Poster Contest. Dear Teacher or Parent:

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1 Poster Contest Dear Teacher or Parent: Promotion of safe behaviors begins at an early age and needs to be nurtured throughout life. Safe behaviors lead to safer communities and healthier lifestyles. This past year, Monongahela Valley Hospital embarked on a Journey to Excellence that included among other things, a goal to provide the safest and most caring environment for our patients, visitors and staff. As we develop and implement new initiatives from within our organization, we would like to engage the community through our youth. On behalf of Monongahela Valley Hospital, we would like to invite your fourth grade class or student to participate in the Your Safety Matters Poster Contest. This is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the collective talent of our youth as they explore and share their artistic abilities. We will be awarding fun and exciting prizes. It is our hope that you will encourage student participation. The theme of the contest Your Safety Matters is based on the philosophy that safety is important in everything that we do. From playing safely (wearing your helmet when riding your bike) to working safely (wearing gloves when caring for patients), safe practices are the basis to preventing harm and injury. Developing safe behaviors at an early age helps to build an excellent foundation from which to grow. We believe there are no boundaries to where children s minds can take them; which is why Monongahela Valley Hospital is so excited about this opportunity. The students participating are asked to submit a drawing demonstrating what safety means to them. The drawing is to be on an 8 ½ x 11 white piece of paper. While teacher involvement is important, it is necessary that the student create the entry by themselves. Promoting independence will enable them to freely express and voice their own ideas. Entries will be judged based on creative ability and expression of the health care theme. Ribbons will be awarded to the first, second and third place winners from each elementary school. In addition, the first place winner will receive a pizza party for his or her classroom. A grand prize winner and runner-up will be chosen from all first place winners and awarded savings bonds. A complete packet of contest information follows this and includes contest rules, poster guidelines, poster templates and some safety ideas to share with the students. We are anticipating a wonderful response from students and look forward to many creative entries. If you have any questions, please contact Ruth Sepesky at or Kristin Pergola at Sincerely, Ruth Sepesky Journey to Excellence Safety Team Leader

2 Contest Rules 1. The contest is sponsored by Monongahela Valley Hospital s Journey to Excellence Safety Team. 2. The School Champions will be utilized to distribute the information to each school district. 3. The Contest will target students in grade 4 from each district. 4. The timeline of events are: April 2 School champions to begin distribution of materials to their corresponding districts. (J2E Safety Team members will be available to assist in this process as necessary). April 9 Contest Kick-off. All schools will have received the contest information and can begin working on the project. April 27 Contest will officially end. No entries received after this date will be eligible for prizes. School champions will make arrangements to pick up entries. April 30 All entries will be numbered and sorted according to elementary school. May 7 All entries will be displayed in the hospital cafeteria for National Hospital Week. Winners will be selected and each school will be notified by certified mail 5. As noted above, once the schools have received the information, teachers will be given 2-3 weeks to complete this project. Making this a classroom project will ensure fairness amongst students and compliance with contest rules. 6. Teachers are asked to notify their principal on or before Wednesday, April 11 whether or not you plan on participating. Principals will be contacted during that week to determine number of participating classrooms. 7. Teachers are asked to review the entries and return to the student any entry that does not meet the contest guidelines. If we receive an entry that does not meet the intent of this contest, that entry will be ineligible for a prize. 8. All entries will be judged by a pre-selected panel. Students who are children of the Journey to Excellence Safety Team and/or children of the judges will not be considered for grand prizes. 9. Winners will be chosen based on creative ability and expression of the health care theme. 10. A first, second, and third place winner will be chosen from each elementary school within the participating school districts with ribbons awarded. 11. First place winners from each elementary school will also receive a pizza party for his or her classroom and become eligible to win a U.S. Government Savings Bond. 12. All entries become the property of Monongahela Valley Hospital. 13. All first place winning entries will be photocopied for display throughout our organization. 14. Only one entry per student is permitted. 15. All drawings must be original. 16. All entries must be submitted on the template provided.

3 Poster Guidelines All entries must meet this criteria: Submitted on 8.5 x 11 white paper (template provided) Portrait style format only (see below) Drawing must be original and age-appropriate No photographs or publications will be accepted Crayons, colored pens and pencils and markers only (winning entries must be able to be photocopied) Student s name (first and last), grade, classroom, teacher and school should be printed in the bottom right hand corner on the BACK of the paper. Only one entry per student. Paper has been provided.

4 Health Care Theme Examples Examples of ways health care workers keep patients safe Health care workers properly identify each patient they are caring for, by checking his or her armband before giving medication or performing a procedure to ensure that it is the correct patient. Health care workers always wash their hands before caring for patients to avoid the spread of germs. Health care workers use and change gloves, gowns, and masks for each new test or treatment. Health care workers always listen to patients concerns. Health care workers keep nurse call bells within reach so that patients can call the nurse if they need something. Health care workers assist patients to the bathroom when they are weak or cannot walk well on their own. Health care workers put patients bed rails up to keep patients safe in bed. Health care workers apply bed alarms to patients who are at risk for falling out of bed. Health care workers keep the hallways dry and clear so that patients do not slip and fall. Health care workers put the brakes on wheelchairs as patients are sitting in them. Health care workers put the foot rests up on wheelchairs when taking patients to and from their rooms. Health care workers put special wristbands on patients arms to notify staff of important things, such as patients who are at risk for falling or medication allergies. Health care workers involve patients in their health care decisions. Health care workers give patients and their families teaching sheets that contain information about their illness or the medication they are taking. Health care workers assist non-english speaking patients or patients who are deaf by finding translators to help communicate information to them. Health care workers always report medical errors so that future mistakes can be prevented. Health care workers make sure that patients get all of the medications that their doctor orders at the right time so that patients get better and can go home from the hospital. Health care workers always take a time out to verify that they have the correct patient, the correct procedure, and the correct body part before doing any procedure or surgery. Health care workers always take broken or malfunctioning equipment out of service so that patients are not injured. Health care workers know where their safety manuals are kept and are familiar with the safety policies.

5 Examples of ways health care workers do their job safely.. Health care workers wash their hands frequently to avoid bringing germs home to their families. Health care workers wear personal protective equipment, such as gloves, gowns, and eye/face shields to avoid being exposed to body fluids or dangerous chemicals. Health care workers always dispose of sharps, such as needles, in the proper red container. Health care workers always read the labels on chemicals or dangerous substances they are using. Health care workers get their flu shots every year to stay healthy so they can care for their patients. Health care workers always lift and transfer patients correctly to avoid hurting themselves. Health care workers have equipment that they can use to assist them in moving patients. Health care workers always go to new employee orientation (just like school) to learn about safety. Health care workers use the buddy system when lifting or moving something heavy. Health care workers never eat or drink in the laboratory. These are just some examples of safety and why safety matters to help you to create your posters. If you have ideas not mentioned above, GREAT; we are excited to see your creations. HAVE FUN and GOOD LUCK!!

6 Registration Form Elementary School Teacher s Name # Students participating Please fax this form to by April 11, 2007.

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