Volume 26
Number 8
April 17, 2015
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
NEW
Pup RAISES SPIRITS OF RAD ONC PATIENTS
After being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in Oct 2010, Kim Vernick came to Penn for a clinical trial, undergoing radiation and three kinds of chemotherapy — as well as surgery — to fight the deadly disease. But this type of cancer is one of the toughest to battle. Less than a year after completing treatment, it returned. This time, however, she received what was then a relatively new treatment for pancreatic cancer: proton therapy. “I had eight weeks of proton therapy and chemotherapy,” she said. “I’ve been clean since.” With her new lease on life, Vernick wanted to give back. “I want to help cancer patients who are thinking ‘I’m going to die,’” she said. “It is ok to be scared. I had it and I’m still here!” But she wasn’t sure what she could do. “I didn’t feel comfortable just talking with cancer patients. I needed something that would make it easier for me.” That’s when
INSIDE Put It in Writing..........................2
she thought about the possibility of using a therapy dog as an “ice breaker.” And she had the perfect dog. “When I was undergoing my second treatment, Cali would sit next to me and cuddle. It perked me right up. She’s such a loving little thing.”
Cali is such a ham and loves being a star. When no one comes over, she lets out a little bark to let everyone know, ‘I’m here!’
So she completed HUP’s volunteer program — and Cali became therapy-certified at Penn Vet — for the sole purpose of bringing the dog into the Abramson Cancer Center. The waiting room in Radiation Oncology in the Perelman Center provided the perfect backdrop for Vernick. “We’re confined to a small area and people [both adults and children waiting for treatment] come up to us,” she said. “Cali is such a ham and loves being a star. When no one comes over, she lets out a little bark to let everyone know, ‘I’m here!’ “I think Cali brings a little ‘normalcy’ into the waiting room,” she continued. “Even if just for a moment, patients can forget why they are there and just enjoy Cali’s attention.” The feedback has been great. “People tell me, ‘You’ve made my day’ and ‘How nice that you bring your dog,’” she said. “I’m so excited to do it. When I can see patients smile, it makes me feel really good.”
Roberts Proton Celebrates Five Years...................................2
More about proton therapy on page 2.
Open Enrollment Begins Monday.........................2
`` Kim Vernick and Cali visit with patients in the Radiation Oncology waiting room on most Tuesdays, from noon to 2 pm.
New Program Offers Reassurance & Hope................3
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Writing!
Put It in
When it comes to health-care decisions, most of us know what we would want for themselves, but what if — due to illness or an unexpected accident — you’re unable to make them? Would your loved ones know what medical decisions to make for you if you couldn’t speak for yourself? If not, now is the time to create an advance directive.
There are actually two parts to an advance directive: the living will (which names treatments you want or don’t want at the end of life) and the naming of a health-care power of attorney or proxy. Both, said hospitalist Mrinalini Sarkar, MBBS, are important. “Living wills only speak to certain situations, for example, when a patient has a terminal or irreversible condition [like a coma],” she said. “The proxy is your advocate, able to speak directly with the health-care team about what you’d want.” Advance directives are not just for the elderly, Sarkar stressed. All adults should have these documents. An unexpected medical emergency can happen at any time, to anyone. “Don’t wait until you or a loved one is sick — and emotions are running high — to have this conversation. Talk with family members now,” she said.
should be as much a priority as discussing your next career move or buying a house.”
Sarkar has found that very few health-care workers have advance directives. “We see the dilemmas and distress family members go through with patients, how these decisions play out, but yet think it won’t happen to us. But what if the patient were your own father or family member? “Everyone has the right to make choices in health care,” she continued. “Creating an advance directive should be as much a priority as discussing your next career move or buying a house.” To learn more about having these important conversations and creating your own advance directive, go to www.nhdd.org.
Roberts Proton Celebrates
OPEN ENROLLMENT
When the Roberts Proton Therapy Center opened in 2010, it was one of only five in the country. Since that time, 14 are now operational and 10 more are under construction. It’s one of the fastest-growing therapies for treating cancer, but Penn continues to be on top, said James Metz, MD, of Radiation Oncology. While prostate cancer treatment was its primary use initially, Penn has significantly expanded the list of conditions treated with proton therapy, including cancers of the GI tract, head and neck, lung, and lymphoma. “Proton therapy helps people with diseases that provide challenges to regular radiation,” he said. So far, the Center has treated nearly 2,300 patients.
This year’s Open Enrollment runs from Monday, April 20, through Sunday, May 3.
FIVE YEARS
Penn also helped develop new proton delivery techniques, including pencil beam scanning which provides greater control of radiation doses over the contour of a cancer tumor and around critical structures in the brain and other parts of the body. And the Roberts Center is the first to use the recently approved cone beam CT (computed tomography), which enables clinicians to assess the patient’s anatomical changes over the treatment course and adapt the treatment plan where needed. “It’s a more precise delivery of protons,” Metz said. Penn also created a proton training program, the only one of its kind in the world. “We’ve trained people from around the world,” Metz said, including Sweden, Poland, Korea and, upcoming, India.
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“ Creating an advance directive
BEGINS MONDAY
Take action during Open Enrollment if you want to:
• Make changes to your current benefit elections for 2015 – 2016. • Add or drop a dependent from your benefit coverage. • Contribute to a Health Care or Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA) in 2015 – 2016.
• Receive the lower Non-Tobacco Medical payroll deduction for your
medical coverage. To enroll for benefits, visit the HR&You website (www.uphshrandyou. com) starting April 20 and select EnrollOne — your secure, online benefits enrollment website. Log in using your Social Security number (SSN) as your login and the last four digits of your SSN as your PIN. Enroll 24 hours a day during Open Enrollment. Any elections you make during Open Enrollment are effective July 1, 2015, through June 30, 2016. If you are enrolled in the PennCare PPO Plan and do not take any action, you will remain enrolled in the PennCare PPO Plan at your current coverage level. If you currently pay the Non-Tobacco Medical payroll deduction for medical coverage, this discount will carry forward into 2015 – 2016.
`` Members of the Esophageal Cancer Visitation Program visiting patient Roy Wood are (from left) Rick Megaro, Bob Shaw, Ed Gleason, Jim Murray, and John Harbold.
New Program Offers
&HOPE
REASSURANCE A new patient-centered program on Ravdin 6 helps hospitalized patients who have undergone surgery for esophageal cancer to connect with former patients who have fully recovered from the surgery and moved on to live normal lives. “The patient visits serve as a source of reassurance and hope,” said Phanerrica Muhammad, BSN, co-chair of the Esophageal Cancer Support Group. “The volunteers understand firsthand the fear and uncertainty that goes along with a diagnosis of esophageal cancer.” The Esophageal Cancer Visitation Program resulted from the combined efforts of the Thoracic Surgery nursing staff and members of the Esophagectomy Support Group. Its mission: No One Fights Alone! Muhammad said former patients “view their involvement
in the visitation program as a means of ‘paying it forward.’ We are fortunate to have such a caring and supportive group of individuals.” In recognition of Esophageal Cancer Awareness Month, staff members passed out educational material earlier this month and are participating in the 3rd Annual Rick’s Run, which will be held on Saturday, April 18. All proceeds from the race — which was established in honor of Rick Curtis, who passed away from esophageal cancer in 2011 — are donated to the Abramson Cancer Center to help fund esophageal cancer research. To register, go to https://www. runtheday.com/registration/race_info/28134. For donations or volunteer opportunities, contact Judi Curtis at ricksrun@gmail.com.
Lowering Your Risk for Esophageal Cancer
Though considered a rare disease, esophageal cancer takes more American lives each year than melanoma skin cancer or cervical cancer. The disease has a poor survival rate because it is usually discovered at late stages. But more lives can be saved with early detection and treatment. Certain medical conditions — such as heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease — may raise your risk. Speak with your doctor if you have: • More than occasional heartburn. • Pain or difficulty swallowing. • A family history of Barrett’s esophagus or esophageal cancer. • An ongoing, unexplained cough. • A hoarse voice that’s lasted several weeks. • A long-lasting unexplained sore throat. • P roblems with coughing or choking when you lie down.
Come to the 2015 Philadelphia Science Festival! Penn Medicine will again play a leading role in the fifth annual Philadelphia Science Festival, a citywide collaboration showcasing science and technology every spring. This year’s Festival runs from Friday, April 24, to Saturday, May 2. The Festival packs more than 100 events into nine days at locations across the region, including the Science Carnival on the Parkway. The Festival is a partnership among 210 of the region’s most influential institutions, museums, and cultural centers working together to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers and spark discussion among young and old. To learn more about all of the different events and activities, go to http://www.philasciencefestival.org/calendar. Use the discount code UPENN10 for a 10% discount on program tickets purchased through TicketLeap.
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EARN UP TO $200
I N H E A LT H Y R E WA R D S ! If you are enrolled in the PennCare PPO Plan, you can earn up to $200 in Healthy Rewards by completing the following: 1. Take the Well-Being Assessment. 2. G et a biometric screening to Know Your Numbers: • Receive an onsite biometric screening (schedule online or visit http://adurolife.com/uphs-biometricscheduler/) at a UPHS location, or • Submit the Health Screening Provider form completed by your doctor (found on the HR and You page and in the Healthy Rewards site).
3. P articipate in healthy activities (health challenges and activities year round and optional health coaching starting July 1). Visit www.uphshrandyou.com and log in to Healthy Rewards using your UPHS network credentials to start earning points. For questions contact UPHS Benefits at BenefitsQuestions@uphs.upenn.edu or call 215-615-2675. If you get a biometric screening to Know Your Numbers and complete the Well-Being Assessment by June 14, 2015, you will receive a $50 Healthy Rewards Credit and your name will go into a drawing for FREE health care for the 2015 – 2016 plan year!
JOIN
THE MILLION DOLLAR BIKE RIDE The 2nd Annual Million Dollar Bike Ride will be held on Saturday, May 9. Proceeds will benefit Penn’s Orphan Disease Center, supporting pilot research projects and investigators studying a specific rare disease. The routes for the ride will again start and finish at Highline Park (31 and Chestnut). Improved road closures for this year’s ride will allow for much better exit and entry into the city. The ride, which starts at 8 am, includes 12-, 35- and 75mile options. All cyclists will receive a free t-shirt. Fundraising cyclists will receive a free jersey. To register and learn more, go to milliondollarbikeride.org.
HUPdate EDITORIAL STAFF Sally Sapega Editor and Photographer
Celebrating Medical Laboratory Professionals Medical laboratory professionals, part of HUP’s behind-the-scenes team, are an integral part of health care, actively involved in preparing and administering therapies. During Lab Week, from April 19 to 25, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine will celebrate the hard work and dedication of the more than 600 laboratory professionals in more than 30 different laboratories across Penn Medicine.
ADMINISTRATION
Be sure to drop by the Ravdin Mezzanine to check out the raffle of themed gift baskets, from Tuesday, April 21, through Thursday, April 23, from 10:30 am to 2 pm. Gift basket winners will be announced on Thursday, April 23, at 3:00 pm in the Mezzanine.
CONTACT HUPDATE AT: 3535 Market Street, Mezzanine Philadelphia, PA 19104
Proceeds from the raffle will be donated to the People’s Emergency Center and MANNA (Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance) — two local Philadelphia charities that provide nutrition for people with life-threatening illness and that nurture and support families in local neighborhood communities.
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Lisa Paxson Graphic Designer
Susan E. Phillips Senior Vice President, Public Affairs Holly Auer Director of Communications
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.