’s
December 13, 2013 edition
The Pulse
Your regular check up on SCKMC activities Share your thoughts, story ideas, and comments by e-mail to claytonp@sckrmc.org.
SCKMC Partners with Hospitality Group SCKMC is pleased to announce it is partnering with Hospital Housekeeping Services (HHS) and Culinary Nutrition Solutions (CNS), a division of HHS, to enhance the hospital's current nutritional and environmental services departments with custom programs. HHS/CNS has partnered with dozens of hospitals across the nation ranging in size and scope from rural critical access hospitals to urban 500+ bed medical centers. Their hospitality programs have a proven track record for improving customer satisfaction scores. "We are very excited about this partnership," said Clayton Pappan, SCKMC's senior administrator for the hospital’s environmental services departments. "While the HHS and CNS programs do not directly include our clinical staff or our patients' medical treatment, we believe the services they are able to provide will significantly improve the patient's overall stay as well as improve the comfort of their guests.“ HHS/CNS will begin the transition on January 1, 2014 by absorbing all current SCKMC housekeeping, laundry, and dietary staff members, with the exception of SCKMC's registered dietitian, Diane Ray. Ray works as an independent contractor and will continue to provide clinical nutritional services through the hospital. The total transition of all duties and responsibilities to HHS/CNS is estimated to take up to 90 days. During that time staff will be engaged in multiple training programs, patient and cafeteria menus will be updated to include expanded meal options, and a new "exhibition table" will be installed within the cafeteria. CNS's professionally trained chef will use this piece of equipment to regularly showcase meal preparation for staff and guests. A kickoff meeting between SCKMC staff and CNS Vice President of Operations, Dirk Noteboom took place on Wednesday. Mr. Noteboom will be meeting with each of the staff individually over the remainder of the week to discuss the transition. Hospital CEO, Steve Perkins believes the one-on-one time with each staff member will help relieve some of the anxiety associated with the transition. "We fully appreciate that this is a change and that change is often disliked. If we did not believe this was in the best interest of patient care and service, and our organization, we would not have partnered with this group," Perkins said. All staff will be offered employment at their current rate of pay, be able to transfer accrued paid time off (PDO), and are eligible to participate in HHS/CNS's benefit package.
Auxiliary Prepares for Annual Cookie Sale The SCKMC Auxiliary will once again be selling homemade cookie bundles this holiday season. Platters of two dozen cookies will be sold for $8.00. The sale will take place in the hospital lobby on Friday, Dec. 20th beginning at 7:00 a.m. Proceeds from the sale will benefit the hospital through equipment purchases and program development.
The Pharm Forum with Homer Mah, D.Ph. The holidays are upon us and many are making travel plans. With the stricter security measures imposed by the transportation security administration (TSA), it is important to know how to travel with your medications to help ensure a smooth path through the security process. The TSA has not set a limit on how much medication in tablet or solid form you can travel with. For liquid medications, you can travel with more than the 3.4 ounce liquid limit. However, only bring the appropriate amount for the duration of your travel. For a smoother process, keep medications in their original prescription container, separate them from other belongings before security screening, and notify officers of medications. Also important is to have a list of all the medications you are currently taking along with contact information for your pharmacy and health care provider. Several weeks before you are scheduled to travel begin preparing your medical necessities. If flying internationally, check with that airport’s rules and regulation before traveling. For other questions regarding traveling with medications visit www.tsa.gov.
Employee of the Month Tami Eiselt, Registered Nurse for the Med-Surg department, is the Exceptional Service Award winner for the month of December! She was nominated by a patient for her quick and professional service. Pictured: Tami (left) with Nursing Services Manager, Shelley Pinnegar. If you would like to nominate someone for next month's award visit us at www.sckmc.org.
Excellence is achieved one accomplishment at a time. One timely diagnosis, One well-informed family,
One patient whose needs were cared for. We are building a future of excellence every day with every encounter. And now you can be part of that experience through a legacy gift. To find out more about the Building a Future of Excellence campaign call or visit us on-line at www.sckmc.org.
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