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For internal use only. Please do not distribute.
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Weekly Newsletter for Employees of VNA Care
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To ensure you're seeing the Connecter in its entirety:
- PC Users: right-click on the download images button at the top of this email.
- iPad Users: hold stylus down on images button until menu appears. Select download pictures.
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CONNECTER
ARCHIVES
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Below is this week's issue of the Connecter newsletter, which is required reading for all employees. The next edition will be published on Monday, May 16, with articles due to connecter@vnacarenetwork.org by Friday, May 13. |
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IN THIS ISSUE:
SERVICE EXCELLENCE
ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPDATES
CERTIFIED CLINICAL SERVICES
FUND DEVELOPMENT
HUMAN RESOURCES
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
QUALITY AND RISK MANAGEMENT
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May 9, 2016
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Volume 5, Issue 19
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Service Standard of the Week:
Service Standard #7: Communication Etiquette
We follow communication standards and expectations when engaging in face-to-face, electronic, and telephone communications; ensuring to always use a warm and friendly tone.
Here are some behaviors that demonstrate standard #7:
- Use VNA communication etiquette standards, answering all calls within 4-rings and with a smile; thanking the caller, giving them your name, using hold carefully, and keeping them updated if they are on hold.
- Leave clear and detailed voicemail messages, including your name and your call back phone number.
- Never use voicemail to avoid calls.
- When necessary ask the caller, "May I place you on a brief hold?" Eliminating call transfers whenever possible.
- Adhere to communication messaging standards.
Huddle Topic Suggestions:
- A new/updated VNA Care Communication Guide will be distributed this week. Make sure to read through it and update your office and cell phone voicemail greetings as necessary.
- If you currently have an @vnacarenetwork.org email address, make sure to update your email signature accordingly. Those with an @vnab.org email address will have their signatures updated automatically this week.
- Our ability to create lasting brand awareness for VNA Care lies in our ability to effectively communicate who we are to all of our customers. We realize it may seem a little confusing now, but over the coming weeks and months you will be provided with the tools and resources necessary to communicate exactly who we are and why we are the VNA and hospice of choice for all our customers. We'll let you know what needs to be done from your end, so stay tuned...and wear your VNA vests proudly!
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Service Excellence Champion Group
The Service Excellence Champion group meets monthly to discuss ways to further our organization's commitment to exceptional service excellence.
Key Initiatives Being Worked On:
- Improving patient experience
- Initiatives to improve patient CAHPS outcomes
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- Town Hall Meetings
- Streamlining communication methods and tools
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- Huddle strategies
- Ongoing Service Excellence training
- Staff professional growth opportunities
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Please contact the Champions listed below if you would like to have an initiative or issue reviewed at the next meeting. Thank you!
- Ann Bohac
- Debbie Brown
- Katie Callahan
- Jen Casper
- Simone Charpentier
- Lori DeRosa
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- Wendy Drake
- Jill Enwright
- Kelly Frew
- Dave Hanley
- Brielle MacDonald
- Cheryl Milas
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- Mary Ann O'Connor
- Adele Pike
- Lorraine Potter
- Dave Rose
- Geri Spina
- Charlvic Williams
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Submitted by Jason McAvoy, RN Tippett Home
I would like to recognize Nora Faherty, the 11-7 HHA at the Tippett Home. Nora has quietly comforted patients at the Tippett Home since it opened in 1994. Since Nora has always worked the night shift, she goes unnoticed and unappreciated by the families that rarely meet her, but not by the patients she cares for or the staff she works with. Whether it is doing the mundane chores in the house, or sitting one-to-one with a restless patient, Nora does it well and without complaint or question. Nora is an amazing caregiver who does whatever she can to give comfort for the patients at the house, she never looks for appreciation or attention, and I think it is well overdue. Nora you are wonderful, and we all feel lucky to have you as part of our team!
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Scenes from the Street
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Looking good ladies!!! Amanda Gorman, CSA and Lindsay Cavalieri, RN in the Worcester office model the new VNA Care vests. Vests are being distributed to all staff over the next few weeks, so make sure to see your manager to get yours! Let's all wear our vests proudly for VNA Care!!
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Office Wildlife: (Seen outside the kitchen window. Submitted by Chris Dix.)
The Southborough office would like to hire this Canadian Goose because it is fearless and obviously likes to live on the edge.
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The Southborough office wishes Karen Larsen farewell as she moves to her new liaison position with the Business Development and Transitional Care team!
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ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPDATES
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Watch the Atrius Health "Our Brand. Our Story." Video
Please take a few minutes to watch the video below that officially launches the new Atrius Health advertising campaign, Care. About You. This 10-minute video captures what makes Atrius Health a unique and special place to receive care and reinforces a sense of pride in all staff about what we collectively do for patients. We also hope it builds some excitement around how we are introducing the new Atrius Health brand to the marketplace. The advertising program briefly highlighted at the end of the video will debut in the market/online the week of May 16.
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SCORE Survey - Final (final) Week!
(PLEASE NOTE: this is not the same culture design survey that the VNA sent out last year...please take a few minutes to complete, your input is incredibly valuable!)
We are in the final, final week of the Safety Culture Survey. PLEASE, if you have not already taken the survey, please do so by the end of the week!
The VNA is currently at a 35% response rate. Our goal is to get to 85% for this survey cycle!
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New Atrius Health Website is LIVE!
Atrius Health has recently launched their new, integrated website at www.atriushealth.org. The goal was to make it easier for the public and patients alike to explore all that Atrius Health offers. The new website is mobile-friendly, and features a new design, color palette, and updated messaging about Atrius Health to align with their new advertising campaign, Care. About You. You may notice that the new VNA Care website is aligned in style and design with the new Atrius Health site. This was a strategic decision to help our shared patients further understand our connection and to better communicate to all future patients and the general community we are proud partners in caring for our patient population. Atrius Health also launched a new blog and Atrius Health social media sites on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. Please be sure to subscribe to the blog and follow each of these social media sites from your personal devices and computers to stay up to date on all the latest practice news and information! |
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Attention Encore Users: Encore Update Patch 06.00.0320
By Christine Day, Clinical Applications Specialist
On the evening of Tuesday, May 17, Financial Patch 06.00.0320 will be applied to the server. Encore will be unavailable after 8PM for approximately one hour while the Citrix servers are updated. You will receive an email when the server is back up.
The purpose of the patch is for Financial G Code updates and clinicians should see no changes in Encore.
Laptop Users/Clinicians: Your laptop will pick up this patch during your communication/sync on Wednesday, May 18 in the afternoon and should take approximately 15 minutes.
Note: Communicate your laptops again after picking up the patch.
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CERTIFIED CLINICAL SERVICES
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Hughes Interviewed for Simmons College Alumni Profile
Holly Hughes, RN in the Charlestown office was recently interviewed by Simmons College School of Nursing and Health Sciences for a profile on their website. The profile goes into why Holly went into nursing, our Nurse Residency Program, and what advice she would give to the Class of 2016. Check it out here! Great job Holly!!
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Quest Diagnostics Update
Please see the update below from Quest Diagnostics on the collection and handling of urine specimens. |
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Dine-Around Raises Nearly $90,000 for Hospice
The Winchester Friends of VNA Hospice Care's 22nd annual Dine-Around raised nearly $90,000 Saturday evening for end-of-life care. The evening at the Winchester Country Club featured a "casino" and live and silent auctions. We are grateful to the businesses and individuals who generously sponsored the event: Platinum Sponsor Anonymous andGold Sponsor
Silver Sponsors
Lane Funeral Home
Westview Capital Partners
Winchester Savings Bank
Bronze Sponsors
Gina & Jim McCaffrey
Byram Healthcare
Nardone Electrical Corp.
Saltmarsh Insurance Agency, LLC
The Gables at Winchester
Winchester Co-Operative Bank
Friends
Century 21 Commonwealth
Waterfield Sotheby's International Realty
Supporter
Costello Funeral Home
| Left to right: Jane Murray of the VNA Hospice & Palliative Care board of directors, Diane Bergeron, Jane Woodbury, and Pam Anderson
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| Guests were greeted by Cat Bagni (left) and Karen Webber.
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| Meaghan Gangi with former Red Sox player Sam Horn
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Employee New Hire Referral Bonus Program
The new hire referral bonus program includes employee referrals for RNs, LPNs, PTs, PTAs, OTs, COTAs, and SLPs. If you would like to refer a friend, family member, or colleague, please inform the appropriate Human Resources Representative at your location prior to the applicant coming in for an interview. Please note, when two or more employees refer the same applicant, the referral bonus will be split equally amongst the employees. Referral bonuses are paid out after the referred employee's three and six month anniversary, as long as they are in a paid status at those intervals. Please contact Cheryl Milas at cmilas@vnacarenetwork.org or Debbie Brown at dbrown@vnab.org for more information.
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Job Postings - VNAB and VNAHC
To learn more about career opportunities listed in the links above, contact Debbie Brown, Human Resources Manager at dbrown@vnab.org.
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Job Postings - VNACN and VNAHC
To learn more about career opportunities, contact a human resources representative:
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Employee Advisory Team Suggestions
To suggest an area of focus to the Employee Advisory Team (EAT), please email your suggestion to EATSuggestionbox@vnab.org. Suggestions can include ideas to improve current processes and procedures, remove redundancies, or even to provide feedback on something you think is/is not working. Please feel free to discuss any issues that you would like brought to EAT with the following members of the committee:
- Liz Bourne
- Ray Brackett
- Linda Britt
- Kim Dio
- Kelly Frew
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- Mary Helen Mahoney
- Susan Marlin Procter
- Mary McCarthy
- Ilona O'Connor
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- Mary Ann O'Connor
- Mae Powers
- David Rose
- Danny Yang
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EAT is also on the lookout for new members. If you're interested in participating, or for more information on what EAT is all about, please reach out to any of the members listed above. Meetings are held monthly in the Charlestown office.
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One Number for After-Hours Technical Support
Please note that the IT Department now provides 24/7 on-call service for technical support across all divisions of VNA Care whether you use the Delta Encore or McKesson Homecare systems.
After-hours technical support can be obtained now by simply calling one number: (508) 751 6822.
IT staff on-call will vary, but the contact number will always remain the same. This week, Sean Carroll is on call through Thursday morning, May 12th , while John Severin assumes the duties beginning that same afternoon.
Again, for on-call IT support, please always call (508) 751 6822.
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Upcoming Changes To Your Email Address
Effective May 11th, email addresses for employees of all VNA divisions (VNA Care Network, VNA of Boston, VNA Hospice & Palliative Care, VNA Care Advantage, and VNA First Choice) will change to firstname_lastname@vnacare.org. There are several communication, collaboration and productivity benefits to using one common email address and email naming convention across the organization. - We will begin to signify our operational "oneness" by using the VNA Care name in our email address.
- We will have the ability to create and maintaining unified email distribution lists across offices, divisions, and departments for broad use across the organization. Individual users will also be able to easily create their own customized email distribution lists.
- We have a shared global address list in Microsoft Outlook across the VNA so staff can easily find a colleague in order to send an email.
- We have shared Free/Busy Information within calendars in Microsoft Outlook so staff can find a VNA colleague, add them to a meeting request, view their availability and then schedule a mutually convenient time for that meeting.
Below is how the email naming convention will change for staff:
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Current Email Name Convention
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New Email Naming Convention as of May 11
| jsmith@vnacarenetwork.org
| John_smith@vnacare.org
| jsmith@vnab.com
| John_smith@vnacare.org |
************************************************************ Please read these FAQs for more information about the @vnacare.org email address transition.
Q. What do I personally need to do to be ready for this email change?
A. Nothing. You can continue to send emails and the technical change will automatically take effect behind the scenes overnight on May 9.
Q. Will my current email address continue to work after the email transition date?
A. Yes, email sent to your current email address will continue to be received without issue indefinitely. No future cut-off date for the current email addresses has been determined. Regardless of which email address is used to send messages to you (your current email address or your @vnacare.org email address), you will still receive all your email in one place in your Microsoft Outlook inbox.
Q: What will external parties receiving emails from me see as my email address?
A. As of May 10, individuals who receive your emails will see that your email address is now using the firstname_lastname@vnacare.org naming convention. Again, you will still be able to receive incoming email through your current email address indefinitely.
Q. Should I tell my contacts to change my email address in their address book?
A. Yes, you can do this at your leisure since there is no cut-off date for the current email addresses and you will be able to receive email through both addresses indefinitely.
Q. What if I have subscribed for online access to something (for instance, a medical association newsletter) using my current name email address?
A. If you signed up to receive emails via your current email address, you will continue to receive those emails even after May 10. If you used your current email address as part of an online access profile (username/email/password), you may continue to use your existing email as part of your username/password profile. However, if you wish to use your new @vnacare.org email for this purpose, you will need to manually update your user profile with the new email address.
Q. What about my network credentials and logging into the Education Portal and WebTime? Which email address should I use?
A. You should continue to use your current email address (either @vnacarenetwork.org or @vnab.org) to login to the network (your computer, VPN, etc.), for the Ed Portal, and when logging into WebTime to input your timesheet.
Q: How will I search all email contacts across the VNA?
A. All contacts are part of the shared global email address book in Outlook. To search for a colleague, start a new email, click on the "To:" button and type in the staff member's last name and it should automatically populate in that field if the name is in the system. If you have any questions feel free to contact the IT Department.
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| QUALITY AND RISK MANAGEMENT |
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Scoring M1860 and M1850 upon discharge to Hospice services
By Surabhi Saxena, PT, DPT, Patient Care Manager
Case Study: Patient is a 76 yo female with recent diagnosis of metastatic lung cancer s/p hospitalization for chemotherapy and radiation. Referred to home care services for home safety evaluation and medical management.Patient lives with her supportive husband and daughter in a single family home. Husband and daughter are available to assist as needed with all ADLs and IADLs. Patient also referred to rehab services to assess and intervene to maximize safety during functional mobility, ADLS and CGR education.
Per SOC assessment findings, patient assessed to be at supervision level for all functional mobility due to fatigue, decreased safety awareness, frequent reminders to use the RW and decreased balance.
Click the FULL ARTICLE button for how to accurately score M1860 and M1850.
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PATIENT CARE MANAGERS
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Name
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Email
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Cell
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Position
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Covering Office
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Bowden, Marilyn
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774-502-7478
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Patient Care Manager
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Danvers and
Gloucester
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Dunn, Maria
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508-688-2449
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Patient Care Program Manager
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SS02 Southborough
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Gardner, Elaine
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617-680-1105
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Patient Care Manager
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Charlestown
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Gill, Christine
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774-502-5725
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Patient Care Manager
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Worcester
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Mihalick, Kyra
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617-913-6823
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Patient Care Manager
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VNAB Therapy
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Morris, Carol
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617-913-3006
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Patient Care Program Manager
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Quincy
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Saxena, Surabhi
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774-463-7336
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Patient Care Manager
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Leominster & SS55 Southborough
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Vitello, Maura
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774-502-7475
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Patient Care Manager
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Needham
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QI SUPPORT
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Covering Office
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Name
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Email
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Office Phone
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Position
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All VNAB
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Hughes, Kim
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617-886-6501 x5419
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QI Support Coordinator
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All VNACN
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Schultz, Chris
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617-886-6501 x6527
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QI Support Coordinator
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All VNACN
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Rao, Shamala
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508-756-7176 x6876
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QI Nurse
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| May 9, 2016 |
The Connecter
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Volume 5, Issue 19
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FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA!
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Confidentiality Notice: The Connecter newsletter is an internal communication intended only for employees of VNA Care and Atrius Health. Information contained within this newsletter includes confidential, proprietary, and privileged content. Unauthorized forwarding, printing, copying, distribution, and/or negligent handling is strictly prohibited and could result in disciplinary action.
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