1. health and fitness

V. 24 • No. 18 • Apr. 27, 2015
Volunteers Personify Language of Caring at Queen’s
“OuR QuEEN’S volunteers give from the
heart,” said QMC trustee Robb Ohtani, MD,
at the annual Volunteer
Appreciation Luncheon
held on friday, April 17
at the Hale koa Hotel. Art Ushijima
“you are an important
part of The Queen’s Medical Center, and
are sometimes the very first person patients and visitors see. you set the tone.
Other times you quietly work behind the
scenes, but are still essential. Personally,
as a physician, I think your work has been
entwined with mine for many years. The
caps you knit for newborns I have delivered become treasured family heirlooms.
And just recently, I know of a family member of one of my patients who was put at
ease in the surgery waiting room by a few
kind words from a volunteer.”
Stories like Dr. Ohtani’s happen every
day, but they are anything but commonplace. The dedication and commitment
of Queen’s volunteers is part of the QMC
standard of putting patients first. Volun-
teers serve in 107 different units and departments throughout Queen’s, tackling
over 1,000 special projects a year in addition to their daily assignments. They delivered over 2,100 flower arrangements and
transported over 8,100 patients, with 6,400
of those being discharges. Healing Touch/
Reiki volunteers provided 665 hands-on
treatments to patients, and an additional
204 to QMC staff. Though our volunteers
truly are priceless, Sharlene Tsuda, QHS
Vice President, Community Development,
estimated the value of the 58,000 hours of
time donated by volunteers to be worth
approximately $1.4 million.
Art ushijima, QHS/QMC President,
said, “As we celebrate your generous
contributions of time and talent over the
past year, we also remember the excitement of preparing to open the doors
of The Queen’s Medical Center–West
O‘ahu. Many of you helped, and some of
you transferred to West and found a new
facility waiting for you to share your aloha.
How wonderful to have you all together
here today in celebration.”
The luncheon was complimented by an
opening oli from Diane Paloma, PhD, director, QHS Native Hawaiian Health and gentle harp music from volunteers Marci Prins
and kevin Roddy. Queen’s VPs mingled
among the guests and lunch conversations
were lively and personal. It was a time to
enjoy old friends and make new ones too.
As the dessert course was served, it
was time for the tradition of recognizing
(Continued on Page 2)
1-500 Plus Club honorees with VPs standing in support behind.
Volunteers Honored
(Continued from page 1.)
individuals for the number of hours each
has volunteered. Hour awards ranged from
100 hours all the way up to 17,000 (retired QMC RN Bea kam). Members of the
1-500 Plus Club were also recognized for
volunteering over 500 hours between April
1, 2014 and March 31, 2015. There were 15
members of that exclusive, extremely dedicated and much appreciated group. Additionally, volunteers were recognized for
the number of years they have dedicated
to Queen’s, a range that starts when they
hit five years and went all the way up to the
40-plus years given by June Anderson.
The Ho‘omau Award recognizes volunteer longevity and comes from the
Connie Black Volunteer fund established
by Queen’s Senior VP Paula yoshioka to
honor Mrs. Black’s many years of volunteer service. faye uno is the 2015 recipient. faye can frequently be found at the
Nalani Information desk or helping out in
fleetwing. She has been a QMC volunteer for the past 26 years, donating almost 6,000 hours of service. The former
teacher is a top evaluator, an effective
trainer, and a skilled seamstress. She is
also a genuinely kind and gracious lady.
The kokua Po‘okela Awards for outstanding volunteer service was established by former Queen’s VP karen Muranaka in memory of her parents Junichi
and kimie Muranaka. Nominees must
have served Queen’s for at least 200
hours in the course of one year and demonstrate compassion and a commitment
to teamwork. The student volunteer honoree this year is Chester Hui. Chester is
enthusiastic and always willing to help.
He has volunteered at Queen’s Heart and
in the ICu, and is now assigned to fleetwing. When he began volunteering, his
Faye Uno
Chester Hui
Francis Bueno
Kevin and Christine Kwan, Art Ushijima,
Chester and Charles Hui, and Dr. Ohtani.
QMC–WO volunteer Melanie Demaria is
thanked by Dr. Ohtani.
interest was in pharmacy, but now he is
considering medicine and will pursue that
interest this summer at Stanford. Chester
was accompanied by his dad Charles, his
mom Christine and his step-dad, kevin
kwan, who works in Biomed at QMC.
The adult kokua Po‘okela awardee is
francis Bueno. francis is known for his
welcoming smile, boundless energy, and
service above and beyond what is asked.
He started as a fleetwing volunteer at
the Honolulu campus and then added
QMC-West O‘ahu to his routine, serving
as part of the transition team and participating in the Day in the Life exercises. He
now serves West O‘ahu exclusively and
staff say they feel blessed to have him on
their team. francis also volunteered for
Queen’s during the RIMPAC exercises.
Art, Cassie, Cianni, Francis, Neal, Andrea Wilburn of QMC–WO, and Dr. Ohtani.
He was accompanied to the luncheon by
his son and daughter Neal and Cassie,
and his granddaughter Cianni.
“The patient care experience is a core
priority,” Dr. Ohtani remarked. “It is so important that we have hired consultants
to guide us, but my feeling is that each
[volunteer] personifies the Queen’s Language of Caring, and that we can all look
to emulate you. your contributions cannot
be overstated. you make a difference.”
Screening Brings
Awareness to Head,
Neck & Oral Cancers
Mark Greer, DMD, Stephanie Guy, RN, Daniel
Alam, MD, and Christopher Klem, MD
IT WAS A HuGE SuCCESS, especially for
a first-time event. Eighty-nine employees
came out to the Na‘ea Courtyard on a
hot day for the first annual Head & Neck
Cancer Screening. Put on by the Queen’s
Head & Neck Institute, the screening was
designed to detect and promote awareness of the early signs and symptoms of
oral, head, and neck cancers—and to get
the word out that early detection is important. According to a 2013 survey, the
majority of people in both Europe and u.S.
were not aware or knew little about these
types of cancers. The plan is to add head
and neck cancer screening to the list of
other well-known annual screenings like
Dr. Klem gives QDC Admin Secretary Katrina Mateo a head and neck exam.
those for colon and skin cancers, said
Stephanie Guy, RN, Clinical Operations
Manager of the Head & Neck Institute.
There are over 50,000 new cases and
12,000 deaths a year of oral, head, and
neck cancers in the u.S. (excluding thyroid). Oral, head, and neck cancers are any
cancer in the head and neck excluding the
brain. They include cancers of the mouth,
Celebrating
Everyday
Med Lab
Superheroes
Signs & Symptoms of
Oral, Head & Neck Cancer
IT SEEMS LIkE EVERy fIfTH
movie or TV show that
comes out nowadays is
about some Marvel superhero. Well, we have our
own superheroes at Queen’s who wear
lab coats instead of capes. These behindthe-scenes superheroes were celebrated
last week for National Medical Laboratory
Professionals Week.
About 90% of medical decisions are
based on laboratory tests. Hence, there
are quite a few laboratory professionals
at Queen’s—about 70 in Pathology who
examine solid tissue, and 150 in the DLS
Stat Lab who analyze bodily fluids. They
celebrated each day of their week with
skin, throat, salivary glands, neck, and thyroid. Oral cancers are the most common.
four doctors performed the exams:
Mark Greer, DMD, Director of the Dental Clinic, Jaclyn Palola, DMD, Dental
Clinic, and Daniel Alam, MD, and Christopher klem, MD of the Head & Neck
Institute. They checked each person’s
skin, ears, nose, mouth, oropharynx, salivary glands, thyroid glands, and neck.
Each participant also filled out a questionnaire designed to uncover any potential problems or warning signs.
Technologist Christine Nakamoto decorated
Pathology’s ‘Iolani 4 entry doors to capture
this year’s theme.
food and games, injecting some fun into
very serious and disciplined work.
• Sore in your mouth that doesn’t
heal or increases in size
• Persistent pain in your mouth
• Lumps or white or red patches
inside your mouth
• Thickening of your cheek
• Difficulty chewing, swallowing, or
moving your tongue
• Changes in your voice
• Lump in your neck
• Bad breath
• Difficulty moving your jaw, or
swelling of pain in your jaw
If you have any of these symptoms,
see your doctor or call the Queen’s
Head & Neck Institute at 691-7215.
Language of Caring sessions are now
being held for all employees at QMC in
Honolulu. The initial two-hour jumpstart
training session schedule is posted online, and registration may be done via the
Queen’s Intranet at eww.queens.org/se/
reg/classinfo.asp.
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The Board of Water Supply has finished the repairs to the water line under
Miller Street. On Thursday, April 30, Miller Street will again be closed from 8:00
am - 2:00 pm for roadway resurfacing.
ED ambulance access from Punchbowl
Street will not be affected. Access to the
Miller Garage can be made from QMC’s
front entrance via the tunnel or from the
Miller Street entrance via Vineyard Boulevard. Access to the Service Road via
the Vineyard Boulevard entrance to Miller
Street will not be affected.
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The Next Fitbit challenge will run
Monday, May 4 to Sunday, June 14. To
participate, please be sure that your FitBit is synched to your HMSA Well-Being
Connect (WBC) account (www.hmsa.
com/myaccount.) Then be sure to engage your Step Tracker on Monday, May
4 to start tracking your steps. Join the
Challenge via the Groups & Challenges
tab on the HMSA WBC site. The challenge lasts six weeks and entails walking 50,000 steps a week for the first two
weeks; 60,000 steps on weeks three and
four; and 70,000 steps on weeks five and
six. Successful completion of the Challenge requirements will enter you in a
prize drawing. This Challenge qualifies as
one of the cost incentive Wellness Activity requirements. For more information,
call the HR Service Center at 691-4627.
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Work on Wellness (WOW) credit can be
achieved by participating in the following
classes offered at the Queen’s Women’s
Health Center in Honolulu: Body Shaping,
Employee Hula, Jazzercise, Kickboxing Fitness, Posture/Flexibility with Fitness Cue,
Tai Chi, or Yoga Basics. The Employee Hula
class is free of charge, Body Shaping is $65
for 10 class sessions, all others are $66 for
six class sessions. To register, call 691-7117.
To earn your WOW credit, you must login through the Well-Being Connect site at
hmsa.com. For more information, email [email protected].
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“kidney transplants: How to Save a
Life,” a free Speaking of Health community lecture, will be presented on Wednesday, April 29, from 5:30 - 7:00 pm at the
Queen’s Conference Center in Honolulu.
Join transplant surgeon Makoto Ogihara,
MD, the Queen’s Transplant Team, and
living donors as they share their stories
about the transplant experience. Register
at www.queens.org by clicking “Attend a
Class” or call 691-7117.
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“Improving the Health Response to
Domestic Violence: Advocacy, Dynamics and Patient Safety,” a Project Connect
session presented by the Native Hawaiian Health Program & Futures Without
Violence, will be held on Tuesday, April 28,
from 12:30 – 4:30 pm in the Kamehameha
Auditorium. The session will cover how domestic and sexual violence affects health
outcomes; how cultural trauma impacts
health care delivery; and applying best
practices to clinical settings, including the
use of “safety cards.” This activity is designated for 4 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits.TM Space is limited, and attendees may
bring their own lunches. To RSVP, contact
Kalani Kaanaana at 691-7010 or at [email protected].
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Mindfulness Meditation sessions will
be offered by the Integrative Wellness
Team and Hospital Ministry from 12:00
– 12:30 pm every Friday beginning with
May 1. Sessions will be held in the QET
4 chapel. These guided meditation sessions will focus on connecting to the
breath and learning to bring the mind to
the present moment. By cultivating spacious self-awareness, mindfulness meditation practice can instill a sense of peace
into the busy and challenging demands
of day-to-day living. All staff and physicians are welcome. For more information,
call the Integrative Wellness Team at 4501989 or Hospital Ministry at 691-4463.
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The 27th annual NHCH Senior health
fair will be held on Sunday, May 3, from
8:00 am - 2:00 pm at the Lucy Henriques
building at North Hawai‘i Community Hos-
pital. The fair offers seniors health information and screenings, plus complimentary
lunch, bingo, giveaways and more.
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North hawai‘i community hospital
(NHCH) brought nine teams to the 32nd
annual Business Canoe Regatta in Hilo
on Sunday, April 12. The teams were a
mix of doctors, nurses, consultants, administrators, rehab, trauma, lab personnel, and family members. The open mixed
and open teen mixed teams each took
third place; the intermediate women took
fifth and the business men’s team made
it to the semifinals. Congrats all.
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Keith Wallace, Fidelity Workplace Planning and Guidance Consultant, would
love to help you with your individual planning needs. Call: 1-800-642-7131 or visit
www.fidelity.com/atwork/reservations.
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April spa specials at the Queen’s Women’s Health Center in Honolulu are: $59
for a 50 minute massage or facial, or $32
for a 25 minute massage or facial. Call
691-7734 to book an appointment.
The Queen’s Print Connection is published by Creative Services. If you have
news or wish to opine, call 691-7532 or
email [email protected]. The news
deadline is Monday prior to publication.
QHS/QMC Pres. . . . . . . . Art Ushijima
Publisher. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Keala Peters
Editor/Writer. . . . . . . . . . Jason Kimura
Assist. Ed./Writer. . . . . Glee Stormont
NHCH Contributor. . . Krista Anderson
The Queen’s Health Systems consists of The
Queen’s Medical Center, The Queen’s Medical
Center – West O’ahu, The Queen’s Health Care
Centers, Queen Emma Land Company, Queen’s
Development Corporation, Queen’s Insurance
Exchange, Inc., Moloka‘i General Hospital and
North Hawai‘i Community Hospital, and has
ownership interests in CareResource Hawai‘i,
Hamamatsu/Queen’s PET Imaging Center, and
Diagnostic Laboratory Services, Inc.
queens.org
The Queen’s Health Systems is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit corporation