Take the Employee Satisfaction Survey before Friday at midnight!

Saint Luke's Hospital's participation rate is currently 55.8 percent. Take the Employee Satisfaction Survey today so we can meet our goal of 100 percent! You have three more days!

• This is how you communicate what is on your mind.
• This is how you influence change.
• This is how you make the difference at Saint Luke's!

Please go to the Employee eLink or click one of the links below to take the survey:

Survey in English

Survey in Spanish

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.

Kudos to the East 8 staff!

One of my patients on East 8 has been quite anxious regarding his presenting stroke and acute MI. He has wonderful praise for the nursing and nursing assistant staff particularly at night. The compassionate care provided by our therapists, aides, and nurses has helped alleviate some of his fears about his future.

Additionally, I saw one of my medically complex patients yesterday in the clinic. He lives several hours away and requires total care by his parents. On Sunday night, they asked to use the showers on East 8 as it is very difficult to shower the patient even in a handicapped-accessible hotel room. Our staff was quite gracious to facilitate this and his family was quite appreciative. Even though this family lives far away, they see Saint Luke's (physicians and hospital) as the only place that understands and cares about his needs.

While we can all get frustrated with the changing climate of health care, we must not lose sight of our mission to care for one another.

- Brad Steinle, M.D.

Q1 2013 Results for EVS and Nursing Engagement Initiative

The results are in! Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City Environmental Services team has joined forces with fellow hospital staff in boosting HCAHPS Patient Satisfaction scores in Cleanliness. HCAHPS, which stands for Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems, is a Centers for Medicare/Medicaid Services program designed to publically report patients' perspectives of hospital care. This allows hospitals to see where they need to improve in customer experience. HealthStream is the third-party vendor that conducts the surveys for Saint Luke's Health System.

Here at Saint Luke's Hospital, there are 12 inpatient units that are being surveyed, who are eligible to compete in our EVS and Nursing Engagement program. This initiative was set in place in January and we are now ready to announce the two winning units surveyed by HealthStream that have the "Most Improved" and "Highest" score in the cleanliness of patient rooms and bathrooms. Great job to our "Most Improved" scoring unit, East 3 Pulmonary, which went from a 50 percent score in Q4 2012 to a 100 percent score in Q1 2013! Also, congratulations to our "Highest Scoring" unit with the most surveys, SICC on the fifth floor of the Heart Institute, which is still maintaining a 100 percent score in Patient Satisfaction for Cleanliness.

A big thank you to all the nursing staff and housekeeping associates who are making an effort to keep Saint Luke's clean!

March of Dimes Future of Nursing Awards

Compassion for patients, leadership in quality and patient safety, and a role model in the health care setting - these are just a few of the qualities that describe great nurses. Honor your colleagues by nominating them for the March of Dimes Future of Nursing Awards.

The March of Dimes Future of Nursing Awards recognizes nurses from a variety of nursing specialties and practice settings, whose strength, courage, and perseverance advance the entire profession. The March of Dimes has a rich history of partnering with the health care industry from their successful eradication of polio to searching for the root causes of prematurity. That spirit inspires the Future of Nursing Awards. From neonatal and pediatric care, to mental health and advance practice, these awards recognize the contribution that registered nurses are making in Greater Kansas City and help fund the mission of the March of Dimes to improve the health of babies.

Say thank you to the thousands of Greater Kansas City nurses who make all of our lives a little easier. 

Nominations are due by June 1. Complete category details and nomination forms can be found by visiting modfutureofnursing.com.

May is Trauma Awareness Month

In conjunction with Trauma Awareness month, Michael McGee, Trauma Program manager, and state highway patrol representatives have been educating patients and visitors about the dangers of texting while driving.

Distracted driving includes ANY activity that could divert a person's attention away from the primary task of driving. All distractions endanger driver, passenger, and bystander safety. Some of these types of distractions include:

• Texting
• Using a cell phone
• Eating and drinking
• Talking to passengers
• Grooming
• Reading, including maps
• Using a navigation system
• Watching a video
• Adjusting a radio, CD player, or MP3 player

Did you know...

• 80 percent of crashes involve some form of distracted driving
• Drivers under age 21 who are caught texting and driving are issued a $200 fine
• 50 percent of teen drivers say they text while driving

In Missouri, it is against the law to text and drive if you are under 21; however, there is current legislation to change that to include ALL drivers. Missouri's distracted driving laws are among the nation's most lenient.

SLHS Breast Care High-risk Clinics

Donna O'Reilly, W.H.N.P., B.C., and Karen Rogers, A.P.R.N., C.B.C.N., are nurse practitioners at Saint Luke's Surgical Specialists who have established Breast Care High-risk Clinics at Saint Luke's Hospital Breast Center, Saint Luke's East Hospital Breast Center, and Saint Luke's South Hospital Goppert Breast Center. Their program's goal is to offer individuals who are at high risk for developing breast cancer a supplemental program that consists of early detection services, surveillance, access to education, preventive therapies, and research opportunities.

The high-risk clinic incorporates the use of digital mammography or tomosynthesis (3-D) mammography, and/or ultrasound, screening MRI, and frequent breast exams. The nurse practitioners work in collaboration with the genetic counselors of the Hereditary Cancer Program to promote risk assessment, collection, and discussion of personal and family history, cancer risk assessment models, and genetic testing if applicable.

Click here to find out more about who can benefit from Breast Care High-risk Clinics.

How do I schedule an appointment?

You can obtain information about Saint Luke's Health System Centers for Breast Care High-risk Clinics by scheduling an appointment with the Hereditary Cancer Center at 816-932-2375 or the High-risk Clinics at 816-932-7900.

Saint Luke's Employee Circle of Giving

Saint Luke's Employee Circle of Giving program allows employees to participate in the mission of Saint Luke's Foundation by making charitable gifts through payroll deduction.

Saint Luke's Foundation supports medical education and research, as well as community outreach, charity care, and medical programs not covered by patient fees.

This year's Employee Circle of Giving campaign runs June 3 - 14. Your gifts truly make a difference! In 2012:

• 1,798 employees within Saint Luke's Health System contributed $269,138 through payroll deduction.
• 112 programs received support from employees, from the Miracle on 44th Street employee emergency assistance fund to departmental education funds.
• 100 Saint Luke's College of Health Sciences students received nursing scholarships, grants, and loans totaling $162,000.
• Gifts to The Children's SPOT allowed it to maintain its open-door policy of providing therapy to children with developmental disabilities, regardless of their families' ability to pay.

For as little as $2 per pay period, your gift can support Saint Luke's Foundation and benefit medical programs and patient care as well as your colleagues and their families. When you contribute to a specific fund, 100 percent of your gift goes to support the program you choose.

For more information on how to become an Employee Circle of Giving member, please contact Tanya Carson at tcarson@saint-lukes.org or ext. 25612, or visit saintlukesgiving.org/employee.