The 2013 March for Babies is this Sunday, April 28!

All walkers must check in at the registration table to turn in sponsorship forms and funds, and team captains will need to turn in team forms. Team captains will determine the meeting place for their team. Teams can walk as a group or individually. Anyone who raised more than $200 or more will be able to pick up their MOD T-shirt! Click here for a printable map showing the registration table location and the location of the Saint Luke's Health System tent.

Walkers should park in the red garages. Volunteers can park in the blue garage.

Schedule

8 a.m. - Registration/check-in (pick up everything you need to walk - last chance to turn in funds)

After you register, stop by the SLHS tent, located at 14th and Grand in front of the Sprint Center. Visit a photo booth and enjoy a birthday cookie to celebrate Saint Luke's 100 years of delivering babies (while supplies last). Don't miss Radio Disney on the KC Live! Stage.

9:30 a.m. - Opening ceremonies on the KC Live! Stage

Please plan to be nearby when Julie Quirin, Saint Luke's Hospital CEO and citywide chairperson takes the stage at approximately 9:40 a.m. Julie will recognize the SLHS walkers in the crowd - so be sure to be there to join hundreds of other SLHS walkers and cheer for Saint Luke's!

10 a.m. - Let's walk!

March for Babies begins at the corner of Walnut and Truman (1 and 2.5 mile routes).

10:30 a.m. - Kids' activities and lunch

Free lunch will be served and kids' activities will continue until 11:30 a.m.

March of Dimes drawings

Stop by the March of Dimes table outside the cafeteria exit on April 25 from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. to enter these great drawings for a chance to WIN and help Saint Luke's reach our March for Babies fundraising goal!

"Up Close and Personal" drawing

A $5 ticket buys you a drawing entry for a chance to have a hospital leader work side by side with you. All proceeds benefit the March of Dimes!

If you win, your designated hospital leader will spend one to two hours during Hospital Week (May 12-18) with you, helping you do your job. This wonderful cause provides an opportunity for you to share with our leaders how you contribute to our vision of making Saint Luke's the best place to get and give care!

"Rock Star Parking" drawing

Purchase a $5 ticket for a chance to win a premier parking space of your choice for one month! Some limitations apply. Three winners will be announced for May, June, and July parking!

SLHS T-shirts

T-shirts are available for $25 at the Women's Shoppe until Friday while supplies last! Proceeds benefit the March of Dimes. If you raise $100 or more through the March of Dimes website, your T-shirt is free. Walkers who raise $200 or more receive a free SLHS shirt AND a free March of Dimes shirt! T-shirts are high-quality, Gildan brand DryBlend shirts.

How to join

It's not too late to join the Saint Luke's Health System team!

Go to marchforbabies.org

Click Join a Team

Type Saint Luke

Click SL Hospital

Select team name from the 6 Results in Division option

Robyn Smith is the March of Dimes contact at Saint Luke's Hospital. For more information about joining a team, or contributing to our efforts, email Robyn at rjsmith1@saint-lukes.org.

Meagan Cargill, R.N., named Employee of the Month

Meagan Cargill, R.N., April Employee of the Month

Congratulations to Meagan Cargill, R.N., Neuro ICU, who was named Employee of the Month for April.

Teamwork: Cargill is truly a team player. She is constantly in motion when she is working; assisting all staff and patients on her unit so that everything runs smoothly and all patients' needs are being met. She goes out of her way to contact co-workers to ask questions, clarify information, and pass along information in a timely manner so everyone is on the same page.

Quality/Excellence: Co-workers and patients are impressed with Cargill's character, compassionate care, attention to detail, the role she plays as a charge nurse, her interaction with families and staff, and her commitment to excellence in her daily work.

Customer Focus: Cargill carries herself with poise and confidence, but also with humility. When interacting with patients and patients' families, she maintains her calm, caring, and professional communication style - even during stressful situations. Her compassion and courtesy puts patients and their families at ease. She is truly an advocate for the patients she serves.

Learning and Innovation: Cargill takes the time to educate staff on ICU processes and lines. She also takes the time to help mobilize patients and discuss patient status with staff.

Stewardship: She is a valuable resource for the Wound Care team. She participates as a leader for our Skin Advisory Committee and continues to actively participate in quarterly prevalence studies.

Cabot kids color for National Children's Dental Health Month

Children at Cabot Westside Medical and Dental Center celebrated National Children's Dental Health Month with a coloring contest. Sponsored by the American Dental Association, this month promotes oral health to children. This year's slogan was "Get a Gold Medal Smile." Cabot uses the month to really stress the importance of children's dental health, hanging up posters on how to brush and floss properly, handing out informational brochures on tips for oral health, and holding the coloring contest. The children chose a picture to color and four winners were chosen - two boys and two girls. Each winner received a prize such as a princess coloring/activity book with crayons and a Spider Man activity set. The staff enjoyed the contest the most - many of them also colored pages!

SLHS employees invited to East Education Fair

All SLHS employees are invited to the Saint Luke's East Hospital Education Fair. You'll have the chance to visit with local colleges about becoming a nurse or advancing your degree to a B.S.N. or M.S.N. Saint Luke's Schools of Phlebotomy and Clinical Lab Science will also provide information about their programs.

Wednesday, May 15

10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Hallway near Saint Luke's East Hospital Cafeteria

Representatives will also be available to talk about specialty certifications to promote your professional development. Click here to learn more.

If you have questions about this event, contact your hospital's education representative, Michelle Rennolds at 816-347-5623, or Lesley Martin at 816-347-4713.

Guest speaker

In addition, Brenda Shriner, L.P.C., L.C.S.W., Saint Luke's Employee Assistance Program, will present "Well-being: Your Health is in Your Hands," an introduction to Well Being, a book by Tom Rath. This presentation highlights the results of thousands interviews and surveys that revealed five elements that contribute the most to our personal well-being. It includes many facts that offer a very different perspective on health, career, financial, physical, and community well-being.

The presentation will be in the Hastings Conference Room from noon - 1 p.m. Please register in HealthStream if you would like to attend; free lunch included.

Chef's Special: Cinco de Mayo!

Pork carnitas topped with pico de gallo and parmesan cheese, served with roasted vegetables, only $5.49!

Partnership between Materials Management and clinical teams yields big savings for Saint Luke's

Numerous value analysis teams (VAT) comprised of physicians, clinicians, and purchasing experts from Materials Management have collaborated to achieve more than $687,000 in savings on high-volume clinical materials purchased by Saint Luke's Health System.

These cross-functional teams have finalized eight projects - including a variety of surgical supplies like mesh, trocars, catheters, and stents - and are currently working on more than a dozen other initiatives. The goal of each team is to work with supply vendors to achieve greater discounts by sharing information, discussing strategies, and collaborating on viable tactics in approaching vendors.

Brent Beasley, M.D., medical director for Saint Luke's Care, has directed the effort from the clinician side. Several members of the Materials Management team, led by Howard Mann, senior director, and resource managers including Amy Heldenbrand, R.N., have facilitated the project from the purchasing and vendor negotiation side.

"Working directly with the physicians and clinicians who use these supplies has made this process unique," Heldenbrand said. "Some of them are getting visibility into what vendors actually charge us for the first time whereas before they had no idea. They begin asking 'is it worth it to pay extra when another vendor's product might be just as good?'"

Upcoming projects in the VAT pipeline include supplies such as surgical blades and burrs, breast biopsy devices, and artificial joints. Savings from all of those projects could yield more than $1 million. A recently completed project involving breast implants and tissue expanders will yield more than $52,000 in savings. The VAT working on that project agreed to consolidate those products with two vendors who in turn agreed to better pricing for SLHS.

"We put a very high value on physician choice and what we are finding is that a lot of physicians, when they look at the data, are willing to say 'we can decrease our choice but see a higher rate of savings,'" Dr. Beasley said. "They see the value in moving market share to fewer vendors who will give discounts based on higher volume."