1

5.20.20

From Flights to Flowers to Face Shields!

…Check My NorthBay, Your Employee Portal, for News in

Real Tim

e…

NorthBay CaresThrough COVID-19

See SAFE, Page 18

INSIDENew Hires 2New SCOOP! 3Nurse Week 2020 5Treat for Colleagues 9 Orchids Galore 12Flyover Tribute 14New Generator 15Birthday Surprise 15Robotic Milestone 16 Retiree’s Gift 17

Four DAISYNurses BloomDuring NurseWeek

— Page 6

Our Message to Patients:Our Facilities are SAFE!

From a U.S. Air Force salute in the skies to the presentation of nearly 3,000 gor-geous blooming orchids, NorthBay Healthcare staff have been the recipients of a

tremendous amount of community appreciation in recent weeks. Donations in the form of food, Personal Protective Equipment and money have continued to come

in, keeping the NorthBay Healthcare Foundation team busy planning meals, distri-butions and more. Soroptimist International of Vacaville got into the act on Giving Tuesday by selling “Thank You Health Care Hero” signs for a $40 donation, raising money so the local nonprofit group can continue to fund community needs during

the pandemic. A few of the yard signs — some donated by retired and current em-ployees — have shown up around the NorthBay campuses. You’ll find all of these

stories and many more inside the pages of today’s issue of FYI.

Appreciation, Donations Are Very Welcome

Seth Kaufman, M.D., and Shanaz Khambatta, D.O., each stepped into the digital spotlight in the past two weeks to share NorthBay Health-care’s message with the world: “Our hospitals and facilities are safe for patients.”

For Dr. Kaufman, it was a 30-plus-minute #OurDocTalk on Facebook Live last Thursday, in which he fielded nearly two dozen questions, ranging from testing and capacity to surge plans and staff health. He also offered a virtual pre-

2

TO REMEMBERDATES

IN THE NEWSPEOPLE

LETTERS

DATES

PEOPLE

NEW FACESWELCOMEWELCOME

LETTERS

Trevor AdamsSecurity Officer I, SecurityNorthBay Medical Center

Kristin AlderisioPhysician AssistantOccupational Health, Hilborn Admin. Center

Amy AronsSurgical Technologist, SurgeryNorthBay Medical Center

Susan BarnesNutrition Associate IINutrition Services, NorthBay Medical Center

Jill BergHealth Information Management Coder IIHealth Information ManagementNorthBay Medical Center

Barys BiahezaRespiratory Care Practitioner IIRespiratory Therapy, NorthBay Medical Center

Inna ChuvilinRespiratory Care Practitioner IIRespiratory TherapyNorthBay Medical Center

Heidi ElmerCertified Nurse Assistant, Unit 1600NorthBay Medical Center

Thomas FernandezManager, AccountingFinance, Green Valley Administration Center

Destiny FullwoodPatient Services Rep.Ambulatory Float PoolHilborn Administration Center

Chantae GrantUnit ClerkUnit 1600, NorthBay Medical Center

Carter GrundySecurity Officer ISecurity, VacaValley Hospital

Ernest HarrisonSecurity Officer ISecurity, NorthBay Medical Center

Wesley HongNuclear Medicine TechnologistNuclear Medicine, VacaValley Hospital

Lyric HubbardEnvironmental Services AideEnvironmental ServicesVacaValley Hospital

Ericka MarthelPatient Services Rep.Urgent Care Center – Vacaville

Jess MedalleSystems Engineer IIIT Network OperationsGreen Valley Administration Center

Jared MooreSecurity Officer ISecurity, VacaValley Hospital

Melinda PowellInfection Prevention Program ManagerPatient SafetyHilborn Administration Center

Jeffrey RousseauRadiologic Technologist IIIRadiology, NorthBay Medical Center

Tiffany Silber-OrmsbyClinical Nurse IINICU, NorthBay Medical Center

Jenna StrongPatient Services Rep.Ambulatory Float PoolHilborn Administration Center

Monica Tralka-RolfeClinical Equipment TechnicianEquipment Tech ServicesNorthBay Medical Center

Brandon WhiteCook, Nutrition ServicesVacaValley Hospital

Lisa ZelayaMedical AssistantUrgent Care Center - Fairfield

Nutrition Services Creates Gift Box to Honor Memory of ColleagueReeling from the unexpected death of a

coworker, NorthBay Healthcare Nutrition Ser-vices is putting together a gift box with cards and memories as a tribute to Edward Daw-son, 38, of Vacaville.

Ed worked as a cook at NorthBay Medical Center for the past six years, before his sud-den and unexpected death.

Because of COVID-19 restrictions, a service is not possible at this time, so the Nutrition Services team decided to create a gift box that could be given to Ed’s young son, Karter.

In addition, a tribute board has been posted in the Shaw Family Kitchen at NorthBay Medical Cen-

ter. Some of the comments mention:4”If there was a song to be sung — his

melodic voice rose above the rest.”4“His personality was simply larger than

life. Whether you were newly hired or had worked with Ed for years, he treated everyone with equal measure of respect and passionate engagement.”

4“If there was a problem to be solved, Ed’s voice of reason was quickly shared.” 4”If someone needed guidance on a personal or

work-related matter, it was Ed’s encouraging and compassionate words that were so willingly of-fered.”

Edward Dawson

3

Submit by visiting ShareSpace. You’ll find a form under the Public Relations Directory called, “Give Us The Scoop!” All who enter will be submitted into a draw-ing for a $150 Fenton’s Gift Card in De-cember. All who are published receive a $10 Fenton’s Gift Card. A scoop for your scoop! — Editor.

Share Your Scoop, Get a Scoop

Learn about your fascinating co-workers.You, too, can be featured. See details below.

Imaging Support Specialist Lauren Watson shows off some of her DIY projects.

Creativity, Positive Energy AreImportant to Lauren WatsonMeet NorthBay Imaging Support Specialist

WHAT IS YOUR JOB? I am responsible for sched-uling outpatient radiology appointments, releasing radiology reports and images with appropriate autho-rization, fulfilling subpoenas, transporting patients, uploading images into our PACS system, reading radiology reports for critical oncology findings, and assisting radiology technologists with setting up sterile trays. I love my job because my coworkers are energetic and fun!

WHAT DO THE FOUR Cs MEAN TO YOU? Car-ing: I greet each of my coworkers each morning and I do everything with a smile to encourage a positive work environment. Communication: I leave notes for coworkers to help maintain clear communication in our department. It is especially helpful right now, when our outpatient scheduling protocol changes day-by-day! Collaboration: I often try to help my coworkers accomplish work. If our work pile begins to stack up, my coworkers and I will share the work evenly. Competence: My coworkers and I try to remind each other of what daily tasks we should be accomplishing in order to be more productive and efficient. We work as a team to find our strong suits, and we assess our weak points and what areas need to be strengthened.

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN MOST PROUD OF AT NORTHBAY? We have done such an amazing job getting through the COVID-19 crisis and finding ways to support each other and our patients. I am espe-cially grateful for the services that NorthBay Health-care is providing to their employees during this time, from homemade masks, to lunch donations, and daily wellness videos. It is incredible what we can do when we work as a team at NorthBay Healthcare!

IF YOU REALLY KNOW ME, YOU’D KNOW … that I love Martha Stewart!

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PASTIME? I am pas-sionate about art and DIY because it is a sense of escape for me. I love being able to use my creativity to come up with new ideas for home decorations and art! I especially love that I can share what I make with my friends and the people I love.

WHO IS YOUR ROLE MODEL? My mom has always been my role model because she is the strongest, most compassionate, and hardwork-ing person I know! She has been through so much and still has so much love and empathy for others. She didn’t graduate high school, but she realized her potential later in life and empow-ered herself to earn a bachelor’s degree from UC Davis. Because she went to UC Davis, I applied there and got my bachelor’s degree there, too! She has taught me that it is never too late to fol-low your dreams and accomplish your goals.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR LEGACY TO BE? Always be creative, always see the posi-tive in everything, and always plan for the future!

DO YOU HAVE A MOTTO? When you can’t see the bright side of something, try looking from a different angle.

4

Alex Schubek has joined NorthBay Healthcare as its Emergency Preparedness Manager.

“Alex brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in the fields of emergency preparedness, fire and emer-gency ser-vices, public health and project man-agement,” said Sean Zortman, director, Environment of Care & Safety Of-ficer.

Alex is a certified emergen-cy manager, certified project management professional and is currently working on his second graduate degree — a master’s degree in threat and response management.

In his role at NorthBay, Alex will be responsible for establishing, maintaining and improving the organization’s Emergency Management Pro-gram and Hazardous Materials Plan, Sean said.

He will be involved in a number of activities designed to coordinate disaster man-agement, provide disaster preparedness training, and prepare, implement and mon-itor compliance with emer-gency plans and procedures.

Alex’s office is located in the Annex and he can be reached at ext. 5175.

Atlas Lift Coaches and Labor and Delivery staff celebrate the arrival of a new HoverMatt cart and pump, which was purchased by the NorthBay Guild. Heather Troutt, clinical manager and the Labor and Delivery staff were thrilled to receive the new equipment, reported Kyle Rose, senior program manager for the lift coach program. The HoverMatt Pump in conjunction with the HoverMatt will assist with boosting, repositioning, and turning patients to ensure that the hospital staff remains as safe as possible when car-ing for patients, said Kyle.

Special Delivery to Labor and Delivery

EmergencyPrep is

Forte of NewManager

Are you receiving all you are entitled to when it comes to NorthBay Healthcare’s match of the 403(b) funds? If not, you might need to plan ahead.

Those who expect to contrib-ute the maximum amount to their 403(b) accounts in 2020 — which is $19,500 or $26,000 for those age 50 or older — should plan on spreading out their con-tribution over the entire calendar year, rather than “front-loading” the contributions in the first part of the year. Doing so could end the potential to receive all North-Bay’s matching funds for which they may be eligible.

To ensure employees receive the maximum match, high-con-tributing empoyees are encour-aged to pace their voluntary contributions throughout the year to assure they receive the match-ing funds for which they are eli-gible, according to Diane Urbano,

Human Resources director.“Put another way, say you

max out your contributions at the end of July, you’ll miss out on employer matching contributions for August through December,” Diane explained. “But, if you plan ahead and pace out your voluntary contributions, you will continue to receive them through December. This means you’ll need to update the amount that gets deducted from your pay-check to fund your 403(b) retire-ment savings plan.”

To modify your contribution rate, call the Acord Group at (707) 425-5020 or complete the 403(b) Salary Reduction Agree-ment on the HR Forms page of ShareSpace and submit it to HR for processing. If you need assistance, call Acord and Fong Wealth Strategies at (707) 425-5020 to make a virtual appoint-ment.

Spread Out Your 403(b) ContributionsAlex Schubek

5

Special Time to Put Nurses in the SpotlightNurses Week 2020 officially

kicked off on May 6, and while it’s typically a time to put the profession in the spotlight, this year takes on special signifi-cance, according to Traci Duncan, vice president and chief nursing officer.

“I can’t think of a better time to recognize our nurses as we weather the storm through virus mania,” she said. “While the world is sheltering in place, our staff are busy caring for patients on the frontlines of our hospitals, clinics, and patient’s homes.”

Some of those staff members were featured in a special video tribute, as they talked about why they chose the profession and how COVID-19 has not changed their minds about their career choice. In the video introduction, Traci comments on Nurse Week and the fact that 2020 is the International Year of the Nurse saying, “I’ve been a nurse for approximately 40 years ... and never have I’ve seen such unprecedented times as we’ve experienced recently.” She con-cludes by telling nurses that they are “international heroes.”

The video was posted on Face-book and has been viewed more than 2,000 times since its launch, reaching more than 4,000 Face-book users’ news feeds.

The week also included the announcement of NorthBay Healthcare’s newest roster of DAISY awardees (see related story, Page 6).

Jennifer Tudor, Magnet Pro-gram director, organized many activities throughout the week, including a “Guess the Nurse” activity, the adaption of daily

wellness themes, and several CE and professional devel-opment opportuni-ties.

Natalya Johnson, Hospital chaplain coordinator, also made the rounds to

various units throughout the sys-tem, offering a special prayer and words of encouragement as part of a “Blessing of the Hands.”

“This was a very special nurses week as May 12, 2020, marks the 200th birthday of Florence Nightin-gale. In 1870, Florence Nightingale said it would take 150 years for the world to see the kind of nursing she envisioned. That brings us to 2020,” said Jennifer. “During the International Year of the Nurse, I think Florence would be proud of how nurses today persevere just like we always have. We are highly educated professionals and living embodiments of evidence-based practice, rooting our practice in best evidence, calling on our clinical expertise, and keeping it all patient-centered through that

human connection.”Local newspapers also pub-

lished stories lauding the service of nurses, including long-time NorthBay ICU nurse Tamara Brown, whose story ran on the front page of The Reporter on May 6. In the article, Tamara de-scribed her calling to the career that arose at an early age.

The Daily Republic printed a special section in tribute to Nurses Week, including a fea-ture about how several North-Bay nurses created a successful outreach to some of NorthBay’s more vulnerable patients.

In 1982, President Reagan signed a proclamation making Nurses’ Day an official recogni-tion. In 1990, The American Nurses Association declared May 6-12 as Nurses’ Week, encom-passing Florence Nightingale’s birthday on May 12.

“Today, all nurses, provid-ers, and support staff are heroes and recognized for the incredible contribution they make every day to our society as a whole,” Traci said.

Hospital Chaplain Natalya Johnson (right) prepares to offer a “Blessing of the Hands” to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit staff Jana Parkinson, Gesine Dysart and Terry Taylor.

6

First quarter 2020 DAISY win-ners are Tammy Rodarte, R.N., in the Mother/Baby Unit; Sarah Thacker, R.N., 1600 Unit; and a two-way tie between Terri Ricks, R.N., ICU at NorthBay Medical Center and Edelyn Araga, R.N., ICU at VacaValley Hospital.

Tammy Rodarte was nomi-nated by a male nursing student

who was grateful for her support and pa-tience as he spent the day on the post-partum

unit for his clinical rotation. “As a male nursing student,

there is a stigma that needs to be overcome before patients are willing to allow us to partici-pate in their care,” the student wrote in his nomination. “All the patients had requested no stu-dents, but Tammy advocated for my education and spoke with the patients in order to get their approval. All through the day, she was extremely patient and helpful with anything I needed. During the assessment, she went step by step, and explained how, why, and for what we were as-sessing. Tammy also volunteered for a pediatric admit post-surgical patient, so that I could gain from the experience. It was not her turn to take a patient, but she went above and beyond to make sure I was able to get the most from my clinical experience.”

Sarah Thacker was caring for an elderly patient who was very sick. “Sarah, with her bedside manner, made my mom feel bet-ter,” the patient’s daughter wrote. “She was professional and de-scriptive in describing what was going on from the doctor, but did

it in a way that made my mom feel so much better. My mom has been in the hospital many times over the years, and Sarah is the first nurse we felt compelled to nominate for this award. She de-serves it because she took care of my mom in a way that has helped her heal. We also liked

how Sarah helped my mom feel intelligent. Such RESPECT!”

Terri Ricks was nominated by two different families for the compassionate care she provided to their elderly parents who ulti-mately passed away. In the first nomination, Terri was lauded for the comfort she provided both the family and the mother during her three-day stay.

“It was a tortuous time as we watched the doctors try to do everything they could to save our mother as we kept a con-stant vigil at her bedside and in the ICU waiting room. But, having a nurse like Terri brought us more comfort than you can imagine and we could not have been more impressed and grate-ful for the treatment that Terri provided to my mom. She was

Four New DAISY Winners Blossom

See DAISY, Page 7

Staff members applaud during Edelyn Araga’s presentation on GoToMeeting (above). Tammy Rodarte (below) is all smiles after her surprise presentation.

7

kind, patient, respectful and car-ing and truly exemplified all that a nurse should be in the way she approached my mom, sup-ported our family — all 20 of us as we relayed in and out of the room and to support my dad — and allowed us to hope and to grieve. Words cannot express the amount of gratitude we felt for the way Terri cared for my mom in her last days.”

Terri’s second nomination came from the family member of an elderly matriarch.

“Though we are deeply sad-dened by our loss, the care, comfort and empathy that Terri showered on us throughout up-and-down days is something I’ll never forget. Terri kept us up-dated and even let us stretch the two visitors rule knowing that we all needed to be together as a family. My dad, a retired M.D., was extremely distraught as he watched his heavily sedated wife of 65 years fight for her life. Terri treated him with the utmost compassion, respect and com-fort, which was also very com-forting to all of us.

“There are health care profes-sionals and then there are health CARE professionals. I really can’t express in words just how fortu-nate we were to have Terri caring for my mom during her final days on earth.”

Edelyn Araga was also nomi-nated by the family of an ICU patient.

“Edelyn helped Terri Ricks care for my mom while she was in the ICU. Very sadly my mom did not survive but the unprecedented efforts that the nurses and doc-tors used to try and save her were something we will be eter-nally grateful for.

“Edelyn was kind, patient and gentle. She was so respectful to my dad and to our whole fam-ily as we held vigil at my mom’s bedside. She helped my dad re-move my mom’s wedding ring as her hands started to swell. She explained everything she was do-ing and she was very patient and caring in her nature.

“Like Terri, Edelyn exemplified what it means to be a nurse — to be caring, professional, respect-ful, kind and supportive. We are forever grateful for the way my mom was treated during her time in the ICU and wholeheartedly nominate Edelyn for the DAISY award.

“Edelyn was taking care of my mom during the last day of her life with care, compassion and grace,” writes her second nomi-nator. “Although Edelyn had to focus her attention on IV con-trols, monitors and vital checks, she answered all our questions and kept us abreast of what was happening every step of the way, and she did so with a real sense of empathy and comfort.

“We knew she was doing everything she could to give my mom the best possible chance of turning the corner, but it was all too much for my mom to over-come. Edelyn’s primary job was to care for my mom, but along the way she cared for the entire family, too. She was a shining star for all of us.”

DAISY ... (From Page 6)

Sarah Thacker (left) has a beside man-ner that makes her patients feel better. Edelyn Araga (above) and Terri Ricks (below) both received nominations from two different families, for the compas-sionate care they provided during difficult last days.

8

Natalie Correll-Yoder shares her front-line COVID-19 experience with AARP readership and LinkedIn audiences.

Nurse Steps into the National SpotlightNatalie Correll-Yoder has plenty

of experience speaking on behalf of nurses, because of her time spent on the American Association of Critical Care Nurses’ (AACN) board of directors.

But, when a writer from the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) came looking for perspective from the front lines of COVID-19 care, she was asked to speak for herself.

How did AARP come to find Natalie, a clinical nurse specialist for critical care in Nursing Educa-tion?

“I’ve had requests, as an AACN past leader, to help with work groups or special projects. When this opportunity came up, AARP reached out to AACN and they reached out to me,” she says.

The story, published on May 1, focused on 10 nurses from New York City to Minneapolis, from

Washington, D.C., to Washington state, and how they personally have managed the stress, fears and inspirations of caring for oth-ers during a pandemic.

Natalie knew she was going to be asked about how she coped with the stress of COVID-19, but when the writer realized she had been on the front lines since Day 1, caring for one of the first cases of community transmission of the virus in the United States, the interviewer started to press for more details.

“I was grateful that the writer understood the need to protect the patient’s privacy, and stayed

true to the story’s focus on a nurse’s personal experience.”

Just a few days later, Natalie was invited to be interviewed on LinkedIn. She was joined by two other nursing leaders from New York City and St. Louis in a 30-minute live segment, to dis-cuss how nursing leaders prepare staff for working in a COVID-19 world. She said it went well, and that she’s comfortable in these situations. “I’ve been put on the spot before, so I’ve learned how to be good on my feet.”

To see the AARP story, go here: https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-2020/nurses-fighting-coronavirus-frontlines.html. To see the LinkedIn interview, go to https://www.linkedin.com/video/live/urn:li:ugcPost:6663833971748552705/ [linkedin.com]

I’ve learned how to be good on my feet.

— Natalie Correll-Yoder

9

you may encoun-ter. And then after work you go home to your family and worry about pass-ing it on to them,” he said. “It’s just such an unprec-edented time. The ER staff are the warriors that we count so much on. We need to appreciate them, because they’re there 24/7/365 to help us.”

So Dr. Dennis pulled out his wallet and bought meals for See TREATS, Page 10

Julie Bickham, R.N., from the North-Bay VacaValley Emergency Depart-ment team, gives a thumbs up to Kyle and David Barraza of Napa Deli and Brett Johnson, president of NorthBay Health-care Foundation, for delivering meals for the whole crew on behalf of Craig Den-nis, M.D.

Dr. Dennis Treats His ED ColleaguesAlthough Craig Dennis, M.D.,

is officially retired, he well re-members working weekends in the Emergency Departments at NorthBay VacaValley Hospital and NorthBay Medical Center, when the cafés were closed and brown bags were about the only choice.

When COVID-19 changed ev-erything, he decided he’d like to contribute a meal for his former colleagues at both hospitals.

“I wanted to do something at this time, when it’s got to be pretty terrifying to realize that you have to go to work, and you have an invisible enemy that

every one — physicians, nursing, techs, registration clerks, allied health professionals and physi-cians — during a Sunday shift in April.

The delivery of boxed lunches from the Napa Deli was greatly appreciated by staff from every shift, according to Julie Bickham, R.N., who worked for many years with Dr. Dennis.

For that matter, most people who worked in the two emergen-cy rooms over the last 36 years know Dr. Dennis. He was hired by previous CEO and President Gary

The crew at the NorthBay Medical Center Emergency Department is happy to receive a lunch provided by Wing Stop.

Craig Dennis

10

See TREATS, Page 11

Treats ... (From Page 9)

Passama in 1982 to provide emer-gency services, when the hospital in Fairfield was known as Inter-community Memorial Hospital.

In 1986, he started offering urgent care in Vacaville for North-Bay, and then shifted to VacaVal-ley Hospital when it opened in 1987.

He retired at the end of 2018, with a great deal of respect for his colleagues.

“It’s a young person’s game,” he said, now 74. “As you get older, you don’t like the chaos, you like control, and the Emergency Department is clearly chaos. You have no control of how many patients will walk in, how many ambulances show up.”

He thought he’d miss it terribly, and in some ways he does, but retirement has been mostly a positive experience.

“It’s nice to get up and not worry about being somewhere,” he said.

That wasn’t the only donation to come in for local health care providers in recent weeks. Other high-lights included:4The night shifts at the hospitals received Little

Caesar’s Pizza purchased by the Green Valley Land-owners Association as well as Panera lunches donat-ed by Partnership Health Plan of California.4Green Valley Landowners Association also

purchased 50 Napa Deli lunches for emergency department workers at NorthBay Medical Center.

Odessa Lopez, Sara Moreno and Melissa Er-mitano helped distribute Clif Bars. Brett Johnson (be-low), president of NorthBay Healthcare Foundation, delivers pizzas from Little Cae-sars for the late shift.

Pizza Guys (at left) handed out pizzas at VacaValley Hospital while La Cabana meals were delivered to NorthBay, thanks to Ford Fairfield Lincoln/Mercedes Benz.

The evening shifts at both hospitals received Panera lunches from Partnership Health Plan of California.

11

The group has been donating hundreds of meals to first responders and front line health workers for several weeks.4Pizza Guys, following up on delivering

meals to NorthBay Medical Center, showed up at NorthBay VacaValley with their pizza kitchen to feed hundreds more. As of May 6, the organization delivered more than 12,000 pizzas to 28 hospitals in three states. VacaValley received 400 and North-Bay Medical Center received 450.4Magnolia Court of Vacaville provided

50 meals and small care packages to NorthBay VacaValley Hospital emergency department teams.4Sterling Institute of Relationships de-

livered 20 sandwiches, chips, drinks and desert to NorthBay Medical Center.4Ford Fairfield Lincoln/Mercedes Benz

donated 60 La Cabana box lunches to NorthBay Medical Center nurses.4Starbucks Green Valley donated two

1-gallon coffee travelers, 10 boxes of instant coffee, cups and sugar.4Rev. Dr. David Isom, in partner-

ship with Faith PAC, McDonald’s and Lisa Tolbert, provided breakfast sandwiches for NorthBay Medical Center Emergency Department — all delivered with the help of a cheerful group from the Fairfield Police Department. They followed with a second donation along with 300 homemade masks delivered by Fairfield Fire Department crews.4Wing Stop provided chicken wing meals for the

Emergency Department at NorthBay Medical Center.4Solano Family First Responders donated 25 boxes of

baked goods from Solano Baking Company in Dixon plus coffee from Niche Café plus large floral arrangements of

treats to both hospitals.4The U.C. Davis Robotics Club donated

1,000 face shields.4Clif Bars Inc donated more than 1,800 Clif

Bars to staff at both hospitals.4First Christian Church — Pastor Nate

Stonestreet donated snacks and drinks to the NorthBay Cancer Center.4Asian Real Estate Association in America

donated 300 homemade masks.

Treats ... (From Page 10)

Fairfield fire-fighters (above) deliver break-fast. Adminis-trative Coor-dinator Janice Marsh (left) welcomes the good wishes from Rosa Gra-cida, director of community relations with Magnolia Court of Vacaville.

Elizabeth Scott-Paul-son, R.N., and her team from 2 North model face shields donated by the UC Davis Robotics Club.

Foundation Board member Stanley Davis deliv-ers burritos to the Center for Primary Care.

12

Generous Gesture in the Shape of Orchids

Video Monitor Tech/CNA Nazreen Yasin (left) came in the first wave to select her orchid. There were plenty of smiles underneath the masks at NorthBay Medi-cal Center on May 5, when hundreds of orchids arrived from Westerlay Orchids, a gift to lift the spirits of healthcare work-ers.

A lovely gesture of appreciation — in the form of colorful orchids — was delivered to nearly 3,000 NorthBay Healthcare employees and physicians at all NorthBay locations on May 5, courtesy of West-erlay Orchids.

It was part of the Southern California company’s “100,000 Orchid Challenge,” an effort to thank, uplift and inspire health care professionals as they work in these COVID-19 times.

“We’re showing our gratitude to those on the front lines of this pandemic, setting a goal of send-ing 100,000 flowering orchids to nonprofits, nurs-es, doctors and other essential staff in California,” said Toine Overgaag, owner of Westerlay Orchids.

“What a generous gift, recognizing our whole teams of health care workers for their service,” said Aimee Brewer, president of NorthBay Healthcare Group. “At a time when most people are staying home to stop the spread of COVID-19, our team comes to work ready to serve. This is a lovely way to say thank you.”

“This was a really huge donation that required some logistical coordination,” said Lou Lopez, su-pervisor, Volunteer Services, in explaining that the plants were delivered the day before to Green Val-ley Administration Center and then shipped out to all NorthBay locations for the May 5 giveaway. “We definitely couldn’t have pulled all that off without the help of Shelley Carlson in Ambulatory and Pam Venturi and Sebastian Head in Supply Chain Man-agement.”

At NorthBay Medical Center, employees lined up

outside the Welcome Pavilion to receive their flow-ers as a cameraman from Fox 40 News and pho-tographers and reporters from local newspapers covered the action. Aimee was joined by Traci Dun-can, vice president and chief nursing officer; Nicole Brocato, vice president, operations and chief qual-ity officer; and Seth Kaufman, M.D., chief medical officer, as well as several volunteers, who helped pass out the blooms.

“I’ve been here 27 years and never seen a do-nation like this,” said Brett Johnson, president of NorthBay Healthcare Foundation, as he handed out the potted plants.

See ORCHIDS, Page 13

NorthBay Healthcare Group President Aimee Brewer distributes orchids to staff at NorthBay Medical Center.

13

“This is so nice,” said Luz Galvan, imaging support special-ist, as she stood in line. “Every-thing has been nice, even the parades.”

“I just received my orchid and I am so happy!! I don’t know how a business can afford to do such a nice gesture, but I surely appreciate it,” said Carla Lewis, administrative support specialist in Women and Chil-dren’s Services. “I just bought a couple of new pieces of furniture and this will complement them perfectly.”

“I’m going to give mine to my mom,” said Brenna Benjamin, injury prevention and outreach technician. “My daughter gave me one for Mother’s Day last year and it is still blooming.”

Justin Hovey, program man-ager, cardiovascular patient care, admitted he might not have a green thumb but he was up to the challenge, as he accepted an orchid from Dr. Kaufman. “This will be a new thing for me, and I will try to not kill it. Maybe we should have a contest to see who keeps theirs the longest?”

Cita Niedeffer, patient access analyst II, selected a rust and cream-colored flower from the hundreds set out on tables in the Welcome Pavilion. “I picked this one because it reminds me of Rose Kennedy (a NorthBay fi-nance manager who lost her battle with cancer in Febru-ary 2013). This was her favorite. It made me smile when I saw it. She used to give us corsages for the Employee Banquet.”

“This was a huge — and definitely not cheap — act of kindness,” noted Cynthia Pouncey, clinical nutrition manager. “I cannot let that go unnoticed. I called their company and got an email address, so that I can express thanks, as I think this was so unbelievably kind of them.”

“This is so wonderful!! Please extend our sincere, HUGE thanks to Westerlay Orchids for this tremendous gift,” said GayLee Butterfield, learning support specialist II in Human Resources. “I love orchids!”

The company only wishes that others will follow their lead and send orchids to those they want to thank for their service. Visit www.WesterlayOrchids.com for more.

How to Care for Your Plant

Orchids prefer bright but indirect light. Temperatures should range be-tween 65-80 degrees when the plant is blooming. Do not water the plant if the potting soil is still wet. When the soil is completely dry, either place two to three ice cubes on the top, or com-pletely submerse the pot in water for five minutes. Fertilize with a balanced mix every other watering at half of the normal dose. After the last bloom expires, cut the spike above the node from which the first flower appeared. A new one can branch off within weeks. Or, remove the flower spike entirely to allow the plant to recover and form a new spike in three to four months.

Orchids...(From Page 12)

Employees (above) spread out to respect social distanc-ing requests. Heather Gar-rido, R.N., was all smiles when she selected her white orchid.

14

In a search for new ways to ef-fectively reduce burnout due to COVID-19, NorthBay Healthcare employees are invited to join in a research study with UC Berkeley.

Michael Amster, M.D., NorthBay’s pain management specialist, is helping to lead the study.

In just four weekly sessions on-line, participants can learn a simple and clinically proven mindfulness technique to reduce stress and anxi-ety while stimulating their immune system and increasing well-being.

It is a chance to learn a new skill that may help participants feel better emotionally and physically, but this is also an opportunity to be part of a research study that will be shared with other medical institu-tions around the world, according to Dr. Amster.

The number of people participat-ing will be limited, so don’t wait to sign up. To learn more about the study starting June 2, visit https://microdosingmindfulness.com/re-search-studies/

Stress StudyOpen to AllNorthBayEmployees

More Online Lectures

TributeTakes to the

Skies

Air Force Flyover Salutes NorCal HospitalsWere you there when the four Air Force T-38 Talon su-personic jets soared over NorthBay VacaValley Hospital and then NorthBay Medical Center on the afternoon of May 9? Coordinated by Beale Air Force Base, the 9th Reconnaissance Wing aimed to raise spirits and morale during its training mission. The flyover — a tribute to health care workers at a number of Northern California hospitals — was all over at each facility in a matter of seconds. Don’t despair if you missed it, you can catch a video of the flight over both hospitals on www.North-Bay.org, as well as on NorthBay Healthcare’s Facebook page. Thanks to NorthBay Healthcare Foundation’s Su-san Cianci for capturing the shot (above) of the aircraft silhouetted against the sky.

Missed it?Catch it on

NorthBay.org

NorthBay Healthcare’s series of physician lectures will continue to air via live video streaming format this month.

Next in line is a chat on enlarged prostate by urologist Herkanwal Khaira, M.D., which will be held at 1 p.m. on May 28. Go to https://www.northbay.org/about/Doc-Talk-Live-Live-Video-Stream.cfm

Past video talks can also be viewed on that web page.

15

Participating in the connection of a new generator at NorthBay VacaValley Hospital on May 9 were (left to right) Mike Conley and Artem Gadgoro-dnev of Redwood Electric Group; Craig Wilkins, project manager and Theo Leechman, MEP coordinator with DPR Construction; Electrical Foreman Steve Damele with Redwood Electric Group; and Robert Thrash, chief engi-neer for NorthBay Healthcare.

New Generator Finally Installed

Team Makes Patient’s Birthday SpecialNo one wants to be in the hospital on their birth-

day, but it was especially challenging for a devel-opmentally delayed patient at NorthBay VacaValley Hospital in April.

The Vacaville man shared with staff that he was disappointed because he hadn’t received any pres-ents.

That prompted Erin Davis, unit clerk and monitor tech, to search for and locate a coloring book — but alas, no crayons.

She called Administrative Coordinator Janice Marsh, R.N., who searched the Emergency Depart-ment and managed to find four crayons in a bag.

Patient Access Ambassador II Joanne Rowlands volunteered to go to the store and buy him some

balloons and a proper crayon pack. Emergency De-partment Clinical Nurse Supervisor Megan Canova contributed a blanket and a stuffed Garfield.

“It was very touching,” said Janice. “A group of caring staff members went out of their way to provide this patient with a little celebration for his birthday.”

Nurses and several physicians all surprised the patient with the balloons and gifts and made his day.

“When we sang to him, his face lit up, and he said, ‘This is the best birthday ever!’ recalled Jan-ice.” I’ve never seen anything like it in my 30-plus years here at NorthBay. It not only gave the patient joy, it also lifted all our spirits as well.”

Electricians Artem Gadgorodnev and Mike Conley and Electrical Foreman Steve Damele of Redwood Electric Group work on cables to connect the new generator.

A new emergency power generator for NorthBay Vaca-Valley Hospital went live May 9. According to Chief Engineer Robert Thrash, the project went as well as it possibly could, with work starting at 5 a.m. that day. Electricians from Red-wood Electric joined DPR Construction managers and North-Bay engineers to bring it online. The generator will now be ready to power up the hospital should any power outages occur.

16

Robotic Program Hits 100 SurgeriesBalloons, cupcakes, bags and

pens were part of the celebration after NorthBay Healthcare’s robotic surgery program reached its 100-case milestone, according to Andrea Francis, robotic surgical system program coordinator.

The program, built around the da Vinci robotic surgical system, launched Dec. 3.

“We’ve completed a diverse amount of surgical procedures, a great accomplishment,” she noted. “Cases we are performing include hernia repairs, cholecystectomies, prostatectomies, nephrectomies and colon resections.”

The program continues to grow daily with each additional service line, procedure and surgical team member, Andrea explained. Gyne-cology will be added next.

General surgeons William Ful-ton, D.O., Haroon Mojaddidi, M.D., Majid Kianmajd, D.O., and Behrouz Jamnani, M.D., work with program medical director and urologist Her-kanwal Khaira, M.D.

Treats were shared with sur-geons, surgical staff and medical assistants to give thanks for their support.

Mom of NorthBay AVP Wins #HealthTipTuesday PrizeThe winner of the April NorthBay

Healthcare’s #HealthTipTuesday drawing for an Amazon gift card isn’t a familiar face to local residents or employees, with one exception.

Mae Arnette of Pensacola, Florida won the $50 gift card for posting a comment on one of the April #HealthTipTuesday Facebook posts — and that thrilled Rhon-da Martin, assistant vice president and campus manager at NorthBay VacaValley Hospital. Mae is her mom!

“My Mom faithfully follows any and all things North-Bay Healthcare. She is, quite honestly, the epitome of a Mom: always proud of her children and their ac-complishments, including their employers,” explained

Rhonda. “She is the sweetest, kindest, most humble and beau-tiful person in the world and I love her dearly (this would end with a heart emoji if it were a text).”

Mae was just as endearing. Her first question upon being told she won was “Do you know

Rhonda Martin? She is my daughter!”You could be the winner of the May draw-

ing. Just comment on and share a May #HealthTipTuesday post on the NorthBay Facebook Page (Facebook.com/NorthBay-Healthcare) to be automatically entered in the drawing. Comment. Share. Win!

The NorthBay Robotic Surgery Program team was in for a pleas-ant surprise when they arrived to the celebration of its 100th case. Cupcakes and a da Vinci Robotic Surgical System decorated in bal-loons were all part of the fun.

17

Organizers Announce Cancellation of NorthBay Nurse Camp 2020

Retiree Sparks Many Signs of Support

NorthBay announced this week that it will be canceling the 2020 Nurse Camp due to COVID-19 and ongoing restrictions.

Nurse Camp organizers had rescheduled the four-day event from June to July, but as time went by it became apparent even July might be too soon to hold large gatherings, according

to Laurel Nielson, clinical nurse leader and Nurse Camp orga-nizer.

“It is with sadness we an-nounce this cancellation,” noted Traci Duncan, vice president and Chief Nursing Officer. “Right now, all camps, group gatherings and large public settings are can-celled across California, and both

the Governor and Solano Coun-ty’s Public Health officer continue to be concerned about any group gathering and have put that in a later phase to open. July may seem far off, but there remains much unknown about the safe reopening and phased approach, so we made the decision to can-cel this year.”

She may have retired from NorthBay Healthcare in 2018 af-ter 33 years of service, but Mary Dickey, R.N., still holds her health care colleagues close to her heart. So when her Soroptimist International of Vacaville club de-cided to do a fundraiser featuring signs thanking health care work-ers, Mary was all in.

Not only did she buy a $40 sign for her front yard, but she purchased two extras and sought permission to post one at North-Bay VacaValley Hospital in Vacav-ille and one at NorthBay Medical Center in Fairfield.

“I think it’s important to let our health care colleagues know that we appreciate the work they do, and that we have their back,” said Mary.

“We were very touched by Mary’s thoughtful gesture,” said NorthBay Healthcare President and CEO Konard Jones. “It’s a message we try to share with our NorthBay team every day, but when you hear it’s coming from the community, it means a lot.”

Shortly after news spread of Mary’s gesture, an anonymous donor came forward to buy 10 more signs, to be placed in front of NorthBay Healthcare facilities in Vacaville and Fairfield.

The hope is that the fundraiser

will help the Soroptimist group continue its outreach on a num-ber of COVID-19 projects, ac-cording to Lisa Hilas, president. The group has paid Solano Fam-ily First Responders to provide healthy snacks and juices deliv-ered to first responders; provided Personal Protective Equipment to those in need; paid to help women in domestic violence situ-ations have a safe place to go; and helped sponsor the City of Vacaville’s Senior Hotline.

“We have to be very creative

in how we raise funds, going forward. This seemed like a great way to not only raise money for our philanthropic purposes, but to give credit to our health care workers who are on the front lines,” said Lisa. “It’s a win-win.”

The group is asking everyone who purchases a sign to post it on social media, to further show support.

For more information about the Health Care Heroes yard sign fundraiser, visit www.vacavilleso-roptimist.org.

NorthBay retiree Mary Dickey posts her sign in front of NorthBay Medical Center.

18

See SAFE, Page 19

Chief Medical Officer Seth Kaufman, M.D., prepares to film a video message for www.NorthBay.org with Dan Fowler, senior designer.

Safe...(From Page 1)

sentation with questions and answers to the Fairfield-Suisun Rotary Club.

For Dr. Khambatta, it was a video message shared on North-Bay.org and social media reas-suring patients 65 and older and those with autoimmune diseases or multiple illnesses that they can safely receive medical care at outpatient facilities.

“If you’re due for a health screening, or have a chronic condition that needs follow-up, or you’re not feeling well, it’s important to not delay care and to make an appointment to be seen,” she says in the two-min-ute video. “If you are a high-risk patient … you may be afraid to return to seeking medical care. This is totally normal.”

She goes on to offer a num-ber of simple suggestions, and reminds patients to wear a mask, wash hands and maintain social distancing.

Dr. Kaufman, NorthBay’s chief medical officer, discussed testing protocols, flu season, surge plan-ning and more.

He emphasized the steps NorthBay has taken to maintain the safety of patients, staff and visitors including super-cleaning facilities, providing protective equipment and face coverings, restricting visitors in the hospitals and medical offices, screening patients before non-emergency surgeries, caring for COVID-19 patients in an isolated unit, pro-viding testing options and video or telephone visits for patients.

And he explained that North-Bay is well prepared in the event of a surge in COVID-19 cases.

“At this time we have enough PPE (Personal Protective Equip-

ment) and ventilators and we have very good surge policies in place and have practiced a lot of this,” he said. “We have set up a green, yellow, red warning signal system so we can slowly step up our surge resources if needed.”

Asked about the prevalence of the disease locally, Dr. Kaufman assured viewers that it is lower than other counties but that solid prevalence numbers can’t be known until more widespread testing is done. He added that when it comes to diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 patients, “testing is just one piece of the puzzle” and that it has to be looked at in the context of the entire “clinical picture.”

Noting that NorthBay Health-care has had “very good out-comes” with the COVID-19 patients it has treated, Dr. Kaufman also noted that caregiv-ers have “learned a lot” in regard to what works and what doesn’t, noting that NorthBay has treated patients with Hydroxychloroquine as well as Remdesivir, with good

results.Asked what members of the

community can do to help with the fight against the disease, his message was clear: Continue to take steps to prevent the spread, including good hand hygiene, wear a face covering when outside your home and practice social distancing. “It is a com-munity effort to try to keep the epidemic at bay,” he said.

When it comes to testing, NorthBay’s hospital labs have tested more than 500 patients thus far, with 21 total positives, as of May 18. At NorthBay’s two Urgent Care centers, more than 750 individuals have been tested, with 22 positives.

According to Solano County, more than 7,300 people have been tested so far, with 424 posi-tives. As of May 14, there were 40 active cases in the county, with 17 of those in local hospi-tals. Since the outbreak began,

The Scoop on Testing

19

Safe...(From Page 18)

local hospitals have tallied a total of 61 cases.

NorthBay continues to use county test kits and Quest lab kits, as well as rapid testing. It takes from two to four days to get results from the county and from Quest, according to Dr. Kaufman. Rapid tests are quicker, with results within an hour, but the reliability of the results have been questioned.

“All of the tests have some false negatives and false posi-tives,” he said. “Most of our trust in these tests depends on our pre-test concern of whether the patient has COVID-19 or not. For instance, someone with typical symptoms of COVID-19, where the clinician feels with certainty that the patient has the disease, the test outcome will not change the management of the illness.”

Solano County recently opened two free testing sites, one in Vacaville and one in Vallejo, which will test anyone, regardless of whether they have symptoms.

“You’d think it would cause our testing numbers to diminish, but it has not,” said Dr. Kaufman. “We continue to see patients show up for testing, which shows the need. And remember, we only test those with symptoms.”

According to Dr. Kaufman, no tests have been formally ap-proved by the FDA.

“With the current data, none of these tests is considered highly reliable yet although there are more recent concerns that the rapid test is less reliable than the others.”

While there is no known cure for COVID-19, there have been a

number of medications that have had some positive outcomes in patients around the country.

According to Dr. Kaufman, NorthBay has dispensed Rem-desivir, Hydroxychloroquine and Tocilizumab, all with positive results, but that’s no guarantee they’ll work every time.

“Studies have shown benefit for Remdesivir, but it’s hard to come by,” he said. “Studies are mixed on Hydroxychloroquine. We continue to monitor studies being conducted on all potential treatment options.”

And remember, he noted, some medications can cause sig-nificant adverse effects.

“The decision to use a medi-cation must be weighed against the potential adverse effects,” he said.

According to Dan Ford, phar-macy clinical practice manager, the million-dollar question is when to use a treatment.

For example, some flu medi-cations need to be introduced within the first 48 hours to be effective. But with COVID-19, medication is not administered until the case progresses to a serious level, usually more than a week into the illness.

“We know there’s a 98 percent chance for survival of COVID-19 and have reserved treatment for cases that progress to more con-cerning symptoms,” said Dan.

“We are being very careful here,” he said. “The idea that something is better than noth-ing is not true with medications. All medications have side effects and some can be unpredictable or severe.”

In addition, the pharmacy team has worked hard to ensure there is enough Hydroxychloro-quine for patients with autoim-munue diseases who rely on it, and inhalers, for asthmatics.

“We will be able to handle an

increased caseload from a medi-cation standpoint,” he said.

After weeks of performing only urgent or emergent surgical cas-es, NorthBay’s surgical suites are now seeing a steady increase in the number of elective surgeries, thanks to the successful imple-mentation of a detailed screening and testing protocol, according to Jim Bollig, senior director of Perioperative Services.

The protocol was pilot-tested in late April at the Ambulatory Surgery Center, he noted.

Elective surgery patients are required to answer a screening test of seven questions. If the patient answers yes to any of the first four questions — that focus on potential exposures to COVID cases — the surgery is post-poned. If the patient answers yes to any of the final three ques-tions, it generates a discussion between the surgeon and anes-thesiologist to determine if the case should also be postponed.

If not, the patient undergoes a nasal swab. If it comes back negative, the surgery is sched-uled.

“The pilot was successful and out of all the screenings we ran, only one failed. So, we started doing cases at the ASC Monday through Friday the week of May 6,” Jim said, “and also at North-Bay Medical Center and VacaVal-ley Hospital.”

Before the pandemic hit, a typical day would find anywhere between 20 and 30 surgical cases being performed between North-Bay Medical Center and VacaVal-ley Hospital, and approximately 30 at the ASC.

“We are happy to be able to get back up to speed,” he added. “People are getting back to work, our patients are getting the care

See SAFE, Page 20

Treating COVID-19?

Surgery PIcks Up

20

Safety Corner

Pharmacist, Nurse Score Safety Saves

By Scott Dawson

NorthBay Healthcare staff continued to help improve pa-tient safety through the months of March and April by identifying and reporting “Near Miss” type of safety events through the Safety Saves cards and through the Risk Identification Reporting (RIR) system.

A Safety Save is an event that might have resulted in harm but the problem did not reach the patient because of timely inter-vention by health care providers or the patient or family, or due to good fortune.

Safety Saves may occur many times before an actual harmful incident. Many avoidable deaths have a history of related near misses preceding them. A near miss can be looked at as a “free lesson,” but only when reported, analyzed and used to help im-

prove and minimize risk. NorthBay’s High Reliability

Organization (HRO) Committee members review the submis-sions monthly and select a win-ner among the submissions for the month. Winners are awarded with a NorthBay Patient Safety Hydroflask.

For March, Joseph Styers’ Near Miss submission was select-ed as the winner.

Joseph, a clinical pharma-cist at NorthBay Medical Center, detected that Vecuronium IVP for MRI was ordered on a patient with no sedation or analgesia drips.

For April, Megan King’s Near Miss submission was selected as the winner.

Megan, a nurse on 2 North, noticed that TPN order was for amino acid 2.5 gm/kg/day, but the bag was made as 1.8 gm/kg/day.

Continuing to build upon NorthBay’s good culture of pa-tient safety needs each of us. We appreciate and thank you for all your efforts and in particular your near-miss reporting, which is our first line of defense to help prevent patient harm.

The author is the patient safety coordinator for North-Bay Healthcare.

‘Free Lessons’ HelpMinimize Our Risks

they need, our surgical suites have always been safe and ready, and we are meeting the needs of the community,” he noted.

As Solano County moves toward reopening in phases, an uptick in COVID-19 cases is likely, according to Aimee Brewer, president of NorthBay Health-care Group. “It will be even more important that we practice social

distancing, use of masks and hand hygiene,” she wrote in a recent COVID-19 Update.

“Visitor restrictions remain in place and are an important part of keeping our patients, staff and overall facilities safe,” she noted. “Patients and visitors entering any of our facilities must have a face covering on or be given a procedural mask upon entrance.”

NorthBay has done a good job so far, staying the course and providing extraordinary care for patients, she added. “We must stay vigilant.”

Safe... (From Page 19)

Joseph Styers Megan King

Stay Vigilant

Check NorthBay.orgfor COVID updates

The COVID-19 situation is changing quickly and NorthBay.org remains fluid. Check back from time to time to see the latest updates on our community messaging.

NorthBay is also very active on social media. On Facebook, search for NorthBay Healthcare to read, watch, share or com-ment on our posts.