Volume 11, Issue 26 December 17, 2004
Lunch and Learn Series Continues
Sunnyside Urologist Dr. Robert Kim, above, talked about care of patients following surgery at a recent lunch and learn program at the hospital. The lunch and learn series is coordinated by In-service Education Director Gabriella Barker to provide training to nursing staff, professional staff, and members of the medical staff.
In This Corner by Jon D. Smiley, C.E.O.
As the year draws to a close I want to thank each one of you for your contributions to what has been a very important year in the history of this hospital.
Those of you who have been around this place a few years remember some of the more prosperous days of the 1980's and 90's. Then a government program called the "Balanced Budget Act" came along in 1997 and many hospitals were sent into a tailspin. Some of those hospitals never recovered, but I believe our hospital is going to enjoy an era of continued stability.
When our board took the step of converting to a Critical Access Hospital we began to see a financial turnaround. While the way we do business has changed very little, the way we are paid for our services has changed.
We have scaled back the number of beds we operate to twenty five. At the same time our average daily census has begun to edge back up into more respectable numbers. We certainly believe the arrival of our three new internists, and the commencement of the hospitalist program has helped those inpatient numbers grow.
From a community service standpoint, that means patients that we had to send to the bigger city are now being treated more often here at home. While we "win" in that equation, the patients win too, as they are able to be treated without the expense and inconvenience of going 50 or in some cases 150 miles away.
Employee/Volunteer Christmas Lunch December 15th
So, now as 2005 awaits, I believe we can continue the program that we began this year. We can continue to see every patient contact as an opportunity to provide excellent customer service. We can continue to care about each patient, each family member, and each member of our healthcare team. There aren't any secrets to being successful as a hospital. We treat people at some of the most vulnerable times of their lives. We must do so with dignity, professionalism, and with a unmatched degree of competency and skill.
Auxiliary News
The Auxiliary exists to further the mission of service of Sunnyside Community Hospital. That is certainly evident at this time of year as the Auxiliary members scarcely take a breath between Thanksgiving and New Year's.
The Auxiliary also wants to say Merry Christmas and Thank You to every employee, doctor, patient, volunteer and family member who supports their program activities.
Pictures of the Festival of Trees are included in this issue to brighten up your computer screen or your mail box.
If you are still shopping for last minute Christmas gifts, be sure to check out the offerings in the hospital gift shop.
Merry Christmas from all your friends at the SCH Auxiliary.
Volunteer Services Travel to Leavenworth
Nine hospital volunteers celebrated the holiday season with a day long trip to Leavenworth last week. The group also toured the Aplet and Cotlet factory in Cashmere (above). The weather was great and everyone got back to the Valley safely about 7:00 that night.
Pictured (left to right) Louise Nishi, Helen Orr, Donna Langworthy, Leo Thompson (back), Theresa Wiggins, and Phyllis Bruhn. Not pictured: Iris Murphy, Eilene Crooker and Betty Brown.
Nursing Notes
CBT - Annual Conscious Sedation Competency. The new annual computer based training Conscious Sedation competency model is now complete and ready for roll out to all identified staff and physicians. If you have not received information about the program, and you need to, contact Gabriella Barker in Education. All identified candidates will have to have valid ACLS and/or BLS in order to access the computer based training module.
Women's Grand Rounds - December 17th, Med Surg Conference Room. Dr. Susan Reed. "Another Look at Hormone Replacement".
Employee Recognition to Yolle Widdows-Guizar
The Employee Activity Committee
used the December 15th Christmas lunch to announce that Yolle
Widdows-Guizar is the Employee of the Quarter. Yolle was recognized
by her manager Ed Smolak and Monica
Saenz (above right).
Other nominees this quarter were:
Alyssa Anderson, Med/Surg
Nancy Hazzard, Environmental
Susan Jue-Moreno, Med/Surg
Monica Saenz, Admitting
Arie VanWingerden, Pharmacy
Isabel Vargas, Kitchen
Semi Annual Inventory
submitted by Wendy Clapp
It is time once again to take our semi annual inventory of supplies in the hospital. The scheduled date is Wednesday, December 29.
The inventory involves nearly every hospital department including Housekeeping, Laundry and Food Services. (For a complete list please see the memo that was circulated November 18th.)
The effected departments need to designate and assign employees to count. We have scheduled a meeting for 7:30 a.m. on December 29th to explain the procedures to all the counters. Please schedule your employees so they can attend. Contact me for more information.
Valley Internal
Medicine Clinic 
Valley Internal Medicine is one of four clinics in the community owned and operated by Sunnyside Community Hospital. Dr. Ellen Ang and Dr. Sandra Wilson are the physicians at "VIM".
Four members of the clinic staff participated in clinic/hospital orientation last week. (Pictured above, left to right, Kathy Sartain, LPN, Shelli Dion, receptionist scheduling, Glenyce Hopper, LPN, and Lynn Smith, office manager. Click on photo for larger image.) The purpose of the orientation is to get clinic staff more familiar with the hospital. From this issue on we will also begin distribution to the clinics so that we can better include clinic staff is the life of the hospital/medical community.
The other clinics the hospital is directly associated with are Lincoln Avenue Family Medicine, Birch Street Medical Center and Grandview Medical Center.
Lincoln Avenue is currently staffed by Dr. Joseph Lopin and Dr. Terry Sanford. They are both temporary Physicians while recruit efforts continue. However Rachael Mattern and Christina Rider are both fulltime Physician Assistants employed in the practice.
The physicians at Grandview Medical Center are Dr. April Biggs and Dr. Karen Easton. At Birch Street Medical Center the doctors are Martin Dubek and Albert Fiedler. Susan Bussert, Physician Assistant, is also working at Birch.
Each of the clinics has an office manager. Mike Delgado is the director of the four clinics.
In the future we will do more articles to introduce the nurses, office staff, and medical assistants at the clinics. Please make them feel welcome.