Community Clinical Oncology Programsets national high mark recruiting patients

Delaware Cancer Consortiumreceives national recognition 2

Power to End Strokerecruits ambassadors 4

Linda Laskowski Jonesnamed Nursing2009 editor 5

Physician satisfactionjumps significantly 6

Look Good…Feel Bettercelebrates 20 years 10

Gift of Life Donor programearns medal of honor 11

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A testament to leadership

State cancer consortium earns 2009Award for Exemplary cancer control

Delaware cancer control efforts

■ Cancer Clinical Trials Program offers the latest cancer treatment optionsto reduce the number of cancer deaths in our state and surroundingcommunities. Christiana Care recruitment is seven times the nationalaverage, with 26 percent of adult cancer patients enrolled in NationalCancer Institute clinical trials.

■ High Risk Family Cancer Registry contains information on 60,000 individuals and more than 1,500 families who have cancer or are athigh risk for developing some form of the disease. The Registry is aninvaluable resource for scientists studying cancer incidence in familiesand developing new cancer screening and treatment tools.

■ Community Health Outreach and Education Program connects under-served and high-risk populations in New Castle County to screeningsfor cervical, breast and colorectal cancers, health education, patientnavigators and smoking cessation programs.

■ International Early Lung Cancer Action Program (I-ELCAP) has screenedmore than 1,500 individuals for early lung cancers when they are most treatable and offers smoking cessation programs to reduce adult smoking and the effects of secondhand smoke.

For the sixth consecutive year, the NewsJournal named Christiana Care a Best inthe Business employer, an honor based onemployee surveys from 97 companies.The newspaper published the rankings ina special insert on Sunday, Aug. 2.

Christiana Care is one of only 15 largeemployers honored.

Here is what some of the employees saidin the survey:■ I would highly recommend working at

this organization to others.■ I believe this organization is going in

the right direction.■ This organization motivates me to give

my very best at work.

■ I have confidence in the leader of thisorganization.

■ I have many opportunities to learn andgrow at this organization.

Five hundred randomly selected ChristianaCare employees participated in the survey.

The News Journal reported the results in an article titled “Delaware’s stellar compa-nies.” The paper said employees “wantleaders in charge, people who are good atcommunicating a vision and strategy forexecution, a collaborative environment thatallows them to comfortably have input andto consistently see effort and achievementrecognized, and an overriding sense thatthe enterprise wants them to grow, learnand make a career, not just money.”

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Modifiable risk factors

Power to End Stroke lunch sessionshelp recruit ambassadors to raise stroke awareness

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Five simple signs of a stroke

MS, RN,ACNS-BC, CCRN, CEN and new editor-in-chief of Nursing2009.

Stroke ambassador Patricia Butler ofPatient Accounting hopes that raisingawareness at her church will help othersavoid missing the signs if they are nearsomeone who starts having a stroke.

Linda Laskowski Jones, MS, RN,ACNS-BC, CCRN, CEN, vice presidentof Emergency, Trauma & AeromedicalServices at Christiana Care, has beennamed editor-in-chief of Nursing2009.

The peer-reviewed journal aims toimprove nursing practice by providingevidence-based practical information.Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, part ofWolters Kluwer Health, publishes themagazine, which has more than200,000 subscribers worldwide.

“This is an unsurpassed opportunityto lead the largest nursing journal inthe world and to positively impactnursing practice in this very challeng-ing, demanding era in our health carehistory,” says Laskowski Jones.

According to Theresa Steltzer, execu-tive publisher of Nursing2009, “Withmore than 25 years of clinical, education and leadership expertise,

Linda brings a wealth of clinical andprofessional knowledge to the journal.We’re honored to have her lead oureditorial team.”

Among her duties as editor-in-chief,Laskowski Jones will write a monthlycolumn.

Laskowski Jones is an accomplishedteacher, writer and speaker on the topics of emergency departments andthe trauma system. She is dedicated topromoting excellence in the dynamicart and science of nursing practice and enabling nurses to thrive profes-sionally. She is a site reviewer for the American College of SurgeonsCommittee on Trauma.

Previously, Laskowski Jones served onthe editorial board of the Journal ofEmergency Nursing. She is the 2007international award recipient of the

Linda Laskowski Jones named editor-in-chief of Nursing2009

Marie Hippensteel Lingeman Awardfor Excellence in Nursing Practicethrough Sigma Theta Tau.

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Physician satisfaction jumps significantly

T his year, Christiana Care scoredhigher on a physician satisfaction

survey than 75 percent of hospitalspolled nationwide.

From February to April, 506 physi-cians responded to a survey fromPress Ganey, a health care improve-ment consulting company, that meas-ured physician satisfaction withChristiana Care. More than 35 percentof physicians responded to the survey,up nearly a full point from the lastsurvey of this kind, conducted in2005.

In the 2005 survey, Christiana Carescored in the 71st percentile. Thisyear, physicians’ scores pushedChristiana Care’s overall satisfactionrating up almost 3½ points to 77.

“I was not surprised at all in theincrease. It reflects the growth andexcellence of the quality of our services and clinical care and theengagement of our Medical-Dentalstaff,” says Chief Medical OfficerJames Newman, M.D.

Among specialties, thoracic surgeryhad the highest level of satisfaction at97 percent.

Christiana Care physicians believeone of the system’s greateststrengths—and one of physicians’ topsources of satisfaction—is its “excel-lent medical and nursing staff.”

According to physicians surveyed,Christiana Care’s greatest strengthsalso include:

■ Excellent quality of care.

■ Financial stability.

■ Facility and technology.

■ Progressiveness.

■ Location and continued ties to community.

When asked for specific areas thatneed improvement, physicians cited:

■ Better communication, particularly in the ED.

■ More subspecialties for a hospital this size.

■ Better relationships with community physicians.

What does a higher level of physiciansatisfaction mean for everyone else atChristiana Care?

“Everybody likes to enjoy their workat Christiana Care Health System,and it’s better and easier to have

fun when doctors are satisfied,” Dr. Newman says.

Other surveys and reports about thehealth care industry are at www.pressganey.com.

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Still time to register for Heart WalkThere’s still time to register a team orjoin one of the existing groups fromChristiana Care for the 18th AnnualAmerican Heart Walk, Sunday, Sept. 13on the Wilmington Riverfront. Theevent aims to raise awareness aboutheart disease and stroke.

To register a walking team, go online towww.heartwalk.kintera.org/wilming-tonde. Individuals may join one of sev-eral teams from Christiana Care alreadylisted on the site, or start a new teamwith co-workers, friends and family.

The first 1,000 Christiana Care employ-ees to register receive a Christiana CareHeart Walk T-shirt. And, don’t forget,the Christiana Care team that raises themost money or has the most walkerswins a pizza party.

On-site registration begins at 8 a.m.The walk starts at 9 a.m.

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Upcoming events

C L I N I C A L N E W S

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Therapeutic notes

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C O N T I N U E D B O T T O M O F N E X T P A G E

Electroneuronography helps determine potential for rehabilitation after facial paralysis

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G E N E R A L N E W S

Special program celebrates 20 years of helping chemoand radiation therapy patients ‘Look Good and Feel Better’

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Christiana Care and Gift of Life partnership earns a Medal of Honor for leading the region in organ donation

Medal of Honor

Supporting Gift of Life

Solace for families

United Way of Delaware campaign begins Sept. 8Christiana Care’s United Way of Delaware campaign kicks off this year on Sept. 8 andruns through Oct. 30.

Our goal is to increase employee participationfrom previous years. Every gift—no matter the size—is important and counts toward our goal.

As in previous campaigns, you may designateto support:

■ The Community Impact Fund.

■ Five strategic focus areas to supportDelaware’s most crucial needs.

■ A specific 501(c)3 nonprofit organization ofyour choice.

Stay tuned to Focus and the portals for more information about how you can participate andhelp a neighbor in need.