: Among Top Ten Hospitals in the Nation! >> see page 2 1

Still among the

BEST HOSPITALS IN THE NATION

Penn Medicine hospitals have been ranked among the top hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. With the newly combined results for HUP and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, we were ranked as the 7th best hospital in the United States, one of only 17 institutions named to the publication’s Honor Roll out of nearly 5,000 hospitals nationwide. This year’s improved rankings can be largely attributed to our perfect patient safety scores (5 points out of a possible 5), which were more heavily weighted in the latest survey.

Improving patient safety at Penn Medicine is a continuous effort, said Pat Sullivan, PhD, vice president of Quality and Patient Safety, made possible through the dedicated and collaborative efforts of many faculty and staff within the Health System.

For example, one of the U.S. News patient safety indicators focuses on occurences of post-operative bleeding or the appearance of a hematoma (pocket of blood). If something like this happens to one of our patients, “we thoroughly review the patient’s case and then work together to develop any needed specific interventions for quality improvement,” she said.

In the crowded Philadelphia health-care environment, to have all four of our hospitals recognized so highly in this annual survey is a significant accomplishment.

follows: Cancer #11, Diabetes & Endocrinology #11, ENT #3, Gastroenterology #10, Geriatrics #10, Gynecology #10, Cardiology and Heart Surgery #7, Kidney Disorders #13, Neurology & Neurosurgery #9, Orthopaedics#22, Psychiatry #12, Pulmonology #7, and Urology #8. Penn Medicine was also ranked as “highperforming” in Ophthalmology and Rheumatology.

“It’s nice to be recognized for our successes by U.S. News but patient safety and highest quality care is our #1 goal each and every day.”

In addition, HUP-PPMC was ranked #1 in the Philadelphia area and Pennsylvania Hospital was ranked #6 in the region.

PAH was also ranked “high-performing” in the following nine adult specialties: cardiology and heart surgery; diabetes and endocrinology; gastroenterology and GI surgery; geriatrics; gynecology; nephrology; neurology and neurosurgery; pulmonology; and urology. Chester County Hospital, the Health System’s newest member hospital, was ranked #17 in the region.

Penn Medicine’s rankings in 10 different specialties also rose, with eight areas named to the top 10 programs in the nation.

Our rankings on the programs covered by U.S. News are as

In the crowded Philadelphia health-care environment, to have all four of our hospitals recognized so highly in this annual survey is a significant accomplishment.

Help Create a World Free of MS Sign up today to join UPHS employees, friends and families as part of the UPHS/Penn team for the MS City to Shore Ride on September 27 and 28. The team is hoping to recruit 300 members and raise $150,000. Over its 17 years, Team UPHS/PENN has raised an astounding $1,575,000! This one- or two-day cycling event has been named the best cycling getaway in NJ by industry expert Bicycling Magazine. To register, go to http://urls.ht/18f. When prompted, be sure to indicate the UPHS/PENN team.

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Outreach Educates and Brings HIV Awareness Philadelphia has five times the national average of HIV and AIDs cases. The city’s African-American population 69 percent of new infections.

S represents With those statistics in mind, the PennMedicine.org/Community community outreach efforts of Kevin Sims, guest coordinator at the Clyde Barker Transplant House, take on even greater importance.

Sims volunteers with Philadelphia Gay Black Pride which, according to its website, strives to “organize and promote unity among sexual and gender minorities through a variety of activities that advocate for the spiritual, emotional, intellectual health and well-being of all.”

PGBP holds several events a week, sometimes partnering with other groups. An important part of this outreach is educating and bringing awareness about HIV and AIDS. “We do HIV testing at all PGBP events and link people to additional resources,” Sims said. “We have massive community outreach.” Indeed, on average, “15,000 people come to our events each week.”

The Penn Medicine CAREs grant he received will help fund the cost of these educational programs and HIV testing.

`` Kevin Sims (l.) with his partner Archie Moore at the opening reception of a Philadelphia Black Gay Pride event.

If you volunteer for community outreach, your organization may be eligible to receive a Penn Medicine grant. To learn more, go to http://uphsxnet.uphs.upenn.edu/community/ and click on “CAREs Grant.”

Sims previously worked for Penn Medicine Development, organizing events and meetings, and is happy to use these skills for PGBP as well as helping at their community events. “I love reaching out and sharing my skills to help others.”

Every Trinket Tells a

Story For some, an office is just a place to be during the day. For others, such as Francis DeRoos, MD, of Emergency Medicine, it’s an expression of who they are. His clinical expertise is toxicology, and his office shows it.

DeRoos first became interested in collecting toxicology-related items during his toxicology fellowship. “The New York City Poison Control Center had a large cabinet filled with a wide variety of toxic materials that had historical significance. Shortly thereafter, I found a small poison bottle in an antique shop out in Lancaster, PA.” And thus began a lifelong hobby. He noted that while the collection in his office is substantial, it’s not the full collection!

“For me the most interesting items in my collection are the bottles that still contain the original labels and tablets,” DeRoos said. “I love that the tablets are in unique shapes and colors, and are often stenciled with the word ‘poison’ or a skull and crossbones.”

A number of the bottles are oddly shaped, with warnings embossed on the glass itself. According to DeRoos, these bottles originate from a time before electric lighting was commonplace, when fumbling around in the dark and grabbing the wrong bottle could have serious consequences.

The bizarre shapes of these bottles served as warnings, since they could be clearly felt — negating the need to actually see them.

`` Francis DeRoos with his substantial, but only partial, collection of toxicology-related items.

(continued on page 4)

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Every Trinket Tells a

Heartfelt Thanks

Story

(continued from page 3)

The Founders 9 ICU received the following letter from members of a family after the death of their loved one:

“ We will never replace the emptiness in our hearts and souls. What we can do however is reflect on the impeccable, thoughtful and dedicated care he received every day while under your care. I recall exiting the room when we all had officially said “good bye” and couldn’t help but grab the hands of two of your doctors and one of your very special nurses on the way out the door without thanking them for taking such good care of my dad. That’s what I felt. That’s what we all felt ….We always felt welcome and always fully informed of what was going on. A great deal of you were able to translate your rounds discussions in ways we could understand and never hesitated to extend the invitation …. We made a special connection with all of you and if we hadn’t met you I feel sorry for that because I’m sure each and every one of you is just as wonderful as the rest. Thank you for what you do every day, for so many and will continue to do in years to come.”

All Employee Meetings Be sure to attend an All Employee Meeting, to learn more about HUP and the Health System. Hospital leaders will be there to provide updates and answer your questions. The next three meetings will be held on: • Tuesday, August 5, from noon to 1 pm • Wednesday, September 10, from 5 to 6 pm • Tuesday, October 21, from 8:30 to 9:30 am All Employee Meetings are held in Medical Alumni Hall on 1 Maloney.

Security Honors Officer Williamson

`` Oddly-shaped bottles allowed easy identification of contents, even in the dark

One shelf primarily displays things patients have consumed … which brought them to the ED. Another shows an array of poisons. He pulls out a package of stramonium cigarettes, which were once used to improve asthma symptoms. DeRoos explained that stramonium is a plant which, when burned, produces an aerosol beneficial to asthma patients. Better methods of delivering these chemicals have since been developed, and stramonium cigarettes are no longer in use.

“Most people are fascinated with the wide variety of containers and bottles, and often select one or two to ask a question about,” he said. “It’s a great icebreaker.”

To see more photos of this fascinating collection, go to http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/office_ space/deroos/index.shtml.

Security officer Lee Williamson has been chosen as this year’s recipient of the Jeffrey Harris Security Service Award. This award honors Harris’s memory and recognizes individuals, like him, who exemplify the HUP tradition of combining compassion and caring with an outstanding performance of their responsibilities.

Receiving the award was bittersweet for Williamson. He served as best man in Harris’s wedding. `` (L—R) Crystal and Lee Williamson with Debbie Harris Harper, wife of the late Jeffrey Harris.

HUPdate Editorial Staff Sally Sapega Editor and Photographer Abby Ernst 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.

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