NEWSBREAKAn employee newsletter about MidState Medical Center December 2, 2011

CALENDAR OF EVENTS Cancer Center

“Healthy Steps”Monday, December 5, 5:15 to 6:15 PM

Location: The Village at Kensington Place511 Kensington Ave., Meriden

Pre-registration is required; Cost: FREECall Katherine Clements, RN, ONC

at (203) 694-8463

Family Birthing CenterBreastfeeding Support Group

Tuesday, December 6, 11:00 AM to NoonLocation: MidState Medical Services,

61 Pomeroy Ave., MeridenConference Room 1

Registration not required; Cost: FREECall Dawn Flohr, RN, BSN, IBCLC

at (203) 694-8328

Cancer Center“Pilates for Breast Cancer Survivors”Thursday, December 8, 5:00 to 6:00 PM

Location: Horwitz Conference CenterConference Rooms 2 and 3

MidState Medical Center, 435 Lewis Ave.Registration and physician permission

is required Call Katherine Clements, RN, ONC

at (203) 694-8463

Cancer Center“Art Therapy”

Thursday, December 8, 6:00 to 7:00 PMLocation: Cancer Center Conference RoomMidState Medical Center, 435 Lewis Ave.

Registration is required Call Katherine Clements, RN, ONC

at (203) 694-8463

Healthy Lifestyles“Kundalini Yoga”

Thursday, December 8, 7:15 to 8:30 PMSpeaker: Karen McGuiness, APRN, MSNLocation: Horwitz Conference Center,

Conference Rooms 2 and 3MidState Medical Center, 435 Lewis Ave.

Registration is required;Cost: $55 for 6 classes

Call (860) 604-4682 to registerFor more information on other MidState

programs/events, please visit: www.midstatefocus.org

“ ”What our patients say about us...

“My overall assessment of MidState in everycategory was better than “very good...

It was outstanding!”

When breast cancer sur-vivor Christine Willett wasdiagnosed in 2007, she quicklydiscovered that social supportwas just as important to herhealing as good medical treat-ment. Christine was diag-

nosed with breast cancer atthe young age of only 30. Shewas 7 months pregnant withher second child. During thetime, Christine found yoga

Donation from local organizationbenefits cancer patients

See “Donation” on page 2.

Have you ever wonderedwhat happens to the patientswe care for after they leavethe hospital and returnhome? Are they healing prop-erly, taking their medicine orfollowing up on prescribed

treatments? As part of theHartford HealthCare system,VNA HealthCare is our criticalhomecare partner who pro-vides the continuity of care

Improving patient quality and satisfactionwith VNA HealthCare’s Home HealthServices

See “Quality” on page 10.

Christine Willett (middle) presents a check for $2,500 to Abbi Bruce, director of ThePalladino Family Cancer Center.

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EmployeeComplianceLine(1-855-HHC-OCAP)www.HHC.OCAPComplianceLine.comMonday-Friday9:00 AM to 8:00 PMA toll-free Employee ComplianceLine isavailable to you when you have aquestion or concern regarding improperor illegal conduct and do not feelcomfortable discussing the matter withyour supervisor or Human Resources’representative. Although you areencouraged to identify yourself, you maymake an anonymous report. All reportsof improper and illegal conduct will beinvestigated promptly.

Information from your call will becommunicated with the CorporateCompliance Officer for investigation andresponse. No disciplinary action will betaken solely on the basis of theComplianceLine report.

A non-retaliation policy has beenadopted to assure that there will be noreprisal for good faith reporting of actualor possible violations of the Code ofConduct. We will endeavor to keep youridentity confidential to the extentpermitted by law.

Safety HotlineX47233All employees of MidState MedicalCenter are encouraged to anonymouslyreport any safety concerns they mayhave to the dedicated Safety Hotline.Calls can be placed 24 hours a day,seven days a week.

All concerns are investigated withoutcomes of the investigation publishedin NEWSBREAK. Help make MidState asafer place for everyone.

NewsBreak InformationNEWSBREAK is published every Friday,except Thanksgiving, Christmas, andNew Years. Articles for submission aredue by 12:00 noon on precedingTuesdays. Submissions may be sent toChuck Kuhn in Community Relationsvia interoffice mail, faxed to(203) 694-7650, or e-mailed to:ckuhn@midstatemedical.org.

When submitting articles via email,please attach them as MS Worddocuments. Every effort will be madeto run the article in its entirety, butdue to space constraints and stylerequirements, editing may benecessary. Thank you.

EmployeeComplianceLineand SafetyHotline

Community Relations(203) 694-8733

www.midstatemedical.org

✆Music for the week of December 5♪ Monday, December 5, 11:00

a.m. to 1:00 p.m. GuitaristGlenn Roth will perform atthe Main Entrance.

♪ Monday, December 5, 3:00to 4:00 p.m. Vocalist “EastChicago” Joe Cadena willperform in the receptionarea outside Pavilion B.

♪ Tuesday, December 6, 3:00to 4:00 p.m. Pianist JohnSwingler will perform inthe reception area outsidePavilion B.

♪ Wednesday, December 7,10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.Pianist John Lomartra willperform in the receptionarea outside Pavilion B.

♪ Thursday, December 8,11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.Diane Annelli will playguitar and sing in thereception area outsidePavilion A.

♪ Friday, December 9, 1:30 to2:30 p.m. Pianist Tara Lescowill perform at the MainEntrance.

♪ Friday, December 9, 4:00 to5:00 p.m. Saxophonist DonFiore will perform in thereception area outsidePavilion A.

♪ Saturday, December 10,10:30 to 11:30 a.m. CharlesKaplan will play guitar andsing in the reception areaoutside Pavilion B.

and reflexology to be extreme-ly calming and helpful.Thanks to Christine and hernon-profit organization, Afterthe Storm, more patients willbe able to benefit fromintegrative therapies.

This week Christine paid aspecial visit to MidState todeliver a $2,500 check to ThePalladino Family CancerCenter. Abbi Bruce, director ofThe Palladino Family CancerCenter; Kathy Clements, RN,OCN, breast care coordinator;and Denise Jones-Gagne,program coordinator, were onhand to receive the donation.

“Unfortunately, integrativetherapies are not covered byinsurance companies, andmany patients undergoingcancer treatment cannotalways afford them. Theyreally helped me when I wasgoing through treatment. Thiswill help other patients inter-ested in integrative therapies

offset the cost,” said Christine. “Your medical treatment is

something you need to do, butthis is something that’s nice todo. It’s a luxury, and manycancer patients find thatintegrative therapies helpreduce their stress, which isvery important during cancertreatment,” said Kathy.

The Cancer Center will usefunds from the donation forits Survivorship Symposiumscheduled for Saturday,January 21, at the AugustaCurtis Cultural Center inMeriden. Those who attendthe event will receive acertificate redeemable for anintegrative therapy of theirchoice, such as a massage,Reiki treatment, reflexologysession, or therapeutic yogaclass. The sessions will beoffered at MidState.

Many thanks to Christineand After the Storm for awonderful gift that will helpmany of our patients findpeace and needed relaxation.

“Donation,” from page 1.

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It’s time again to beginthinking about the holidaysand what we can do to helpthose less fortunate than usexperience the wonder of theseason. MidState has partici-pated in the United Way’sAdopt-a-Family program forseveral years, and in the past,

has had as many as 19departments generously adoptfamilies in need. Departmentsor individuals who areinterested in adopting a familythis year should contactWanda Guzman at the UnitedWay at (203) 235-4403, Ext. 12.Wanda will put you in touch

with a local family’s wish list,as well as the agency thatworks directly with yourfamily. All unwrapped giftsmust be dropped off to theagency with enough time toget to the family before theholidays.

Adopt-a-Family through the United Way

As of January 2011, therewere only 11 nurses in thestate of Connecticut with aCardiac Medicine Certification(CMC). Did you know thatthree of those nurses areMidState nurses? That’s right.Tara Ferrauolo, RN, CCRN-CMC, from Pavilion C; OfeliaCampo, RN, CCRN-CMC, fromPavilion C; and KathleenBarta, RN. CCRN-CMC, from

Nursing Education are amongthe high ranking nurses whohold this certification.

A CMC is obtained throughthe American Association ofCritical Care Nurses, a nation-al advisory board that setsand maintains standards forcritical care nurses.Certifications in critical carenursing (CCRN) are alsoavailable and must be earned

prior to CMC. Those with this certifica-

tion, which is difficult toobtain, are looked upon bymany in the field as demon-strating special expertise anda desire to advance theirknowledge base and skill set.MidState is proud to havesuch a high percentage ofCMC nurses at its institution!

Betcha didn’t know…

Staff in the SpotlightMidState is pleased to

announce that DonnaMcBrien, RN, MSN hasjoined MidState MedicalCenter as nurse manager ofthe Digestive Health Center.Donna has extensive healthcare experience in acutecare, ambulatory surgery,and nursing education. Shespent the past fourteen yearsof her career with the Stateof Connecticut Departmentof Education, where she heldvarious positions, mostrecently as Department Headof Nursing Education. Priorto that, Donna spent eightyears in a Post Anesthesialeadership position atMiddlesex Surgical Center. Donna obtained her Masterof Science, Nursing degreefrom Canyon College inCaldwell, ID and Master ofScience, HealthcareManagement fromRensselaer at Hartford.Please extend a warm

welcome to Donna as shejoins the Digestive HealthCenter team.

MidState is also pleased toannounce the appointmentof Donald Lombino, MD asthe permanent MedicalDirector of EmergencyServices. Dr. Lombino hasbeen with EMP since 1997.He was most recently theDirector and Chair ofEmergency Medicine atStamford Hospital. He is alsocurrently the Chairman ofthe EMP Medical Board, andserves on the RRG RiskManagement Committee. Heis a residency trained boardcertified Diplomate of theAmerican Board ofEmergency Medicine.

Dr. Lombino is a memberand Fellow of the AmericanCollege of EmergencyPhysicians. He earned hisBachelor’s Degree from theUniversity of California atIrvine, his Master’s Degree

from Kent State Universityand his Doctorate ofMedicine from the Universityof Cincinnati. He completedhis emergency medicine resi-dency training at the AkronGeneral Medical Center.

Team building, operationsimprovement, and processdevelopment are his passion.At Stamford Hospital, Dr.Lombino was able to create ateam of residency trained,board certified emergencymedicine professionals whowere aligned to deliverefficient patient centeredcare. Measurements of suc-cess include door-to-doctortime of 30 minutes, aphysician in triage program,multi-disciplinary peerreview process, and fail safeprocess for laboratory andradiology follow up.

Please join us incongratulating Dr. Lombinoand wishing him muchsuccess in his new role.

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Since beginning ourMidState Moment campaignin November, we havereceived 338 MidStateMoment cards to date! This isnearly three times the numberof MidState Moments givenduring a typical month. Thankyou to all staff who took timeto write a MidState Momentand thank a fellow coworkerfor a job well done. Below area few more exemplaryMidState Moments thatdemonstrate our values ofIntegrity, Caring, Excellenceand Safety:

To a member of theCQI Office

I wanted to recognize ajob well done while youperformed the duties of AOCduring a difficult week. Youare of one of the hardestworking people I know, and we

are lucky to have you at ourorganization!

To a member ofCare Management

During the power outage atthe hospital, despite nothaving electricity in your ownhome, fallen trees anddowned wires, you came tohelp with the patients’assessment and properplacement. You thought aboutour patients’ safety before youconsidered your own. Thankyou.

To a member ofService Access

Thanks for all your supportand teamwork on November11. In an effort to prepare fordown time, you were a greathelp to the third shift. I reallyappreciated your help withgetting all the patients in the

main ED registered beforedown time. Thanks again, andit’s great having you on ourteam.

To the Pharmacy DepartmentI want to take this

opportunity to acknowledgeyou and your team for themagnificent HCAHPS resultswe got last quarter in theMedications section. Othershave an impact on this aswell, but you are the realleaders. In one year, the topbox score has moved from56% to 69%, from the 16thpercentile nationally to the88th, and from the 12thpercentile in Connecticut tothe top of the heap (99thpercentile). Compared to theBaldrige winners, we are atthe 89th percentile. WOW!

More MidState Moments showcase our values

We may have met our goalfor employee flu vaccinations,but our numbers are stillincreasing. Currently, 904MidState employees and affili-ates have been vaccinated.This is a 67% vaccination rate.We want to remind all

employees that anyone stillinterested in receiving a flushot can schedule an appoint-ment with Erika Perricone atX48325. If you have receivedyour flu vaccination else-where, please call MaryannHolyfield in Employee Health

at X48642 or emailmholyfi@midstatemedical.orgto let her know. We can stillcapture your information, andit will be included in ourpercentage of employees whohave been vaccinated.

Have you gotten your flu shot?

Diamond Belejack, CAVS,Manager of Volunteer Services,has been selected to serve onthe first School GovernanceCouncil at John Barry School.

The council consists of 7parents, 5 teachers, 2 commu-nity members, and John BarrySchool principal Karen Dahn.The purpose of this council isadvisory in nature and willconduct such work as assist-ing the school administrationin creating parent compacts,analyzing school achievementdata and school needs as theyrelate to the school’s improve-

ment plan, reviewing the fiscalobjectives of the school’s draftbudget, and assisting the prin-cipal in making programmaticand operational changes toimprove the school’s achieve-ment.

MidState has enjoyed along-standing school-businesspartnership with John BarryElementary School since 1995and was recently recognizedby the Meriden Board ofEducation with theCommunity Support Awardacknowledging this successfulpartnership.

Congratulations!

Diamond Belejack

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The Gift Gallery will beholding a Holiday Sale on bothDecember 10 and 11. Twentypercent will be taken off on all

merchandise that is red orgreen on Thursday, December10. And on Friday, December11, twenty percent will be

taken off of anything gold orsilver!

Gift Gallery Holiday Sale set for December 10 and 11

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In the November 11 editionof NewsBreak, we featured anarticle on MediQuickCheshire’s grand openingevents. In that article, we

thanked many individuals fortheir contributions to theproject, but neglected torecognize the MaterialsManagement department. A

big thanks goes out to theMaterials Management teamfor their hard work andcommitment!

Let’s not forget about Materials Management!

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Ho, ho, ho...

Santa is coming to MidState Medical Center!That’s right, Santa is coming

to MidState Medical Center tovisit all good boys and girls ofMidState, Radiology Associatesand CLP employees who work at435 Lewis Avenue.

This year’s Children’sChristmas Party will be held onMonday, December 12, from6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the HorwitzConference Center at LewisAvenue. Please sign up as soon

as possible as there is a capacitylimit for the conference rooms.We are asking that only twoadults sign up per child.

There will be entertainmentfor the children as well as a visitfrom Santa Claus. Cookies andjuice will be served. Volunteersare needed to bake, takepictures during the party, passout gifts and assist in keepingthe evening organized.

If you are bringing a child,please drop off a wrapped gift of$10 or less with the child’s fullname to Human Resources, inthe Cornerstone Pavilionbeginning on December 8.

If you are planning to attendand/or volunteer, please fill outthe form(s) below and returnthem to Human Resources byTuesday, December 6. If you havequestions, call 694-8286.

q I WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND THE CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS PARTY

Employee Name: _______________________________________________ Extension: _________

Number Attending: Adults: __________ Children: __________

q I WOULD LIKE TO VOLUNTEER FOR THE CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS PARTY

q I would like to help at the party q Take photos q Pass out gifts

q I would like to bake cookies for the party

Employee Name: _______________________________________________ Extension: _________

Please fill out and return this form to Human Resources.

$

$

Ho, ho, ho...

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On Tuesday, December 6,from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., TheVillage at Kensington Placewill host its second annualWreath Stroll to benefit

MidState’s Palladino FamilyCancer Center. Localbusinesses have generouslysupported this event bydecorating and donating a

holiday wreath. We encourageyou to stop by in support ofMidState and stroll thebeautiful wreaths.

Wreath Stroll to benefit The Palladino Family Cancer Center

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The Food ServiceDepartment announces itsannual employee holidaydinner set for Wednesday,

December 14, during thelunchtime and dinnertimehours. Members of generalmanagement will be on hand

to serve up a hearty, deliciousmeal. Mark the date!

Holiday dinner set for December 14

necessary to helps ourpatients recover with comfort,dignity, and maximizingindependence and outcomes. Home healthcare is thecritical partnership bestpositioned to forming aneffective bridge betweenhospitals and home, especiallyfor high-risk groups such asolder adults coping withmultiple health problems.

Through our partnershipwith VNA HealthCare, we areable to elevate the standardsof care we provide to patientsin our community. As one ofConnecticut’s oldest andlargest home care agencies,VNA HealthCare’s skilled andspecialty nursing and therapyprograms serve as thenecessary means for our

physicians, dischargeplanners, and our patientsand their family to arrange forpost hospitalization care. Thisextension of the medical carethey receive from the hospitalensures that our patientscontinue to receive the propermedical attention which helpsthem recover and avoidneedless and costly hospitalreadmission.

They offer routine medicalsurgical care as well asspecialty nursing serviceprograms, including skillednursing, physical & occupa-tional therapy, medical socialwork and nutritional consults;re-admission avoidance pro-grams such as cardiac diseasemanagement, diabetes man-agement, pain management,telehealth monitoring andadvanced would care; hospice

and palliative care and vitalhome monitoring and person-al care services through theirIndependent Living Services. Transitioning from the hospi-tal to home can be a stressfuland confusing time for anypatient. VNA HealthCare’sonsite nurse liaison, DeborahMazur, plays a vital role inmaking families feel securewith this transition by answer-ing any questions, whileassisting hospital dischargeplanning by serving as thecentral point of contact forcoordinating necessary homecare programs.

VNA HealthCare providesthe highly trained homehealth care professionals thatmake home health care refer-ral a productive, comfortingexperience to meet ourpatients’ needs.

Dear Cindy (Russo),I am writing to thank

MidState Medical Center for thenursing assistance that youprovided during Winter StormAlfred at the town’s shelter. Whilewe were well prepared to operatea storm shelter, we were not pre-

pared for the number of medicallyfragile residents that would seekshelter in our facility.

The nursing volunteers fromMidState played a criticallyimportant role in helping us meetthese myriad of medical needs.Please extend my deepest

appreciation to those nurseswho assisted us during this mostchallenging experience.

Gratefully yours,Michael A. Milone,Town Manager, Cheshire

A letter of thanks

“Quality,” from page 1.

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DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS!1 Susan Boucher1 Kaitlyn Flynn1 Christine Pleckaitis1 Samantha A. Thomas2 Vivian P. Baran2 Meegan Przybylski2 Roseanne Rivera2 Joan Roche3 Harriet L. Doehr3 Olive Gaydowen3 Janice L. Grodzki3 Kim Mullally3 Linda Nugent3 Noelle M. Roles3 Deborah Rosario3 Elizabeth M. Schmitt4 Kenneth Chichester4 Karen A. Furr4 Eric Kamens4 Kristine M. Sabatucci5 Patricia A. Muli5 Kim Tiedemann6 Cynthia Gaioni6 Kristiana Gregg6 Susanne Whalen6 Linda Kata7 Kristine Cantone7 Bridgette M. Gaudreau7 Barbara Raczynski7 Vivian Tentoni7 Patricia Coventry8 Susan T. Greenwood8 Maria C. Lawlor8 Mary K. Poniatowski8 Shana Thomas9 Judyth L. Denya10 Jennifer B. Arborio10 Melisa A. Bellantuono10 Milagros Chabla10 Darlene Marie Ferrari10 Ryan C. Nadeau10 Nancy Post10 Megan Ryan10 Veronica Santor10 Judith A. Van Steenbergen11 Jaclyn Brancato11 Mary Volker12 Mary Christiano12 Lisa Fuller12 Suzzane L. Williams13 Susan H. White

13 Faithlyn Wilson14 Sara Beardsley14 Darlene Guerrera14 Francis Zehren14 Charles Murphy15 Susan Bryan15 Carol F. Geleneau15 Lynn Robillard16 Mark D. Copeland16 Linda Kleszcz16 Sarah Burt17 Linda S. Brown17 Susan M. Duclos17 Mary Ellen Langan17 Rosalind Melnicoff18 Nereida Cardona18 Jose A. Cruz18 Dana Grato18 Nancy Sheehan18 Janique Y. Simard18 Erika Skinnon18 Christopher Vallas19 Robert Whitehouse20 Eileen Tobin21 Devine Russell21 Carol Walton22 Anna Carol Kofsuske22 Emily Ortiz22 Rachid Yassine23 Tracey Brown23 Catherine Smith24 Natalie Danard24 Jessica Patino24 Marci Uliase25 Winda Cruz25 Rhianon Iassogna-Roman25 Nicole Schmarr25 Natalie DeMaio26 Yolanda Gutierrez26 Jeanne A. Rocha26 Elizabeth A. Ryder-Battisti27 Laurie Beaudry27 Erik Copeland27 Stacie Lindemann27 Christina Pires27 Patricia Tavalozzi27 Corey Wilson27 John Moreno28 Cheryl Conroy28 Sarah Merchant28 Camille Roach

28 Patricia Trautner28 Maryanne Volkringer29 Jaimie Caporossi29 Vannesa Reyes30 Peter Bull30 Candy Burkenbine-Yamaguchi30 Marcy L. DiPasquale30 Jennifer Moran30 Kristine Ohler-Zullo31 Sayyaphone Angkhavong31 Roseville Belen31 Donna V. Bozzuto31 Mary Cannon31 Virginie Eklund31 Susan Granoth31 Dawn M. Hargrove31 Marsha R. Weber31 Mary C. Young31 Joan Perzanowski

December ServiceAnniversariesCongratulations to the followingemployees who will celebrateDecember service anniversaries:

5 years of serviceChristopher Anderson, Pavilion CDina Cowles, Social ServicesDeborah Sinon, Emergency Services

10 years of serviceMary Ann Ehrenwerth, Operating

RoomPasqualina Scaramuzzo, Patient

Support Services

15 years of serviceDeborah Markiewicz, Volunteer

ServicesJeffrey Reut, Operating Room

20 years of serviceSonja Haynes, Social ServicesSandra Phelan, Pavilion B

25 years of serviceDonna Kearney, Admitting ServicesPamela Salvati, Pavilion C

30 years of serviceLeonard Quinion, Patient Support

Services

35 years of serviceClaudia Ferrara, Social Services