Digital Edition of What's New - 11/27/2015

Volume 4

WHAT’Snew

Gold

Number 24

November 27, 2015

Pennsylvania Hospital

GET WITH THE GUIDELINES

®

PLUS AWARD

Recognized for Excellence in Stroke Care

Pennsylvania Hospital has received the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Award and qualifies for recognition on the Target: Stroke Honor Roll-Elite. “With this recognition, Pennsylvania Hospital is now part of an elite group of hospitals recognized by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association,” said Anjan K. Chatterjee, MD, chair of the department of Neurology and PAH and the Elliott Professor of Neurology.

“Stroke management at Pennsylvania Hospital has been on an impressive trajectory of improvement since first being designed by The Joint Commission as a primary stroke center in 2012,” Chatterjee said. Since that time, the Center was recertified in 2014, and has achieved the Bronze, Silver and Gold Get With The Guidelines recognition awards in under three years. “None of it could have

INSIDE PAH Welcomes Tracy Griffith, DSW, MSS, LCSW............................... 2 Be Safe This Holiday Season and Always........................................... 2 Penn Medicine Top Fundraiser for 2015 Heart Walk............................. 3 The Patient Experience...................... 3 No-Shave November.......................... 4 Light Up A Life...................................... 4 Annual Non-Perishable Food Drive............................................. 4

LET’S

happened without our team of nurses, residents, physicians and supportive hospital staff all dedicated to continually improving stroke care and outcomes.”

To reinforce this point and to underscore the hospital’s continued commitment to stroke care, Judy Jia, MD, a stroke specialist, was recently recruited to join the Neurology staff.

The Gold Plus Award recognizes PAH’s commitment and contribution to Penn Medicine’s success in implementing a higher standard of stroke care by ensuring that stroke patients receive treatment according to nationally recognized, evidence-based standards and recommendations. It specifically signifies that PAH achieved / / / Continued on page 2

Celebrate

THE SEASON

Get Your Tickets Now for the

ANNUAL PAH HOLIDAY MEAL! ‘Tis the season for celebrating and all hospital, professional and affiliated medical office staff and volunteers are invited to share in the annual Pennsylvania Hospital holiday meal. This festive event full of traditional and delicious holiday fare and fun will be served in the Elm Garden Cafeteria, on Tuesday, December 8th.

The serving schedule includes five luncheons and two dinner seatings. Please see your supervisor for tickets and seating times.

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Gold

GET WITH THE GUIDELINES

®

PLUS AWARD / / / Continued from cover

85 percent or higher adherence to all Get With The Guidelines-Stroke achievement indicators for two or more consecutive 12-month periods.

These quality measures focus on appropriate use of guideline-based care for stroke patients, including aggressive use of medications such as clot-busting and anti-clotting drugs, blood thinners and cholesterol-reducing drugs, preventive action for deep vein thrombosis and smoking cessation counseling. They are aligned with the most upto-date, evidence-based guidelines all aimed at reducing death and disability, speeding recovery and improving the lives of stroke survivors.

BE SAFE

this Holiday Season and Always The holiday season is upon us and while it’s time for celebrating with family and friends, it’s also an opportune time for thieves and an increase in crime. Below are some safety tips for traveling — weather it’s to and from work during early morning and nighttime hours, holiday shopping, or heading out for some yuletide cheer.

Remember, PAH Security Staff is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to escort staff members to their vehicles in the parking decks or anywhere on campus.

Call 215.829.3333.

The Security Staff is also available to conduct in-service safety training for staff during any shift. Please contact Bryan Anthony, director of Security Services at Bryan.Anthony@uphs.upenn.edu, or 215.829.6918 to arrange.

HOLIDAY AND “ANY DAY” SAFETY TIPS:

HUP and PPMC have also received the Gold Quality Achievement Award and in 2012, Penn Medicine was the first Philadelphia health system to have all of its member hospitals ­­— PAH, HUP, Chester County Hospital and Lancaster General Hospital — certified as primary stroke centers. Last year, PAH saw approximately 200 stroke patients.

First, always have a plan – know where you are going and how you’re going to get there and be mindful of your surroundings. If you see any suspicious individuals or activities on campus, please call Security at 215-829-3333 for immediate assistance.

According to the American Heart Association/ American Stroke Association, stroke is one of the leading causes of death and serious, longterm disability in the United States. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds; someone dies of a stroke every four minutes; and 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year. The number of acute ischemic stroke patients eligible for treatment is expected to grow over the next decade due to increasing stroke incidence and a large aging population.

»» If you are traveling with valuables —­particularly expensive jewelry ­— don’t show it.

»» Carry a cell phone with you at all times. »» Walk confidently. »» Travel with a co-worker(s)/a friend(s) whenever possible. »» Men carrying a wallet should keep it in a front pocket; Women should avoid large, heavy purses. »» Stay on well lit, highly-traveled routes. »» If you have to walk late at night and early in the morning, walk in the street where it is brighter and more open — and walk facing traffic. »» Be alert and observant to your surroundings. »» If you suspect you’re being followed, abruptly switch directions and go into the nearest public place — a store, restaurant, fire or police station and ask for help. »» If you’re on your way home or to your vehicle, have your keys ready in your hand.

PLEASE WELCOME… Tracy Griffith, DSW, MSS, LCSW, as the new Director of Clinical Resource Management and Social Work.

Griffith started his career with UPHS as an oncology Social Work student at HUP. He was hired in 1996, and has worked in general med/surg, dialysis, Trauma, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Psychiatry units. As a manager and team leader, Griffith has been responsible for selecting and orienting new staff, supervising case managers and social workers at Penn Rehab and LTAC, managing social workers in the departments of Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Emergency. He also managed outpatient social workers and coordinated the weekend program.

During his time at HUP, Griffith completed his Doctorate of Social Work at the University of Pennsylvania

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and holds master’s degrees in both Social Work and Gerontology. He is achieved additional certification in addiction treatment and cognitive behavioral therapy.

Griffith teaches at Bryn Mawr College’s Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research and currently supervises graduate students in the clinical arena.

“Besides his vast experience in health care social work and case management and his strong clinical skills, Tracy is a team player, a problem solver and an advocate for patients, families, and staff,” said Annette Tantillo, MSJ, RN, senior director of Clinical Financial Services. As much as HUP is going to miss him, I am thrilled to have him as part of my team!”

Penn Medicine

TOP FUNDRAISER FOR

2 0 1 5 H EART WA LK

The Patient E X P E R IE NC E… The following letter was sent to Patient and Guest Relations commending the Bariatric Surgery Team at PAH. “I WAS ADMIT T ED F OR BARIAT RIC SURGERY AT YOU R HOSPITAL and wanted to share my experience. Everyone was wonderful – but I’d like to especially call out my nurses and technicians. Their kindness, humor and patience were amazing.

Way to go team Penn Medicine who was the top fundraising organization for the American Heart Association’s 2015 Heart Walk. Penn Medicine raised $199,377 — the most ever raised for the Heart Walk. PAH also exceeded its $20,000 goal by raising $21,637. Funds support local American Heart Association efforts in research, education and advocacy.

TOP 5 PAH FUNDRAISING HEART WALK TEAMS AND CAPTAINS

$1,775

VCT | OR Suzanne Rogers

$3,510

$1,483

$1,961

$1,099

The Heart of PAH | Cardiology Services Stefany McTighe and Tiffany Ferrell Full of Heart | 6 Cathcart Jeanne Belcher

Pharmacy Phanatics Maria Tahir Laboratory HeartBEAKERS Pam Eckardt

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death of all Americans. Someone dies from CVD every 39 seconds in the United States. It kills more women than all forms of cancer combined and congenital cardiovascular defects are the most common cause of infant death from birth defects.

In 1999, the AHA set a bold 10-year goal: To reduce coronary heart disease, stroke and risk by 25 percent by 2010. They achieved this goal ahead of schedule and the current AHA goal is “by 2020, to improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20 percent while reducing deaths from cardiovascular disease and stroke by 20 percent.”

They were so funny and kind, informative, accommodating and sweet. They even came back on my floor the Friday I was discharged to see me off as I went home. I ended up having to be readmitted for fluid in my chest and the RNs on duty were amazing! They saw to it that I had everything I needed and were so kind, upbeat and awesome. The technicians kept me comfortable and were also so kind.

They even kept my phone charged for me.

My surgeon is Dr. Schuricht (Alan L. Schuricht, MD, FACS), a clinical associate professor of Surgery and program director of PAH General Surgery Residency).

Everyone in his office, all of the hospital staff — from admissions, to anesthesia, to post-op, transport, housekeeping, nutrition, the volunteers, etc. — were such wonderful people. I wanted to share my great experience in the hopes that it would be passed along to this fantastic team. Thank you all!

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Spreading Some Good Will This Holiday Season?

We Want to Know!

If you are sharing your time, talents and support with the community and/or Penn Medicine this Holiday season, please email your activities — and photo(s) — to the Penn Medicine Department of Communications at pennmedicinecommunications@uphs. upenn.edu by December 21st.

We may feature you in an upcoming issue in one of our newsletters or in a news blog post!

to “Grow” Cancer Awareness Things are getting pretty hairy in Engineering Services. Male staff members are participating in No-Shave November as a show of solidarity and support to raise awareness for testicular cancer.

watching the transformation of everyone’s faces. We even got our Director Jeff O’Neill, Associate Director Pat Lanzilotta, and Operations Manager John Gattuso to participate!”

Testicular cancer is the most common form of cancer in men 15-35 years old. While the exact cause of testicular cancer is unknown and not much can be done to prevent it, the overall five-year survival rate for all cases of testicular cancer is 95 percent when detected early which is why increasing awareness about risk factors and symptoms is so important.

Visit the PAH Engineering Team’s page and help them meet their fundraising goal of $1,500 by donating: http://www.no-shave. org/team/PAH_Engineering.

“About 27 of the guys from the Engineering department are sporting some sort of facial hair to show their support this month,” said painter Jeff Colon, who organized the department’s team in No-Shave November.

“I think men’s health issues sometimes get over-looked, so I thought this would be a fun way to show support. Also, it’s pretty cool

No-Shave November is a web-based nonprofit organization which continues “to grow” and now raises funds and awareness to support all cancer prevention, education and research. Participants grow awareness by embracing and celebrating hair — which many cancer patients lose during treatment — and by donating the money they would typically spend on shaving and grooming products to aid those fighting cancer.

To learn more and donate, visit https://www.no-shave.org/.

AT PENN WISSAHICKON HOSPICE Please join Penn Wissahickon Hospice for the annual celebration of light and life. This tree lighting ceremony — held early in the holiday season — is being hosted at PAH this year and offers a chance to honor and remember lost loved ones, and to raise funds for compassionate hospice care.

Wednesday, December 2nd, 6 p.m.

Pennsylvania Hospital’s Elm Garden 8th and Spruce Streets (enter on 8th Street) Parking available in the Delancey Street lot between 7th & 8th Streets Register for the event or sponsor a light by visiting PennMedicine.org/LightUpaLife.

For more information, contact pmevents@ ben.dev.upenn.edu.

WHAT’Snew EDITORIAL STAFF Olivia Fermano // Editor and Photographer

Help Those in Need this Holiday Season PAH’s Annual Non-Perishable Food Drive Non-perishable food items are being collected from now until Wednesday, December 2.

This worthy cause supports WMMR FM radio’s “Preston & Steve’s Campout for Hunger.”

All proceeds will be donated to Philabundance and families of the Hall Mercer community this holiday season.

Barry Ogburn // Photography

ADMINISTRATION

COLLECTION STATIONS: »» The Outpatient Pharmacy waiting room Ground Preston by the main hospital entrance on 8th Street. »» Telly’s Gift Shop The Elm Garden Cafeteria

Monetary donations also accepted!

CONTACT: Kristi Spaide – 215.829.7003 // Altrucia Jones – 215.829.3903 Matt Menard – 215.829.5349

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Abby Ernst // Graphic Design

Susan E. Phillips // Senior Vice President, Public Affairs Holly Auer // Director of Communications Sally Sapega // Director of Internal Communications CONTACT WHAT’Snew at: Department of Communications Pennsylvania Hospital Philadelphia, PA 19106 phone: 215.829.6799 email: olivia.fermano@uphs.upenn.edu WHAT’Snew is published biweekly for PAH employees.

Access WHAT’Snew online at http://news.pennmedicine.org/inside/whats-new/.