How the SLHS Retirement Balance Plan is contributing to your financial wellness
Our goal at Saint Luke's is to help support the physical, emotional,  spiritual, and financial wellness of our employees. One of the ways we do this is through the SLHS Retirement Balance Plan.
To help you prepare for a financially secure future, we have recently introduced five Retirement Readiness modules, which you can view at your convenience at slhsretirement.divinvest.com. In the coming months, you will receive a personalized report from Diversified to help you track the progress of your retirement savings strategy in relation to your retirement income goal.
Click here for a quick summary of some of our key initiatives that will demonstrate how the retirement plan is contributing to the financial health of our employees.
Need assistance? Meet with your retirement planning consultants from Diversified.
Laura Wilson and Carmellia McCray are available to help set your retirement goals and review your retirement savings strategy. And, if you need help, they can show you how to use the tools and resources available.
Diversified representatives will be onsite in the various SLHS entity cafés. If you would like to meet with the reps, please schedule an appointment with Carmellia McCray by emailing cmccray@divinvest.com or calling 816-210-2678 or with Laura Wilson by emailing lauwilson@divinvest.com or calling 913-219-7959. If these times do not work for you, they can also meet with you on another day/time at your convenience. Click here for the schedule.
You can also call a Diversified customer service representative at 800-755-5801 to get answers to questions about your plan, investment options, and all the services available to you to make retirement planning more convenient. Customer service representatives are available Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. - 8 p.m.
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Pain is personal
September is Pain Awareness Month
We all see pain presented in our patients every day at the hospital. Sometimes everyday occurrences can become monotonous. September is Pain Awareness Month. It is the time that we as health care professionals remind ourselves that pain is not the same old, same old symptom to the patient. Many of our patients are experiencing an intensity or type of pain that is completely new. This unfamiliarity emits a sense of anxiety that can equal panic.
Finding effective interventions for pain and offering compassionate understanding would, of course, be the ideal. It can be frustrating to both the patient and the health care team when attempts at intervention fail. Pain is a tricky enemy and we can't tell which weapon in our arsenal will be most effective. I wish we could put pain in a Petri dish and grow it and learn which medicine would work. Instead, we may need to experiment with each patient with pain interventions both pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical.
This kind of bedside science takes goal setting and follow-up assessments, documentation, teamwork, and excellent communication skills. There is no doubt that successful pain management can be difficult to accomplish. Also, there is no doubt that it can be done. Pain is the number one reason that individuals seek out medical advice, yet it remains the symptom that seems to be the least understood and the most undertreated.
Think about pain; we have all had some normal human experiences with pain from scraping our knee to child birth. Some of us have had surgery or chronic conditions we have had to deal with. I had a new experience with pain in 2010. I had a pinched nerve in my neck secondary to a rear-end fender bender. At my worst, I couldn't sleep for more than 15 minutes at a time without pain waking me. I couldn't find a position sitting, standing, or laying that brought my pain down past 7/10. Not only was I suffering from pain, but insomnia and anxiety as well. Luckily for me, I sought medical advice quickly. I remember just after my first 100 mg dose of Gabapentin that I was able to sleep for six hours. I remember the weird feeling of waking up the next morning without proprioception in my limbs until I moved. But what I remember the most is the anxiety. I had just graduated from nursing school two years earlier, and if I wasn't able to work as a nurse now, all the invested time, suffering, and money would be for not. I tried not to think of the disaster this little pinched nerve would cause my family if it turned out to be a permanent condition. Thankfully, it turned out to be two months of treatment and FMLA; at last, I was finally able to sleep on my side again instead of flat on my back.
I know I was blessed. I know that I have been blessed not to suffer what many of my patients are experiencing. Remembering my pain helps me understand my patients better and motivates me to do everything I can to successfully manage their pain. - Denise Hubbard, R.N. III, East 4
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Whole grain goodness
Most would agree we want to live longer, but what's really important  is the quality of life as we age. It's about maintaining good health throughout our lifespan. In a special report published in the Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter, the authors list "10 Healthy Ideas Worth Watching." Among these 10 ideas are the obvious, such as regular exercise, managing your weight and waist line, and one a bit surprising - "Fiber might be good for your heart."
Fiber is known for many health benefits including digestive health and weight management, but consuming more fiber hasn't always been associated with a healthy heart. Results of a recent study of 20,000 adults showed that "women who consumed the most fiber (primarily from fruits, vegetables, and bread) were at almost 25 percent lower risk [from cardiovascular disease] than those eating a low-fiber diet." Fiber was also shown to be beneficial for men as well and was linked to a lower incidence of stroke.
This month learn more about cardiovascular disease, fiber, and whole grain goodness in two upcoming web conferences. "Fantastic fiber - What it can do for you" will be presented on Sept. 18, from 12 - 12:30 p.m. by Chris Stephens, M.S., B.S.N., R.N., A.C.S.M.-C.E.S., wellness coordinator for SLHS.
Then make plans to learn more about cardiovascular health in a web conference entitled "Know Your Numbers" on Sept. 26, from 12 - 12:30 p.m. Becky Captain, R.N., M.S.N., C.L.S., B.C., F.N.P.-C., CardioWellness Center manager, will share the latest information on important cardiovascular risk factors to know and watch throughout your lifespan.
Register for one or both conferences by emailing YourHealthMatters@saint-lukes.org or contact Gayle O'Connell, Wellness Program manager, at 816-932-3807. For more information, go to Your Health Matters - never settle webpage located on the Employee eLink.
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Kronos timekeeping update coming soon: Attestation module
Please note this system update is applicable only to those entities using Kronos Timekeeping and supported by Central Payroll Processing (CPP).
To enhance time sheet accuracy and ensure organizational policy compliance, SLHS will enhance our time clock system in September. As part of the enhancement, employees will be able to access, review, and approve or reject their timecards using the time clocks through Smart Views or through the Kronos web-based tool. As always, our goal is that employees submit accurate timecards that reflect and include all hours actually worked.
Accordingly, employees will attest to the accuracy of any input, changes, and totals prior to manager approval of the timecard. This also allows any inaccuracies to be addressed before the pay period is processed and closed, which will assist in ensuring accurate pay period records.
With the Smart Views or the Kronos web-based tool, employees will also be able to indicate whether they took their 30-minute uninterrupted meal break during the out punch/end of shift process. If the employee indicates that they did not receive a 30-minute uninterrupted meal break, then no deduction shall occur and a notice will be sent to the employee's manager. This process ensures compliance with the SLHS meal break policy.
Kronos Timekeeping managers and employees will soon receive detailed instructions on this new process. This communication will also include the functionality go-live date and any other additional information. Please pay special attention to future communications on this topic from your CPP team.
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Noteworthy
Dessert reception for
Jani Johnson
Thursday, Sept. 6
2 - 3:30 p.m
Women's Center Courtyard
Join us as we wish Jani Johnson the best in her new endeavors as CEO of Saint Luke's South Hospital.
Eighth Annual Whisper Walk for Ovarian Cancer
Sunday, Sept. 23, at Zona Rosa (I-29 and Barry Road)
For more information or to register, click here.
The GYN oncology staff will have a booth set up and will participate in the walk again this year. Please join us in raising awareness for the disease that "whispers."
Saint Luke's in the news
Construction update
A Special Edition eRounds regarding construction at SLH was published last week. Click here to review the information.
Volunteers needed for Stroke Walk
Saint Luke's is a sponsor for the American Stroke Foundation Walk, to be held at Theis Park on Saturday, Sept. 8, from 9:45 a.m. - noon. If you would like to participate in the walk, you can sign up individually or start a team. Click here to sign up.
In addition, we are recruiting nurses to staff five first aid stations. If you would like to volunteer to help at one of the first aid stations, please contact Buzz Reno or Jacque Carpenter. The only thing you'd need to bring is a stethoscope. First aid supplies and blood pressure cuffs will be available for your use.
Fall blood drive
Tuesday, Sept. 11
7:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Saint Luke's Hospital
BMW Meeting Rooms
Look Good, Feel Better
Women currently undergoing cancer treatment are invited to attend the next Look Good, Feel Better class, a free two-hour workshop in which you learn simple beauty techniques for skin and nail care, makeup application, and coping with hair loss. You will receive a complimentary bag of makeup to use in the session and at home. Join us at the Muriel I. Kauffman Women's Heart Center conference room Wednesday, Sept. 19, from 1 - 3 p.m. To sign up, call Vickie Thomas at 816-932-2124.
Get Fit...and Healthy
A 10-week fitness and nutrition workshop
Don't miss out on the latest fitness and nutrition information in this 10-week workshop. Come find out more about the class and how you can enroll.
Information meeting
Thursday, Sept. 6
5:30 - 6 p.m.
Center for Health Enhancement, CR 1
Schwartz Center Rounds
Thursday, Sept. 6
Noon
BMW Conference Room
"Caregivers Who Care
Too Much?"
Panelists will be John Grassman, Edie Nicholls, and Dianna Meyers. The facilitator will be Tarris Rosell, Ph.D., D.Min. Lunch will be provided.
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