Making a Difference

 

Each and every day our dedicated and passionate employees make a difference in the lives of our patients, visitors, and colleagues. We would like to highlight some of those stories. If you have a colleague you would like to recognize, please send the employee's name and how he or she made a difference to slhrounds@saint-lukes.org.

"I am writing to express gratitude for the expert and loving care my husband received at Saint Luke's Hospital. My husband had a very complicated medical history. He was a valiant fighter who endured all with fortitude and grace. Your staff ably incorporated all his medical records from several hospitals in their plan to care for him. The nurses in the ICU earned our utmost respect. Each one performed their duties with the utmost professionalism, and were always kind and caring to my husband and our family. We are extremely sad to lose him. The ICU staff made his passing days more bearable with their care and support. Our family will be eternally grateful for his expert and gentle care. We would like to acknowledge and thank the following outstanding nurses: Lauren Sharp, Jake McGettigan, Lizzie Glenn, Ashley Kisner, Lynn Hayth, Jessica Curry, Alex Church, Rush Creschin, Kirk Showalter, Lyndea Rose, Nick Alderman, Brady Skjenen, and Amanda Canida."

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Payroll employees ensure payroll is uninterrupted at "Camp Penn Tower"

Many employees went above and beyond the call of duty during the recent snowstorms that hit the metropolitan area but a few courageous employees in the Payroll Department made a sacrifice we can all appreciate - they spent two nights at their Penn Tower offices to make sure pay checks were issued for everyone on Friday, March 1.

"Tuesday night is critical because that's when we send the actual electronic push into the payroll system. We knew that Monday and Tuesday were going to be very treacherous for travel back and forth between office and home so we made the decision in advance to spend the nights in the office," said Michael Dowell, director, Payroll.

Eleven employees stayed one or two nights in the office that became affectionately known as "Camp Penn Tower." The employees brought clothing and provisions from home before the storm hit and were able to use showers in the fitness center located in the building.

"The whole idea was to ensure that payroll went through completely uninterrupted. We view that role as vitally important," said Dowell. "We received great support from the rest of Saint Luke's. On Tuesday night, the Saint Luke's Security Department brought us pizza and soft drinks. Our team did a really good job preparing and some brought music and portable TVs for downtime."

Thanks to the following "Penn Tower Campers": CJ Fredlund, Sherri Feugate, Valerie Gabriel, Dawn Smith, Terri Wheeler, Jim Ehrenreich, Sandy Harrell, Lauren Strelow, John Merlau, and Penny Rogers.

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When work is the last safe place

Although the term domestic violence suggests that abusive behavior occurs behind closed doors at home, the impacts of violence - if not the abuse itself - are often noticeable in the workplace. The CDC reports that 8 million days of paid work are lost by survivors of domestic violence, which amounts to more than 32,000 full-time jobs. For many survivors, work is the last place they exercise autonomy, and therefore batterers often attempt to interfere with their victims' employment. Repeatedly calling the employee, harassing their supervisor or coworkers, preventing or prohibiting access to transportation, or stalking the employee are all examples of abusive behaviors that may take place in the workplace. Survivors, on the other hand, may repeatedly be tardy or absent, become withdrawn, appear anxious, afraid, or distracted, have decreased productivity, or present with injuries.

For patients or employees who are experiencing domestic violence, the Rose Brooks Bridge Program offers confidential support, resources, and advocacy. Research demonstrates that connecting survivors of domestic violence directly to a domestic violence agency reduces the risk of severe assault by 60 percent. Bridge advocates are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to simply listen, educate individuals about the risks of an abusive relationship, and create plans to help families stay safe at home and at work. Advocates can also initiate referrals for adults and children to domestic violence therapists and facilitate access to beds in metro-area shelters. Additionally, the Bridge Program frequently assists individuals in obtaining orders of protection, making police reports, and accessing legal representation for divorce or child custody cases.

The Bridge Program partners with Saint Luke's to ensure that the hospital - whether it is a place to get care, or give care - continues to be a safe environment in which to disclose, discuss, and begin the process of healing from domestic violence. Navigating the legal system, talking about abuse to a supervisor, or simply going back home can all be intimidating, overwhelming, and frightening steps to take alone. However, the Bridge Program strives to provide the resources and support necessary to empower individuals and their families to make safe, sustainable decisions as they break the cycle of violence. To contact a Bridge advocate, for a patient or employee, dial 816-545-4700.

For more information about the Bridge Program and best practices for supporting survivors of domestic violence or victims of violence in a health care setting, please plan to attend Feed Your Brain on April 25 from 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. in the BMW Conference Room.

Click on the following links for more resources:

Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence

Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence

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Project rids system of dirty laundry and achieves big savings

Lesley Pike enjoys wrapping herself up like a mummy in hospital linen. It helps her make a point about a FOCUS 2015 initiative that is getting rid of a lot of dirty laundry.

Achieving cost efficiency across a large health system like Saint Luke's involves looking at every opportunity - from the simplest to the most complex. A team led by Pike investigated the procedure for providing linens to newly admitted patients and uncovered some hefty savings opportunities based on the amount of clean linen typically left in patient rooms after discharge.

"We found as much as seven pounds of linens going unused - everything from washcloths, sheets, blankets, and more," said Pike, director, SLSH Women's Services. "And of course, what doesn't get used is considered dirty and has to be washed." Those pounds add up over time. In one example from a SLHS hospital, nearly $103,000 was spent washing unused linens in a calendar year.

Once the issue was identified, the team began working on three specific initiatives to improve linen utilization in all areas. "We've already met the goal on two of our three initiatives," Pike said. "Now the challenge is to work on the biggest opportunity by reducing the amount of linen provided to patient rooms at admission. We have developed a new linen usage guideline so we can hit our reduction target and therefore save hundreds of thousands of dollars in cost to the system every year."

One point Pike's team is emphasizing is that the goal is not to short-change patients. Instead, it's to identify what volume of linen makes the most sense by working with care teams and researching industry best practices.

Pike demonstrates the linen overload problem to groups by literally draping herself in all of the linen currently left in patient rooms at discharge - in which she is covered many times from head to toe. It's an effective display and a great example of how to engage an audience in an issue.

"Lesley's team had done a terrific job with this initiative and the way she has communicated and demonstrated it has really had a positive effect," said Bobby Olm-Shipman, senior director, FOCUS 2015 Project Management. "Anything you can do to make a problem more real for people so they can understand it is so important because we need everyone's help and understanding to meet our FOCUS 2015 objectives."

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SLCHS Explore Nursing Open House

Saint Luke's College of Health Sciences is hosting the Explore Nursing Open House on Tuesday, April 9 from 5 - 7 p.m.

Visitors will tour the simulation center and meet faculty, staff, and students to learn more about the nursing programs, admission requirements, and financial aid.

Nursing programs include a B.S.N., an R.N. to B.S.N. for registered nurses, and a M.S.N. with two tracks - Adult Acute Care Nurse Practitioner or Nursing Education.

For more information, visit saintlukescollege.edu or contact Admissions at 816-932-2367.

Saint Luke's College of Health Sciences is located at 624 Westport Road in Kansas City.

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SLMAHI appoints Michelle Haines, M.D., medical director of Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit

Michelle Haines, M.D., has recently been appointed medical director for the cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU) at Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute. She replaces Randall Hudson, M.D., who pioneered the concept of dedicated critical care of the postoperative cardiac surgery patient and served as medical director of the cardiovascular intensive care unit since 2000.

In this role, Dr. Haines provides clinical leadership for the growing cardiovascular critical care program which manages not only the recovery of patients undergoing routine cardiovascular and thoracic procedures, but those patients requiring heart and liver transplant, ventricular assist, and extra corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a life support system for patients with severely damaged lungs or hearts.

"Dr. Haines brings a depth of experience in critical care medicine," said Michael Borkon, M.D., co-executive director for the Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute and director of cardiovascular surgery. "She is perfectly positioned to assume leadership for this expert team of highly trained specialists who care for some of our most critically ill patients. At the same time we are grateful to Dr. Hudson for his many years of dedicated leadership contributions that have made this program a preeminent one in the region."

The CVICU is designed for the care of postoperative cardiac and thoracic surgery patients and provides 24/7 coverage by a sophisticated team of dedicated critical care experts. The proactive team's constant vigilance allows them to anticipate, detect, and manage problems immediately, affording patients a chance at the best possible outcome.

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New cafeteria adjustments make pricing equitable and bring Saint Luke's in line with market

New pricing and other changes coming to SLHS hospital cafeterias are designed to standardize products, encourage healthy selections, and increase fairness and equity in pricing systemwide. John McReynolds, corporate director of Hospitality Services, says system cafeteria customers will continue to receive high-quality food for the price and that his team is implementing a number of changes to ensure product value is systemwide.

"We'll be launching a number of initiatives beginning this month to help achieve our goals," McReynolds said. "Cafeterias will transition products and pricing to encourage our customers to eat healthy. We're looking into technology options that will provide nutritional information on the products we serve. Currently our system cafeterias have different levels of employee discounts, so we will be standardizing discounts across the system. For instance, there has been no formal discount program for employees at the Plaza or Cushing, and we'll be adding one. We'll also adjust menu item prices to charge equitably across the system and bring us in-line with comparable hospital cafeterias. Finally, we're very excited to be adding weekly "chef's special" promotions that will bring different food items to the menu and provide more variety at a fair value for our customers."

Historically, SLHS hospital cafeterias have charged different prices for the same food items. The cafeterias operate at a loss and adjusting prices is needed to lower overall costs. Menu prices haven't been adjusted for several years at many locations. Under the new plan, prices will be standardized - some customers will see prices for common items rise while others will see reductions until prices are aligned throughout the system.

"We want to hear from our customers about their thoughts on our menu and the new offerings we've developed based on their suggestions," McReynolds said. "Our goal is to exercise financial stewardship through implementing these changes while remaining focused on fairness and value received.

Chef's specialty days provide cafeteria customers with new items, more variety

Customers at Saint Luke's Health System cafeterias began seeing more variety and theme-based menu items on March 6 as SLHS launched weekly "chef's specialty days." One day each week, facility chefs will choose special menu items not normally seen on the daily menu. These menu items will be themed around various ethnic offerings or upcoming holidays.

"All of our team, especially our chefs at the facilities, is very excited about the chef's specialty days," McReynolds said. "This is an opportunity to provide some variety to the menu and for our chefs to create something new for customers."

Specials will normally occur on Wednesdays unless the weekly schedule needs to be adjusted due to a major holiday. Signage in the cafeteria will notify customers of that week's special and cafeterias will provide additional communication about each week's offering.

"We're putting a lot of thought into what customers will see on chef's specialty days," McReynolds said. "We're planning a number of ethnic offerings including Cuban, Thai, and Greek/Mediterranean. You'll also see themed menus to coincide with some of our more colorful holidays including St. Patrick's Day and even the Royals home opener week."

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New employee benefits

Want to look and feel better? Want to do so at a discounted price?

We are pleased to announce that all Saint Luke's Health System employees are eligible to receive a 20 percent discount for elective cosmetic plastic surgery* procedures at Saint Luke's Plastic Surgery Specialists and a 20 percent discount for elective dermatology and aesthetic procedures* at Saint Luke's Dermatology Specialists.

About Saint Luke's Plastic Surgery Specialists

Spencer Eagan, M.D., and Levi Young, M.D., joined Saint Luke's in 2012 providing a full range of reconstructive, cosmetic, and hand surgery procedures. They have specialized 3-D imaging software for cosmetic procedures that allows you to better visualize your surgery results before your procedure. To learn more about the cosmetic surgery services and to try a demo of the 3-D imaging software, click here.

About Saint Luke's Dermatology Specialists

Scott Ravis, M.D., and Meggan Newland, M.D., welcomed a third dermatologist, Emily Horner, M.D., in fall 2012. They offer a full range of skin care including medical, cosmetic, and surgical dermatology. They have also recently added Jennifer Ambrosio, aesthetician, who provides a full range of aesthetic services. To learn more, click here.

*Discount does not apply to Botox.

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March is National Nutrition Month

This year's theme is "Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day." In 1973, this tribute to nutrition was initiated but was only a weeklong event. In 1980, due to the public's interest, National Nutrition Month was born. In 2008, the first Registered Dietitian Day was created and celebrated. Some special dates ahead include:

• March 12 - National Nutrition Month Booth will be outside the cafeteria from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
• March 13 - National Registered Dietitian Day. Make sure to express your appreciation to R.D.s for their nutition expertise!

Fun food facts:

• Lettuce is a member of the sunflower family.
• Iceberg lettuce is the least nutritious of lettuce types. Darker greens are full of vitamins A and K.
• An eggshell contains as many as 17,000 tiny pores over its surface, which allows the egg to absorb the flavors and odors of foods it is surrounded by.
• Blueberries, the second most popular berry in the U.S., are a great source of vitamin C and fiber.
• Asparagus is a member of the lily family and is a good source of fiber, folate, and vitamins A and C.
• Peaches, the third most popular fruit grown in the U.S., are a member of the rose family and produce a sweet fragrance when ripe.
• As peppers mature, they turn from green to red and become sweeter.

In honor of National Nutrition Month, the registered dietitians throughout the health system encourage you to "Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day." The R.D.s also encourage you to visit National Nutrition Month's Facebook page for a new recipe each day of National Nutrition Month.

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