STANFORD HEALTH CARE
A PUBLICATION FOR EMPLOYEES OF STANFORD HEALTH CARE
SUMMER 2016
SHC READY HOME GROWN HEALTH HEROES HEALING HUMANITY
AROUND SHC Pictured top left to bottom right: SHC’s new CEO David Entwistle is an avid cyclist, swimmer and runner who has competed in marathons and Ironman Triathlons … Vice President Sridhar Seshadri and Charlene Kell, Administrative Director of Cardiovascular Health, celebrate the opening of the Heart and Vascular center expansion in June with a ribbon-cutting ceremony … Jeanette Kitt, Lisa Lee and Jenny Booth took part in C-I-CARE Patient Experience Week Fair at Stanford Health Care–ValleyCare in Livermore … SHC’s newest primary care clinic opened recently at Santa Clara at 2518 Mission College Blvd. In addition to adult primary care, the clinic offers specialty care in Cardiology, Dermatology, Digestive Health, Gynecology, Nephrology, and Physical Therapy … Radhika Gollapudi (l) and Alexandria Blacker (r) offered free hugs at the HealthySteps to Wellness Annual Wellness Fair … SHC was a sponsor for the 2016 Kidney Walk in San Jose. The Kidney Walk is the nation’s largest walk to fight kidney disease. The event raises awareness and funds lifesavin programs that educate and support patients, their families and those at risk. Team Stanford is shown on the right.
from the CEO Dear Colleagues, As I begin my new role at Stanford Health Care, I can’t imagine a better expression of what makes this place so special than SHC People. Everyone I have met here cares deeply about our patients and about our commitment to achieve the highest levels of quality, safety and satisfaction in all aspects of caring for our patients. By focusing on our people, we are spotlighting SHC’s most valuable asset. Having an outstanding team is what makes everything that Stanford Health
Care is known for in our community, in our nation and around the world, possible. I believe that effective teamwork is one of the keys to our future success as well. You will see many examples in these pages that illustrate why. Ensuring that we are fully prepared in the event of a disaster, extending access to SHC services through new accountable care offerings, and providing outstanding patient-centered care take many highly functioning teams. In addition to having the right tools, they need the ongoing ability to draw upon all of our diverse talents, skills and perspectives. As we get to know each other in the coming months, I look forward to learning more about what we can do together to foster an environment in which SHC teams can continue to thrive. Being part of a great team is energizing, and when the team’s purpose makes a lasting
STANFORD HEALTH CARE PEOPLE is a publication of the SHC internal communications department: Gary Migdol, Director; Katie Lipovsky, Manager; Allison Carleton, Specialist. Photography by Norbert von der Groeben. Grace Hammerstrom, Mandy Erickson, Writers. Send comments to connect@stanfordhealthcare.org.
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difference in countless patients’ lives, that combination is exhilarating. Thanks to all who have extended such a warm welcome. This is an incredibly exciting time for me to be joining the SHC team, and I am honored to be part of it. DAVID ENTWISTLE PRESIDENT & CEO
ON THE COVER: COLIN BUCKS, MD, MEDICAL DIRECTOR FOR THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND ANNA LIN, MD, ASSISTANT MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF OEM, WORK IN SHC’S COMMAND CENTER DURING A DISASTER EVENT.
SHC READY: MAKING STANFORD HEALTH CARE PREPARED TO RESPOND TO A DISASTER
I
N NEARLY EVERY DISASTER OR EMERGENCY SCENARIO, WHETHER IT’S A BOMBING, AN ACTIVE SHOOTER, A BIOLOGICAL EVENT OR A CATASTROPHIC EARTHQUAKE, ALL ROADS LEAD TO A HOSPITAL. WITH THE ONLY LEVEL I TRAUMA CENTER BETWEEN SAN FRANCISCO AND SAN JOSE, STANFORD HEALTH CARE IS A VITAL PART OF THE BAY AREA’S OVERALL EMERGENCY RESPONSE SYSTEM.
“Stanford is such an important component of the community because of the capabilities we have both as a Level I Trauma Center and because of our LifeFlight program,” said James Hereford, Chief Operating Officer. “We have a commitment to our staff, our patients and the community to be well prepared.” Managing Stanford’s readiness is the Office of Emergency Management (OEM), which is responsible for disaster mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. A shared service between CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
DISASTER EXERCISES AND TRAINING ARE A KEY COMPONENT OF MAKING SHC READY TO RESPOND. ABOVE, GABE GAMMON INSTRUCTS THE ENGINEERING STAFF ON HOW TO SET UP A TRIAGE TENT; LAURA HARWOOD EDUCATES THE DECONTAMINATION TEAM DURING AN EXERCISE.
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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3
Stanford Health Care and Stanford Children’s Health, the Office of Emergency Management works with ever department to ensure that patient care is maintained during any type of disaster. “In the event of an emergency, our role is to meet the needs of our patients, visitors, employees and infrastructure, while at the same time meeting the needs of the community and being prepared for incoming casualties,” said Brandon Bond, Administrative Director of OEM. His department must simultaneously equip both hospitals to be self-sufficien for 96 hours after a major catastrophic event. That means having enough water, food and supplies on hand to care for approximately 3,500 people—patients, staff and families—for four full days. According to OEM Project Coordinator Gabe Gammon, there are more than 66,000 different disaster supplies housed in shipping containers and on trucks across the medical center campus.
How Does SHC Prepare? Each year, OEM conducts an assessment of possible hazards, and then its planning experts work with department leads to develop operational and contingency plans to respond to these threats. A catastrophic earthquake remains the number one risk. When developing their plans, departmental leaders are asked two essential questions: What are the most important patient needs that cannot be compromised? And how do we maintain them in times of crisis? “We pull everything together in a package, but it’s the individual service line managers, directors and employees who truly make this organization prepared to respond to a disaster,” said Bond. “The Office of Emergency Management is a small but robus office” said Medical Director Colin Bucks, MD. “In order to prepare an entire health system, we act as advisors who help build teams and frameworks and relationships so that the whole institution can respond in a coordinated fashion.”
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“We pull everything together in a package, but it’s the individual service line managers, directors and employees who truly make this organization prepared to respond to a disaster.” When Disaster Strikes At the heart of SHC’s emergency response is the hospital’s Incident Command System, which allows for a rapid, organized response, said Hereford, who acts as Incident Commander in a crisis. Stanford’s Incident Command System has been activated numerous times—both when the unexpected occurs like a flood on the ground floor of Stanford Children’s Hospital and in planned events such as preparing for a possible mass casualty incident at Super Bowl 50. Its most dramatic response to date came after the Asiana airliner crash. When that incident was called, leaders from every area of the hospital assembled in the third floor conference room and went step-by-step through the well-rehearsed response. The team initiated the rapid discharge protocol and sent additional burn supplies to the emergency department. Vice President of Operations Alison Kerr, who also serves as a Planning Section Chief in the command center, coordinated with the medical team to activate surgeons from ortho, neuro and trauma, and brought in chaplains, social workers and translators. “I remember being very proud of the team that day where we did our very best job caring for people,” she said. Being able to respond calmly and adeptly in a crisis like Asiana is the result of years of planning and training. At SHC, that training starts on day one when new employees are issued a safety badge with emergency codes listed on the back. It continues with regular simulations and drills that test staff’s
ability to implement their plans, and refine their procedures In the emergency department, for example, OEM runs drills to test the staff’s ability to manage a surge of trauma patients. “Disasters can hit at any time, and key responders are only here for 10 hours a day,” said Patrice Callagy, Director of Emergency Services. “My role is to ensure that my staff are comfortable running our disaster plan, no matter when it occurs.” Likewise, the OEM team recently worked with a group in engineering and maintenance to develop a post-earthquake structure safety assessment plan. It held tabletop exercises with the executive team to practice recovering operations. It worked with medical staff on how to respond to emerging infectious diseases. And it practiced downtime procedures in multiple units to simulate a loss of the electronic medical record system. “It’s very unlikely that we will run into a situation or an event that will be exactly how we planned it or practiced it,” said Gammon, who regularly huddles with nurses to conduct 15-minute code and evacuation drills. “But the training we conduct allows staff members to work together, know what the game plan is and practice it.” To adhere to Joint Commission regulations, the OEM must hold a minimum of two major planned emergency drills each year. In 2015, the department conducted or responded to 29 events. “The reason I can sleep at night, is that the partnerships and the level of preparedness at this hospital are excellent,” said Bucks, whose extensive medical response work around the world helps guide Stanford’s preparedness and disaster planning. “I haven’t been in another institution where I have seen this degree of preparedness.” “You can never prepare for every eventuality,” added Kerr. “But you can prepare yourself individually, and within your department, and take the drills seriously, so that you will be ready.”
ARE YOU
READY? Health care workers, like other first responders, may not have the luxury of going home when an emergency strikes. If an emergency occurs, and you cannot leave the hospital, think about who you will be most concerned about, and create a plan. “You will need a system for checking in with your loved ones,” said Colin Bucks, Medical Director for the OEM. “Because if you can’t confirm their well-being, you won’t be able to focus on patient care.”
Do you? HAVE AN EMERGENCY KIT AT HOME AND AT WORK
HAVE A COMMUNICATIONS PLAN WITH YOUR FAMILY
HAVE ENOUGH WATER WHEN A DISASTER STRIKES, MEMBERS OF THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT TEAM REPORT TO SHC’S COMMAND CENTER IN H3210 ON THE HOSPITAL’S THIRD FLOOR. KEY LEADERS INCLUDE PATRICE CALLAGY, DIRECTOR OF EMERGENCY SERVICES. (LEFT); VICE PRESIDENT ALISON KERR, SCH COO ANNE MCCUNE AND SHC COO JAMES HEREFORD (CENTER PHOTO, L TO R); AND BRANDON BOND, OEM’S ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR (RIGHT).
FOR YOUR WHOLE FAMILY FOR SEVEN DAYS AT HOME
HAVE AN OUT-OF-STATE CONTACT THAT YOUR WHOLE FAMILY WILL CALL IN AN EMERGENCY WHERE CELL SERVICE IS OUT LOCALLY.
HAVE A PLAN FOR YOURSELF AND WITH YOUR FAMILY SO THAT YOU COULD STAY AT WORK FOR THREE DAYS STANFORD HEALTH CARE PEOPLE / 5
Home Grown Health ACCOUNTABLE CARE ORGANIZATION BRINGS TOGETHER DOCTOR, HOSPITAL AND HEALTH PLAN ARCHITECTS OF STANFORD’S ACCOUNTABLE CARE ORGANIZATION ARE TOM WILLIAMS (L) AND SCOTT PTACNIK (R).
Stanford has always been synonymous with innovation and advanced medical care for complex conditions. But over the past five years, it has slowly take on a new identity—that of a fully integrated health system. In 2014, SHC created its first accountable car organization (ACO)—Stanford Health Care Alliance—to provide medical care and medical coverage for Stanford University, Stanford Health Care and Stanford Children’s Health employees and their dependents. Later that same year, it introduced Stanford Health Care Advantage, a Medicare HMO for seniors in Santa Clara county. By creating accountable care organizations, Stanford becomes not just the doctor and hospital, but the health plan as well. According to Tom Williams, DrPH, this is good news for patients. “An accountable care organization is essentially an integrated system of health care providers that can deliver a full range of care to its members,” said Williams, Vice President and General Manager for Accountable Care. He came to Stanford in January 2015 to help develop these new organizations. “ACOs provide a more coordinated care experience for patients, helping them navigate the health care system, versus what can 6 / STANFORD HEALTH CARE PEOPLE
be a very fragmented experience in the current health care environment.”
Stanford Health Care Advantage The Stanford Health Care Advantage product is a Medicare HMO available to individuals in Santa Clara County who are eligible for Medicare. Health plan enrollment reached 1,000 members following the annual election period last fall, and Williams expects membership to more than double by the end of 2017. Starting in 2018, SHC Advantage is also expected to become available in a broader service area. SHC Advantage offers two levels of coverage, both of which include a prescription drug benefit. The plan with a higher monthly premium also offers dental and vision benefits. Members receive their primary and specialty care through a network of 200 primary care physicians and more than 2,000 specialists. Stanford Health Care Advantage members receive assistance on navigating their benefits from the Car Counsel Call Center. This team of fiv representatives consults with members about their benefits, helps them complet the enrollment process, and assists with claims and medical appointment issues.
“ACOs provide a more coordinated care experience for patients, helping them navigate the health care system, versus what can be a very fragmented experience in the current health care environment.” “We are health advocates who try to make the health care delivery system and health care in general easier to understand for Stanford Health Care Advantage members,” said Sergio Cruz, supervisor of the SHC Advantage call center team. “C-I-CARE sets us apart. When applied appropriately, C-I-CARE fosters a culture of empathy and accountability.” Since many Stanford Health Care Advantage members are new to Stanford, the marketing team makes an extra effort to introduce them to additional services such as the Health Library speaker series. They created a Member Engagement Program that brings members together throughout the year to answer questions,
provide benefits information and offe physician talks on healthy aging. At the most recent meeting in Palo Alto in June, SHC Advantage unveiled a new six-week workshop, “Better Choices Better Health,” for members with multiple chronic diseases.
Stanford Health Care Alliance SHC’s other accountable care organization, Stanford Health Care Alliance, provides medical coverage and care to 18,000 members through the SHC network of physicians, clinics and hospitals. It is currently offered to fiv employee groups within the Stanford community. Stanford offered SHC Alliance to its own employees first a a testing ground of sorts. But this fall, the plan intends to become an open enrollment option for employees at two large high-tech companies in the South Bay. With this rollout, the SHC Alliance team expects to add 8,000 new members by the end of 2017. To provide coverage for all of these members, many of whom do not live near Stanford, SHC had to develop a broad provider network. The physician network comprises 1,500 Stanford Medicine faculty, more than 300 University HealthCare Alliance (UHA) physicians and 1,200 private practice physicians in Affinity Medical Group t ensure adequate coverage in a wide geographic region that includes
San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda and Contra Costa counties. In all, SHC Alliance members have access to more than 3,000 physicians. “Stanford has worked very hard to create a regional network of care to support these products,” said Williams. “We’ve created a network that goes beyond the Stanford campus. It covers a large swath of the Bay Area, which is essential for us to succeed in these new product offerings.” Tasked with building and operationalizing the provider network is Scott Ptacnik, Vice President, Accountable Care Operations. Ptacnik and his team monitor the current provider network and the expanding patient base, and identify gaps in clinical capabilities in any given region. When possible, they fill those network gap with Stanford faculty or UHA physicians who have adopted programs like C-I-CARE and use Stanford Health Care’s shared electronic health record. When these physicians are not available in a particular area, Ptacnik’s team either directly contracts or works with a thirdparty insurance network to include individual providers. “Our goal has been to build a single network of tightly integrated physicians and providers that works together to service all of our patients regardless of whether they are SHC Advantage members or SHC Alliance members,” he said.
TWO PATIENTS WHO HAVE BENEFITED FROM THE SHC ADVANTAGE PROGRAM ARE LORNA PAISLEY (L) AND IRENE YANO-GREENFIELD (R).
WHO is SHC Advantage? One of Stanford Health Care Advantage’s first members, Gail Thorne Wilson, has also become one of its most active participants. Her picture can be found on the plan’s marketing materials, and the experiences she shares with staff have helped shape the direction of the member engagement program. A native of Arizona, Wilson moved to the Bay Area 10 years ago to be closer to her daughter and her family. A former banking executive, she stays active in retirement by teaching classes on memory techniques, traveling and enjoying a variety of outdoor activities. When she first became eligible for Medicare, she was overwhelmed with mail from multiple health plans and made a hasty choice. But when researching options a few years later, she learned about Stanford Health Care Advantage. “The plan was reasonably priced, and it offered a lot of services I didn’t have, like dental and vision,” said Wilson. “Plus I thought it would be great to be able to go to Stanford doctors and Stanford Hospital.” Wilson sees her primary care physician at Los Altos Primary Care near her home. But when she injured her hip, she came to the Stanford campus for specialty care. “I appreciate the experience so far,” she said. “The (Care Counsel) call center has been extremely helpful and congenial. I know almost all of them by name.” One unexpected benefit of joining SHC Advantage has been the friendships she’s made attending member meetings. Wilson meets up with fellow members Irene Yano-Greenfield and Lorna Paisley at every meeting, both to stay informed about her health and as an excuse to see her friends. This core group of founding members has been actively involved since the beginning, said Marketing Communications Manager Libby Belli, and has become a mini focus group for the SHC Advantage team.
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FOCUS ON B2 For nearly 27 years, Khay Phillips, RN, has been taking care of patients in Stanford Hospital’s unit B2. And while medicine’s advances have changed her profession, one thing hasn’t changed on the unit: the nurses’ camaraderie and support for one another. “The nurses work extremely well together,” Phillips said. “They are very highly trained but seek each other’s opinions. It makes for a really good work environment.” That camaraderie has been noticed by the nurses in the B1 and C1 units who are currently training in B2. “The nurses from B1 and C1 are saying that everyone has been beyond helpful,” said Theresa Cotter, RN, patient care manager of B2. Stanford Hospital is switching to an AAU—acuity adaptable unit—model, meaning that intermediate intensive care unit patients will stay in their beds once they have improved to the medicalsurgical level. All the patient units at the hospital that are not intensive care will offer both IICU and medical-surgical care. B2 is at the IICU level, so it’s training the B1 and C1 nurses, who are medicalsurgical, to offer the IICU level of care on their units. B2 is one of Stanford Hospital’s pilot units for the training, and the orientation timeline created by B2 nurse Marissa Scanlon and the B2 preceptor committee was shared with the AAU coordinators so everyone could benefit “We’re leading the way,” Cotter said. The nurses in B2 care for patients who require a cardiac monitor and need to be in an IICU. So, while many of their 8 / STANFORD HEALTH CARE PEOPLE
CAMARADERIE AND SUPPORT DEFINE THE TEAM ON B2. ABOVE, PATIENT CARE MANAGER THERESA COTTER (TOP PHOTO, CENTER); B2 NURSES BRIANA CHANDLER AND MARISSA SCANLON (ABOVE, LEFT) AND BERNADETTE CULLEN (ABOVE, RIGHT).
“We have very complex patients who can become unstable very quickly. But I have an amazing support system on the unit, and I never feel alone.” patients are in the hospital for heart conditions, the nurses also provide a variety of services such as medicine, oncology, transplant and pulmonary hypertension. Because this unit hosts a diverse set of patients with a number of serious conditions, the nurses have to be able to address a variety of situations. “We have very complex patients who can become unstable very quickly,” said Bernadette Cullen, RN, who has worked
on the unit for six years. “But I have an amazing support system on the unit, and I never feel alone.” As a new nurse fresh out of college, Scanlon, RN, said she appreciated the support she received when she started working in B2 just over a year ago. “I never felt like I was drowning and couldn’t ask questions,” she said. “Everyone would stop me and ask, ‘How are you doing? Do you have any questions?’ This staff is phenomenal.” While training the B1 and C1 nurses has added to the nurses’ workload, they agree that the transition to an AAU model will be a good one. Patients will be able to stay in their beds until they are ready to go home. “They won’t have the anxiety of being moved to another unit,” Phillips said. “They’ll be cared for by the same nurses until they are discharged. I think it will work really well.”
FOCUS ON Infusion Treatment Centers The staff at Stanford Health Care’s infusion treatment centers, which care mostly for cancer patients, have a difficult job but say they wouldn’t choos any other line of work. “They take care of incredibly complex patients who are going through the toughest time in their lives,” said Donna Healy, RN, director of clinical operations for the cancer center. “The dedication and the caring that the nurses, managers, pharmacists and housekeeping staff provide is incredible.” SHC’s three infusion treatment centers—in Redwood City, Palo Alto and San Jose—care for patients who stay in the outpatient centers for as little as one hour and as long as 10. They receive chemotherapy, biotherapy, stem cell infusions, bone marrow transplants, pain management therapy, hydration—any treatment requiring an intravenous line. Palo Alto was home to the original infusion treatment center, opening 12 years ago; Redwood City and San Jose opened up within the last few years. The satellite centers allow patients to receive treatment near their homes, an important factor for patients who need frequent, sometimes daily, infusions. “Having cancer is bad enough without having to drive six hours to receive treatment,” noted Diane Martinez, RN, clinical nurse manager of the Redwood City center, where 80 percent of the patients are being treated for cancer. The rest of the patients may receive a one-time treatment, such as a blood
CLINICAL NURSE MANAGERS OF THE PALO ALTO CENTER ANGIE RODRIGUEZ (L) AND TOREY BENOIT (CENTER), ALONG WITH DIRECTOR OF CLINICAL OPERATIONS DONNA HEALY (R).
transfusion for anemia, or periodic infusions for chronic conditions such as psoriasis and Crohn’s disease. Martinez chose to work with cancer patients. She started her career as a nurse’s assistant, floating as needed around SHC. “One day I floated to bone marrow transplant and fell in love with it,” she said. “With cancer patients, you see them all the time and you develop a relationship with them. I found that I connected very strongly to these patients,” she added. “I was able to sit and talk with them like a friend, and not be afraid of the cancer.” But the difficult nature of the work can take its toll on the staff at the infusion treatment centers. As Angie Rodriguez, RN, a clinical nurse manager of the Palo Alto center, said, “Absolutely, it can be hard. It can be very emotional and psychologically draining on all the team, but it’s during
a point in people’s lives when they need someone to be there for them.” While they give so much of themselves to patients experiencing cancer, the nurses say they also receive a great deal in return. “Most of the patients do really well,” said Marta Roeder, RN, the interim patient care manager in the San Jose center. “But some don’t make it, and it makes you really appreciate life and realize that whatever you can do for the patients, it’s going to make a difference to them. I like being able to help them on their journey.” Torey Benoit, RN, a clinical nurse manager at the Palo Alto center, said that many patients will return to the center after their treatment has ended to visit the nurses. “It’s such rewarding work,” Benoit said. “These patients go through so much during their treatment, yet they come back to thank us.”
DIANE MARTINEZ (L) AND ANGELA BECKLER (R) ARE MEMBERS OF THE INFUSION TREATMENT CENTER TEAM IN REDWOOD CITY.
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GOOD WORKS At SHC Reducing Wait Time for ED X-ray When Jason Francis, RN, BSN, became Assistant Patient Care Manager in the emergency department, he was tasked with solving a puzzle. Why were patients waiting more than 50 minutes for an x-ray when the x-ray machine in the emergency department was often idle? To identify the causes for this delay, Francis took several walks—Gemba walks—following the patient path from order entry to x-ray exam. He observed and talked with nurses, transporters and radiology techs. What he found was surprising. There was intermittent staffing in radiology and transport, an unnecessary delays with nurses sending patients to x-ray. After months of observation and dialogue, Francis took action. He worked with Archana Naidu and Carlos Alvarez from radiology to secure consistent JASON FRANCIS’ WORK HELPED REDUCE WAIT TIMES FOR ED X-RAYS.
SUSAN CLARK HAS TRAVELED TO INDIA AND TANZANIA TO HELP CHILDREN AND ADULTS RECOVER FROM HAND SURGERY.
staffing in x-ray during the week and with Zachry Nuuvali and Gustavo Martinez from transport to set up a dedicated transporter exclusively for x-ray. Francis huddled with nurses, reminding them to send “stable and able” patients directly to x-ray when transport arrives. And he created an x-ray queue, bringing the next patient in line to wait outside the x-ray room door. At the beginning of 2016, he began to see the payoffs from these workflow modifications. Wait time from order entry to x-ray start dropped from 54 minutes to 35 minutes, essentially doubling the volume of x-rays performed with the emergency department x-ray machine. “An empty resource is really not a good resource,” said Francis. “It felt good to make some kind of impact on getting patients in and out of the emergency department a little quicker.”
In the Community Bringing Hand Therapy to the World Certified hand therapist Susan Clark OTR/L, CHT, has spent the past 10 years helping patients recover from hand surgery at Stanford Medicine Outpatient Center in Redwood City. When the opportunity came to bring her talents to patients in underserved areas abroad, she jumped at the chance. 10 / STANFORD HEALTH CARE PEOPLE
“It’s been a professional dream of mine to be able to do some medical mission work,” said Clark, who credits Stanford surgeon James Chang, MD, for bringing her on board with ReSurge International. “It’s such a delight to go somewhere where medical care is not readily available and so needed.” Over the past two years, Clark has traveled to India and Tanzania with ReSurge International, a nonprofi agency that provides free reconstructive surgical care for children and adults in developing countries. In India, Clark lectured and taught local therapists about postsurgical hand care and helped evaluate sites for future missions. More recently, she traveled to Tanzania as part of a medical/surgical team that included plastic surgeons, pediatricians, anesthesiologists and nurses. Clark cared for patients after surgery, fabricating orthotic devices to stabilize body parts while they healed, and teaching patients how to change dressings. She also trained a local physical therapist about post-op care and techniques for splinting and dressing. “When we provide medical care in these underserved areas, it’s equally important to teach local physicians, nurses and therapists how to do what we do to expand their national knowledge base,” said Clark. “That way, more people can be cared for in developing countries.”
KUDOS April Patient Safety Star Award
JESSICA GIBSON, SUSANA ALCARAZ, APRIL MONK AND SUSAN GARDNER When clinic assistants Jessica Gibson and Susana Alcaraz noticed a change in a man’s consciousness in the waiting room at the radiation therapy department, they alerted members of their team. April Monk, RN,
rushed to the man’s side and activated a stroke code while Alcaraz called 911. Susan Gardner, RN, responded from the nursing station for additional support. Within minutes the man was transported to the emergency department. “We are so very proud of our team’s awareness and ownership of the radiotherapy patient populace,” said Lakeeta Daniels, Assistant Director of Radiation Therapy. “They are integral members of our organization and champions of patient safety.”
April C-I-CARE Service Spotlight Award TOORAJ HAFEZI In an act of extraordinarily sensitive care, security guard Tooraj Hafezi gave grieving parents a gift they will never forget. Typically, security transports the bodies of stillborn babies to the morgue. With the child’s mother still hospitalized, his
father asked if he could accompany his child during transport. Hafezi recognized this father’s need and made his request possible. He cleared the elevator and hallway to the morgue so that this father could be with his son. “That simple act allowed uninterrupted time for my husband with our son,” said the child’s mother. “It gave us the reassurance we needed after those horrible hours that our son would be in good hands.”
May Patient Safety Star Award MELAKU YIMER When valet attendant Melaku Yimer saw a car speeding through the valet line at the fountain entrance of the hospital with its lights flashing and horn honking, he reacted quickly. Once the car was stopped, Yimer and a nurse checked on the passenger. They could see the man wasn’t breathing. They moved him inside the hospital and the nurse began to perform CPR. The front desk guest services staff called for more help. Yimer’s instant and selfless response likely saved this man’s life.
dedication to community service,” said Executive Director of Community Partnerships Sharon Keating-Beauregard. “She has already done so much in such little time, and it’s truly inspiring.”
June Patient Safety Star Award FABIOLA CRUZ-GUTIERREZ, RN When a patient arrived to the Redwood City Infusion Treatment Center after an appointment with her oncologist, she was expecting to receive two chemotherapy treatments. In reviewing the patient summary, Fabiola Cruz-Gutierrez, RN, noticed the patient had received both chemotherapies only four days before and grew concerned about the patient’s treatment plan. She notified the NP and the Nurse Coordinator, both of whom verified the chemotherapy plan of treatment. Despite the verification, Fabiola spoke up and diligently escalated her concerns about the order. Her tenacity ultimately prevented a potentially harmful medication error, and for this she was honored with the June Patient Safety Star Award.
May C-I-CARE Service Spotlight Award LEANNA FRIES Administrative Director of Informatics Education and Engagement LeAnna Fries was honored with the May C-I-CARE Service Spotlight Award for her dedication to the local community. She established the ITS Volunteer Services Committee and regularly leads the charges for numerous service initiatives. In the past two years, Fries has coordinated a blood drive, helped raise money for natural disaster relief, and planned a food drive for Second Harvest Food Bank. Most recently, Fries coordinated a housing renovation project with Rebuild Together, a nonprofit that provides repairs and renovations in low-income communities. “I’m so impressed with LeAnna’s
June C-I-CARE Service Spotlight Award JULIE LYNN As D1 volunteer Julie Lynn prepared to head home from her shift, a patient whom she had helped earlier that day suddenly went into cardiac arrest. As the room flooded with staf to help resuscitate the patient, Lynn reacted swiftly to assist the patient’s husband. She managed this crisis with empathy, listening to his concerns, helping him make phone calls and finding answer to his questions. She served as a supply runner and an emotional rock for the family, meeting their every need. For these acts of compassion, Lynn was recognized with the June C-I-CARE Service Spotlight Award. STANFORD HEALTH CARE PEOPLE / 11
HEROES HEALING HUMANITY
Two Friends, Two Heroes When Margie Jordon (above, right) boarded her train home after work one evening, she didn’t realize she was in for one of the most terrifying commutes of her life. Jordon, a Practice Care Coordinator in the Stanford Center for Inherited Cardiovascular Disease, was on board an ACE train when it derailed and fell into a river off of Niles Canyon Road in Alameda County, causing panic, distress and injury. Immediately after the accident, Jordon did all she could to assist passengers and bring them to safety. While she was showing her compassion to strangers on a train, her colleague Kate Beutner (above, left) was on the phone with Jordon and instantly on her way to help her friend. “Without Kate on the phone, I think I would have passed out,” said Jordon. “She showed up with a jacket, food, water and a blanket. I can never thank her enough.” It all began when Jordon missed her train headed eastbound toward Stockton, and she wound up boarding the next train about an hour later. Midway through the trip, Jordon noticed that the car’s overhead lights begin to flicker. In anothe
instant, she felt a powerful jolt. She grasped onto anything she could as the train derailed from its tracks and tumbled into a nearby river. When Jordon opened her eyes, she saw that the car had stopped moving and flipped on its side The glass from the windows had broken, and she noticed dirt and debris coating the interior of the car. She began calling out to the other passengers asking if everyone was OK. Despite her shock, she managed to safely extricate herself from the mud to offer assistance to others in distress. Jordon helped bring several people to safety, including freeing a woman trapped in her seat and buried in dirt. She also helped two young girls focus on staying calm, talking them through the steps to
safely climb out of the top of the car. Meanwhile, as this event unfolded, Beutner heard about the incident on the radio on her drive home and wondered if Jordon had ridden that same train. Beutner called her and grew concerned when she had no response. A few minutes later, she received a call from Jordon, who had recovered her phone. Hearing Jordon’s voice shake as she began to explain, Beutner dropped everything to turn her car around and call 911 to report the accident. She called Jordon back to reassure her that help was on the way, offering words of encouragement to stay calm. As Beutner followed the sounds of sirens to pinpoint the location of her friend, she got in touch with Jordon’s family members nearby who could eventually take her home. Weaving her way past the crowds of reporters, Beutner spotted Jordon and wrapped her in a blanket, comforting her as the adrenaline wore off and she began to process what had just occurred. Beutner saw the strength in Jordon even when Jordon couldn’t see it for herself. “Margie is a strong, loyal, reliable and kind person. I knew from the very beginning that she would get through this,” said Beutner, who likened her SHC team to a family. “Anyone on this team would have done the same thing.” Months later, the two have not stopped supporting each other. Jordon described the enormous sense of community she feels working at SHC, explaining that the network she has within her team has played an integral part in her continued recovery. “I always feel like I have support,” said Jordon “It gives me the motivation to keep pushing every day. That’s how I know I’m in the right place and with the right people.”