 Welcome to the new Saint Luke's Hospital eRounds!
Saint Luke's has a new format for eRounds that makes it easier and quicker to scan news! You will still be able to find eRounds archives on the Employee eLink, and the newsletter is formatted for printing.
Managers - For employees who don't have email, you can still print and post eRounds. Simply print the email in Outlook!
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Heart-healthy tip of the week
Heart truth for women
 When you hear the term "heart disease," what is your first reaction? Like many women, you may think, "That's a man's disease" or "Not my problem." But here is The Heart Truth: Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the United States. Most women don't know this, but it is vital that you know it - and know what it means for you.
Some surprising facts:
- One in four women in the United States dies of heart disease, while one in 30 dies of breast cancer.
- Twenty-three percent of women will die within one year after having a heart attack.
- Within six years of having a heart attack, about 46 percent of women become disabled with heart failure. Two-thirds of women who have a heart attack fail to make a full recovery.
Every risk factor counts
Some women believe that doing just one healthy thing will take care of all of their heart disease risk. For example, they may think that if they walk or swim regularly, they can still smoke and stay fairly healthy. Wrong! To protect your heart, it is vital to make changes that address each risk factor you have. You can make the changes gradually, one at a time. But making them is very important.
Other women may wonder, "If I have just one risk factor for heart disease, say, I'm overweight, or I have high blood cholesterol, aren't I more or less safe?" Absolutely not. Having just one risk factor can double a woman's chance of developing heart disease.
Please discuss with your cardiologist any concerns you have regarding your health.
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| SLCHS currently enrolling students for Spring II in the R.N. to B.S.N. program
The R.N. to B.S.N. Program at Saint Luke's College of Health Sciences was designed around the needs of working professionals. The degree is offered in a convenient format that builds on the experience and education of the R.N. Courses and assignments are designed for both convenience and maximum applicability to the student's work setting. The B.S.N. degree is fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. Classes begin the week of March 18. Benefits of attending the R.N./B.S.N. program include: courses are eight weeks in length, generous credit for previous education, no clinical hour requirements, and courses are offered online and/or in a blended format with minimal classroom time. The college offers affordable tuition and financial aid options. Many students use their tuition reimbursement from their employer. Reasons to complete your B.S.N. degree include: - B.S.N. in 10 Initiative
- Career advancement
- Potential to earn a higher income
- The B.S.N. is a prerequisite for admission to graduate level nursing programs
- Earning a B.S.N. means you receive more preparation in key areas like communication, leadership, and critical thinking.
If you are interested or have questions regarding this program, contact Josh Richards in the Admissions Office at 816-932-6748.
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Additional resources for breastfeeding employees
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding for the first year of life.  Saint Luke's Hospital is proud to support our staff who have returned to work following the birth of their children and are breastfeeding their babies! To accommodate these nursing moms, SLH provides space to allow moms a private place to use a breast pump to provide milk for their infants. Currently, a room is available on South 2 and an additional room has been temporarily located on the second floor of the new neuroscience building (a.k.a. the old MAHI). Please contact the SLH lactation consultants office at 816-932-2511 prior to using a room for the first time to obtain the code access to the room and for directions to the currently designated spaces. The lactation consultants will be happy to assess your own set-up to make sure our staff have everything they need!
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Omega - 3 fatty acids good for your heart!
 Heart-healthy Omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation, lower cholesterol and triglycerides, and much more! Eating fish is one way to increase your intake of Omega-3 fatty acids, with the best sources being salmon, tuna, mackerel, and sardines.
According to Medline Plus, "When fish oil is obtained by eating fish, the way the fish is prepared seems to make a difference. Eating broiled or baked fish appears to reduce the risk of heart disease, but eating fried fish or fish sandwiches not only cancels out the benefits of fish oil, but may actually increase heart disease risk." For more information about selecting and preparing fish, go to How Much Fish? Other sources of Omega-3 fatty acids include walnuts, canola and soybean oil, and ground flaxseed.
This month, visit Broadway Dining and make heart-healthy choices that include sources of Omega-3 fatty acids. For more information, go to Your Health Matters - never settle webpage or contact Broadway Dining at ext. 27542. |
| Weight Watchers At Work is finally here!
Join the program voted best weight-loss diet, best commercial diet plan, and easiest diet to follow by U.S. News & World Report's Best Diets 2012 report.
Enjoy the convenience of the "At Work" meetings or attend one in your community...now you can do both! The monthly pass allows you to attend any meeting and gives you the added control with the online tracking tools for $39.95 per month. If you don't want to attend the meetings you can purchase the eTools online tracking system for only $17.95. Sign up now! Go to the Weight Watchers portal to register and pay. Click here for login instructions.
At Work meetings
We must have 15 registrations to start our meetings on Thursday.
- Start Date - Thursday, Feb. 9
- Weigh in time: 11:30 a.m. - noon
- Class time - noon - 12:30 p.m.
- Location - Open area in former cafeteria (by windows)
For more information contact: Marianne Goulding at mgoulding@saint-lukes.org or call 816-932-3799.
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Employee of the Month
 Debbie Bondon, office manager, Medical Plaza Imaging, was named Employee of the Quarter for the first quarter 2012.
Bondon has been an employee for Saint Luke's Health System for the past 26 years, joining the Imaging Center four years ago where she quickly became an integral part of the team. Bondon is a professional, compassionate individual whose work goes beyond the duties of her job and stretches into the community. She is known for her good works with charitable organizations and is active in her church.
Debbie is very much a team player with a consistently upbeat attitude. Her ready smile and positive approach to life is a welcome addition. She is the organizer of many team-building exercises that provide a fun outlet for the staff while building morale.
Please join us in congratulating Debbie on this much deserved honor. |
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The Saint Luke's Stroke Team makes news at the International Stroke Conference
Saint Luke's Neuroscience Institute was well represented by nine nurses and four physicians at the International Stroke Conference held in New Orleans, Jan. 31 - Feb. 3.
The State of the Art Nursing Symposium opened the conference with nearly 900 nurses in attendance from all over the U.S. and many parts of the world. The keynote seminar entitled Community Comprehensive Stroke Center: Meeting Growing Needs was presented by Debbie Summers and Tony Nunn, both Stroke Team nurses at Saint Luke's Hospital, and Marilyn Rymer, M.D., medical director of Saint Luke's Neuroscience Institute.
Dr. Rymer was invited to give a platform presentation entitled, Drip and Ship, Is Immediate Transport Safe? on behalf of co-authors, Debbie Summers, Shelleen King, and Joyce Dorssom. The presentation highlighted three years of stroke transfer cases from 63 hospitals that all received the clot buster drug, tPA, in consultation with the Saint Luke's Stroke Team. The full presentation will soon be available on the Saint Luke's website.
Get With the Guidelines, a registry of stroke cases from more than 1,600 hospitals, benchmarks best practices for performance on evidence-based core measures for stroke. The Saint Luke's Hospital Stroke Team received the Gold Plus Award, indicating best performance on all core measures over 24 months, and the Stroke Team at Saint Luke's East Hospital received the Silver Plus Award indicating best performance over 12 months. Both teams were recognized as Target Stroke Hospitals, which includes hospitals that have top performance in getting intravenous tPA to patients in a very short time frame. This is very important since clinical outcomes depend on quick treatment times.
Summers and Dorssom graduated from the Net Smart Program, a post-graduate fellowship program for Advanced Practice Nurses dealing with acute stroke treatment and intervention. There are 67 Net Smart graduates across the U.S. Currently, there are 19 Certified Neuroscience Registered Nurses practicing at Saint Luke's Neuroscience Institute. Stroke nursing expertise is a key differentiator for the Saint Luke's Stroke Program.
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Noteworthy
February is Heart Month Help us celebrate
Activities are planned all month long. Be a part of the celebration. Click here for heart month's calendar of events. Heart month lunch and learns
Kevin Bybee, M.D., will speak about Broken Heart Syndrome: a unique stress-induced cardiomyopathy, Thursday, Feb. 9, from 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Michelle Dew, M.D., will speak about "Pregnancy and Heart Disease" on Monday, Feb. 13, from 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Bring your lunch and join us in the Women's Heart Center Conference Room. Click here to learn more. Cooking with Cardio Wellness Saint Luke's Cardiovascular Consultants physicians are teaming with Hy-Vee stores across the metro area. At each event, a member of Saint Luke's Cardio Wellness Center will partner with a Hy-Vee dietitian to teach you what it means to eat a heart-healthy diet and show you what heart-healthy cooking really looks like. Generous samples will be provided!
Click here for the full schedule and participating locations. Retirement announcement
Marilyn Harris, clinical support technician, is retiring after 30 years of service at Saint Luke's Hospital, of which the last 12 years have been in CV Surgery. Please come help her celebrate in the CV Lounge on the third floor of the new Heart Institute, Feb. 14 from 1 - 3 p.m. Refreshments will be served.
 | | Marilyn Harris, clinical support technician |
2012 SLH Volunteer
of the Year
It's not too early to begin thinking of your nominee for 2012 Volunteer of the Year, who is selected to represent and honor all volunteers.
The Volunteer of the Year program recognizes volunteers who excel in supporting SLH's core values: Quality/Excellence, Stewardship, Customer Focus, Teamwork, and Learning/Innovation.
Nominations come from volunteers, co-workers, and hospital staff. Nominations will be accepted through Feb. 29 and results will be announced at the Annual Volunteer Luncheon on April 12.
An SLHS Human Resources committee chaired by Dawn Murphy, SLHS vice president of Human Resources, makes the selection. Please turn in your nomination form to the Volunteer Office by Feb. 29.
National Wear Red Day celebrated in style
Saint Luke's Health System hospitals celebrated National Wear Red Day in style, handing out hand-knitted scarves to our female cardiac patients to raise awareness of women's heart disease. Thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers who knitted scarves for us this year!
 | | Ready to hand out scarves. |
 | | Female cardiac patients received hand-knitted red scarves on National Wear Red Day. |
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