Volume 5
WHAT’Snew
Number 8
April 15, 2012
Pennsylvania Hospital
`` Top Left to Right: Karen Neyer, MSW, Social Worker Monique Neault, CRNP, Program Coordinator Catherine O’Brien, MA, Chaplain Bottom Left to Right: Mindi Roeser, MD Stephanie Chando, MSW, Social Worker Jeremy Souder, MD, Medical Director
PALLIATIVE CARE AT PAH: A Holistic Approach to Caring for Patients, Families For a group of people who are already dealing with so much, and who may be losing everything, I believe it is our job as palliative care professionals to provide them with the most comprehensive and highest level of care possible. —Stephanie C. Chando, MSW, LSW, MED
INSIDE Palliative Care at PAH (cont’d)......... 2 Penn Medicine at the 2016 Philadelphia Science Festival........... 2 PAH Bake Sale Competition for Brain Tumor Awareness Month....... 3 This Weekend: The Donor Dash for Organ and Tissue Donation......... 3 SAVE THE DATE: ANCC Magnet Recognition Party!.............................. 4 Creating Canopy Tree Giveaway Program.................... 4
The Palliative Care Program at Penn Medicine aims to provide customized care that touches on each part of a person’s life as they navigate the treatment of their illness. According to the Center to Advance Palliative Care, approximately 90 million Americans are living with serious, lifethreatening and/or chronic illnesses, an estimate that is expected to increase substantially over the next 25 years as the “Baby Boomers” age.
is one aspect that is often neglected when thinking about palliative care: sexuality. According to the World Health Organization, sexuality is a central aspect of being human throughout life and encompasses sex, gender identities and roles, sexual orientation, eroticism, pleasure, intimacy and reproduction.
For individuals with serious illness, sexual and intimate behaviors ranging from handholding, cuddling and kissing, to Patients who may benefit from palliative care sexual intercourse, can have many healing most often suffer from a serious chronic, life- benefits including relief of physical and limiting illness and frequent hospitalizations, emotional tension, distraction from multiple such as congestive heart failure, chronic symptoms, and temporary relief of pain. obstructive pulmonary disease, dementia, These activities can also empower people to recurrent infections and cancer. take control when otherwise feeling out-ofcontrol, restore a sense of normalcy, and help At Pennsylvania Hospital, the palliative care those with terminal illnesses to reconnect team provides specialized, holistic medical with who they are — rather than feeling like care for those with serious illnesses with the just a patient or person with illness. goal of improving quality of life for both patients and their families. However, there / / / Continued on page 2
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PALLIATIVE CARE AT PAH: A Holistic Approach to Caring for Patients, Families Stephanie C. Chando, MSW, LSW, MED, a palliative care social worker on Pennsylvania Hospital’s inpatient palliative care consult team, is forging into new territory, as she has developed a personal and professional interest in exploring the intimate relationships of those nearing end-of-life. In her role at PAH, Chando helps individuals and their families understand and adapt to life with a serious illness at various points along the continuum of their disease process. “Sex and death remain two of America’s most taboo subjects,” said Chando. “Many studies have shown that early involvement with palliative care results in improved quality of life, better communication of patient wishes, and increased satisfaction with overall medical care. And according to sexuality and end-of-life research, patient satisfaction and quality of life can be further improved by incorporating aspects of sexuality and intimacy into end-of-life discussions.” Chando, who is also working on her dissertation as a Doctor of Philosophy in Human Sexuality candidate at Widener University, is exploring the intimate relationships of those nearing end-of-life by gathering data from persons with days, weeks, or months to live and their partners. She cited a quote from a research team indicating that when sexual care is not acknowledged as part of every healthcare practitioner’s concern, the principle of holistic care is lost and there is potential for patients’ needs to go unmet. In her opinion, it is this sentence that causes the most concern.
Peggy Peterson Photography
“When end-of-life conversations occur and do not include discussions of intimate relationships, this purportedly holistic care no longer addresses every aspect of one’s life,” Chando said. However palliative care does not just mean end-of-life. It covers the entire spectrum of one’s treatment, and focuses significantly on pain relief and symptom management over the course of an illness. Palliative care is a multidisciplinary approach to providing specialized medical care, focused on providing patients with relief from the symptoms, pain, and physical and mental stress of a serious illness — whatever the diagnosis.” The PAH palliative care team also provides emotional support to patients and their families, and works with other medical professionals to discuss patient prognosis, goals of medical care, and the best ways available to achieve those goals. The team works with patients and their families throughout the hospital to meet the needs of individuals at various ages and stages of their illness. Chando added, “for a group of people who are already dealing with so much, and who may be losing everything, I believe it is our job as palliative care professionals to provide them with the most comprehensive and highest level of care possible.”
Penn Medicine at the 2016
PHILADELPHIA SCIENCE FESTIVAL Penn Medicine will again play a leading role in the sixth annual Philadelphia Science Festival, a citywide collaboration showcasing science and technology every spring. The Festival packs more than 100 events into nine days at locations across the region including restaurants and breweries, parks, libraries, and museums. The Festival, from April 22 – 30, is a partnership among over 200 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. The aim is to create homegrown citizen scientists, by exploring the many ways that science and technology touch our everyday lives. PAH plays a part in this year’s Festival and is hosting the free event Medicine 1776 as part of Explorer Sunday on April 24.
u To learn more, visit www.philasciencefestival.org
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PAH BAKE SALE & COMPETITION for Brain Tumor Awareness Month Ashley Rose Stankiewicz MSN, RN, WCC, a nurse on 5 Cathcart, is hosting a hospitalwide bake sale and competition to help raise awareness for brain cancer and support a nurse colleague in need during Brain Tumor Awareness Month — May 2016. During Nurses Week, on Wednesday, May 3 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Pennsylvania Hospital employees — from any department, floor, or building — are invited to set up a table to sell their sweets. Each group will be asked to submit their top three treats to be included in the bake-off judging — scored based on appearance, taste, and overall presentation. The winner will receive a 25 dollar gift card. “In years past, there have been similar baking competitions and volunteer events, but this year, we wanted to expand from unit-wide to hospital-wide. We’re also looking to spread the word and help brain tumor awareness,”
Stankiewicz said. “Some of us have been personally touched by a brain tumor diagnosis, which can have a tremendous impact, so we’ve decided to make this our cause for Nurse’s Week.” The official bake sale will take place in the Pine Basement and will be open to employees, patients, and their families interested in buying a treat or simply making a donation. “This event is a good excuse for PAH folks to show off their baking skills while helping to raise money and awareness for a great cause,” Stankiewicz said. Any employee interested in participating should email Ashley Stankiewicz at Ashley.Consalvi@ uphs.upenn.edu. To learn more about Brain Tumor Awareness Month or to make a donation to the larger cause, visit the National Brain Tumor Society at http://braintumor.org/
THIS WEEKEND
The Donor DASH for Organ and Tissue Donation Did you know that there are approximately 5,800 people in the greater Philadelphia region are on the national transplant waiting list? Here at Penn, there are 1,301 people awaiting a life-saving transplant. If transplant or organ donation has touched your life, join Team Penn Medicine as we walk and run to support the DASH for Organ and Tissue Donation — the annual, community education fundraising event sponsored by the Gift of Life Donor Program. The event will take place this weekend, on Sunday, April 17. Held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the DASH consists of a 3k walk, a 5k run and a 10k run. Participants include donor families who join us in memory of loved ones. The event also attracts transplant recipients who participate in honor of their organ donors. Those waiting for organs to become available will run and walk along side of transplant professionals, as well as friends, families and hundreds of people from the community. It’s a unique event, and Team Penn Medicine is a great way to participate.
u To join Team Penn Medicine visit DonorDash.com
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REMINDER : SAVE THE DATE
ANCC Magnet Recognition Party! On Wednesday, April 27 from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m., we’ll celebrate Pennsylvania Hospital’s Magnet® Designation, awarded by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Reaching Magnet status is one of the highest achievements a hospital can obtain in professional nursing. Only 378 out of nearly 6,000 health care organizations in the United States, less than seven percent, have achieved Magnet designation. Faculty and staff at PAH have been working toward achieving Magnet status for five years, a process which culminates in a rigorous review to demonstrate the hospital's commitment to sustaining nursing excellence, improving professional practice, a solid commitment to continuing education and nursing specialty certification and transforming the culture of the work environment involving a strong shared governance model and laser focus on patient safety. This is a well-deserved recognition and we hope you can join the celebration! To register please visit the events page alumni.upenn.edu.
Applications for Harrison Memorial Fund Due April 18 The Harrison Memorial Fund was created by Deed of Trust of George L. Harrison on February 24, 1922. Among other things, the Trust provides that income from the Fund should be used for “the direct benefit of poor patients in ways not ordinarily supplied by usual Hospital funds.” Income from the fund supports prospectively identified therapies for poor patients that are not covered by the patients’ insurers and cannot be covered by their personal financial resources. The Harrison Fund Committee is accepting the submission of proposals from Pennsylvania Hospital’s Professional Staff for funding for the term July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017. The Committee has historically supported individual proposals with annual budgets in the range of $5,000 to $20,000. To submit your grant application — due no later than April 18 — visit the PAH intranet for the application.
Annual UPHS Open Enrollment Coming in April! Open Enrollment begins on April 25 through May 8, 2016. Look for the Annual Open Enrollment newsletter being mailed home to all UPHS employees that will outline the benefit information for the 2016-2017 plan year. All employees are encouraged to read through the newsletter thoroughly and contact the Benefits Team with any questions by calling 215.615.2675, option #4, or emailing BenefitsQuestions@uphs.upenn.edu. More information can be found on the HR and You website in April. Any changes made during Open Enrollment will take effect on July 1, 2016.
Creating Canopy Tree Giveaway Program As part of Penn’s Green Campus Partnership, the University of Pennsylvania is hosting its annual tree giveaway for faculty and staff, which offers a free tree for homeowners in the City of Philadelphia as well as the PA, DE and NJ suburbs. A limited number of free trees will be given away on a first-come, first-served basis to interested Penn and UPHS staff and faculty who pre-register. There are nearly a dozen tree species that will be available, to learn about which might be the best choice for your home, read through the Tree Information Guide at www.sustainability.upenn.edu. The program is offering a selection of small flowering trees, medium and large shade trees, and, for the first time, self-pollinating fruit trees.
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WHAT’Snew EDITORIAL STAFF Abbey Anderson Editor Abby Ernst Graphic Design Barry Ogburn Photography
ADMINISTRATION
Susan E. Phillips Senior Vice President, Public Affairs Holly Auer Director of Communications Sally Sapega Director of Internal Communications
Registration is open through Friday, April 29 — or until the tree inventory runs out, whichever comes first! To sign up, visit www.sustainability.upenn.edu/get-involved/creating-canopy.
CONTACT WHAT’Snew at: Department of Communications Pennsylvania Hospital Philadelphia, PA 19106
Tree pick up will take place on May 3 and May 5 from 3 to 6 p.m. in the parking lot at Penn Park — located near the intersection of 31st Street and Walnut Street.
phone: 215.349.8369 email: abbey.anderson@uphs.upenn.edu
To learn more, or to ask questions, email sustainability@upenn.edu or visit https://www.sustainability.upenn.edu/ get-involved/creating-canopy.
WHAT’Snew is published biweekly for PAH employees. Access WHAT’Snew online at http://news.pennmedicine.org/inside/whats-new/.