Advocate Aurora Health Advocate Aurora Health Institutional Repository Aurora Health Care Books, Documents, and Pamphlets Aurora Health Care July 2018 Teamworks, September 22, 1998 Aurora Health Care Follow this and additional works at: https://institutionalrepository.aah.org/ahc_books This Pamphlet is brought to you for free and open access by the Aurora Health Care at Advocate Aurora Health Institutional Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Aurora Health Care Books, Documents, and Pamphlets by an authorized administrator of Advocate Aurora Health Institutional Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. AuroraHealthCare® PROPERTY OF AURORA HEALTHCARE LIBRARIES ST. LUKES MEDICAL CENTER ..jii - N S • 1 , VermCerrpromotesrn Iivesor&,uIity ° the residents of the Vent Center at Hartford Memorial Hospital, assisted breathing is a way of F life. And life is meant to be lived. “The Vent Center’s staff is dedicated to helping our ventilator-dependent residents live lives of quality,” says Jill Becker, RN, clinical coordinator. “We strive to give the residents more than a place to survive; we want them to have a home.” Opened in 1990, the center is designed to serve 14 residents and currently 12 residents live at the center. Residents are ventilator-dependent because of various .conditions that have left them unable to breathe on their own. “Our residents are adults, 1 8 or older, who are esiteri1 Mary Hoekstr with husbn Warren nc Sue Iheusch, certKec. nursing medically stable and alert,” Jill explains. “We want our ssistrit. Mary hs Iivec t Hrtfor McmoriI HospitI’s Vent Certer since Februsry. Sue hes csre tot t5SL5fltS et the center lor the pest six yeers. residents to have the ability to benefit from our program. Our focus is on the whole person. All of the “sip and puff” mouth-controlled wheelchairs offer residents are able to speak because of special valves in freedom of movement; mouth-controlled page-turners their ventilators. All are wheelchair-bound, and many make reading more enjoyable; mouth-stick painting can’t use either their arms or their legs.” Adaptive equipment helps residents enjoy life: Continuec on pge 2 Aurora Employees F’rtiership Cmpigri Fckers Py will e Oct. 5 urora President Ed Howe shows off a Packers Our United Way helmet signed by Brett Favre and Bart Starr. The campaign also A helmet will be a traveling trophy awarded to the includes a drawing Aurora region or business unit with the highest level of for two pairs of participation in the Aurora Employees Partnership tickets to a future Campaign. Packers game, In keeping with its Green Bay Packers theme, the airline tickets and .campaign will wrap up with “Packers Day” on other prizes. Monday, Oct. 5, when the Packers play the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night football. Purchase a “Go Pack” button for $2 and you will be entitled to wear your favorite Packers gear for the day. c 4. Smritn nrnries S alden - Sini c, J’Jmentc MedicalcCenter — s GoL1eii Moment recipients I c inai Samaritan Medical Center’s Golden Moment recipients in May were Rosa Deleon, housekeeping; S Cathy Jo Grant, rehabilitation services; Morgan Paige and Debora Peoples, both admitting. In June the Golden Moment recipients were Natalie Giedt, loss prevention officer; Beverly Gradisher, Morgri Fige Tom Jrius admitting clerk; Tom Janus, maintenance supervisor; Ana Mejias, medical secretary; and Gladys Smith, advanced patient care assistant. Sinai Samaritan’s Golden Moment award recognizes outstanding service. (Pictured in a past issue of Teamworks were Rosa Deleon, Beverly Gradisher, Cathy Jo Grant, Natalie Giedt and Gladys Smith.) PeEot reoples An Mejis I Vent Center coritkue1 from page 1 . allows for creative expression; and computers with The nurses who work in the Vent Center must have a mouth-stick controls open onto the world. solid ability to assess their patients’ physical condition. The Vent Center’s staff is a team of professionals from The patients, who are already compromised, decline a number of disciplines, including nursing, respiratory rapidly if they have any additional kind of illness. The therapy, occupational therapy and social work. The nursing staff must also be current on their acute care staff cares for the residents’ medical needs and uses skills and have a solid knowledge base of the respiratory activities to meet their physical goals. For example, system and mechanical ventilators. Vent Center mouth painting is creative and it strengthens head and nurses handle all routine respiratory treatments neck muscles. and difficulties. Trips outside the hospital include visits to downtown “Dealing with psychosocial issues consumes much of Hartford, Pike Lake State Park, the Milwaukee County the Vent Center nursing staff’s time. Many residents Zoo, worship services, sporting events, parks and have unresolved grief and adjustment to illness issues. concerts. “Going on a field trip with oxygen and venti The nursing staff’s relationships with residents’ family lators takes a lot of preparation,” Jill says. “We need members is also essential to providing excellent care,” suction kits, connective tubing and syringes. We need to Jill explains. check wheelchair batteries. Planning is everything.” The average length of stay at the Vent Center is more Training for the center’s staff includes a written test than four years. The longest a patient has lived there is and demonstrated proficiency in a three-page list of eight years. The age range is 34 to the mid-$Os. skills, including emergency procedures. The staff’s skill David Chen, MD, an internal medicine specialist, level is evidenced by an extremely low infection rate. is medical director of Hartford Memorial Hospital’s (Ventilator-dependent patients are at very high risk Vent Center. for infections.) 2 Aurora —HeaithCare® 1999 benefits enrollment Welcome new employees Benefits enrollment is right around the corner, and Adelaida Arroyo Patient Access Assistant Aurora needs your help to get it off to a great start. The Debbie Banker Information Services enrollment period begins on Oct. 26 and ends on Nov. 6. Jill Barbian Business Office In 1999, benefits will be offered to eligible employees Shannon Carey, RRT Respiratory Care Services regularly assigned to a minimum of 40 hours per pay Zoraida Cordova Rehabilitation Services period. Kathy Crosbie Registered Nurse, Surgery Please make sure Human Resources has your current Annette Fortier Registered Nurse address so you receive your enrollment packet on time. Tracy Frahman Transporter Aide, Surgery To make address changes, you may obtain a Personnel Linda Galarza Environmental Assistant Information I Form, generally called a “PIF,” from your Debbie Heller Linen Services site human resources department. Make address changes Joan Keller, RTR Radiologic Technologist no later than Oct. 2. Danielle Lanese Registered Nurse, Surgery You will receive an abundance of benefits information Tina Liebzeit, RRT Respiratory Care Services to help you understand what’s changing in your coverage Erin Mollet Registered Nurse for 1999 so you can make your benefits decisions. As you Courtney Opper Pharmacy Tech I make your 1999 benefits decisions, be sure to review the Jessie Ott Clinical Information Services llowing:. Kristine Owen Employment Representative Your Current — Coverage Think about your Cindy Raether Clinical Information Services benefits needs and how they may have changed over the Barbara Shelton Registered Nurse past year. Then, consider any changes you may want to Suzanne Shoemaker Business Office make to your current . coverage. Kurt Stuart Information Services Your Dependent Coverage — You are responsible Pamela Topczewski Health Unit Coordinator for enrolling only eligible dependents in the Aurora Jerry Trimark Information Services plans. If you have enrolled an ineligible dependent, such Beth Turay Physical Therapist Aide as a married child or a child over the age limit of 19 (25 if Linda Wall Payroll a full-time student), and Aurora learns the dependent is Melvin Williams Information Services not eligible, you may be required to repay any applicable Ruby Williams Mental Health Tech costs that were incurred for that dependent. If you don’t Amy Yung Registered Nurse notify Aurora that a dependent has become ineligible, the Debra Zachman Registered Nurse dependent could lose his or her ability to continue Teresa Zicarelli Patient Access Specialist coverage under COBRA. Your AuroraFlex Deduction Decisions — Be sure to New Name Badges estimate your cost for eligible out-of-pocket health and All Aurora employees in the Metro Region will dental care and dependent care expenses for 1999 to receive new name badges with photo identification in determine the appropriate deduction amount for you. upcoming months. The goal of this project is to Because you must forfeit any unused account balance for standardize the information found on employees’ name AuroraFlex, you may want to make a conservative tags and to improve service to our customers. The new estimate in this area. name badges will become operational in January. Please make every effort to read all < upcoming issues of Supervisors and managers will be providing details. eamworks and the material in the enrollment packet you will receive in October. By doing so, you will help maximize your benefits knowledge, which will help you in making your choices. Patient Companions to mark first year of service Volunteers have busy summer Patient Companions at St. Luke’s Medical Center The volunteers from