Connections
September/October 2013 Vol. 11 Issue 6
Leading the way in compassion and discovery.
Corporate Events Staff Forums
12 Nov., Tuesday 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. Mental Health Services Cafeteria 13 Nov., Wednesday 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. St. Mary’s of the Lake Hospital Cafeteria 15 Nov., Friday 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. Providence Manor Cafeteria
VOCEC breaks new ground and partners with the YMCA
What’s Inside
Countdown to first ePR “Go Live” milestone
Preferred bidder chosen - Providence Care Hospital project An evening at the Fort FANS Staff member invents solution to better his workplace Announcing CrossRoads to Care
Arts Connect - Exhibit by Hope & Discovery Artisans
Staff United Way Campaign
Alzheimer Coffee Break at Providence Manor
Staff Golf Tournament Learning & Leadership opportunities Words of appreciation
www.providencecare.ca ancing Quality of Lif e E nh for over 150 years
Voices, Opportunities & Choices Employment Club (VOCEC) has partnered with the YMCA of Kingston to open a new café that provides meals and snacks to the YMCA’s daycare program. The contract was finalized in May 2013 with food production beginning in June of this year. Since June 21, VOCEC associates have been preparing upwards of 300 meals and 700 snacks per week. The new business has created 18 new positions for Providence Care’s clients who have risen to the challenges of operating a full-service kitchen and food-service business. In addition to providing meals to the daycare, VOCEC partnered with the YMCA to completely renovate space for VOCEC’s newest café - ‘Breaking Ground’. Breaking Ground serves YMCA members and staff a full menu of items baked and prepared by Providence Care clients. The partnership between VOCEC and the YMCA is strengthened by sharing values – the belief in equal opportunities for all members in the community and treating each person with respect, dignity and compassion. The YMCA strives to create an environment that enhances the personal and professional development of all staff and volunteers. Together with the YMCA, VOCEC has provided a supportive work environment where Providence Care clients can grow and thrive – economically, professionally and personally. This ambitious project would not have been possible without the ongoing support of dedicated Providence Care staff. - Ben Gooch Program Manager VOCEC is a not-for-profit corporation run by a community volunteer Board of Directors responsible to oversee numerous affirmative businesses in the Kingston area. Providence Care’s Mental Health Services provides staff support and space for some of the businesses.
www.vocec.com
Providence Care Conn e c t io ns
Sept./Oct. 2013 Vol. 11 Issue 6
Final countdown to the ePR first go-live milestone Only a short time remains until the electronic patient record (ePR) system reaches the first go-live milestone. Soon our electronic patient record (ePR) system will come to life for staff at St. Mary’s of the Lake Hospital from inpatient programs as well as outpatient clinics and services based at St. Mary’s, and related community programs. After putting tremendous effort into the design, build, testing and training, the ePR team is eager to finally see how the new system improves the everyday work of staff. Not only is the implementation of the new electronic patient record system a step towards state-of-the-art technology, it is also a significant step towards a best patient-centred care approach. It will help enhance the patient/client/resident journey in the health care network. The second milestone will be when we “Go Live” at Mental Health Services, Providence Manor, and our remaining outpatient and
BUILDING...
community programs and services. Before implementing Milestone 2, we want to ensure the system is stable at St. Mary’s. We will be learning from our experience of going live at St. Mary’s, and making adjustments to the go live process along the way. During the transition period, our staff will need time to combine their everyday work activities with the new patient care system functionalities. It will be a learning curve for them all. Please be patient with staff while they learn our new patient care system. We thank our patients, clients and residents for their support and patience during this time. Throughout the learning process our staff will continue to provide the best care possible. - Veronique Scott Communications Officer ePatient Record
HOSPITAL
Preferred bidder selected for Providence Care Hospital project Excerpt from Infrastructure Ontario & Providence Care News Release: 3 October, 2013 KINGSTON – Infrastructure Ontario and Providence Care have selected Integrated Team Solutions as the preferred bidder to design, build, finance and maintain Providence Care Hospital. The selection of Integrated Team Solutions is the result of extensive evaluations following an open, fair and competitive request for proposals process that began in December 2012. Integrated Team Solutions includes:
An evening at the Fort
Developer: EllisDon Corporation / Fengate Capital Management Limited Design: Parkin Architects Construction: EllisDon Corporation Facilities Management: Johnson Controls Financial Advisor: Scotia Capital Infrastructure Ontario and Providence Care will now work to finalize contract details with Integrated Team Solutions. Infrastructure Ontario and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care are working with Providence Care to build the new facility, which will remain publicly owned and publicly controlled.
On Wednesday, August 14th, some of our patients from St. Mary’s of the Lake Hospital enjoyed an historical and entertaining evening at the Fort Henry Sunset Ceremonies in Kingston. Recreation Therapy staff and Spinal Cord Injury Ontario (Peer Support) teamed up to offer our patients this memorable community integration experience. Former patients, volunteers and staff of Spinal Cord Injury Ontario were also in attendance. We are so appreciative that our patients and staff were able to attend at no cost thanks to the generous sponsorship of Bergeron Clifford. This memorable evening was enjoyed by all attending. -Shannon McCallum Recreation Therapist St. Mary’s of the Lake Hospital
Providenc e Ca re Con n e c ti o n s
Sept./Oct. 2013 Vol. 11 Issue 6
Innovating to better serve our patients: Providence Care staff invents solution to better his workplace Providence Care’s Food & Nutrition Assistant Ron Youngs likes to think outside of the box. Upon observing a flaw with a beltline used to carry dirty dishes to the dishwasher, he decided to fix the problem by inventing something better! At Mental Health Services, Ron first noticed staff having difficulty cleaning build-up of food that regularly got stuck under the electric belt line used to carry dirty dishes to the washer. The cleaning process was a time-consuming, daily hassle and far from perfect. “Typically, staff have to wash under the belt line by completely lifting off the belt and spraying the area with a hose – and it is often impossible to get every leftover food participle,” explains Paula Ormsbee, Director of Food & Nutrition Services. Ron saw this happen and wanted to make things better. “I wanted to improve the cleanliness of the dish room and make things easier for my fellow colleagues,” says Ron. He first took action by calling the manufacturer of the belt line, Aerowerks, to ask about a solution or a method to better clean the product. After being told that no current solution was in place, Ron wasn’t discouraged – instead, he decided to invent a way to improve upon the product himself. He tried multiple ideas from inserting a sponge below the belt line to experimenting with pot scrubbers, but his
Ron Youngs of our Food & Nutrition Services staff at Mental Health Services, took it upon himself to invent a solution that would solve a cleaning challenge with the electric belt line used to carry dishes from the cafeteria to the washer. Ron’s clever invention has worked so well that it will soon be introduced at our St. Mary’s of the Lake Hospital faciility as well. “Eureka” moment happened one unassuming evening when he took the garbage out and observed something interesting. “I noticed the door swing shut behind me and how the bristles of the door sweeper cleaned the floor as it swung shut – I immediate thought I can apply that same concept to cleaning the belt line,” Ron describes. Ron went to multiple hardware stores to find the perfect bristle, and spent his own time and money perfecting a prototype – a brush that attaches to the belt line and sweeps the
food to a garbage container as the belt line rotates. And it works perfectly! In fact, he’s already improved upon his first prototype, by creating a second model that works even more smoothly.
bringing their ideas to fruition. “The staff are the ones doing their job – they are the experts of what they do,” she says. “Anyone coming forward with a good solution to improvements to what we do is encouraged.”
“In the past, we’ve never been able to clean the belt line as well as we can now,” says Paula, who is eager to have the same mechanism set up at St. Mary’s of the Lake Hospital where there’s also a dirty dish belt line.
“At the end of the day, it all goes towards improving the patient and client experience,” says Ron, who is happy to be able to contribute to his team in Food & Nutrition.
As a director, Paula encourages innovation at the workplace and strongly supports her staff in
- Chonglu Huang Communications Offier
Providence Care Conn e c t io ns
Sept./Oct. 2013 Vol. 11 Issue 6
Providence Care outreach teams in Belleville set to co-locate with other community agencies this winter
A large crowd gathered, Thursday, September 26, for the announcement of an exciting co-location venture at the Bay View Mall in Belleville. A new suite of offices is set to open at the Mall this winter, bringing together a number of supportive care agencies under one roof: Alzheimer Society of Belleville-Hastings-Quinte, Community Care for South Hastings, Providence Care Outreach Teams (Geriatric Psychiatry, Mood Disorders, Dual Diagnosis and Behavioral Support), and the Victorian Order of Nurses-Hastings, Northumberland & Prince Edward. Together the four will occupy 17,000 square feet, taking up most of the storefront space on the mall’s north wall. The new suite of offices will be known as CrossRoads to Care. On hand at the announcement were members of each organization who together unveiled the CrossRoads to Care logo along with their tagline, Supportive care at every turn. “Everyone comes to crossroads in their lives and you need to know where to turn,” said Shell-Lee Weert, Executive Director at Community Care for South Hastings.
“This collaboration will make all our services more accessible to clients and collectively we’ll be able to offer more integrated support,” stated Laura Hare, Executive Director of the Alzheimer Society of Belleville-Hastings-Quinte. Alex Conant, Team Manager for the Dual Diagnosis Consultation Outreach Team at Providence Care added, “But we won’t lose our identities. We’ll continue to be separate organizations working under the same roof.” “It’s a one-stop shop where all our clients’ needs can be met,” explained VON Administration Manager, Brenda Adams. A senior consultant for the Local Health Integration Network (LHIN), Darryl Tooley, stated, “By coming together they will be able to share some back-office resources, which means more money toward care.” Members of each organization spoke about the amount of work that occurred leading up to the announcement, from the planning to the challenges, process, logistics, and cost of the project. Throughout, the focus
always remained on the people needing services and how to make those services more accessible. The concept was inspired by a similar project in Bancroft where the Alzheimer’s Society and Community Care North Hastings successfully share office space. The CrossRoads group also announced the project has received a $400,000 grant from the John M. and Bernice Parrot Foundation to renovate the new shared space. Along with a $100,000 grant from the South East LHIN, these funds have helped make this project a reality. Further funds are needed to cover the cost of Community Care’s commercial kitchen which is used for such programs as Meals on Wheels. It is anticipated that renovations will be complete and the new offices will open in early December. The four organizations expressed a sincere thank you to key players in the project: McLaughlin & White; PACE Design; Knudsen Construction; Bernie Ouellet; Bay View Mall; United Way of Quinte; South East LHIN; and the John & Bernice Parrott Foundation. - Cathy Clark, Communications Officer
Providence Care Conn e c t io ns
Sept./Oct. 2013 Vol. 11 Issue 6
Check it out! Art Exhibit by our Hope & Discovery Artisans
ART S Oct. 4 - 11, 2013 CONNECT 255 Princess St., Kingston, ON
Showcasing the Hope and Discovery Artisans
~ Art Exhibition and Celebration ~ by
Hope and Discovery Artisans An Occupational Therapy Group of Providence Care’s Community Connections Recovery Program
255 Princess Street Kingston, Ontario Friday, October 4: 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Saturday, October 5: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Sunday, October 6: 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. October 7 to 10: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Friday, October 11: 12:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Thank you to the Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund for enabling our creative process. You have made the difference in the lives of many.
Pantone 144
Pantone 424
Providence Care Conn e c t io ns
Providence Care Staff United Way Campaign underway
Sept./Oct. 2013 Vol. 11 Issue 6
Applications now being accepted for Providence Manor bursaries The Iva Speers Endowment Fund Bursary Program was established by the late Iva Speers as a lasting tribute to her brothers and sister and a symbol of gratitude for the exceptional care given to her siblings by the staff of Providence Manor. It was her desire to provide educational and training opportunities for Providence Manor staff in the interest of maintaining and enhancing quality resident care. The Speers Endowment receives applications twice a year (spring and fall).
Applications are now being accepted for the Iva Speers Endowment Fund Bursary Program through the Human Resources office at Providence Manor until 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 31. Don’t delay submit your application today! This bursary is only for Providence Manor staff—Providence Care staff located at other sites are eligible for the Providence Care Staff Bursaries provided through our Providence Care Foundation.
A team of enthusiastic Providence Care staff, along with our Workplace Campaign Chair Ben Gooch (centre in striped shirt), represented Providence Care at the Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington United Way Kick-off Breakfast September 10th at the Ambassador Conference Resort. Our local United Way’s fundraising goal this year is $3,418,000 for the local community! Last year Providence Care was the number one contributor to the KFL&A United Way campaign in the health care sector. Providence Care will once again be conducting a staff campaign to contribute to this worthy cause. Site leads for our staff campaign this year include Chonglu Huang at Mental Health Services, Ben Gooch at St. Mary’s of the Lake Hospital, and Colleen Stoneman and Lynn Hendry at Providence Manor. Many of our staff may opt to donate through payroll deduction. Also, various activities are taking place across our organization to help raise funds. These include such fun events as a cake auction, chili lunch, sale of candy apples and Portuegese donuts. United Way provides support to community agencies, strengthening their capacity to serve the community. Local volunteers, through Citizens Review Panels, review agency applications and recommend allocation amounts to support local services and ensure services are available when they are needed the most. When you give to United Way, you support a network of agencies that provide vital programs to thousands of people throughout the region.
WANTED – used laptops for
our patients at St. Mary’s of the Lake Hospital
Providence Care partners with CFB Kingston to offer laptops to patients Providence Care’s Volunteer Services department is working together with CFB Kingston on a special project for our patients at St. Mary’s of the Lake Hospital. CFB Kingston staff have offered to fix up donated laptops that we receive, in order for us to lend them out to patients. If you have a laptop you would like to donate, please contact Janet Hunter (Director of Volunteer Services) at St. Mary’s of the Lake Hospital or send her an email.
Providenc e Ca re Con n e c ti o n s
Sept./Oct. 2013 Vol. 11 Issue 6
Providence Manor participates in Alzheimer Coffee Break Fundraiser In September, all across Canada, money is raised to support the Alzheimer Society, through annual Coffee Break events. Every year, Providence Manor takes part in this event by hosting a High Tea. Tea and coffee are served from our silver tea set, and drank from beautiful china tea cups and saucers. This year background music was provided by Joyce Li at the piano - thankyou, Joyce! On hand to help serve the tea and coffee were several Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul: Sister Merelyn Kearns, Sister Joey Dorion, Sister Susan Pye, Sister Catherine Cannon, and Sister Ellen Murray. We extend a thank you to all of them. Providence Care was founded by the Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul. Tickets were also sold for two lovely gift baskets. Charlotte won the Caffeine Fix basket, and Michael won the Kingston Frontenacs hockey game and dinner basket.
Thank you to the Kingston Frontenacs for donating tickets to a regular season game, and an autographed Doug Gilmour hat! Thank you also to Diane Dutcher and the volunteers for selling raffle tickets. New this year, we added a coffee break and bake sale in the morning. Staff, residents, clients, and families were able to purchase tea or coffee as well as a variety of bake sale items. Thank you to everyone who donated to the Alzheimer Society and to those who helped make these events happen. Thank you to everyone who baked or donated goodies, including the treats made at the Hildegarde and Providence Manor baking groups. A very special thanks to Shannon Gill who organized all these events. Last year we raised around $450 –and this year we were just over the $500 mark!
If you are interested in donating to the Alzheimer Society, Providence Manor and the Hildegarde Centre take part in the Annual Walk for Memories in January at the Cataraqui Town Centre in Kingston. Watch for details or contact Shannon Gill to donate or join our walking team!
Providence Care Staff Golf Tournament Our annual Providence Care Staff Golf Tournament, September 23rd at the Collonade Golf & Country Club was again a great success this year. The well attended event was enjoyed by all. The putting contest, a “Living the Mission event” featuring our Value of Compassion, raised $250 for the KFL&A United Way.
Providence Care Conn e c t io ns
Providence Care Learning & Leadership Services Presents...
Sept./Oct. 2013 Vol. 11 Issue 6
BUILDING... HOSPITAL
Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) Thursday, October 24, 2013: 8:15 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. AND Friday, October 25, 2013: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. OR Thursday, November 21, 2013: 8:15 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. AND Friday, November 22, 2013: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Trainers: Murray Hillier and Susan Lewis The ASIST workshop is for caregivers who want to feel more comfortable, confident and competent in helping to prevent the immediate risk of suicide. Over one million caregivers have participated in this two-day, highly interactive, practical, practiceoriented workshop. Participation in the full two days is required. Enjoy small group discussions and skills practice that are based upon adult learning principles. Experience powerful videos on suicide intervention. Feel challenged and safe. Learn suicide first aid. Cost: Free for Providence Care employees $125 Students and $200 Outside registrants
SafeTalk Thursday, November 14, 2013: 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon Trainer: Susan Lewis, MSW, RSW The SafeTalk workshop is for anyone 15 years or older, clinical and non-clinical staff and the public. The program provides skills and knowledge to help identify individuals who have thoughts of suicide. It also teaches how to apply the TALK steps (Tell, Ask, Listen and KeepSafe) to connect suicidal individuals to suicide first aid resources. This training initiates more open conversation and understanding about suicide, decreasing the stigma associated with it. Cost: $20 Providence Care employees $40 Students and Outside registrants Location for all sessions: Providence Care Mental Health Services Learning & Leadership Centre 752 King St. West, Kingston
For more information or to register call 613-548-5567, ext. 5713 or email learning@providencecare.ca
Published by: Providence Care Communications Dept. Editor: Cathy Clark, 613-548-5567, ext. 5995
Get the latest news at:
http://providencecareredevelopment.wordpress.com/
PROVIDENCE CARE HOSPITAL: Bringing together the programs and services of St. Mary’s of the Lake Hospital and Mental Health Services in one new hospital located at 752 King Street West in Kingston.
WORDS OF APPRECIATION
From a family member of a client of Mental Health Services:
“I am particularly thankful for you initiating the “My Advance Care Plan.” It really helped me in the end as decisions were being made about medical interventions. It allowed me to describe her wishes to the medical professionals. I knew that I could pull out that document should I get some sort of challenges.”
From a family member of a resident of Providence Manor:
“The entire staff is above all expectations we may have had in making our decision to place our loved one in your care. All of the staff always have a great smile and remember each and every one of the people in their care and treat each one with respect. This is not an easy transition to make and they have helped with much care and compassion.”
From a family member of a patient of St. Mary’s of the Lake Hospital:
“Words cannot express the family’s gratitude to all of the nurses, volunteers and staff at St. Mary’s of the Lake, our Mother was blessed to have been in your care.”
Submissions welcome Send to: info@providencecare.ca