www.RUMCSI.org October 2014

CHRONICLE

A PUBLICATION FOR EMPLOYEES, PHYSICIANS, TRUSTEES, AND VOLUNTEERS OF RICHMOND UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER

On Wednesday, September 10th, Kathy DiMauro, MS, RN-BC, IBCLC, accepted the Smith Stanley Award from the Visiting Nurse Associa-tion of Staten Island in grateful recognition of the special and unique contributions she has made to promote community health and improve the quality of life for the people of Staten Island. Kathy currently serves as the Assistant Vice President of Women and Children’s Services and Nursing Education.

Recognizing the importance of the patient experience, Kathy has initiated many important programs dedicated to improving patient satisfaction. She applied for and received grants from the NYC Department of Health and the United Hospital Fund to promote and support breastfeeding at the hospital and in the community. Under her direction, the staff of the Women and Children’s division is undergoing the challenging process of achieving the Baby-Friendly Hospital designation (anticipated 2015). It is the goal of the hospital to help all new mothers achieve optimal infant feeding outcomes and have positive mother/baby bonding experiences.

We congratulate Kathy on this well deserved award and thank her for her dedication to the hospital and the Staten Island community!

Kathy DiMauro with her award alongside her Nurse Managers who she thanked during her acceptance speech at the Visiting Nurse Association luncheon.

Kathy DiMauro Accepts the Smith Stanley Award from VNA

To see more pictures from the awards ceremony visit our social media sites or scan this QR Code.

September 11th Memorial Ceremony On September 11, 2014, the hospital community gathered to reflect on the events of the tragic day thirteen years ago.

Special thanks to those who participated in the program: Father Dawes, Dan Messina, Maryann Plumb, the EMS color guard, Paul Johnson, Billy Amaniera, and Rosemarie Stazzone. The hospital greatly appreciates the support of the facilities team and the members of the planning committee for making the memorial ceremony so special.

The new September 11th Memorial Garden can be found on the side lawn of the Villa Building facing Castleton.

To see photos & video from the memorial ceremony, visit our social media sites or scan this QR Code.

President’s Update

Fall is finally in the air! It is time to head out and

enjoy all that the borough has to offer this

month. The hospital’s community outreach team

will be at several events during October and we

invite you to participate.

Taking care of our community is at the

forefront of this hospital’s mission. Our

involvement in community events is very

important, and I invite you to become part of our

outreach team. For a calendar of upcoming outreach events, please see

the back cover, visit www.RUMCSI.keepandshare.com or for information

on becoming part of the outreach team, please call x2100.

For those of you who have not yet participated in the Employee

Wellness Initiative, I recommend giving it a try. The events are geared

toward your interests and offer a wide array of onsite activities. We are

soon announcing a challenge for our staff—stay tuned!

In this issue, you will read about an exciting new partnership with

St. Peter’s Boys High School to develop a Medical Science Program, learn-

ing side by side with our expert physicians and staff. It is my hope that we

can expand our commitment to the community by increasing outreach

and educational opportunities, particularly building partnerships with

Staten Island schools.

This is an exciting time to be part of Richmond University Medical Center,

and I look forward to our continued growth, outreach, and success. Thank

you for your dedication and hard work. Remember the power of one—

you make a difference!

Message from the President & CEO

Daniel J. Messina

As you are aware providing the best patient

experience has become a top priority among

hospitals and healthcare systems due to

the increased focus on improving Hospital

Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers

and Systems (HCAHPS) scores. It has been

shown that an employee’s behaviors have a

direct impact on patient satisfaction.

We as healthcare professionals need to remem-

ber that hospitals are measured based on how

closely we follow best clinical practices and

how well we enhance patients experiences of

care.

HCAHPS/patient experience of care

accounts for 30% of the calculation

affecting payments.

Hospitals face a VBP revenue risk on

average of $888,812 in 2012 and $6.67

million over five years.

Medicare will steadily increase the

portion of reimbursement allocated to

performance and decrease the portion

tied solely to productivity.

In FY 2013, hospitals nationwide were

at risk for 1.0%. As required by the stat-

ure, the percentage increases by 0.25%

each year until the reduction reached

2.0% by FY 2017.

So, let’s start caring, we are all here to achieve

the same goal. You make a difference!

Daniel J. Messina, Ph.D., FACHE, LNHA

In recognition for their superior HCAHPS, Claire Styles and her unit on SLB4 were provided with a breakfast sponsored by our patient experience committee.

Chronicle October 2014

Board Highlight: John C. Santora

John C. Santora is Chief Executive Officer of Cushman & Wakefield’s Corporate Oc-cupier & Investor Services group and a member of the firm’s senior governing body, the Cushman & Wakefield Board of Directors. A 38-year veteran of the firm, Mr. Santora’s previous roles included CEO of the Americas and Global Chief Operating Officer. One of the industry’s most experienced commercial real estate executives, he oversees the company’s largest global business unit and is responsible for the organizational vision of the group which em-ploys nearly 8,000 professionals and manages more than 800 million square feet of commercial property on a global scale. Mr. Santora is a quoted authority on commercial real estate issues and has been fea-tured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Crain’s New York Business. A fellow of the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School, he also serves as Chairman of the Realty Advisory Board. Mr. Santora has been recognized for his charitable ac-tivities by United Way (2008 Community Quarterback Award), FDNY Foundation (2007 Fire Commissioner’s Humanitarian Award) and the Boy Scouts of America (2006 REBNY Good Scout Award).

John Santora is a member of both the RUMC Board of Trustees and the hospital’s

Foundation Board of Directors.

The hospital is partnering with St. Peter’s High School on a pilot program

to introduce students to the “science of healthcare.” The Medical Science

Program has been designed to provide high school juniors and seniors

with an interest in healthcare careers to the role and scope of practice in

eight program rotation areas, including radiology, medicine, administra-

tion, respiratory care, lab technology, nursing, office preceptorship, and

physical therapy.

The program will run from, October 22nd to December 17th. Orientation

and the kickoff night will be held on October 16th in the Sipp Auditorium

at 7:00pm. For more information, please contact Andrew Burt at x2100.

A New Partnership with St. Peter’s Volunteer Star of the Month

Samantha Rebecca is a student at Melissa Riggio Higher Education Program based at the College of Staten Island. She enjoys volun-teering at RUMC. “It makes me happy to help people,” shares Samantha. She continued, “I am happy to be a volunteer at RUMC and thank you all for choosing me as the Volunteer of the Month.”

Do you know a great volunteer? Nominate them a Volunteer of the Month

email info@rumcsi.org or call x2103.

On October 25th, RUMC will host its annual black tie

fundraiser. This year, the event will honor Dr. Pankaj

Patel, Chair of Psychiatry, the RUMC Auxiliary, and Mary

Ann Christopher, President & CEO of VNSNY. Event co-

chairs are RUMC Foundation Board Members Robin

Lefkowitz and Dr. Phil Otterbeck. Tickets are $325 each.

Administrative directors, residents, and below can take

advantage of a special ticket price of $150. Journal and

sponsorship pricing is available online. Reservations and

payment can be made at www.RUMCSI.org/ball or please

call Stefanie Racano in Development at x2103.

Quality & Patient Care

An HCAHPS Scores Comparison

Press Ganey March -May June-August

Rate hospital 0-10 49 49

Recommend the hospital 49 51

COMM W/ NURSES 73 73

Nurses treat with courtesy/respect 81 79

Nurses listen carefully to you 68 70

Nurses explain in way you understand 70 71

RESPONSE OF HOSP STAFF 60 60

Call button help soon as wanted it 59 60

Help toileting soon as you wanted 60 61

COMM W/ DOCTORS 77 79

Doctors treat with courtesy/respect 81 85

Doctors listen carefully to you 73 79

Doctors expl in way you understand 75 74

HOSPITAL ENVIRONMENT 51 57

Cleanliness of hospital environment 59 61

Quietness of hospital environment 44 52

PAIN MANAGEMENT 68 63

Pain well controlled 65 58

Staff do everything help with pain 72 69

COMM ABOUT MEDICINES 60 57

Tell you what new medicine was for 78 73

Staff describe medicine side effect 43 42

DISCHARGE INFORMATION 74 76

To the Doctors, Nurses,

and Staff on the Vent Unit,

Our hearts thank you.

Words can not express how grateful we are for

the genuine care and concern you gave our

mother, Dorothy. Even though she lost her

battle we would not have fared through this

journey as well without all of your efforts.

We are comforted knowing all was done to keep

her well. As always, it was God’s will.

We thank God for delivering our mother to your

care in her final days.

We will always remember your kindness.

Sincerely,

The daughters & family of Dorothy

A community member recently wrote a letter

expressing their gratitude and sharing their

appreciation of our employees. We acknowledge

the staff who assisted the patient, and thank

everyone for going above & beyond with patient

care!

Please see the letter below:

Patient Satisfaction:

A Letter of Thanks

Danielle H.

9/21/14: I delivered my beautiful daughter at

RUMC and can’t say enough positive things about

the experience related to the care I received there.

As a registered nurse, it’s especially difficult for me

to be a patient, but the nurses, medical, and

ancillary staff helped make this into a positive

experience. Thank you RUMC!

A Great Facebook Review

Human Resources

Human Resources News:

Employee Recognition

We apologize for the cancellation of the Reward and Recognition Team Ceremony originally scheduled for

September 25th.

Human Resources is rescheduling the Recognition Ceremony and the new

date will be shared shortly.

Jacqueline Voss Registrar

Carmen Cajigos Building Service Worker

Patricia Crespo Building Service Worker

Robert Martinez Building Service Worker

Dennis Pietrocola Pharmacist

Jeffrey Janiger Pharmacist

Jo Ann McAvoy-Delahunt Secretary

Karen May Transcription Coordinator

Laurie Smith Secretary

Margaret Reilly Lead X-ray Tech

Dawn Fersko Assistant Nurse Manager

Denise Thompson Nursing Assistant

Employees of the Month

Theresa Mcshane

Clerk – HIMS Nominated by Deborah Rodriguez, Assistant Director

“Theresa has been an active employee at RUMC since 2001, and is a true asset to the organizational goals. She exhibits

the behavioral standards of Service Excellence.”

Alva Glasgow

Registrar- Labor & Delivery Nominated by Louise Steward, Nurse Manager

“Alva is an employee at the hospital for eight years (since 2006) and demonstrates the We Care standards.”

To nominate an employee, please call x2445.

Theresa Aguilo, Registered Nurse

Vincent Caprio, Anesthesia Tech.

Edward Carroll, Engineer 2, SVC

Isabel Chaluisant, Bldg Serv Wrkr

James Confessore, Fireman

Janine Felline, FoodSer-Guest Rep

Marie Flordeliza, Asst. Dir. Nursing

Antoinette Fried, Registrar

Lillian Gargiulo, Asst. Nurse Manager

Magdalena Lubinski, Lab Technologist SVM

Rosa Martinez, Medicaid Rep

Cesar Moreno, Building Services

Adam Pace, Paramedic

Patrica Pyryt, Nurse Manager

Marianne Rizkalla, Clin Data Spec IV

Terrell Sanders, Paramedic

Andrea Sandy, Registered Nurse

Joseph Taranto, Trauma/Injury

Nina Thompson, Registered Nurse

Natalie Toney-Zubairu, Registered Nurse

Androw Tovar, Paramedic

Chanel Woods, Food Service

Recognizing Service Excellence for 2013

Welcome September New Hires

Quality

Contact Precautions In addition to Standard Precautions, use Contact Precautions for specified patients known or suspected to be infected or colo-nized with epidemiologically important microorgan-isms that can be transmitted by direct contact with patient or indirect contact with environmental surfaces or patient-care items in the patient’s envi-ronment. Place the patient in a private room, when a private room is not available place the patient in a room with a patient who has an active or history of infection with same microorganism but with no other infection.

Droplet Precautions In addition to Standard Precautions, use Droplet Precautions for a patient known or suspected to be infected with microorgan-isms transmitted by large – particle droplets (larger than 5 microns in size) that can be generated by the patient during coughing, sneezing, talking, or the performance of procedures (such as suctioning, bronchoscopy). Place the patient in a private room if available, when a private room is not available, place the patient in a room with a patient who has active infection with the same microorganism, but with no other infection. In addition, wear a surgical mask when entering the room.

Airborne Precautions In addition to Standard Precautions, use Airborne Precautions for patients known or suspected to be infected with microorgan-isms transmitted with airborne droplet nuclei (small-particle residue of evaporated droplets containing microorganisms that remain suspended in the air and can be widely dispersed by air currents within a room or over a long distance). Place the patient in a private room that has (a) monitored negative air pressure in relation to surrounding areas, (b) minimum of six air changes per hour, and (c) appropriate discharge of air out-doors or monitored high-efficiency filtration.

According to the CDC, correct hand washing is the single most effective method to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Remember to WASH IN and WASH OUT.

For more information, call Paul Geneve at x4494.

Indicators for Isolation

Dr. James Reilly Recognized as Top Doctor

Congratulations to Dr. James

Reilly, D.O., FACOG, FACOOG,

FACS, for being selected as

one of the Top Doctors in the

Nation. (Castle Connolly)

Service Recovery Program

Service recovery focuses on opportunities that re-

quire interventions to return aggrieved customers

to a state of satisfaction with our organization and

services. The Service Recovery Program supports

our goals related to exceeding the expectations of

those we serve. All employees can identify service recovery opportunities,

and are trained to provide real time actions by utilizing tact and diplomacy

to successfully manage an upset, disappointed, or frightened patient/

family. Every employee is required to perform service recovery as well as

deliver timely and effective service recovery interventions as needed.

The Patient Representative will maintain responsibility for administration

of the program. When a situation warranting Service Recovery occurs, any

staff member may request the recovery. Whenever possible, recovery

should take place while the patient or their representative is still at the

hospital.

1) Notify the Patient Representative that Service Recovery is needed

by calling x2430 or overhead paging Patient Representative.

2) The appropriate Service Recovery item should be decided upon,

obtained and presented to the patient and/or representative

(cafeteria passes for families having long waits, RUMC “Bucks” gift

certificates to Loris gift shop). Staff can help decide the appropri-

ate item to be used, or a choice may be offered to the patient.

3) If Service Recovery items are needed on off shifts, they may be

obtained by the ADN. The ADN will notify the Patient Representative

of the complaint and how it was resolved by email or voicemail, so

the complaint can tracked.

4) Items will be presented with a personal note stating “At Richmond

University Medical Center, it is our goal to provide the very best

service to our patients and guests. We apologize that we did not meet

your expectations. Please accept this as a gesture of our sincerity.”

These notes are available in the Patient Representative’s Office.

5) All complaints and Service Recovery are logged for tracking for

trends by the Patient Representative.

Situations which may warrant the use of Service Recovery include, but are

not limited to: Scheduling errors; Extended waiting time; Delay in test or

treatment; Communication issues (lack of compassion, perceived staff rude-

ness); Problems with physical surroundings in patient’s room (heat or cool-

ing, TV, phone issues, leaks); Patient complaints of any nature.

The Service Recovery Program should NOT be utilized in the following

situations: Medication errors; Lost valuables; Falls; To meet the social needs

of patients/guests. The most inexpensive service recovery tool is "I'm

sorry." The most effective service recovery tool is effective, daily

leader rounding, every shift, every day.

In the Community

SI Parent Magazine Kicks Off Our Pediatric Book Drive!

Borough Hall Blood Drive

$25,000 Grant to Renovate Room

RUMC Auxiliary Donates Pediatric Supplies

Tuesday September 9th was the 9/11 Memorial blood drive at Borough Hall. The

series of blood drives are a joint venture between Borough President James Oddo,

Richmond University Medical Center and Staten Island University Hospital.

District Attorney Daniel M. Donovan stopped by Richmond University Medical

Center’s donor station to help participate in this event. We were able to obtain 21

units of blood and to date have received over 76 units of blood.

The RUMC Auxiliary once again has made a beautiful donation to the pediatric

patients at Richmond University Medical Center. Through their generosity, the

pediatric clinic at 800 Castleton was able to purchase a new infant table

as well as a new giraffe scale. Supporting pediatric patients is a priority for the

Auxiliary, who coordinate a Baby Shower fundraiser annually.

Staten Island Parent Magazine generously made a donation of 40 books to support the

pediatric clinic at 800 Castleton Avenue. According to Dr. Vadde, each pediatric

patient that visits the clinic gets to select a book to take home with them with encour-

agement to the family to read. Children at well visits receive a new book, while chil-

dren at sick visits receive a gently used book. Unfortunately, the supply of books is

extremely low. We ask that you consider making a donation of books for these chil-

dren. If you have new or lightly used books to donate, please bring them to the De-

partment of Pediatrics, Attention Dr. N. Vadde or directly to the pediatric clinic at 800

Castleton. For more information, please call Andrew Burt at x2100.

The Brooklyn Home for Aged Men recognized the years of dedication

and service of Jean C. Weber by generously naming a room in her

memory on SLB4. The foundation is dedicated to improving geriatric

care. The grant allowed for a full room renovation, including a bath-

room remodel, specialized hospital bed, reclining chair with sofa, and

bedside table. In addition, the family of Ms. Weber donated an original

painting which now hangs in the room.

October 2014

Employee Wellness Week Kicks Off October!

October Community Outreach

Join Us!

SIEDC Health and Wellness Expo

October 2nd, from 9am-5pm at the Hilton

Employee Health Fair

October 3rd, lobby, cafeteria, MLB, 11-3pm

CSI Breast Cancer Walk

October 11th, 10-4pm, College of Staten Island

Rome Through Richmondtown

October 11th, 12-5pm, Richmondtown

RUMC Baby Health Fair

October 13th, from 12-3pm, Babies R Us

United Veterans Organization

October 14th, at 7:30pm, Alba House

Councilwoman Debi Rose’s Health Fair

October 18th, 12-4pm, Snug Harbor

Making Strides Breast Cancer Walk

October 19th, 9am-4pm, Clove Lakes Park

Do you know of an upcoming community event?

Share it —call x2100 or email aburt@rumcsci.org.