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Welcome to Bournewood's new email news and communications! This issue contains some of the news you'll find in the December 2015 Woodworker. In the coming months, you'll be receiving more email news: Remember to check your inbox frequently, you don't want to miss the latest updates, announcements and useful information.
We know that some Bournewood staff do not have email accounts and we are working on ways to make this electronic format available to everyone. Meanwhile, please take this survey--it will take just a few minutes and it will help us better understand how you, the terrific staff of Bournewood Hospital, prefer to get your news and information.
Thank you!
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12-3
Casey Ruybal
12-4
Anna Aliano Pepicelli
12-9
Katherine Ruiz-Mellott
12-10 James Curran Christine Jacobs-Finn Jeffrey Packard
12-12 Rebecca Polk
12-16 Hanifa Nakasi Gina Simonelli
12-18 Amanda Northrup
12-19 Emily Short
12-22 Diane Pignet
12-23 Tigidankay Barrie Beth Berman
12-26 Tamara Daly
12-27 Richard Spiro
12-30 Donna Melsky
12-31 Nicole Pouria
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From the desk of Mary Purdy, MSN Director of Patient Care Services Last month a team of five Joint Commission surveyors began a four-day survey of Bournewood Hospital which occurs every three to four years for organizations who choose accreditation. The Joint Commission is an independent, not-for-profit organization and accredits and certifies nearly 21,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. Like the Joint Commission, Bournewood is committed to continuously improving how we deliver our services. Our mission is to always strive for excellence in the care we provide for the patients and families who come to us and accreditation is one of the ways we are meeting the highest standards of performance and operations. The Joint Commission focuses on safety and fosters all health care providers to improve in this critical area. The survey team assessed our organization's compliance with standards from not only the Joint Commission but also those of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The survey looked at both our inpatient services as well as our ambulatory services in Woburn and Brookline. The Joint Commission standards cover all areas of the hospital from a clinical and support services perspective. For example, one surveyor focused on Life Safety with Pat Pelland for two days and another surveyed the Ambulatory Care Departments and Emerson 2 unit. Three surveyors were here all four days and spent time on all the units and visited the Pharmacy Department conducting clinical tracers to understand the care patients receive here at Bournewood. As with any survey of this depth, some areas were identified for improvement which we will submit to the Joint Commission. The survey team complimented the clinical care and environmental practices on many occasions during their time here. In fact, one of the surveyors who is a physician, encouraged Bournewood to submit our use of RACER to guide fire response as well as the work of the Rapid Process Improvement (RPI) team to the Joint Commission. The RPI designed a quality improvement approach to how we order and dispense insulin, and created a conversion chart. The Joint Commission maintains an active resource library of best practice projects on their website. If our submissions are approved by their peer review process, both of these projects would be available for other health care organizations to use in their facilities. I would like to thank all staff for assisting us in meeting the required standards and welcoming the surveyors to units and departments. I also thank the mock survey team members who conducted unannounced surveys over the past year to help get us ready for the real team and the clinical staff who eagerly prepared and participated in Joint Commission Jeopardy games. We will be sending our plan to improve to the Joint Commission over the next two months and will continue our efforts to improve safety at all levels of the organization.
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A Message from
CEO Marcia Fowler
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As we embark on a strategic plan for growth for Bournewood Health Systems, getting news and information to you is one of my top priorities. The Bournewood community is involved in many arenas, increasingly in statewide policy matters. As we develop and grow as a leader in behavioral health and addiction treatment, I hope that sharing this and, of course, news about our own Bournewood community will be useful to you.
Congratulations are in order for State Representative and Bournewood Health Systems Board Member Kay Khan who was honored recently by the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus (MWPC) with the Abigail Adams Award at a gala event at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel. Rep. Khan, who serves as the House Chair of the Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities, was one of five award recipients, all women who have demonstrated through their work and their community activism, a firm commitment to the realization of equal political, economic and social rights for women.
Throughout her almost 11 terms in the House of Representatives, Rep. Khan has been a leading voice on a range of issues. In her leadership role over the last eight years, she has advocated for the most vulnerable women, children and families all across the Commonwealth. Rep. Khan is an advanced practice psychiatric nurse with an interest in mental health and public health, and her expertise has allowed her to focus on the needs of women and children spanning a range of issues including ending homelessness, human trafficking of women and children, incarcerated women's mental and physical health care services, justice involved youth as well as programming to allow incarcerated mothers to maintain relationships with their children.
Rep. Khan began her political career almost 22 years ago when she first ran for office of state representative for the Eleventh Middlesex District of Newton. The Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus was first on board to support her in her political career. The MWPC introduced the Tribute to Abigail Adams in 1988 to recognize outstanding women leaders in Massachusetts who have worked to achieve parity for women. The proceeds benefit the MWPC Education Fund.
In other news, Bournewood Health Systems was recently a Bronze Sponsor of the Health Law Advocates Annual Breakfast at which Congresswoman Elizabeth Warren gave the keynote address. More than a thousand people were in attendance and Bournewood is very proud to have helped sponsor this event. Health Law Advocates was established 20 years ago with the mission of fighting for the health care justice for the Commonwealth's most vulnerable residents. Their work goes beyond representing more than 11,000 individuals since 1996 who have needed an attorney to access health care. Health Law Advocates is a champion of mental health parity and is dedicated to health care access.
And finally, I am very honored and pleased to share with you that the first Nasir A. Khan, M.D. Memorial Lecture took place at the Massachusetts Medical Society last month. The Khan Family is very proud of this achievement and we join them in acknowledging this enduring legacy for Dr. Khan. The First Annual Dr. Nasir Khan Memorial Lecture was delivered by Paul Summergrad, M.D., psychiatrist-in-chief at Tufts Medical Center and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Professor at Tufts University School of Medicine. His lecture, "Integrating Medical and Psychiatric Care," discussed the implications of health care reform for national and global policy.
I will continue to share news and information from Bournewood and beyond regularly. Thank you for all the great work you do on behalf of the patients and families who receive care and treatment at Bournewood.
Wishing you and your families a peaceful and safe holiday season!
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Congratulations Erica St. John!
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Bournewood's Employee of the Month for December 2015 is Erica St. John, a mental health counselor at Khan ITU.
Erica is a perfect example of what it means to be a mental health counselor at Bournewood Hospital, demonstrating professionalism as well an as innate ability to understand our patients. Although Erica did not have inpatient psychiatric experience before coming to Bournewood, she quickly and intuitively connected with patients. Her focused attention to detail, her understanding of and ability to correctly and consistently carry out hospital procedures is impressive. These skills, coupled with her genuine interest in caring for people make her an excellent health care provider. Her suggestions for improving processes are thoughtful and creative. Erica will be continuing her education when she enters a nursing program in January.
Way to go, Erica!
Thank you and congratulations! Mary McCarthy, RN, Nurse Manager, Khan ITU |
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Bournewood CEO Takes the Pledge in NAMI Stigma Campaign
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New Initiative Targets Workplace Mental Wellness
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The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Massachusetts (NAMI Mass.) has launched an important campaign, one with lasting impact on workplace mental health. Mental illness is the single greatest cause of lost productivity at work and with grant funding from the Massachusetts Attorney General, the CEOs Against Stigma campaign aims to shift attitudes and promote mental wellness. At the heart of this initiative is a partnership between NAMI Mass. and Chief Executive Officers of businesses, organizations and agencies across the Commonwealth.
NAMI Mass.'s goal is to sign on 250 CEOs by the end of 2016, and we are proud to announce that Bournewood Health Systems CEO Marcia Fowler is the latest chief executive to join the CEOs Against Stigma campaign. She joins a growing list of CEOs across the Commonwealth including those from South Shore Mental Health, Bay Cove Human Services, Vinfen, McLean Hospital, Fidelity Bank, MassPort and Commonwealth Medicine.
"Discrimination has no place in our society or in the workplace," Marcia said. "We know that persons with disabilities including those who suffer with mental health conditions and addictions experience stigma and are routinely discriminated against. As leaders it is incumbent upon us to insist upon full social and economic inclusion in all aspect of the workplace, in society at large, and to work in partnership with those who are discriminated against to achieve this goal. "
At least one in five adults in Massachusetts will experience a mental illness this year and one in 17 struggles with chronic severe mental illness. Nonetheless, it has been documented that even in the best workplaces, mental illness remains a secret, mostly because of stigma. People who need help fear the consequences of disclosure. Even when a family member is suffering, employees are unlikely to share their burden, despite the impact on their own effectiveness at work. Last year NAMI Mass. conducted an extensive statewide survey. It showed that while the vast majority of people in Massachusetts say they are more supportive of those with mental illness than ever before, the majority would advise a person with mental illness to keep it quiet at work. To overcome this isolation and its negative effect on the workplace, NAMI Mass. is asking Massachusetts CEOs to join its CEOs Against Stigma campaign to transform the way people think and act about mental illness in the workplace. NAMI Mass. offers a plan that requires a modest amount of time, but with broad CEO support, can have a major impact. As part of the campaign, NAMI tours the In Our Own Voice presentation which is a powerful resource and experience in understanding mental illness. Bournewood hosted a presentation in November 2014. At another workplace, the NAMI In Our Own Voice presenters spoke to a group of 40 managers, including the Director of Human Resources and the CEO. It prompted one employee to disclose his own debilitating depression while watching the presentation. We ask you to visit the CEOs Against Stigma website for more information and meet the business leaders who have signed on at ceos.namimass.org
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Bournewood Now Part of Statewide Suicide Prevention Coalition
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Bournewood Health Systems is pleased to announce that our organization has joined the Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention (MCSP) as a Lead Member. The MCSP, convened in 1999, is a broad and inclusive alliance of suicide prevention advocates, public and private organization representatives, policy makers, mental health consumers and providers and concerned citizens.
We join the MCSP's call to action with our commitment to work together to reduce the incidence of self-harm and suicide in Massachusetts.
Here are some interesting facts about and accomplishments by the MCSP: - With MCSP advocacy, since Fiscal Year 2002, the Massachusetts Legislature has allocated more than $28 million for suicide prevention across the state.
- The MCSP led the development of the Massachusetts Strategic Plan for Suicide Prevention, issued in 2009, that today continues to guide suicide prevention efforts on all levels.
- Advocacy work and funding allows the Department of Public Health to publish important annual data on suicide and self-inflicted injuries as well as offering robust clinical trainings and education for nearly 22,000 advocates, teachers, clinicians, substance abuse staff, elder advocates and human resource and youth service organizations.
- An important component of the MCSP is the Regional Coalition structure. These local groups are vital to ensuring that suicide prevention efforts are local and reach into our communities across the state.
We are very enthusiastic that with our membership, Bournewood Health Systems will be participating in one of the MCSP's most anticipated annual events, the statewide Massachusetts Suicide Prevention Conference, which draws hundreds of participants from all walks of life every year. The 2016 Conference will be held in April and we will be sure to keep you updated as details become available. For more information about the MCSP, visit their website here. |
 We hope you enjoy Bournewood's first online staff newsletter. Don't forget to take our survey! Your input is vital to improving staff communications across the hospital.
Director of Strategic Communications
Bournewood Health Systems
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