Volume 11, Issue 27 December 31, 2004
In
This Corner
by
Jon D. Smiley, C.E.O.
As the New Year breaks we look forward to another challenging year of serving the health care needs of our friends and neighbors throughout the Valley.
We are thankful for the changes in federal law that allowed the hospital to become a critical access hospital. As you know the changes have had little effect on operations, and deal primarily with how we are paid by Medicare and Medicaid.
The year ahead is uncertain. Some will say the question of whether or not our state has a Governor remains to be resolved.
But what is clear is that one party will control both Houses of the State Legislature, and probably the Governor's Mansion as well. It is also clear that the State faces a potential budget shortfall that again dwarfs dollar figures that most of us are comfortable discussing.
So, we will be busy in January working for the best circumstances possible for rural healthcare. I anticipate that you will once again be asked to email, mail, or phone our state lawmakers from time to time. This help is invaluable. And when you can ask friends and neighbors to make similar requests it becomes even more powerful.
If we view our jobs as doing everything we can to care for the patients and families that come to the hospital, then I think the idea of writing a letter or making a phone call suddenly seems less burdensome. I hope so, because even though we have excellent representation with Senator Honeyford and Representatives Chandler and Newhouse - they cannot do it alone. And even though we have the State Hospital Association and Sandra Linde working for us in Olympia on some level, it is you and I at the grassroots who must keep these individuals aware of the important work still to be done.
Happy 2005! Keep up the good work. Drive very carefully, we need you around here in one piece.
Flu News
submitted by Sheila Robinson
I have 40 does of FluMist left. Anyone working at the hospital who is under 50 years of age and in good health may get this from my office. Six of seven people who received this earlier reported no discomfort getting it and no flu symptoms after getting it. I did not get feedback from the 7th.
Anyone wanting to know where flu shot clinics are being held in the community can check on line at www.getaflushot.com. Protect yourself and others by covering your cough, using tissues and discarding them in the trash, and of course, by washing your hands.
From the Clinics
The Community Highlights is now distributed to the four clinics closely associated with the hospital - Valley Internal Medicine, Lincoln Avenue Family Medicine, Grandview Medical Center and Birch Street Medical Center.
We want to improve communication between the clinic staff and hospital staff, and help everyone recognize a simple fact: we are all working in the best interest of patients in the Lower Valley.
The news from Lincoln Avenue Family Medicine is they are now offering early morning appointments from 7:00 a.m. on during clinic on Wednesdays and Thursday. They are also accepting new patients. Call 837-6911 for more information.
Auxiliary News
The Auxiliary thanks you for all your support during 2004, and we ask you to keep up the good work in the New Year.
One of the easiest ways to support the Auxiliary is to shop in the Hospital Gift Shop. In fact, Gordon Edes Gift Shop Manager would like to ask your help to continue to improve your shopping experience.
Please stop by and see Gordon and give him your answers to the following questions. (You can print and return to the gift shop if you prefer.)
1. What items do you especially like that the Gift Shop offers?
2. What do you like that the Gift Shop currently doesn't have?
3. What does the Gift Shop have that you really don't need or have an interest it?
4. What else should the Gift Shop be carrying?
Your help in making improvements for the Gift Shop would be greatly appreciated by the entire volunteer staff working there.
Letters
Dear Editor: I want to thank everyone who gave items for our Christmas packages to our men and women serving in Iraq. Also the money donations made it possible that they would receive everything by Christmas! (Which they did!!). We sent packages to Badhdad, Mosul and Anaconda. A total of about 15 Christmas boxes were sent. I know this helped make their Christmas a little brighter - because we sent a little of "home" to them this year. Please keep our service men and women all around the world in your thoughts and prayers.
Ruth Hagensicker
Chaplain Numbers Changing
Effective January 1, 2005 the emergency services chaplain program will be summoned differently. Instead of the pager system two local cell numbers will be used to reach a hospital staff member who will contact the available chaplain.
Complete details are available in a memo posted in medical units earlier this week. Emergency Service Chaplains are local pastors who volunteer their time to help patients and families in a time of crisis. We are indebted to them for their service.
The number of volunteers in the program will fluctuate a bit as the new dispatch system is put in place. We will print the names and church affiliations of the local volunteers in a later issue.
If you have questions about the chaplain program please contact Sandra Linde or Tom Lathen.
Nursing Notes
Nursing Grand Rounds Congestive Heart Failure, January 10 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. , "Lunch and Learn". Speaker: Dr. Francesco Vinci. This is a repeat of the December program. (Complimentary lunch available in the café, pick up and bring to the Admin Conf. Room.) Questions: Gabriella Barker @ ext. 1673. Programs will be presented every first Monday of the month. If you have suggestions for future programs please contact the Education Office.
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.
Thanks to Juanita and others! Retired LPN Juanita Mohr, now residing at Hillcrest Convalescent Center in Sunnyside was among of folks working on afghans and blankets recently donated to the hospital. Dr. John Allen, left, and CEO Jon Smiley received the gifts recently.
Another Christmas photo. Everyone told us not to miss these Suzy, Chris, Betty, and Audrey on Med/Surg a day or two before Christmas. Thanks for being good sports, ladies, and posing for the camera.
And when Santa did show up at the hospital the next day... well..... one picture is worth a thousand words.
Retirement Party
Please join in for the party to honor Don Forgey. Don joined the hospital in 1967, he wiill be retiring January 4th. The party will be at 2:00 p.m. in the Café at the hospital.
Please come and say thank you and best wishes to a really great guy.
Medical Mission to Guatemala
Community Relations Director Tom Lathen has been selected to a medical mission team in Guatemala in April. Lathen will be working as a photojournalist for the team sponsored by "Rotaplast" - a non profit group associated with Rotary Clubs around the US and Canada.
Rotaplast performs cleft pallet and cleft lip surgeries on children. Lathen has made two previous trips to South America.