April 23, 2015 VALUING THE VOLUNTEERS NOTEWORTHY Johnston Health to offer SAFE SITTER course for children Do you want your children to learn how to babysit safely? Johnston Health is offering three sessions of the SAFE SITTER course this summer. Classes will be from 9 a.m. till 4:30 p.m. on June 16-17, July 14-15 and Aug. 11-12 at the Johnston Medical Mall in Smithfield. SAFE SITTER is a medically accurate instruction series that teaches boys and girls ages 1113 how to handle emergencies when caring for young children. Students learn basic lifesaving techniques, safety precautions to prevent accidents, how and when to summon help, and tips on basic child care. To register, call 919-938-7736. A fee of $65 covers the two-day program. Champions 5K is May 2 There’s still time to enter the fourth annual Johnston Health Champions 5K. The timed event will start at 9 a.m. on May 2 in front of the hospital in Smithfield. Proceeds will go toward the Angel Fund, which assists patients battling cancer, and toward a nutrition and exercise program for overweight children. The $30 entry fee includes a T-shirt, food and water. For more info, visit johnstonhealth.org or call Alison Drain at 919-9387169. Dates announced for summer staffing The summer staffing plan will be implemented again this year. The plan applies to non-clinical support departments that do not flex based on patient census or volume indicators. The plan will cover 11 pay periods starting April 26 through September 26. The affected full-time employees will be required to use eight paid days off in addition to the three holidays that occur during this period. Part-time employees with benefits will be required to use a pro-rated number of paid days off based on their part-time status. Questions about the plan can be directed to the human resources or payroll departments. Remembering the children The managers and staff on third floor medical in Smithfield observed child abuse prevention month during April by placing pinwheels at the hospital’s entrances. From left are: Jessica Lux, Robin Taylor, Jessica Edwards, Brandi Law and Jessica Herring. LifeLiner is published on the first and third Wednesdays by the Marketing and Community Relations Department Suzette Rodriguez…...writer, editor Erin Bailey...social media, website To submit news items, call 919-938-7103 or email [email protected]. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Cornhole, T-shirts, movie night Mark your calendars for hospital-week treats From left, volunteer coordinators Farrah Nguyen and Wanda Johnson and volunteer services director Greg McClain present a ceremonial check to Johnston Health board chairman Bobby Parker and CEO Chuck Elliott. The check represents the value of the volunteer hours given to Johnston Health last year. Johnston Health recognizes gifts of service H ow do you place a value on volunteers? During the volunteers annual luncheon last week, CEO Chuck Elliott said the value of hours logged last year was roughly equal to the organization’s bottom line. In all, the 240 or so volunteers gave 40,519 hours, which was worth $934,784.86. “We couldn’t do what we do without you,” he said. “You’re making our environment better for patients, and we depend on you.” Bobby Parker, chairman of the Johnston Health board of directors, thanked the volunteers for their generosity. “I appreciate everything that you do. With the shrinking reimbursements brought about by the changes in health care, your volunteerism is more important than ever,” he said. The luncheon, held at the Johnston County Agriculture Center, served up a buffet of ham, fried chicken and the fixings. But the highlight was the distribution of certificates and pins recognizing the hours contributed by every volunteer. The Rev. Greg McClain, who is director of spiritual care and volunteer services, presented the Overa S. Stevens Award to Frank Rawls, who has been a chaplain volunteer since 2005. Stevens was the local pastor who helped start the volunteer chaplaincy program 40 years ago. Also, Wanda Johnson, volunteer coordinator for hospice, recognized George Stafford and Cecilia Hicks for their years of service. Both began volunteering with hospice in 2003. Johnston Health’s place within the UNC Health Care system is part of an internal branding campaign that will launch during hospital week, which is May 10-16. It’s called “The sum of us,” and special messaging will be emblazoned on T-shirts for all employees and on posters and banners that will be hung at the medical mall and both hospitals. Details about the campaign (and the Tshirt distribution) will appear in the May 6 issue of the LifeLiner. In the meantime, here are the activities planned for the week: A breakfast for employees celebrating their five-year anniversaries is at 7:30 a.m. on May 12 in the cafeteria in Smithfield. A meal for all employees is from 11 a.m. till 3 p.m. on May 13. On May 14, employees celebrating milestones of 10 years and above will be treated to a special dinner in the cafeteria in Smithfield. The service awards program starts at 6:30 p.m., and a highlight is the announcement of the Johnston Health Ambassador of the Year. A night out for two at the movies. See any show at the Howell Cinema in downtown Smithfield from May 15-17. To get in, show your Johnston Health identification badge at the door. Cornhole anyone? From Monday through Friday, employees and volunteers are invited to play cornhole between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. outside the hospital cafeterias. Sterile Processing recognized for making a difference I t’s the department that you may pass on the ground floor of the hospital without knowing it’s there. But as surgical services director Lynn King points out in her profile of the sterile processing department, the employees behind those locked doors play a crucial role. Last week, Brookie Stanley, a member of the standards committee, presented its “You make a difference” award to the staff. “We so appreciate the work that you do every day,” she said. “You have a tremendous responsibility, and you always rise to meet the challenge.” What follows is the story written by King about how the department contributes to the organization through its five pillars. People: Sterile processing has a loyal and dedicated staff. They are the unsung heroes who work out of the spotlight, but their job is vital to the efficient functioning of the operating room. They are always willing to cover for one another or work an extra shift if a co-worker needs to be off. Most of the staff has longevity with the hospital and has given many years of service to Johnston Health. Quality: Quality is at the forefront of everything that the staff does. They properly clean and sterilize instruments for surgery according to required standards. Every recommendation must be followed and no shortcuts are allowed. This ensures that all instruments used on patients are sterile, and the highest set of standards has been followed, ensuring patient safety and quality outcomes. Both JCAHO and AAMI standards and guidelines are followed. Service: Our staff provides sterile instru- Employees in the sterile processing department were recently honored for making a difference. From left, they are supervisors Heida Moore, Meghan Daniels, Tammy Grams, Daniel Kuster, Sue Jackson, Lynn King and Debbie Gainey. Absent from photo are Jenalee Brink and Rebecca Mileski. ments to departments other than the OR. These include the emergency department, wound clinic, cath lab, labor and delivery, endo, special procedures, radiology and QuikMed. The staff also has to gather and send the instruments needed at our hospital in Clayton. When they are returned to Smithfield, the instruments have to be reprocessed. Financial: The staff flexes accordingly to help meet budgetary and productivity measures. The department always meets its budgetary guidelines. Growth: The staff in Smithfield has been flexible and willing to help cover the sterile processing department at Clayton. At least one staff member goes over to Clayton daily to help meet the needs of the growing department and hospital. The staff has also been willing to learn ways to accomplish its work by keeping current with the latest standards and learning how to process new instrumentation. They also willingly learned how to process the da Vinci robotic instruments and do a great job.
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