Hospice House holds ribbon-cutting

Approximately 200 Saint Luke's leaders, donors, physicians, and friends gathered for an official ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the Saint Luke's Hospice House on Friday, July 19. 

Beautifully landscaped on two acres in midtown Kansas City, the 22,000-square foot facility features 12 spacious private patient suites, living areas and amenities for family members, a full-service kitchen, a children's area, indoor and outdoor chapels, screened porches, and outdoor gardens. 

Located at 35th Street and Southwest Trafficway, it is the only free-standing hospice facility in the heart of Kansas City, south of the river and north of I-435. The facility began admitting patients today.

Ribbon-cutting participants included (L to R): Right Rev. Martin Field, Saint Luke's Hospital board chairman; Julie Quirin, Senior Vice President, Continuum of Care Services and Saint Luke's Hospital CEO; Mary Howe and Right Reverend Barry Howe, Hospice Campaign honorary chairs; Tom W. Wagstaff, Saint Luke's Health System board chairman; Carol Quiring, President & CEO of Saint Luke's Home Care & Hospice; Larry McMullen, Hospice Campaign chair; Kansas City Mayor Sly James; Tom Beal, Hospice Campaign chair; Melinda L. Estes, M.D., Saint Luke's Health System President & CEO; and Kelley Martin, Saint Luke's Hospice House committee member.

Annette Byers named Employee of the Month

Congratulations to Annette Byers, Child Care Center, who was named Employee of the Month for July.

"Annette should be employee of the month because she shows great teamwork by serving the whole center as the only cook, meal planner, and dishwasher, along with serving and planning for special events at the center, all with a smile on her face. When it comes to field trips, Annette works with staff to prepare and order food for the trip. Annette works with the preschool area to prepare for the Rainbow graduation and Thanksgiving feast each year for the children and their families.

Customer Focus

Annette shows customer focus by meeting the children's needs first. When there is a child in the infant area and other areas who cannot have what is on the menu, Annette makes an effort to bring something different for that child.

Quality Excellence

Many parents often come to Ms. Annette and ask her how she prepared mac and cheese and tator tot casserole because when they cook at home the child says, "That is not how Ms. Annette makes it." When Annette is away from the center many of the children greet her when she returns and say they are glad she's back. Annette loves to attend many open kitchen events to learn about new foods and meals that she can prepare for the children.

With Ms. Annette it is all about the children and making them happy. We are all very glad she is a part of our team." 

Epic credentialed trainer position available

Next year SLHS will be launching the largest training initiative in its history to implement our new electronic medical record, Epic. In order to successfully train all necessary employees in the allotted time, Saint Luke's has created a temporary position to assist, develop, and deliver the training program.

This 19-week temporary full-time position is designed for those with clinical backgrounds to be temporarily assigned to the SLHS training team. As a credentialed trainer (CT) you will learn how to train others while collaborating with the training manager, instructional designers, project leaders, and application teams. At the end of this temporary assignment, you will return to the role you had prior to the temporary transfer and can serve as a super user for your department after the go-live launch.

To apply for the position of credentialed trainer, please email EpicSLHS@saint-lukes.org by Aug. 4 with the following information: Name, department, job title, and the best contact number to be reached between 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. from Aug. 5 - 9. You may be contacted for a phone interview and will learn more about the position.

Free Hepatitis C virus screenings begin
July 29

The Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a leading cause of liver cancer. Millions of Americans have HCV, yet up to 75 percent of people who do don't know it.

As part of World Hepatitis Day and in partnership with the American Liver Foundation, the Saint Luke's Liver Disease Management Center will offer Hepatitis C virus screenings from July 29 until supplies are depleted. Screenings will be offered at five locations: Saint Luke's Hospital, Saint Luke's East Hospital, Saint Luke's North Hospital, Saint Luke's South Hospital, and Saint Luke's Cushing Hospital.

Individuals born between 1945 and 1965 are at higher risk for Hepatitis C, especially if they are veterans or have tattoos. This screening is open to all, but we strongly encourage those who are at higher risk to get screened.

Testing is free and confidential. All patients testing positive for Hepatitis C will receive a phone consultation from a nurse.

Please call 816-932-5483 to schedule an appointment.

Congratulations to Environmental Services (EVS)

On Wednesday, July 10, Environmental Services went through an unannounced patient experience audit conducted by the vice president of patient experience for Crothall, our business partner that manages the EVS Department. After an intense and thorough review, the EVS Department received a 95 percent rating. The auditor commented that this was one of the better audits he has ever conducted. Congratulations to the entire EVS team and keep up the good work. 

SLHS launches Emergency Alert System (EAS)

SLHS has initiated a voluntary service to allow staff to sign up to receive timely, accurate, and useful information in the event of an emergency situation at our hospitals/campuses, on health system property, or in local areas that poses a risk to health and safety.

This service (TextCaster) uses text messaging and email alerts to broadcast pertinent information and, when appropriate, provide directions to those in the affected area(s).

Signing up is easy:

Click here to go to the registration webpage (you can also find a link on the Employee eLink under Announcements).

Enter your name, ZIP code, email address, and cell phone information. Select your campus or geographic location to receive notifications. A five-digit authorization code will be sent to the mobile phone/email address entered for verification.

Note: This service is FCC CAN-SPAM compliant, and users may update message preferences or unsubscribe at any time. Users should check their wireless provider for any message and data rates that may apply. Any messages sent will be from security@saint-lukes.org.

Sign up today! When an actual emergency occurs, it's too late.

Saint Luke's Neuroscience Institute 2013 Symposium

Sept. 20, 2013

Kansas City Public Library - Plaza Branch

Register now for the Saint Luke's Neuroscience Institute 2013 Symposium, Sept. 20, at the Kansas City Public Library - Plaza Branch. This conference will focus on new approaches for the diagnosis and treatment of common and "not so common" neurological disorders.

The conference is intended for primary care physicians, family physicians, neurosurgeons, neurologists, neurointensivists, psychiatrists, nurses, case managers, social workers, and other health care professionals. This educational event is a joint sponsorship of the University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Medicine and Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City.

For more information and to register, click here.