MedWestPressan employee & physician centered publication of medical west

A L E T T E R F R O M K E I T H P E N N I N G T O N

19ISSU

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I N S I D E TH I S I SS U E

VOLUME 8

M eet you r cowo rkerMeet Pricilla Thompson

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octobercalen dar

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Latshaw m eet & greet Page 8

ski n ny pu m pki n breadPage 7

hospital eventsPage 2

com pliance co rn erPage 10

welcom e n ew em ployeesPage 12

you r fam i lyPage 14

appreciati on lu nchPage 9

fed m i leston ePage 9

octoberbi rth days

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October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This month, we take a moment to honor the fighters and survivors of this disease. We also strive to spread awareness about this disease and the ways it can be prevented, detected and treated.

This October, Medical West will be participating in several breast cancer awareness activities. First, I am proud to say that we sold over 350 breast cancer t-shirts and in turn, were able to donate over $3,200 for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Thank you to everyone who participated in this

fundraiser. I am excited to see all of you in pink every Friday this month.

Secondly, we will be hosting a breast cancer awareness Senior Care Luncheon on Friday, October 13th at the Bessemer Civic Center. Our guest speaker will be our new Family Medicine Physician at the Medical West Tannehill Health Center, Dr. Rasa Miller.

Finally, we will be hosting the Hoover vs. Thompson high school football game on Friday, October 27th at the Hoover Met. This is Hoover’s “pink-out” game of the year, meaning that everyone in attendance

will be encouraged to wear pink to spread awareness for breast cancer.

I am excited for Medical West to be a part of each of these activities this month. More importantly, I’m excited to be able to help promote such a worthwhile cause. The best protection is early detection – so let’s all do our part to help educate our surrounding community.

Thank you for all you do,

Keith Pennington

CEO & President

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YOUR NEWSNEWS Seasonal Flu Vaccine Effective October 1, 2017, all Medical West employees are required to get an annual seasonal flu vaccination. For the 2017- 2018 flu season, employees must provide proof of compliance by December 1, 2017. Employee Health is offering the influenza vaccine free of charge to all Medical West employees at the Employee Wellness Screenings. In addition, Employee Health will also hold flu vaccination drives throughout the Hospital, Clinics and other campus buildings during October and November. Employees may also get the flu vaccine at their doctor’s office, a retail pharmacy, or another location. However, to ensure we have record of compliance, employees must submit a document to Employee Health from the provider/pharmacy that provided the flu vaccine. For questions regarding this new policy, please review the Medical West Career website at www.medicalwesthospital.org/careers. Additional information will also be included in your Benefits Open Enrollment Toolkit. Benefits Update Open enrollment for 2018 benefits will be from November 5th through November 18th. We will have the Benefits Fair on Monday, November 6th and Tuesday, November 7th. All benefit changes, including enrollments or cancellations, must be completed in Benetrac by November 18th. The Benefits Open Enrollment Toolkit, along with several required notices, will be posted on the homepage in Benetrac. Login Instructions: Website: www.benetrac.com or www.medicalwesthospital.org (click on the Career Link and then the Benefits Link) Employer ID: HCAW3133 User ID: First initial of your first name, first initial of your last name and the first five numbers of your social security number First time password: Last four numbers of social security number PTO Repurchase Program We are pleased to announce that we will again offer an opportunity to sell back to the Hospital accrued PTO and accrued Sick Time. This repurchase program is completely voluntary. The PTO repurchase program is another way to use your leave in a way that best fits the your personal, professional, and financial goals. While this program provides the employee with more flexibility to better balance work and personal needs, Medical West does not want employees to minimize the importance of time off. Guidelines:

• You must be full-time and accruing PTO. • The rate of repurchase will be at 75% of your current regular base rate of pay (excluding bonuses, shift

differentials and other variable pay) per PTO hour and/or sick hour. • You must have a minimum accrued balance of 80.00 hours of PTO (no minimum for accrued

Sick Time) after the allotted buy back. • Employees will NOT accrue PTO on the PTO and/or sick hours that are paid out.

In order to participate in the voluntary repurchase program, you must complete, sign and return an authorization form to Human Resources (available in Human Resources and attached) by Friday, October 28th. Please refer to your October 21st paycheck for your available time off balances. Special checks will be issued on Friday, November 11th for those that participate in the program. These checks will not be automatically deposited. If you have any questions, please contact Human Resources.

IT’S TIME FOR YOUR

HEALTHSCREENING

Screening times are as follows:

Wednesday, October 4- Friday, October 66:30 am- 9:30 am

Tuesday, October 10th- Thursday, October 126:30 am- 9:30 am

Wednesday, October 11 (Night Shift)6:00 pm- 7:30 pm

TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT, CALL HUMAN RESOURCES AT 481-7105

Screenings will test for the following:

• Blood Pressure• Body Mass Index• Glucose• Cholestrol• Tobacco Usage• Flu Shots

YOUR NEWSNEWS

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YOUR NEWSNEWS

farmers

EVERY MONDAYTHROUGH OCTOBER!

11am - 2pmNow located on Level 1 in the Professional Building

Near Outpatient Registration & The Gift Shop

register your department for the pumpkin carving contestPumpkin Carving Contest Rules:

1) Your pumpkin must be carved in some form or fashion.2)All pumpkins must be brought to the front lawn by 10am. Employees will vote from 11am - 1pm.

Department prizes will be awarded to the top 3 pumpkins!Call ext. 8500 to register your department!

YOUR NEWSNEWS

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YOUR EVENTSEVENTS

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CALENDAR

2017 OCTOBER

Farm ers' market

Every Monday through October(Level 1 in the POB) A Farmers’ Market will be held every Monday through October outside the Gift Shop on level 1 in the POB from 11am - 2pm. Stop by and purchase local produce and more!

october bi rth day breakfast

Thursday, October 26th

@ 8:00am (Civic Room) All employees with an October birthday are invited to join us as we celebrate your special day! Join us for breakfast and enter for a chance to win some great door prizes! Call ext. 8500 to RSVP.

celebrati ng quality &i n fection control week

Monday, October 16th - Friday, October 20th

Noth i ng Bu n dt cake sale

Friday, October 6th(Outside the Cafeteria) On Friday, October 6th there will be a Nothing Bundt Cake Sale outside the cafeteria from 10am - 2pm. A percentage of the proceeds will support the Medical West Volunteers.

celebrati ng food services week

Monday, October 2nd - Friday, October 6th

celebrati ng Pastoralcare week

Monday, October 23rd - Friday, October 27th

celebrati ng respi ratorycare week

Monday, October 23rd - Friday, October 27th

celebrati ng case managem ent week

Monday, October 9th - Friday, October 13th

ghostly gri ll out

Tuesday, October 31st from 11am - 1pm (Front Lawn) All employees are invited to join us for a Ghostly Grillout on Monday, October 31st on the front lawn! If you would like to participate in the pumpkin carving contest, please call marketing at ext. 8500. Halloween costumes (in good taste) are welcome!

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YOUR HEALTHHEALTH

source: http://popculture.com/healthlyliving

Skinny Pumpkin and Cream Bread

BREAD:• 1½ cups Pumpkin Purée• ½ cup unsweetened applesauce• 1 egg + 3 egg whites• 1 (15.25-ounce) box spice cake mix (dry

mix only)• 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar• 1 teaspoon baking soda• ½ teaspoon cinnamon• ½ teaspoon ground cloves• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350º F.

For the batter: With an electric mixer, beat the pumpkin, applesauce, egg, and egg whites on medium speed until smooth. In a separate bowl, combine the dry cake mix, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Slowly mix the dry mixture into the pumpkin mixture.

For the cream cheese filling: Beat the cream cheese, agave, stevia, flour, egg whites and vanilla until creamy and smooth.

Lightly grease two 9-inch loaf pans. Divide half of the cake batter between the two pans. Pour half of the cream filling in one pan and the other half in the second pan and smooth with the back of a spoon.

Using a knife, swirl the filling around the pan.

Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Don’t over-bake or your bread will be dry on the edges. Cool and remove from pans. Cut each loaf into 8 slices. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

CREAM FILLING:• 1 (8-ounce) package ⅓-less-fat cream cheese• 2 tablespoons organic agave nectar• 1 tablespoons stevia• 1 tablespoon whole wheat white flour• 2 egg whites• 1 teaspoon vanilla

INGREDIENTS:

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YOUR HOSPITALHOSPITALOn Thursday, September 21st, we welcomed our newest doctor and his clinic to the Medical West family, Dr. Michael J. Latshaw - Otolaryngologist. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Latshaw, call (205) 481-8620.

Medical West Otolaryngology Health Center Ribbon Cutting

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YOUR HOSPITALHOSPITALAppreciation LunchOn Wednesday, September 27th we honored the Plant Operations Department and members from Bio Med for their help and teamwork during the recent hospital flood. Thank you to each of you for your hard work and dedication to our facility. We appreciate you!

FED Hits Milestone!On Tuesday, September 26th, the Medical West Freestanding Emergency Department saw their 50,000th patient! A special thank you to our FED team for your hard work and dedication to Medical West and our patients. We appreciate you!

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One of the most critical elements of a Compliance Program is to build a culture of compliance. A culture of compliance requires everyone to work together to demonstrate ethical conduct and a commitment to comply with regulations, laws, and policies.

Employees should work together to behave ethically and with integrity. One way to do this is to follow policies and procedures, and report to supervisors any actions that go against the Compliance Program.

Here are a few other tools that help assist with promoting a culture of compliance:

HONESTY – being fair and truthful.

TRANSPARENCY – promoting accountability and providing information.

RELIABILITY – doing what is expected or promised.

FLEXIBILITY – being able to adapt to challenges and be open to alternatives.

RESILIENCY – recovering quickly from circumstances and setbacks.

Building a culture of compliance allows for employees to feel confident about their role, enhances the value of work, and maintains the integrity of our organization.

compliance cornerMEDICAL WEST

reportit!

If you have questions or concerns related to compliance, please contact Eugena White, Medical West Compliance Officer, at 481-8735. You may also ask questions or report concerns anonymously by calling

the Compliance Hotline at 1-800-340-5877.

BUILDING A CULTURE OF COMPLIANCE

YOUR HOSPITALHOSPITAL

YOUR FAMILYFAMILY

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Priscilla Thompson is a Salad Maker in our Food and Nutition Services Department and has been with Medical West for 21 years. Priscilla is from Bessemer, AL and went to Abrams High School.

Fun Facts About Priscilla Thompson:

1. I have three kids - Lateda, Latisha and Lanisha

2. My daughter Lateda works here at Medical West.

3. I have seven grandkids, five girls and two boys.

4. I have three dogs, one poodle and two chihuahuas.

5. I love listening to gospel music.

6. I love spending time with my grandkids.

7. I enjoy watching my grandson play football.

8. I love working here at Medical West!

PRISCILLA THOMPSONFood Services

Meet Your Co-Worker

YOUR FAMILYFAMILY

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Elizabeth Barnette, Physical TherapyElizabeth will be joining Medical West as a Speech Therapist. She is from McCalla, AL, is married and has three children. She enjoys traveling, the outdoors, and CrossFit.

Clayton Becker, Gastroenterology Clayton is from Seattle, WA, and will be joining the GI Lab as an Endo Tech. He and his wife, Sarah, enjoy hiking, traveling, and reading.

Paula Bolinger, Case ManagementPaula is from Jasper, AL, and will be joining Medical West as a Case Manager. She enjoys Bible journaling and watching football games in her spare time.

Pamela Bradford, Business OfficePamela is from McCalla, AL, and will be joining Medical West as a Data Entry Clerk. She is married and has three children. She enjoys going to church.

Jessica Bromstad, ICUJessica is from Sunflower, AL, and will be joining the ICU as an RN. She enjoys spending time with her friends.

Trista Browning, ICTTrista will be joining ICT as an LPN. She is from McCalla, AL and has two children. She enjoys writing. Jennifer Brand, ERJennifer is from Hoover, AL, and will be joining the ER as an RN. She is married and has two children. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family and Jesus.

Lisa Doss, ERLisa will be joining the ER as an RN. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, rescuing dogs, and hiking.

Rachael Fincher, ERRachael is from Vance, AL, and will be joining the ER as a PCT. In her spare time, she enjoys watching the Crimson Tide play football.

Medical WestWelcomes the

Newest Members of Our Family!

Michael Ford, ERMichael is from Tuscaloosa, AL, and will be joining the ER as an RN. He enjoys fitness, playing guitar, and being outdoors.

Fredareica Grayson, 4NFredareica will be joining 4N as a PCT. She is from Birmingham, AL, and has three children. She enjoys going to football games.

Kailyn Hallford, FEDKailyn will be joining the FED as a Patient Access Representative. She is from Hueytown, AL, and in her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and her two children.

Electra Hill, ENT ClinicElectra will be joining the ENT Clinic as an LPN. She is from Pleasant Grove, AL, and in her spare time, she enjoys reading and traveling with her family.

Quishunda Hutchinson, E/SQuishunda will be joining E/S as an E/S Assistant. She is from Anniston, AL.

(continued on next page)

YOUR FAMILYFAMILY

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Beth Hyde, RadiologyBeth is from Hueytown, AL, and will be joining Medical West as a Student Radiology Tech. She enjoys spending time with her dog.

Angelica Jenkins, ERAngelica is from Jackson, AL, and will be joining us as an RN. She has two sons, and enjoys listening to music.

Rachel Kendrick, ICURachel is from McCalla, AL, and will be joining the ICU as an RN. She enjoys working, DIY crafts, and spending time with friends and family.

Sara Lucas, FEDSara is from Bessemer, AL, and will be joining the FED as a Radiology Tech. She is married and has two sons. She enjoys watching baseball in her spare time.

Madison Morris, RadiologyMadison will be joining Medical West as a Student Radiology Tech. She is from Alabaster, AL, and in her spare time, she enjoys hanging out with her dogs.

Andranese Moton, Patient AccessAndranese is from Bessemer, AL, and will be joining Medical West as a Patient Access Representative.

Robert Palmer, Plant Operations Robert is from Birmingham, AL, and will be joining Medical West as a Maintenance Mechanic. He enjoys spending his spare time with his wife, Denise.

Stephen Parsons, LabStephen is from Bessemer, AL, and will be joining Medical West as a Lab Courier. In his spare time, he enjoys playing golf.

Zachary Pritchett, Case ManagementZachary will be joining Medical West as an RN Case Manager. He is from New Hope, AL, and enjoys travel and civic involvement.

Breanna Rogers, FEDBreanna is from Tuscaloosa, AL, and will be joining the FED as a PCT. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, making wreaths, and watching Netflix.

Jamie Sloan, FEDJamie will be joining the FED as a Radiology Tech. She is from Gardendale, AL, and in her spare time, she enjoys being with family and friends.

Angel Steve, 3EAngel will be joining 3E as a PCT. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends.

Meagan Stringfellow, ERMeagan is from Tuscaloosa, AL, and will be joining Medical West as an RN. She enjoys spending time with family in her spare time.

Christian Taylor, ERChristian is from Bay Minette, AL, and will be joining the ER as a PCT. She is excited to be joining the Medical West family.

Erin Teague, Womens’ CenterErin will be joining Medical West’s Women’s Center as an RN. She is married with three children and enjoys photography in her spare time.

Perla Tena, RadiologyPerla is from Pelham, AL, and will be joining Medical West as a Student Radiology Tech. She manages her own soccer league and enjoys playing the sport in her free time.

Janice Tombrello, ERJanice is from Blocksburg, VA, and will be joining Medical West as an RN. She is a singer/songwriter and plays both the piano and guitar.

Dingmin Yin, CodingDingmin is from Wuhan, China, and will be joining Coding as a Clinic Coder. In his spare time, he enjoys playing tennis.

(continued from previous page)

YOUR FAMILYFAMILY

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Meet A DepartmentCelebrating Food & Nutrition Services Week

The Medical West Food and Nutrition Services Department is made up of approximately 50 full-time employees and 5 part-time employees. The café is on the C level of the POB, the kitchen is on the G level in the main hospital, the dietitians are located on 5th floor in the POB and the diet clerks are located next to the kitchen on the ground floor of the hospital. It is the mission of the Food and Nutrition Services Department to serve healthy and nutritious meals to our patients while also meeting dietary restrictions which are sometimes required as part of their treatment plan. Patients are also provided with 1-3 snacks/day. For employees and guests, we provide a hot breakfast from 6am-11am daily, and a variety of meats, veggies and sandwiches from 11am-2pm and 4pm-7pm daily in the cafeteria. A typical day in the Food and Nutrition Services Department includes ordering and stocking of food, preparing and serving approximately 1200 meals/day, and clean up after each meal. On an average, we cater 6-7 special functions weekly. We stock nursing units with snack foods and sodas for the patients. We also provide a catering menu for employees and to the public. It’s tough to say there is a typical day for the dietitians! They begin each day with a “to do” list- including new patient assessments, patient follow-ups, nutrition support roundings, and scheduled outpatients. However, throughout the day, things always get shaken up by consults, patient satisfaction rounds, and fielding staff/patient requests as they are zipping through the halls! The Diet Clerks stay busy all day organizing patient menus, visiting patients for food preferences, answering the phones, tabbing production sheets for the cooks for the next day, and helping our patients stay satisfied with their food while maintaining their prescribed diets. The Dietitians, Diet Clerks, and Food Service Staff enjoy working hard together to help serve our hospital, patients, and community!

- Ginger Carroll, Director of Food and Nutrition Services

YOUR FAMILYFAMILY

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The CT Department recently received a positive comment from a patient’s family.

“Thanks for the excellent service provided to my mother. Every time we come, you make her feel comfortable. She is 89 and very nervous when she is there for a test. You provide the best service. Thank you & God Bless!”

Thank you to the entire CT Department for making a difference. We appreciate you!

Pat on the Back

Cindy Nordness RetiresCindy Nordness, X-Ray Tech, has retired after 30 years of dedicated and loyal service to Medical West. Thank you Cindy for all you’ve done for The Bessemer Clinic and Medical West.

Congratulations to our 1 & 5 Year Employees!

Congratulations to the following employees for reaching milestones of dedication and service to Medical West. We appreciate you!

Meagan DeeseTonia BlanksMeoshia AbramsVonita BlackJohn BurtonMary CountsJessie FranklinHeather MinnieceKaitlin ChampionBrooke Smith

Kara VinesByron WilliamsJordan MottMisty SmithAshley BeardChad ChesserVicki MitchellLatrenda HeardCameron BostickIesha Calhoun

Jason ClarkElijah HollinsAmanda M. JohnsonMorgan DykesAlric LewisAshley StewartStacey WellsAnna LockhartKenneth HoganTasha Little

1 Year Employees

Milisha Leatherwood

5 Year Employees

EMPLOemployee of the month

Vickie Robinson

SEPTEMBER 2017

congratulations to vickie robinson for receiving our september employee of the month award. vickie exhibits each of the medical west values and

we are honored to have her as part of our team. thank you vickie for your outstanding performance and commitment to medical west!

MEDICAL WESTcongratulates our

E n v i r o n m e n t a l S e r v i c e s

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YOUR FAMILYFAMILY

Thanks for reading this issue of Med West Press!If you have a Pat on the Back or a special feature you would like to see

in our next issue, please email it to caroline.dahlen@uabmw.org.

it's your birthday October 1: Kathy Canoles, Leslie Davis, Lauren Foster, Joseph Fulmer, Gretchen Jones, Theresa Jones, Cynthia Nordness, Fred Parsons; October 2: Ralph Price; October 3: Janet Case, Loral Cottingham, Stefane’ Glover, Anna Hyde, Chammie Richey, Derrick Williams; October 4: Tara Crumpton, Lula Echols, Taylor Pattillo, Matha Rogers; October 5: Kenneth Devall, Jessica Hyde; October 6: Karen Bishop, Andrea Crocker, Tommy Davis, Lysanias Taylor; October 7: Rachel Allen, Kate McConathy, Mary Riley; October 8: Raunda Atkins, Mary Falls, Princess Stewart, Joanna Webb; October 9: Teona Dunning, Jennifer Hadaway, Wendy Harrison-William, Melea Kizziah; October 10: Kate Armstrong, Tonia Blanks, Paul Hubbard, Heather Pardue, Rayna Pinion, Andrew Shaw; October 11: Chelsea Beck, Kristen Gallups, Willa Madden, Joshua Raymond, Scott Rogers; October 12: John Ewing, Gabrielle Madden, Tamara Patterson, Angel Warren; October 13: Kaitlyn Handley, Charles Mayes, Heather Minniece, Kristopher Mitchell, Jessica Pittman; October 14: Ginger Carroll, Erika Hiatt, Amanda Nabors, Rosetta Rembert, Donna Squires; October 15: Andria Moffett; October 16: James Deadwyler, Jacquese Holifield, Terri Jimerson, Jabrayla Mayfield, Vicki Rigsby; October 17: Walter McAlister, Miata Morgan, Barbara Roddam, Anja West; October 18: Kelly Acker; October 20: Keith Brown, Karen Holman, Donna Youngblood; October 21: Timothy Ferlisi, Mary Thomas; October 22: John Foran, Stephanie Marable; October 23: Chanika Smith; October 24: Jeremy Johnson, Renee Snodderly, Amy Waldrop; October 25: Gwendolyn Johnson, Tena Thrasher; October 26: Ginger Cash, Nickolas Rouse; October 27: Wanda Barnett, Kristie Black, Evelyn Franks, Brenda Morning, Donnie Pinkard; October 28: Tonia Lewis, Patricia Quinn, Jonathan Wilson; October 29: Myan Brown, Kristina Storey; October 30: Harini Doppalapudi, Brittany Montgomery, Daniel Welch; October 31: Dana Allen, Mindy Wilder, Suzette Williams

YOUR FAMILY

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