vital links Awards Nomination Process Now Open

The SAH Board of Directors is pleased to announce that the nomination process for the 2016 iCcare and Hutchinson Awards is now open. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday April 20, 2016. iCcare Awards - In 2011, the SAH Board of Directors established the iCcare Awards to recognize one employee, one volunteer, and one physician who regularly demonstrate the iCcare values of SAH: Integrity, Compassion, Collaboration & Partnership, Accountability, Respect and Excellence. More Information and Nomination Form - The iCcare Nomination Form is available at http://www.sah.on.ca/about/iccare-award. For more information, contact Human Resources at ext. 6921 or email iccarenomination@sah.on.ca Dr. William Hutchinson Award - The Dr. William Hutchinson Award, named after an esteemed surgeon, is a community award established in 1982 by the Algoma District Health Council and recognizes the distinguished and exemplary contributions of an individual or group to health care service in Sault Ste. Marie and the District of Algoma. This award is administered by the SAH Board of Directors. More Information and Nomination Form - The iCcare Nomination Form is available at http://www.sah.on.ca/about/dr-william-hutchinson-award. For information on the Dr. Hutchinson Award, contact the CEO office ext. 3601 or email lachowskyp@sah.on.ca. Take the time to nominate a deserving candidate today!

A monthly newsletter for staff, physicians and volunteers: Keeping you informed

IN THIS ISSUE Celebrate Our 5th Anniversary...2 SAH/City Police Partner for Patients...4 Engagement Survey Results...7

February 2016 Edition

A publication from

Communications and Public Affairs

Page 2

OUR PEOPLE Come Celebrate SAH’s 5th Anniversary!

A planning committee has been working hard to plan a celebration marking the hospital’s 5th Anniversary in our new location. All staff, physicians and volunteers are invited to attend both the staff celebration on Friday, March 11 from 8 - 11 am in the Auditorium and the Come and Go event for the public (includes guided tours) on Thursday, March 10, from 5 – 8 pm (meet in Main Lobby). Opening remarks begin at 5 :15 pm. Mark your calendars and plan to join in the fun! For more information, contact Brandy Sharp Young at ext. 3721

Kudos to Dr. MacPhee

Congratulations to Dr. David MacPhee, Chief Psychologist at SAH on his invitation to sit on the NE LHIN Health Professionals Advisory Committee (HPAC). His expertise and passion for patient-centered care will be a great value to HPAC.

Welcome Elizabeth Ferguson

Welcome to Elizabeth (Liz) Ferguson who will be joining SAH as Vice President of Clinical Operations effective May 2, 2016. The VP Clinical Operations replaces the former VP COO role. Through an intensive and national recruitment, interview and selection process Liz demonstrated that she has the combination of skill, experience and personal make up to significantly contribute and lead in our journey to best. Liz brings considerable experience to SAH from her time in leadership and front line care delivery at Sick Kids, and has played leadership roles in accomplishing significant positive change at Sick Kids, in the community, and on a provincial scale. A registered nurse, Liz holds a Masters of Science in Nursing and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She is also a native of Sault Ste. Marie. Congratulations Liz!

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OUR PEOPLE Dr. Ghosh Fosters Culture of Organ Donation at SAH

Dr. Rishi Ghosh, part of the SAH family since 2011, is one of 50 Hospital Donation Physicians (HDPs) working to support organ and tissue donation within Ontario hospitals. Trillium Gift of Life Network (TGLN), Ontario’s organ and tissue donation and transplant agency, recently announced that HDPs were available to staff to provide educational support and share expertise. Following closely the example set by successful international programs, this is the second phase of a plan to create an integrated network of physicians, both within and external to the hospital. Physician engagement is credited with improving donation rates by encouraging a culture of donation within hospitals. There are 1,600 people in Ontario waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant, but the reality is, the opportunity for donation is quite rare. Dr. Ghosh will work with the existing donation team to ensure that

when donation is a possibility, families have the knowledge and opportunity to make a lifesaving choice. The shift to a more integrated network of donation physicians, to provide educational support and share expertise, has already increased the number of potential donors referred to TGLN. As of November 30, there were six donors from SAH in 2015. One donor can save up to eight lives and improve the lives of up to 75 others through tissue. Dr. Ghosh is also the physician lead for the Organ Donation and Tissue Transplantation Committee and the Medical Director of the Critical Care Program at SAH. After the completion of his MD at the University of Ottawa in 2002, he went on to complete his residency in Emergency Medicine and his fellowship in Critical Care, both at the University of Toronto. He has a special interest in Quality Improvement and Patient Safety in the Critically Ill. Are you a registered donor? Help SAH lead by example, visit https://beadonor.ca/ to learn more and to register as an organ and tissue donor.

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PARTNERSHIPS SAH/Police Partnership is Making a Difference for Patients

A pilot project involving the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service and SAH crisis workers is proving to be a great success so far. The project involves, a police officer picking up a SAH crisis worker at the hospital before proceeding to the scene of a call involving a distressed person. In more urgent cases, the crisis worker will meet police right at the scene. Support is offered to individuals (at the scene of the call) in the form of counselling, crisis intervention and collaborative problem solving. SAH is pleased to be working with our city police on this endeavour to improve the care provided to some of the most vulnerable members of our community.

The pilot project, launched in November, aims to treat as many distressed people as possible at the scene of the call, to divert them from the SAH emergency department (ED) and free up time for police officers to attend to other calls for service in the community. Normally, a police officer may have to spend anywhere from two to six hours at the hospital while a patient is being treated. SAH has achieved an over 75 percent diversion rate in people being treated without having to come to the ED (as a result of the SAH/police pilot project). Those who were brought to the ED were admitted due to the severity of their illness. SAH crisis workers have responded to 71 requests for community call outs with police since the three-month pilot program started in November. A total of 56 of those 71 people and their needs were successfully addressed and visits to the ED were averted. Kudos to everyone at SAH and at the Sault City Police Services who are assisting in making this positive difference for our patients!

The morning of Sunday, February 21 had a sudden drop in temperature. A drop in temperature that was necessary for Ski the Trails to happen. The weather was on our side. Skiers and snowshoers took to the trails in support of our local health care. The total raised was over $22,000 with more pledges still coming in! Drs. Dopp and Curran thank Scotiabank for being the presenting sponsor for this event, as well as all the other sponsors, participants and the supporters. Another year - another great event!

Scotiabank Ski the Trails Raises Over $22,000

Dr. Curran and Dr. Dopp, Co-Chairs of Ski the Trails.

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OUR PEOPLE

January and February have been busy months for our Patient and Family Advisors. Please see below, a summary of some of the activities they have been involved in. A sincere thank you goes to those who are committed to integrating the voice of the patient and family into the planning and delivery of excellent patient care. Hiring Processes – During January’s monthly meeting, representatives from the HR team attended

the PFAC to discuss formalizing the process of having Patients and Family advisors involved in hiring processes at SAH. To date, the advisors have been involved in approximately 5 hiring processes, however there has been limited consistency in the way and when advisors are involved. The intent of this work will be to formalize their role and have a standard/procedure to follow going forward.

Project Management Office Update – SAH’s project lead specialist attended January’s monthly meeting to provide the advisors with a status update on the projects that are currently underway as well as those that are upcoming. The intent is to ensure advisors are aware of the work that would benefit from the patient and family perspective.

Health Links – Project team members from ARCH and the Group Health Centre attended the SAH-PFAC meeting this month to engage with our patient and family advisors on Health Links, an initiative aimed to improve the care for our patients with the highest needs.

Renal-PFAC – Efforts are underway to launch a new PFAC within our Renal Program. Interviews are currently underway to formalize membership on the council. Orientation is tentatively scheduled for Feb.4 with the first council meeting expected to occur at the end of February.

5 Year Hospital Anniversary Celebration – March, 2016 marks the 5 year anniversary since the opening of the new hospital and SAH would like to celebrate this milestone. A planning committee has been struck and it is the intent to engage with our PFAC on the event planning.

Patient Services Directory – A new edition of the patient services directory is being published and the advisors have been asked to review the document and recommend any improvements.

VP Clinical Operations – Advisors have been involved in the recruitment efforts for a new VP Clinical Operations.

AIDET/iDi Video – An advisor was involved in the filming of educational videos for AIDET/iDi during the week of January 18.

Urology Yellow Belt – A patient and family advisor will be partnering with the transformation department in a Urology Yellow Belt Project with the goal of improving efficiencies in that program. This work is expected to take place over January and February.

Detox Tour – On January 5, two members of the SAH-PFAC toured the Detox facility which is located at 911 Queen Street. The advisors are involved in ongoing consumer consultations related to the establishment of a new site for the detox centre. This work is expected to continue over the upcoming months.

Painting Presentation to ADCP – Dr. Kargbo made a painting presentation to the ADCP-PFAC during their monthly meeting in January. This beautiful painting will now contribute to the overall aesthetics of the clinic and help ensure a more uplifting environment for patients undergoing treatment. Thank you Dr. Kargbo for this generous donation!

Patient and Family Advisory Council: Monthly Update

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OUR PEOPLE

Patient and Family Advisory Council: Monthly Update (cont’d)

ADCP Patient Binders – ADCP PFAC members are committed to our philosophy of PDCA. As such, they took a fresh look at the patient education binders under the recommendation of new advisor, Christine Zanini who had the opportunity to use the revised binders during her treatments.

Oral Chemotherapy Teaching Materials – The advisors worked alongside advisors from the North East Cancer Centre to review oral chemotherapy teaching materials during both December’s and January’s monthly PFAC meeting.

ED Working Group – Patient Advisor, Alyson McLeod has been engaged in an initiative to make improvements across the emergency department

Patients First Proposal – On February 11, many of SAH’s patient and family advisors attending the Water Tower Inn to engage with the NE LHIN in a consultation session around the MOHLTC’s Patient’s First Proposal.

Renal PFAC Orientation – On February 4, an orientation was held to on-board a total of 10 new patient and family advisors that will form the Renal Patient and Family Advisory Council. This group will be joined by a number of staff from the Renal Program that will lead to many patient and family centred improvements throughout the delivery of care. The Renal PFAC will have their first meeting on March 17 from 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Patient Flow Yellow Belt – Advisor Paula Pigeon has been selected to engage in a yellow belt initiative to help Patient Flow.

Health Quality Ontario/MOHTLC Developing an Approach to Patient Engagement - The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, in partnership with Health Quality Ontario, is in the process of developing a patient engagement approach for Ontario. To develop this approach, they consulted with patients, caregivers and other members of the public across the province. Two of our advisors participated in an engagement session to help shape this approach moving forward.

Nursing Curriculum – During February’s monthly meeting, Marilyn King from Sault College provided an overview to the advisors on their nursing program and therefore, what patients and families can expect when being seen by a student nurse at SAH.

QIP/Corporate Goals – During February’s monthly meeting, the advisors were consulted on the current status of the 2016-2017 Quality Improvement Plan and the Corporate Goals. On an annual basis, the Board of Directors approves corporate goals, weights and targets for the upcoming fiscal year. The Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) demonstrates our commitment to continuous quality improvement and helps drive change by formalizing a plan to achieve the desired quality outcomes for patients.

ADCP Recruitment of New Advisors – The ADCP Patient and Family Advisory Council is currently seeking new advisors to represent the patient/family voice within the oncology program. A media release was circulated to the community, and a total of 14 applications have come forward for consideration. The advisors reviewed the applications during their monthly meeting in February and the intention is to schedule interviews during the first weeks of March and welcome the new advisors to council for the March meeting.

If you would like to involve a patient or family advisor in your work, please contact

Laura Tenhagen, Coordinator, Patient and Family Advisory Council at ext. 6908.

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OUR PEOPLE

Congratulations to Kim Aslett, SAH’s Health Science Librarian on receiving the Ontario Health Libraries Association (OHLA) Award of Outstanding Achievement. Recipients of this award have made a significant contribution to health librarianship in Ontario. They have also raised the value or profile of library and information services or curricula within the health environment in a significant way. Kim has made significant contributions to librarianship through her involvement with various Provincial and Canadian Associations. She served as both Vice President and President of the Northern Lights Health Librarian Association (a chapter of the Canadian Health Libraries Association). In addition, she served as President, Past President, President-elect and secretary for the Ontario Health Libraries Association (OHLA). One of her main

roles in these positions has been to advance education and learning through annual presentations. SAH salutes Kim for her dedication to librarianship and to the SAH Health Sciences Library.

Award of Outstanding Achievement

L to R: Irma Sauvola, President, Ontario Health Libraries Association and Kim Aslett.

SAH introduced the Quarterly survey as a means of gauging whether our efforts to improve engagement are having a positive impact. Our participation rate for our first effort was reasonable with 482 employees participating. Thank you to those of you who took the time complete the survey. We are hopeful that we will see the participation rate grow with future surveys. The overall employee engagement result of 59.4%, while short of our target improvement for the entire year of 69%, provides us with an opportunity to revisit and further focus our efforts to ensure engagement plans are being purposefully executed. SAH leaders will be continuing their efforts to engage with you through rounding and additional iCcare Way methods. You are encouraged to be actively involved in the improvement efforts within your department and across the hospital so that together, we can make SAH an excellent place to work.

Results of Quarterly Employee Engagement Survey

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OUR PEOPLE Greyhounds Visit SAH Patients

Thank you to the Soo Greyhounds and Gerry Liscumb, Director of Public Administration and Hockey Administration, for once again visiting SAH patients. Gerry and a number of players typically visit SAH each Tuesday. They bring greetings, cheer and stuffed animals for the pediatric patients. “The older patients appreciate it just as much as the young kids,” said Liscumb. “It's unbelievable.” Patients, families and staff also appreciate the efforts of the Soo Greyhounds. A special thank you goes to Kim Falco, Health Records, for facilitating these wonderful visits

Social Work Week is March 7– 13. Please join SAH Social Workers in celebrating Social Work Week. Stop by their version of “Lucy’s advice stand” in the main lobby for the opportunity to ask a question and learn about the roles social have in the care they provide at SAH. There are approximately 35 social workers that are employed at SAH. They provide services in a variety of areas such as Mental Health and Addictions, Sexual Assault Care Center, Renal Clinic, Cancer Clinic, Senior’s Mental Health, Algoma Geriatric Clinic, Inpatient Units, Crisis Services, PACT and Transitional Care.

Their roles vary from advocacy and support to clinical therapy delivered in individual and group modalities. The social workers at SAH greatly impact the quality of care patients/clients receive and are crucial to aiding the hospital in achieving goals related to length of stay and patient satisfaction. Kudos to SAH’s wonderful social workers!

Social Workers: Real Experts for Real Life

Page 9

PEOPLE Dr. Kargbo Donates Painting to Cancer Program

The Algoma District Cancer Program’s Patient and Family Advisors welcomed Dr. Natalie Kargbo to their monthly meeting in January for a special presentation. Dr. Kargbo demonstrated her commitment to Living Our iCcare Way by painting and donating a one of a kind creation of art to the oncology program! Thank you Dr. Kargbo for this tremendous gift! Dr. Kargbo shares the story of her inspiration: "As I was growing up I was always fascinated by art. I found that through it you can express your feelings and make others feel better. Painting can inspire you and send you to a different place all together. I have been in Sault Ste. Marie for about seven years and rotated through the cancer clinic program. As I became a staff physician and by working with cancer patients, I felt like I could contribute in some spiritual way. It is a hard diagnosis to receive and if you have something to take your mind off it, it can be a beautiful thing.

I started painting over a year now, and it came to me that drawing a beautiful painting and left for others to see, can give you some spiritual healing. That is how I came about to this particular piece. It can be seen as a sun set or sun rise or either a new beginning or the end of darkness and towards something beautiful. I do believe that giving our patients not only medical treatment but a little attention for their spiritual suffering would help to fight any battles that they may face. It goes a long way, not only for cancer patients but for any sick patient be it either mental illness or medical admission with chest infection. I believe that by being kind and giving time to your patients can be as strong as giving additional medication towards a speedy recovery."

- Dr. Natalie Kargbo

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OUR PEOPLE

Our iCcare Way

Patient-Centered Flow Redesign Project Team The Challenge Currently, we lack a formal, standardized approach to several key elements in ensuring seamless patient flow, transitions, and safe discharges for our patients. The absence of formal unit admission criteria, inconsistencies in staff education and policies that do not reflect current bed assignment practices result in inconsistent care and increased workload. The roles involved in patient flow at the hospital are not clearly understood resulting in duplicating responsibilities and unclear accountabilities. Four yellow belt projects are aimed at correcting this problem. Changing our Mindset It is about how we can, not why we can’t We don’t blame. We figure out new ways

to engage and communicate When we talk about Flow it is positive. We

set ourselves up for success We try new things and if they are not

working, we try other strategies We all are in this together and we will

succeed What are we trying to achieve? No more than 5 admitted patients in ED No more than 24 hours in the ED waiting

for a bed All admitted patients have a plan of care

aimed at safe discharge Decrease in overall acute length of stay Improved patient outcomes and

satisfaction Improved engagement

Team Member Role

Sheilah Edgar Case Review

Amy Nesom RN 3B

Renee Fortier RN ED

Maggie Running Admitting Clerk

Valerie Robson Allied Health

Kimberly Melcher RPN 3B

Tara Farkas RN 1C (inpt mental health) Ad-mission nurse

Paula Pigeon Patient Advisor

Kerri McMaster CCAC Coordinator

Brandy Sharp Young Communications

Lisa Facchini RN 3A Surgical

Vicki Spurway RN 3C

Chantelle Murray Unit Clerk 3C

Melanie Dale GEM Nurse

Dr. Luke Fera Hospitalist

Dr. Vance GHC Physician (Adhoc)

Dr. Garniss ED Physician (Adhoc)

Dr. Berry Physician Sponsor (Adhoc)

Dr. Hill EDMC (AdHoc)

Melissa Simard Bedded Level of Care Rep (Adhoc)

Kim Fisher 3C MSSU Rep (Adhoc)

Cara Miller Housekeeping (Adhoc)

Alayna Hanchuk Switchboard (Adhoc)

Paula Sylvestre CCAC (Adhoc)

Patti Leonard Porter – ED (Adhoc)

Patti Jo Moreau Porter – Central (Adhoc)

Chad Carter IT (Adhoc)

Nancy Chapman DI (Adhoc)

Laura White Lab (Adhoc)

Dana Corsi (NE LHIN) ARC Rep (Adhoc)

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OUR PEOPLE Our iCcare Way

Patient-Centered Flow Redesign Project Team (cont’d) The team spent some time in “Gemba” (the place where the work happens) and spoke with staff regarding a few items regarding discharge. Some of the findings from this Gemba walk in-clude: Bed Rounds No Physician presence No Community Resource Time of day does not seem right Bullet Rounds Lots of variation in practice and process Length of time ranges from 15 -1.5 hours Left hand vs. right hand Not all resources attended that were needed No clear Plan of Care Questions that were asked in Gemba to gather data for the four (4) yellow belt projects: Discharge Standard Work Top 3 obstacles to get patients discharged Whiteboard use and obstacles Discharge process - what are you responsible

for? Are patients aware of length of stay and dis-

charge date? How long do you take to pre-pare for discharge?

Role Clarity Who do you think should be accountable for

flow? Who is accountable for performance of staff

doing flow tasks? Do you know who would be accountable to

arrange services? Ask about posters - are they helpful? Who opens a bed? Do we think there is a role missing?

Right Service. Right Bed. Does each unit have admission criteria? If so, is not

followed? If not, would it be useful? Does the criterion reflect the patients they care

for? Do you feel patients fall through the gaps? If so,

who? Do you feel well prepared to care for patients? (eg.

palliative, acute stroke, cancer etc.) Is the bed matrix still in use? Do you feel that patients are aligned with the right

Most Responsible Physician? Are patients properly placed on your unit, result-

ing in unnecessary transfers? Discharge Package Do staff and patients know there is a discharge

package? Who explains information on the discharge pack-

age? When do patients receive it? Do patients know what resources are available in

the community? What other information are patients given? Would it be helpful if there one multidisciplinary

discharge plan for everyone to document in? Talk to patients being discharged to see if the pro-

cess was completed and if they know about the package

If patient know about the discharge package, who provides it to them?

Is the discharge package valuable to patients?

Patient Redesign Team

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Our iCcare Way

Introducing our Shining Stars

Congratulations to the random draw winner, Jennifer Mclaughlin. Jennifer won movie passes and treats for two! The Shining Star Ballot Box now has a second location. In response to a staff request, a new Shining Star Ballot Box has been installed in the service corridor just inside the Emergency Department doors. If you have seen a co-worker, physician or volunteer do something amazing today, do not forget to use this system to recognize them for all that they do to make a positive difference. Yellow Belt Project Highlight: e-Claims The ADCP E-Claims process was identified as a yellow belt project. Lucas Febbraro from Health Records is the yellow belt candidate leading the team. It was determined the current process for submitting ADCP E-Claims is not always efficient, leading to funding delays, denials or penalties. By utilizing the lean tools, Value Stream Mapping and 5 why’s, the E-Claims lean team is in the final stages of mapping out the desired future state. Thanks to the tremendous support and commitment from the SAH front line staff team and outside contributors, the future state should be completed by early March and the team can start communicating and implementing the changes shortly after. The results the team is hoping to achieve include better standardized work for all involved in the process, timely patient funding approvals from CCO and an overall better patient experience with reduced queuing.

QUALITY & SERVICE

Shining Star Recipient Unit/Department

Kathie Dickson Porter

Carla Dzama Laundry

John Garcia SPD

Meaghan St. John Enterostomy Department

Mark Candido 1C I/P Psychiatry

Morgan Oliver Med/Surg Float Pool

Trudy Trudeau Pre-Admit

Jana Laframboise ICU

Laura Tenhagen Communications/PFAC

Trish Zago 2B

Dezi Keating Laundry

Jennifer Mclaughlin CC Float Pool

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OUR PEOPLE

iCcare Development Institute (iDi) Re-Cap Almost 500 SAH staff, physicians, volunteers and board members attended one of the six iDi sessions that were offered in this inaugural event on Feb. 9 and 10. What an amazing turn out and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive! Watch for more information about the next iDi coming to you in the Fall of 2016. Congratulations to winners of Rich Bluni’s book, No More of that Fluffy Stuff: The Power of Engagement: Sonia Blonda, Kyle Gribelli, Melinda Gapp, Marianne Reynolds, Lisa Facchini, Cathy Belanger, Alana Brescasin, Franca Gallo, Sara Johnson and Brianna Forbes. New iCcare Wear has Arrived New iCcare Wear has arrived. Come check it out! iCcare Wear can be purchased in the Lean Team Workroom on 2A. Hours are Mondays and Fridays 9 am - 3 pm. Special thanks to our Volunteers for helping to make iCcare wear more available to you. Payroll deduction is always available. Did you know that any profit from iCcare wear purchases goes directly to staff recognition items? This allows the Transformation team to provide give away iCcare items like pens, and provide prizes for the Shining Star program. It also enables us to support our community through sponsoring two indoor soccer teams! Leaders Attend LDI On March 2 and 3, the management team participated in this quarter’s Leadership Development Institute (LDI). The “why” for LDIs is that we want to develop and retain the best leaders in our organization and one proven way of doing that is equipping them with the right tools and knowledge to succeed. During this session leaders gained knowledge, skills and understanding of key strategies aimed at ensuring employees are healthy, well and safe @ work. Leaders gained knowledge and understanding of the SAH holistic approach to ensuring employees are healthy, well and safe @ work, including the direct impact these strategies have on employee engagement. Leaders will use this knowledge, as well as new skills around positive psychology/coaching and creating a safety culture, and to develop an A3 aimed at improvement in their respective departments. The session facilitated by Brett Webb combined health and safety culture and positive psychology and focused on the following: Health and Safety Culture – what it is, how it develops, how to improve Positive Psychology – benefits to work and life Self Awareness – identify current character strengths and how they can be utilized Self Improvement – creating positive emotions, increasing resiliency and optimism, focus on

accomplishment and individual purpose Positive psychology and SAH values – apply skills to the organization’s iCcare values More information about this latest LDI session is available through your manager.

Our iCcare Way

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QUALITY & SERVICE

Hand Hygiene is the most effective way to reduce transmission of hospital acquired infections (HAIs). Thank you for your contributions to improving hand hygiene. If you have any ideas for improving compliance for this key patient safety indicator, please let your manager or Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) know. In order to keep you better informed, IPAC publishes SAH hand hygiene audit results on a monthly basis. The following are the January 2016 results. In comparison, the average for all Ontario hospitals for fiscal year 2014-15 is 87.51% for Moment 1 and 91.58% for Moment 4. The range for Ontario large community hospitals is 71.29% - 100%. Please discuss these results with your colleagues and challenge each other to be the best at protecting our patients!

Hand Hygiene Results: Help Keep Our Patients Safe

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Employee and Family Assistance Program

QUALITY & SERVICE

SAH has retained the services of “Morneau Shepell” as the new Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP), formerly known as EAP. The EFAP is an additional, complimentary benefit for all SAH employees and their immediate family members.

Morneau Shepell is a leading EFAP service provider and offers a wide range of confidential and voluntary support services to assist you and your family with resolving everyday challenges, complex issues, and everything in-between. The EFAP is completely confidential within the limits of the law. No one will ever know that you have used the service unless you choose to tell them. You and your immediate family have access to the EFAP at no cost.

Service include:

Short-term Professional Counselling provides support for personal and emotional issues. Family Support Services connects you with a Family Support Specialist for personalized assistance with family planning, parenting, childcare, eldercare, homecare support and more.

Legal Support Services provide consultation with professional lawyers to answer legal questions surrounding divorce, custody, adoption, real estate, debt, bankruptcy, landlord/tenant issues, and more.

Financial Support Services provide consultation with financial professionals to answer financial questions about budgeting, debt management, tax issues, and more.

Naturopathic Services provide consultation with Naturopathic Doctors on choices related to physiology, diet, lifestyle, and well-being, including illness prevention strategies.

Nutritional Services offer consultation with Registered Dieticians on any nutritional matter or concern.

Health Coaching by Registered Nurses can provide information and advice, coordination and support; and coaching on any health risk or concern.

Specialized counselling and online programs to assist with career challenges, managing stress, tobacco cessation, enhancing your relationships, separation and divorce, and financial planning.

How to access services:

Call the Morneau Shepell Care Access Centre toll free at 1-844-880-9142 Use Online Access (Canada only) via workhealthlife.com Register and login to E-Counselling via workhealthlife.com, MorneauShepell.com or My EAP app Use First Chat, instant online chat with a counsellor, via workhealthlife.com

The EFAP benefit reflects our continuing commitment to your well-being and privacy. If you have any questions regarding the new EFAP service, please direct them to Cindy DePiero, Ergonomics and Wellness Consultant at ext. 2468.

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QUALITY & SERVICE Let’s End the Stigma

Bell Let’s Talk is a multi-year charitable program dedicated to mental health. Bell has committed over $100 million to support a wide range of mental health organizations. This year’s Let’s Talk day, on January 27, Canada talked and an additional $6,295,764.75 was raised for Canadian mental health. One of the biggest hurdles for anyone suffering from mental illness is overcoming the stigma attached to it. The annual campaign is driving the national conversation to help reduce this stigma and

promote awareness and understanding. Talking is the first step towards lasting change. Only one-third of those who need mental health-related services in Canada will receive treatment. That is why Bell supports a variety of organizations including community agencies, hospitals, and universities. Mental health is the leading cause of workplace disability in Canada and represents 15% of Canada’s burden of disease. It is the leading cause of disability in Canada accounting for 30% of disability claims and representing 70% of the total costs. Yet only 5.5% of our healthcare dollars in Canada are dedicated to mental illness. Research holds the greatest promise to better understand treatments and cures. Bell is investing in best-class research programs with the potential to have a transformative impact on the mental health and well-being of Canadians. Clara Hughes, Howie Mandel, Serena Ryder, Mary Walsh and Michael Landsberg are a few of the Canadian celebrities who are involved with the Let’s Talk campaign. They have offered 5 Ways to help end the stigma around mental illness: 1. Language matters. Words can help…but they can also hurt. Pay attention to the words you use. 2. Educate yourself. Learn the facts and myths about mental illness. Be knowledgeable and help fight

stigma with facts. 3. Be kind. Small acts of kindness speak volumes. Treat a person who has a mental illness with the

kindness and care you give to people with other illnesses. 4. Listen and ask. Sometimes it’s best just to listen. Don’t trivialize someone’s illness. 5. Talk about it. Start a dialogue, not a debate. Break the silence. Talk about how mental illness touches

us all in some way directly, or through a friend, family member or colleague. Two out of three people suffer in silence, fearing judgment and rejection. Help end the stigma.

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QUALITY & SERVICE

“Telemedicine is ready for prime time. There are two big drivers. A health care system under pressure to create better value for money, and the empowered, technology-enabled consumer.” - Dr. Ed Brown, CEO Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN)

In Northern Ontario alone, during the 2013/14 year, there were 259,657,178 km of travel avoided, by using OTN, and an estimated 25,340, 003 litres of fuel saved. Contact SAH Telemedicine at ext. 5261.

Telemedicine Tidbit

Food and Drink in Clinical Areas Policy: Updated Policy

SAH’s Food and Drink in Clinical Areas policy is now being amended to provide clarification around where SAH staff can safely consume food and drink within the hospital. Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, food and drink cannot be consumed, handled or stored in areas where infectious material, specimens, hazardous chemicals/drugs are present. In the near future, departments will be required to identify areas of potential contamination and designate ‘food and beverage friendly’ zones where food and drink can be safely stored and consumed by staff.

Tune into Vital Links for more information coming soon!

Health Information Management Education Opportunity

CHA Learning is an accredited Health Information Management (HIM) program which has been completely redesigned. They provide affordable, accessible HIM education that meets CHIMA’s current standards. In addition to an interactive online format and new course offerings, they also provide over 500 hours of hands-on coding education.

If you or someone you know is interested in this education opportunity, visit:

http://www.healthcarecan.ca/learning/courses/health-information-management-program/

Page 18

PARTNERSHIPS Employee Services at SAH

CIBC Donates to Purchase a CADD Pump

The Human Resources team has updated our processes in order to better serve you! HR forms are now located in the Human Resources hallway, beside the office entrance. Employees are also easily able to access forms on the SAH website at http://www.sah.on.ca/about/staff-login. Once you have filled out your form, you can email it to employeeservices@sah.on.ca or place it in our designated drop box located beside Human Resources.

Human Resources: Quick Reference Hours of Operation for Human Resources: Monday to Friday from 9 am to 4 pm Phone number for Human Resources Front Desk: (705) 759-3434, ext. 2463 HR Fax number: (705) 256-4711 Employee Services email: employeeservices@sah.on.ca Ability Management email: abilitymanagement@sah.on.ca Workforce Planning Office email: kronos@sah.on.ca

The SAH Foundation (SAHF) is pleased to announce that they have received a donation of $5,000 from CIBC. The gift was made specifically to purchase a Computerized Ambulatory Drug Delivery (CADD) Pump for typical use in a number of clinical patient care situations at SAH. The pumps offer safe, controlled, and self-delivered drug administration, allowing patients to receive chemotherapy or pain management medications in Palliative Care, Acute Care, and Oncology settings throughout SAH. A total of 18 CADD pumps were placed on the capital needs list by SAH this year to deliver care locally, at a cost of $4,853 each. Thank you to CIBC for their contribution and commitment to local health care at SAH!

L to R: Amy Wheeler Reich (SAHF Board Member), Maria Coccimiglio (SAH Pharmacist and SAHF Board Member), Dr. Silvana Spadafora (Medical Director/Oncologist of the Algoma District Cancer Program at SAH), Neil Burke (CIBC Branch Manager), Erika Rocca (CIBC Branch Manager), Kathleen Weir (Patient Care Supervisor), and Scott Nairn (CIBC Branch Manager).

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QUALITY & SERVICE Rosedale Students Support Local Health Care

Mme. Mick and her class came up with a great idea after reading the story “Beatrice’s Goat.” They learned about how the gift of a single goat can change the lives of a family in need. The class developed a special Christmas project in which they changed their class-room into a resale store/bake sale from December 14–16. They called it the ‘Grey Goat Sale’ and sold everything from gen-tly used items to baked goods prepared by their families. They were able to reach their goal of $75 and have purchased a goat for a family in need somewhere in the world.

The class’ success was greater than they could have imagined, so with a portion of the remaining funds, the class took a vote and decided to make a donation to the SAH Foundation in support of local health care. They designated the gift to help purchase equipment to treat babies and children from our community. Their gift of $364.10 is a testament to the hard work these young individuals put into not only changing the lives of a family in need, but to help ensure our hospital has the equipment needed to treat the youngest patients in our care. Thank you to each one of these great children for their kindness and fundraising efforts!

Stephanie Mick, Rosedale Elementary School Teacher and her students.

First Annual iCcare for Safety Award

The Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) is proud to present the first Annual iCcare for Safety Award. Nominations will be received to recognize an individual (staff, physician or volunteer) who best demonstrates safe practices and routines and who best champions SAH’s safety culture. We would like to recognize those who put safety first and who try to create a safety environment for all. For more information about how you can nominate a deserving individual, please contact Wayne Marion at ext. 4282 or email marionw@sah.on.ca. Nominations will be accepted until March 31.

In addition, the JHSC will also be highlighting various aspects of the committee and initiatives they are

undertaking in upcoming issues of Vital Links. Stay tuned for those articles under the section, “iCcare for

Safety”.

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Vital Links

is published monthly by

Communications and

Public Affairs,

Sault Area Hospital.

News items, story ideas and

upcoming events can be

submitted to

Rose Calibani at

ext. 3671 or

calibanir@sah.on.ca

Support for Sault Area Hospital has been provided by the North East Local Health Integration Network (NE LHIN)

and the Government of Ontario.

PEOPLE

Employees: Ryan Fawcett, Quality & Risk Management Consultant ~ Julia Sayers, Registered Nurse ~ Brianne Elgie, Registered Nurse ~ Melissa Folz, Registered Nurse ~ Bradley Jarratt, Registered Nurse ~ Lora Porco, Registered Nurse ~ Sarah Albert, Registered Nurse ~ Catherine Travaglini, Personal Support Worker ~ Laura White, Manager Laboratory ~ Becky Mihell, Registered Nurse ~ Wendy Steele, Occupational Therapist

COMINGS AND GOINGS

vital links

Welcome...

Retirees:

Clark Hooton, Cleaner ~ 9 years Debbie Corboy, Registered Nurse ~ 27 years

Farewell...