Revue Again
Siegel Draws Big Audience
Hospital Expansion Underway
Black Tuesday
Starlight Foundation delivers Smiles On Wheels
Pharmacist\u27s Idea Cuts Antibiotic Costs
ETC Nurses Dare To Car

St. Cloud Hospital

English

CentraCare Health

CentraCare Health DigitalCommons@CentraCare Health Center Scan 3-1992 Center Scan: March 1992 St. Cloud Hospital Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.centracare.com/center-scan  Part of the Organizational Communication Commons SAINT CLOUD HOSPITAL March 1992 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Bernie Siegel ....... .... .. ...... .. .... .... ... ... ... ... ... .... ... ..... .... . 2 Hospital Expa nsion ... ..... ... ..... .... ....... .... .. ... .. .. .. ...... . 2 Black Tuesday ... .... ..... ..... ....... ... .... .. ...... .. .... .. ..... ... ... 3 Starlight Foundation ..... .. ... ... .. .. ..... ... ..... .. ... ... ... .... .. 3 Pharmacist Saves ....................................... ............. .3 ETC Nurses .. ... ..... ..... .. ... .... ..... .... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. ... .. .. .4 Promotions ..................................................... ......... .4 Achievements ... .. ............ ...... ... ......... .. .... ...... .. .... ..... .4 Published for the employees, medical staff and volunteers of Saint Cloud Hospital. Friday, May 15 & Saturday, May 16, in the Benedicta Arts Center • • w A y 0 F F • • • • • • • • • REVUE• • ♦ : • • • 1 RevueAgain It', lmck: the Wn11-0ff Brondwnt/ Re1'111', 1cilh n profe,~io1111/ Bro11dm1y dirct tor, ,11pporl tm111 the f. H . Cargill Prod11ci11s Ors1111i:11tio11 of Nl'ic York City, n11d 11 cast of lorn/ tnle11t pc1Jor111i11s so11ss, dn11cc~ 1111d co111cd11 ,ketchc, with 1111 m•cmll the1111· of Bro11d1my 11111,ic. Just like last year's Revue, the event's primary goal is to raise money for the Mid-Minnesota Health Clinic. On the way to reaching that goal the Revue participants plan to put on a grea t show and have a great time! The talent, people power, energy and desire will come from volunteers who want to be part of the show. Last year 's production required the time and talents of 300 generous volunteers. Marge Parry, event coordinator, is looking fo r the same kind of spirit and involvement from the hospital and community this year. A special Way-Off Broadway Revue luncheon will be held in the Riverfront Dining Room on Wednesday, March 25 at noon to generate inhouse enthusiasm for the event. Anyone interested in being part of the Revue in any way should plan to ea t in the dining room and visit the several committee reps at sign-up tables. Those who cannot sign up on the 25th have a chance to do so at the casting party on April 28 at the Radisson Suite Hotel from 7-10 p.m. This year's performances are slated for Friday, May 15 and Saturday, May 16, in the Benedicta Arts Center, St. Joseph. Tickets for this benefit are $10 general admission and $7 for the Sa turday matinee. Siegel Draws Big Audience T he 011colo~J 1111rses c;tuck out their necks b11 bri11gi11x a 11atio11alh1 k11ow11 cel~brift; speaker to St. Cloud for t!Ieir amiua/ oncology workshop; and it pmd off. Bernie Siegel drew a crowd estimated at 2,000 to the Civic Center for his evening presentation. Approximately 275 attended the workshop's first day, and some 350 attended the second day. A wide range of health care workers attended which included physicians, nurses, social workers, dietitians, psychologists and others. They came from Duluth, Fargo, Rochester, Willmar and many places in between. Large fees to book Siegel and the Civic Center, as well as sizeable bills for food and advertising, forced the workshop committee into some unfamiliar fund raising territory. They negotiated deals with Waldenbooks and B. Dalton for a percentage of book sales at the Civic Center. They requested educational grants from foundations and drug companies. They got into the marketing campaign and talked to the media. "It was a big team effort," said Jane Vortherms, oncology nurse educator and workshop coordinator. "It would not have been possible to put on an event of this size without the support of administration, and without support and assistance from the commwucations department, education and professional development department and print shop. Our hospital has a high tech, high touch plulosophy, and Bernie is definitely on the high touch, inner person side. He raises a lot of questions, sometimes even controversy, about how health care is delivered. Not all hospitals would be willing to support a workshop of tlus nature, but SCH did and succeeded ." Bernie Seigel workshop 1992 Hospital Expansion Underway C onstruction plans for SCH have taken on a new twist. Instead of a separate medical plaza building, there will be an expansion to the south end of the hospital and an expansion to the St. Cloud Clinic building. The expansion to the south end of the hospital will be six stories high (four above ground) and will be vertically expandable by three floors. The heliport will be on the roof of the new expansion. The emergency trauma center, an outpatient surgery center, a heart center (cardiac rehab, the cardiac catheterization lab, cardiac diagnostics and the cardiologists' offices), kidney dialysis and the laboratory will be housed in the south expansion. Endoscopy will remain in its present location but will be expanded into the new area. There will be some unfinished space on the third floor. Construction is scheduled to begin this summer and be completed by December 1993. Related remodeling should be complete by spring 1994. The St. Cloud Clinic expansion will include a new medical oncology area, some expanded space for the St. Cloud Clinic and some unfinished space. The interior layouts of the entire project are being developed and should be finalized and distributed to managers in April or May. Cost of this expansion and renovation project will be $22.4 million, about $12 million less than the original plans. No physician offices will be added (as was previously planned) and there is one-third less department space and 40 percent less circulation (public, hallway) space. "This change has significantly reduced capital expenditures at a time when the uncertainties of health care economics can tremendously impact our future," said Paul Gray, senior vice president. Also included in the construction plans is the addition of a 4 1/2-story, 520 stall parking ramp on the north side of the hospital. Ramp construction will begin in April and is scheduled to be complete in December 1993. The garages and temporary MRI pad will be torn down to make way for the entrance to the ramp. The accounting, communications and day care houses will be left in place. "Also, the majority of the parking in the north lot will not be affected during this process," Gray said. "The ramp will not butt into the bluff. There will be short bridges to the ramp and the whole ramp will not rise above ground level." Gray also noted that teams of employees, managers and physicians have been meeting weekly with the architects, offering input to the design process. Black Tuesday Up in Information Services they call it "Black Tuesday" . Manager Chuck Dooley's memo to managers began this way: "On Tuesday, Februan; 3rd, at 6:00 p.m., we had a major hardware failure on our AS400 B/45. This system is used for Office, Payroll, Hospice/Homecare, Pathologi;, and Physician billing." The failure occurred when one of ten disks in an IBM computer crashed and, like a collapsed arch in a bridge, brought the rest crashing down with it. A computer's disk drive, Dooley explained, is the part most likely to break down. The disk spins constantly while electronic heads dart across it, searchjng out or laying down information. As with any complex machjne, failure is unpredictable but always a possibility. Therefore, the hospital backs-up its computer systems to rrunimize loss in case of a breakdown. The computer system that processes admitting and medical record information has a mrrrored system that backs-up all information as it is loaded. In the event of a system breakdown the second system takes over while repairs are made. Such a Starlight Foundation ])elivers S111iles On Wheels S aint Cloud Hospital's pediatric unit is the happy recipient of a self-contained mobile entertainment unit that houses a 13" television, VCR and Nintendo game set. The unit was donated as part of a joint promotion by the Starlight Foundation and local Colgate-Palmolive wholesaler Coborn's/Cashwise. The Starlight Foundation is an international non-profit organization that brightens the lives of seriously ill children. This includes granting special wishes as well as providing entertainment and recreation activities for hospitalized pediatric patients. Dan Coborn, Coborn's President, and Diane Dunn, pediatric unit assistant manager, were photographed together with the 'Smiles On Wheels' entertainment center. system is expensive, but justified because of the critical information involved. The system whjch failed had been backed up weekly on computer tapes, and the Payroll data had been backed up daily. "Of course, thjs happened on a Tuesday night before payroll was due, the very worst time possible," Dooley said. Payroll data was reentered on a different computer system as repairs continued on the failed one. IBM service personnel replaced the damaged disk drive by 10 p.m. Information services staff worked through the night and into the next day to get all systems back in operation. "Thjs was gut wrenchjng," Dooley admits, "But it identified some failures and it's going to help us be better prepared in future." The department is instituting quarterly disaster drills and a procedure check-off list. It is also compiling a manual to help individuals master the complexity of entire systems during an emergency. "There's a lesson here for anybody who works with a computer," Dooley sajd. "We have over 300 personal computers in the hospital, and just about every month somebody' s disk drive crashes. People may want to reevaluate how they are backing up their data." Pharmacist's Idea Cuts Antibiotic Costs ln 1991 the hospital saved about $60,000 on the cost of parenteral antibiotics compared to calendar year 1990. One of the cost-cutting approaches that proved effective is called the dollar sign antibiotic information program, a simple idea that became reality through cooperative problem solving. When an infection is cultured, lab produces a report identifying the microorganism and listing its sensitivity to various antibiotics. In the past, nothing on the report indicated the relative cost of those antibiotics. Arne Tilleson, pharmacy assistant manager, had the idea of determining the cost of antibiotic use (including pharmacy costs, lab tests required, and nursing admjnistration time) and putting a dollar sign rating next to the antibiotic name on the report. The more dollar signs, the more expensive the drug. After discussions that included pathologist James Hernandez, M.D., lab microbiology section supervisor Dorothy Berg, infectious disease specialist Perry Severance, M.D., and information services programmer/ analyst Mike McGuire, M.D., McGuire wrote a computer program giving Tilleson the ability to include and update the dollar signs as necessary. "The primary focus of physicians is drug efficacy," Tilleson said. "They will prescribe what works best. Thjs approach provides additional timely information to help with their decision making." Combined with other factors such as pharmacist intervention and shorter parenteral antibiotic regimens, the saving amounted to 11 .9 percent per patient. EfCNurses DareToCare Do you dare to care? _ The Emergency Trauma Center's nurses answer to that question is a resounding YES! Our ETC is the first emergency department in the state to join a national program called EN C.A.R.E. - Emergency Nurses Cancel Alcohol Related Emergencies. The program was started by two emergency nurses in Massachusetts who decided to help, in some meaningful way, reduce serious injuries resulting from drinking and driving. Getting this program rolling here has been a year-long process, according to Diane Deters, ETC educator. The ETC's efforts came to fruition when 14 nurses were trained and began making presentations to schools in December. Students, nationally and in Central Minnesota, take their first drink (on average) to get high at age 12. The presentations are geared to eighth through 12th graders and include true tragic stories and a powerful slide show which emphasize the point that drinking and driving don't mix. The discussion revolves around blood alcohol levels, binge drinking, use of seat belts, blackouts, etc. "We don' t mince words. The facts and statistics are there," Making a presentation to nursing staff at Health One Buffalo Hospital are SCH ETC registered nurses Jenny Moores and Jan Beebe. Deters commented. "Our goal is to tell teens, in very realistic terms, what happens when you drink and drive. If this stops one person from coming through the ETC's doors, then we've been successful." Response to the new program has been excellent. As of the end of February, about 550 students had seen the presentation from a variety of schools and towns including St. Cloud Tech, Sartell, Princeton, Pierz and Upsala. Two ETC nurses have now gone to Boston to become trainers and upon their return they'll teach other hospital emergency nurses about the program. "We've already been contacted by several other hospitals so we know there is interest out there," Deters said . center scan March 1992 Volume 5, Number 2 Center Scan 1s published monthly by tlw communication-, department. Any comments or questions should be addressed to the editor. Vlf,I\ Member of Voluntary Hospitals at America, lnc.<'I © 1992 Saint Cloud Hospital A RECYCLED AND RECYCLABLE PAPER EDITOR: John L. Pepper PHOTOGRAPHY: Joel Butkowski CONTRIBUTING WRITER: Diane Hageman PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Jerry Carlson, Speech Pathology Paulette Como, Endoscopy Services Rosie Feneis, lnforma tion Services Lou Ann Garner, Volunteer Services Susanne Guck, Medical Staff Office Diane Hageman, Communications Department Bernie Hylla, Nutrition Services Barb January, Home Care Bev Moog, Laboratory Roger Oberg, Administration Marcia O'Konek, Su.rgery John Pepper, Communications Department Donna Perez, Social Services Barb Scheiber, Nursing PROMOTIONS Krista Angus, med. rec. clerk-adm., merucal records, to transcriber, 4 North. *Mary Casper, file clerk, human resources, to auruometric technician, OHS. *Jerri Chaffee, RN, Family Birthing Center, to women's heal th/ project coo rd in a tor. Carol Ergen, cert. resp. therapy tech., resp. care, to registered resp. therapist. Norman Good, escort/ shuttle service, safety & security, to porter, environmental services. Mary Muhlhauser, resp. ther. (non-reg.) resp. care, to registered resp. therapist. Scott Slette, resp. therapist (non-reg) resp. care, to registered resp. therapist. Vicki Stenseth, resp. therapist, (non-reg), resp. care, to registered resp. therapist. • Will work both positions ACHIEVEMENTS Carol Ergen, Mary Muhlhauser, Scott Slette and Vicki Stenseth, respiratory care, passed the National Board of Respiratory Care exam. Deb Thorton, Journey Home recently received her CCDC-R from the Institute for Chemical Dependency Professionals of Minnesota. 

Center Scan: March 1992

Keep that head safe - put a lid on it
Med Tech Students Go To The Top Of The Class
Reorganization of grey area
Potpourri In Oncology Nursing
Current Issues In Maternal Child HealthCare
High School Students Shadow Rehab Pro
ETU Medical Director Garners State Award
TRI-CAP Provides Grant To Mid-Minnesota Health Clini

CentraCare Health DigitalCommons@CentraCare Health Center Scan 3-1991 Center Scan: March 1991 St. Cloud Hospital Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.centracare.com/center-scan  Part of the Organizational Communication Commons SAINT CLOUD HOSPITAL March 1991 INSIDE nns ISSUE: Reorganization .................. .................................. 2 Potpourri In Oncology Nursing ....................... 3 Maternal Child Health Care Issues ................. 3 Rotary Shadow Day With Rehab ..................... 3 Award For ETU Director ... ................................ 4 Mid Minnesota Grant ...... ... ...... ......... ................ 4 Promotions ... .......................................... ............ .4 center Published for the employees, medical staff and volunteers of Saint Cloud Hospital. Y ou'll see more St. Cloud children wearing bicycle helmets this summer. Saint Cloud Hospital and the Minnesota Head Injury Association (MHIA) plan to make helmets available at low cost to youngsters as part of a head injury awareness program. The hospital -~ will purchase ~ ·_ the helmets ~ ~ ' in bulk to reduce the unit price, and then subsidize that price. The helmets will be made available to K-4 students at Madison and Sts. Peter, Paul and Michael elementary schools. ''This is a pilot test, which may be continued in other parts of the school district next year if there is sufficient community support," according to Roger That Head Safe-t A Lid On It! Oberg, hospital vice president for marketing and planning. "We want to keep this initial test small enough that we can do it well, and have a real impact on the target area. If we can Cloud Police Department, and the MHIA. ''Bicycling can and should be a fun, carefree pastime, but it should also be a safe one," saturate this part of the city with helmets, then wearing one will 1 r---:ft'-----.1 said Jill become the norm, [(:=3:s::J) and children won't feel a peer pressure not to wear them." Saint Cloud Hospital will make a donation toward the cost of the helmets, with the goal of making the helmets affordable to all families. In addition, educational sessions and booths will be set up at the schools by the hospital's rehabilitation department and emergency trauma centre, the St. Wahman, St. Cloud's MHIA community coordinator. "Lives can be saved and injuries prevented if people of all ages will only use their heads and wear a helmet." After evaluating employee interest, the hospital decided to increase its purchase of children's helmets so that they could be made available to employees at the reduced price. In addition, a limited number of adult size helmets have been purchased and are being made available at reduced prices. Med Tech Students Go To The Top Of The Class S aint Cloud Hospital students who took the National Certification Examination for Medical Technologists last August achieved scores that ranked SCH third of 398 medical technology programs in the nation. Three of the four students who took the exam have stayed on as employees at the hospital. They are Keith Heinen, Judy Petron, and Bernie Stangler. As part of eligibility for the national certification exam, a student must complete a bachelor of science degree in medical technology and complete a clinical internship in an accredited school of medical technology. The Saint Cloud Hospital School of Medical Technology is such an accredited program and is affiliated with St. Cloud State University for the academic courses needed to complete the degree. The Saint Cloud Hospital School of Medical Technology's program has ranked above the national average for the past ten or more years. Its students have scored in the top ten schools in the nation several times. Rea Gray T here's been a reorganization in the former support services 'division, according to senzor vice president PauT Gray. First, the division's name has been changed to professional and technical services. 'This better describes the activities of the division. Most folks within the division are professional and technical people who either provide direct clinical services or technical support to the hospital. This title better addresses their roles," Gray said. Within the division two departments were restructured -,- laboratory and the recently renamed facility services. Dr. Robert Mu"ay, Jane Ceynar, Yvonne Betts Dr. Robert Murray is now the manager as well as the medical director of the lab. He will be supported by two assistant managers: Jane Ceynar and Yvonne Betts. Ceynar will oversee laboratory operations including microbiology, chemistry, hematology and histology, school of medical technology, staff education and quality assurance. Betts will be in charge of laboratory business including business development, budgeting, financial planning, information systems, the Area Laboratory Service and the control center. Claude Przybilla, formerly the manager, is now the senior technical consultant. He will oversee lab space planning and implementation, capital equipment planning and special projects. 'The people involved were consulted about this restructuring. Basically, we just clarified the roles that were already evolving within the lab. We simply changed the formal structure to reflect what was already occurring," Gray said. 'The idea of a physician manager may be new here but it is very common at other hospitals, particularly in the laboratory. The combination of the clinical and administrative leadership depends on the abilities and inclinations of the physician. I feel we have a perfect match with Dr. Murray's new role." The other major change occurred within the plant and environmental services department which is now called facility services. Dick Armstrong is now the director of this sub-division. Tracy Spry is the manager of building and . grounds and Eileen Anderson is the manager of environmental services. Marlene Schoenberg is the environmental services coordinator reporting to Anderson. Bill Becker continues in his role as the safety and security coordinator. now oversee all construction including the new ramps and new building and will be primarily involved in the planning of those projects. Terry Nystrom who has considerable project supervisory experience has been promoted to project coordinator and will supervise projects already underway." Mike Patton has assumed new responsibilities as manager of physician support services, a newly organized department combining practice management services and the formerCMMS physician billing component of the Mike Patton business office. This department reports to Jim Davis, director of outreach services, and has more than a dozen physician clients at present. Patton will Ron Fligge continue to wear a second hat as manager of neurosciences, reporting to Paul Gray. Ron Fligge has been promoted to manager of respiratory care, reporting directly to Paul Gray. Gary Kraft is now the construc-tion coordinator with increased responsibility. 'This is a change for Gary. Before he was in charge of the interior remodeling projects. He will Dick Armstrong, Eileen Anderson, Tracy Spry Potpourri In Oncology Nursing During a break between first day sessions, attendees visited vendors' booths to see some of the latest products available for care of cancer patients. pproximately 90 nurses and other health care p_rof.essionals from Central Minnesota and beyond attende'd a late-January workshop called Potpourri In Oncology Nursing. The keynote speaker was Richard 0bershaw, M.S.W., A.C.S.W., founder and director of the Grief Center in Burnsville, Minnesota. He gave presentations on 'Grieve Out vs. Burnout', and 'Stress: The Spice of Life or Kiss of Death'. The two-day program offered skill labs, and addressed many topics including Nursing Interventions in Radiation Therapy, Oncological Emergencies, and Ethics and the Cancer Patient. WORKSHOP Current Issues In Maternal Child HealthCare 1 Current Issues In Maternal Child Health Care' is a two-day workshop being sponsored by the Family Birthing Center, Thursday and Friday, April 4 & 5. Workshop speakers will be Jayne Byrne, M.S., R.D., clinicial dietitian, Saint Ooud Hospital, Penny Simkin, R.P.T., author and lecturer on childbirth education, Seattle, Washington, and Christine Ternand, M.D., pediatrician, endocrinologist, Group Health, St. Paul. Simkin will be the featured speaker on the workshop's second day. She is a national authority in the field of childbirth education, with a long list of publications and appearances to her credit. Her workshop session titles will include 'The Significance of Birth to a Woman,' 'Keeping Birth a Normal Experience,' and 'Providing Support to the Labor Coach.' She will also provide a free presentation to the public on the Thursday evening. The presentation, which will take place in Hoppe Auditorium from 7-9 p.m., is to be titled "Celebration of Birth; Childbirth Issues in the 1990's." High School Students Shadow Rehab Pro Cathedral High School students Jessica Neils and Ben Nemeth visited Saint Ooud Hospital's rehabilitation department as part of a St. Cloud Rotary sponsored Shadow Day. The students 'shadowed'; or followed, physical therapist Nancy Sokoloski to get a better idea of what her work entails. Both students are considering health care careers. ETU Medical Director Garners State Award David Frederickson, M.D., medical director of the emergency trauma center, has been named the Minnesota Ambulance Association Medical Director of the Year. He was nominated for the award by Art Otto, operations manager of Murphy Ambulance Service, Inc. The nomination reads, in part: ''The mannerism of his frequent response to trauma and medical scenes is well respected and appreciated by the ambulance personnel. His ability to optimize patient care through supporting his people versus taking overall control has enhanced the competency level and respect of the paramedics. His attention to detail and PROMOTIONS Rosemarie Holm, staff occupational therapist, O.T., to sr. occupational therapist. •Elizabeth Irvine, staff occupational therapist, O.T., to sr. occupational therapist; devel. specialist. center scan March 1991 Volume 4, Number 3 Center Scan is published monthly by the public relations and development department. Any comments or questions should be addressed to the editor. Vl+A. Merrber of Volunta-y Hospitals ol America. Inc. C 1991 Saint Cloud Hospital A RECYCUD AND RECYa.ABL£ PAPER fine tuning of the system has assured that the patient always receives the best care possible ... ''His personal interest in each individual medic and their skills has enabled him to authorize progressive treatment in the pre-hospital setting through aggressive standing orders. These vigorous standing orders demonstrate his confidence and trust in his medical direction skills as well as his trust in his medics. Not only have these measures challenged the paramedics, but they have optimized the quality and level of care delivered in the pre-hospital setting." Marjorie Johnson, distribution center ass't. supervisor, distribution, to supervisor, distribution center. Marilyn Mehrhof, Recovery Plus counselor, Recovery Plus, to Recovery Plus sr. counselor. •Will work both positions. EDITOR: John L. Pepper CONTRIBUTING WRITER: Diane Hageman DESIGN: Marla Elness PHOTOGRAPHY: Joel Butkowski, staff PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Karen Trobec, Safety & Security Jerry Carlson, Speech Pathology Paulette Como, Endoscopy Services Lou Ann Gamer, Volunteer Services Bernie Hylla, Nutrition Services Donna Perez, Social Services John Pepper, Public Relations Bev Moog, Laboratory Marcia CY Konek, Surgery Barb Scheiber, Nursing Rosie Feneis, Information Services Linda Abel, Home Care Lori Tiffany, Public Relations Roger Oberg, Administration TRI-CAP Provides Grant To Mid-Minnesota Health Clinic Sheryl Priesnitz, Paula Erdmann T he Mid-Minnesota Health Clinic has received a grant of $20,000 from the Tri-County Action Program, Inc. (TRI-CAP). TRI-CAP is an agency providing a variety of programs and services to low-income people in Benton, Sherburne and Steams counties. According to agency community services director Paula Erdmann, one of the most needed services among this low-income population is health care of all kinds. "In previous years funds have been used to pay medical bills directly. Supporting the Mid-Minnesota Health Oinic is a more effective way of providing services to low-income people," Erdmann said. This is the second year that the Mid-Minnesota Health Oinic has received TRI-CAP support. "We are very pleased to get this because it gives us a head start on meeting our needs. TRI-CAP has been very supportive of our clinic and works with us to make the clinic a community resource," said Sheryl Priesnitz, clinic manager. The $20,000 grant, which was applied for on a competitive basis, comes from a state fund. One of the criteria used to assess grant applications was the potential for duplication of the service in other areas. 

Center Scan: March 1991

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Center Scan: March 1992

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