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St. Cloud Hospital

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Center Scan: October 1992

Remembrance Tree Provides New Focus at Tree Festival
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Overtaking Back Problems As Major Workplace Injury
Office Personnel Get Off-Campus
Mid-Minnesota Health Clinic Wins State Award
Memorial Fund Purchase Provides X-Ray Instruction
SHORT-TERM DISABILITY INSURANC

CentraCare Health DigitalCommons@CentraCare Health Center Scan 10-1991 Center Scan: October 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 October 1991 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome .. ... ... ... .............. ......... ... .. 2 Office Personnel Get Together.. ... ......................... .3 Memorial Fund Purchase ... ....... ... ....... .................. .3 Mid-Minnesota Health Clinic Gets Award .......... 3 Benefi t Wise ............. .... ...... .... ................................... 4 Promotions ............. .... ..... .... ...... ... .. .... ...................... 4 Achjevements ....... .. .... .... .. ... ..... ................................ 4 Published for the employees, medical staff and volunteers of Saint Cloud Hospital. Remembrance Trre Provides New Focus at Trre Festival I \ c◊---- ·,:.:·/ ' . ' ~ ., . (---.. ~ ~r;::: .. . .•. ) The holiday season, because of its special, family atmosphere, evokes powerful memories. When those memories include family members who have passed on they are sometimes bittersweet, but thetJ remain precious. This year's Holly Ball and Tree Festival will include a Remembrance Tree, a permanent symbol of remembrance and a focal point for the event's beneficiary: hospice care. The First American National Bank of St. Cloud has underwritten the cost of the 15 ft. tree, which will be elegantly decorated with over 1500 lights symbolizing the 1500 patients the hospital's hospice program has served. In addition, Remembrance Tree chair Marilyn Obermiller has attempted to obtain permission from past hospice patient families to include those patients' names on a scroll which will be incorporated into the Remembrance Tree display. 'We feel that seeing a loved one's name will somehow validate the memory of that person, just as the names on the Vietnam War memorial do," said Barbara Brown, manager of volunteer services. Approximately 180 families have given permission to include patient names on the display, but Brown believes that some families didn't respond because the hospital's mailing missed them. '1f there are any past hospice families out there who haven't heard about the Remembrance Tree, we'd like them to contact us," Brown said. ''They can just call the volunteer office at 255-5638." Brown facilitates a large community effort that hopes to make this year's Holly Ball and Tree Festival the best yet. Event co-chairs Judy Miller and Dian Gray lead a steering \ 0 ~ ~ .;.:··: _., --, committee of26 people ~ · ·· ·.'···<<·::•: /\;'·:,--·· J ) and a volunteer total .:. • ·.:,\. ' , of over 200. "It's a ~_p~~:4 · _, .. · · -massive effort," / I ' Brown said. "Every \ ~-n~"~ \ year volunteers use their ,-~. creativity to ( 0 improve upon what went ,,---before. The ( Holly Ball is estab-lished, but the Tree Festival is still growing. The first year we just had beautiful trees. Now we have the trees, other Christmas collectibles like quilts and wreaths, baked items, entertainment, and this year we are adding the Remembrance Tree." The Holly Ball and Tree Festival will take place December 7 and 8 at the Holiday Inn. Holly Ball tickets cost $35 and are available from the Gift Shop. The Holly Ball has sold out the last two years, so don't wait too long to buy. Tree Festival admission remains $1 at the door. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Overtaking Back Problems As Major Workplace Injury Back injury may still hold first place in our imaginations as the number one workplace injury, but carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and other repetitive trauma disorders have caught up and are passing it in terms of rate of incidence. Cumulative trauma disorders, specifically CTS, have been referred to as the number one occupational hazard of the '90s. They are expected to make up half of all work-related injuries over the next decade, according to Advance for Occupational Therapists, Sept. 1991. CTS is compression of the median nerve in the carpal tunnel, a tunnel-like space in the wrist through which tendons and the median nerve pass. Frequently, the compression results from cumulative stress and trauma from repetitive motion which cause the tendons to swell and press on the nerve. "The tendons are firm structures. By comparison the nerve is soft, with almost a noodle-like consistency. So with increased pressure, it is the nerve that will be compressed," said occupational therapist Deb Satre. The symptoms include weakness, tingling, numbness, or pain in the hand, frequently more noticeable at night. These symptoms can progress and result in drastically reduced hand function, threatening a person's employment and causing permanent damage if not recognized and treated effectively. Satre (whose patients come from physician referral) has treated several hospital employees for CTS. Treatment may include splints, therapy, medication or surgery. 'What I like to talk about is prevention," she said. ''That includes proper body mechanics and learning how to modify the way you use your hands." Two years ago when she first noticed the symptoms, Dianne Johnstone 's hands used to tingle and "fall asleep. " Her repetitive trauma problems are related to her work as rehabilitation services secretary. Although her work station was fine, the steady typing she had to do wasn't. She has not been able to cure the problem, but she has been able to reduce its effects by not typing for extended periods, exercising her hands every half-hour, and wearing wrist braces at night. An adjustable work environment is important, she said, because hospital work stations are frequently used by more than one person. They need to be adjustable so that all employees can work at them comfortably. A computer operator, for example, should be positioned at the keyboard with the wrist held in a straight position and elbows bent at 90° so that forearms are parallel to the floor. Adjustable chairs should provide good back support and proper body posture. The ideal position is to have feet flat on the floor and knees and hips bent at right angles. The importance of task rotation, pacing your work and rest breaks are stressed in the education sessions Satre provides. Instruction in upper body exercise which helps to guard against repetitive motion injury is also provided. Satre advises people who perform repetitive motion tasks to begin a prevention program before symptoms appear, thereby reducing the risk of developing CTS. Office Personnel Get Off-Campus ace personnel are constantly nder pressure to make sure at even when they are not in the office the phone is answered and walk-ins are accommodated. These responsibilities make it challenging for them to get away from their units . So challenging, says Robin Robatcek, that the new office personnel networking group meeting had to be planned for after-hours and off-campus. Approximately 300 employees fit the definition of office personnel which includes secretaries, transcriptionists, clerks and receptionists. Education assistant Robatcek has organized a task force of thirteen office personnel representatives from departments including administration, billing and collections, Counseling Center, medical records, materials management, nursing, radiology, quality assurance, and rehabilitation. The September 26 After Hours Kick-Off took place at O'Hara Brothers Pub with an agenda beginning at 5:45 p.m. It included a message of acknowledgement from Sister Kara Hennes, vice president for nursing/patient care, as well as entertainment provided by Way-Off Broadway Revue veterans Maureen Srur, manager, admissions, and Virgie Zenner, RN. "It was a chance for personnel to network with one another, have some fun and assist in helping the office personnel at SCH in growing and changing for success," Robatcek said. Robatcek and the office personnel task force have offered similar kinds of groups and activities before. Last April, a workshop entitled "The Balancing Act," which dealt with balancing career with home life and other personal needs was held in celebration of Secretaries/Office Personnel Week. The program was well received. As a result of the program, a networking group named After Hours was developed. The objective of After Hours is to make it possible for office personnel to network with other office personnel within Saint Cloud Hospital, to engage in professional development and to have fun! "By networking we mean to meet others and share resources to help in the professional development of one another," Robatcek said. In addition, a needs assessment had been distributed to assist in planning the future of After Hours. Suggested future topics include team building, stress management, motivation, managing change, and ergonomics. Mid-Minnesota Health Clinic Wins State Award Memorial Fund Purchase Provides X-Ray Instruction Congratulations go to the Mid-Minnesota Health Clinic (MMHC) which has received the Minnesota Hospital Association 1991 Grand Prize Community Service Award. The MMHC serves the primary health care needs of an estimated 17,000 people within 30 miles of St. Cloud who have little or no health insurance. Saint Cloud Hospital has now won three major Minn-esota Hospital Association (MHA) awards in five years. In 1990 Journey Home won the MHA Innovation of the Year Award in the category of Patient Care Enhancement. Journey Home provides extended care and halfway house programming for chemically dependent women age 18 and older and their children. It was the first such facility in the state. In 1987 another Recovery Plus program, Senior Helping Hands, won the Community Service Award of Merit. The mission of Senior Helping Hands is to serve the elderly with chemical/mental health problems in Central Minnesota. It does so through a broad range of programs and an extensive volunteer base. The William J. Held Memorial Fund has provided money to purchase software for computer based student instruction in X-ray technology . The software provides information in four areas: X-ray Interaction Program, designed to help students understand the interaction between X-ray photons and matter. Terminology Tamer Program, providing the opportunity to learn and practice prefixes, suffixes and word roots. X-ray Circuitry Program, in which student-paced tutorials provide programmed learning of circuitry and the main circuit components. Radiographic Quality Program, which examines the factors that affect radiographic quality. Dr. William J. Held was a radiologist at Saint Cloud Hospital from 1967 until July, 1988. He had an interest in education, and the primary focus of Memorial Fund purchases is to benefit students in the SCH School of Radiation Technology. BENEFITh?IE SHORT-TERM DISABILITY INSURANCE In February, a new short-term disability (STD) program was made available to regular part-time and full-time employees to provide them with income replacement in the event of a short-term illness. Full-time employees earn 80 hours of STD per year while regular part-time employees earn STD benefit hours based on the number of hours they work. This benefit may be used for only personal illness. Employees are eligible to begin using STD benefits after they have been out of work consecutively for one-half the number of hours for which they were hired. Employees must obtain the authorization for STD from Occupational Health Services before these benefits begin. Short-term disability benefits are paid at 60 percent of the base hourly rate. Employees may supplement STD with any earned hours in your sick or vacation bank to reach 100 percent of their base hourly rate. For example, if an employee works 40 hours in a work week, their STD benefits would pay 60 percent or 24 hours which can be supplemented by 16 hours out of their sick or vacation bank to reach a full 40 hours of pay. Their STD benefit would continue until they have used all of their accrued STD hours. Any questions about this benefit may be directed to Laura Burns, ext. 4612, or Lola Brysz, ext. 3626 in compensation and benefits. center scan October 1991 Volume 4, Number 9 Center Scan is published monthly by the public relations and development department. Any comments or questions should be addressed to the editor. Vlf,I\, Member of Voluntary Hospitals of America, lnc.e © 1991 Saint Cloud Hospital A RECYCLED AND RECYCLABLE PAPER EDITOR: John L. Pepper PHOTOGRAPHY: Joel Butkowski PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Jerry Carlson, Speech Pathology Paulette Como, Endoscopy Services Rosie Feneis, Information Services Lou Ann Gamer, Volunteer Services Susanne Guck, Medical Staff Office Diane Hageman, Public Relations Bernie Hylla, Nutrition Services Barb January, Home Care Bev Moog, Laboratory Roger Oberg, Administration Marcia O'Konek, Surgery John Pepper, Public Relations Donna Perez, Social Services Barb Scheiber, Nursing Ka ren Trobec, Safety & Security PROMOTIONS Mary Adair, RN, ETC, to nursing supervisor, nursing support. Kristi Blommer, ECG technician, electrocardiology, to sr. ECG technician. Harriet Christenson, processing center att'd, proc. & steril., to sr. proc. ctr. att'd. Elizabeth Ezell, home health aide I/homemaker, home care, to nursing assistant, 3 northwest. Laury Johnson, home health aide II, home care, to social worker, social services. Michelle Justison, housekeeping aide, environmental services, to transcriber (trn.) ETC. Debbie Meyer, nutrition assistant, nutrition services, to data entry clerk. *Gary Notch, food service aide, nutrition services, to storeroom clerk. Karen Wonderlich, graduate pharmacist, to staff pharmacist. * Will work both positions ACHIEVEMENTS Sara Brenhaug, RN, oncology unit, Anne Deters, RN, 4 Northwest, Kelly Hunstiger, RN, oncology unit, Marla Notch, RN, surgery, Jody Oleen, RN, 4 South, Sue Ostendorf, RN, telemetry, Tammy Segesky, RN, cardiac care unit, Laurie Tverstol, RN, 4 South, Becky Vold, RN, 4 Northwest, passed their state boards. John L. Konz, manager, anesthesia, was elected to the nominating committee for the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists. Ann LaFrence, RRA, CTR, oncology data center, was appointed to the Advisory Council of the Upper Midwest Oncology Registry System. Brenda Spoden and Jane Vortherms, 5 South, have become nationally certified in oncology nursing. John Woods, RTR, RCVT, radiology, became certified in cardiovascular interventional technology. 

Center Scan: October 1991

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Center Scan: October 1992

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