November 9, 2012 Volume 20 Number 22 Pink Lemonade Day...2 RN Certification...2 Christmas Activities...3 Clinics EOM...4 Joyner Students...4 EPP Survey...4 Christmas Club Checks...5 Cancer Free...5 inside Cares Training Drawing...6 Volunteer Chaplains...7 CHECKUP A PUBLICATION FOR NORTH MISSISSIPPI MEDICAL CENTER EMPLOYEES Employees Exceed Goal For United Way Giving The United Way organizations of north Mississippi are closer to meeting their goals for the 2012 campaign drive, thanks in part to increased pledges from employees of North Mississippi Medical Center facilities in Tupelo, Pontotoc, Iuka, Eupora and West Point, and North Mississippi s. Rodger Brown, North Mississippi Health Services vice president of human resources and health division chair of this year s United Way campaign, announced that pledges increased 9 percent to help the United Way agencies in this area reach their goals. Employee pledges to all local United Way branches totaled $634,489. The employees of this health care organization are a giving bunch, be it time or money, Brown said. They clearly give back to the communities where they live. Brown said he is proud of the way employees are committed to NMMC s mission of improving the health of the community through their generosity. Angie Everett, director of the NMMC Rehabilitation Institute, served as chair of this year s NMHS United Way campaign. I m so proud of our employees for giving so much, especially considering the tough economic times, Everett said. They stepped up because they know that now, more than ever, is when people are going to need the help United Way provides. Employees of NMHS have once again gone above and beyond for our community, said Melinda Tidwell, executive director of United Way of Northeast Mississippi. We appreciate all the work done by Angie and her campaign committee and all the employees who show they care by giving to United Way. Their generous giving will ensure that local agencies will be able to meet needs for another year. Members of NMHS' United Way campaign committee gathered to hear the announcement of the campaign drive's totals on Nov. 2. Pledges increased 9 percent and total more than $630,000.
IMA-Tupelo Hosts Pink Lemonade Day IMA-Tupelo hosted a Pink Lemonade Day for breast cancer awareness Oct. 16. Staff members wearing pink in honor of the special occasion were (front row, from left) Candace Beane, Lisha Hill, Joey Hughey, Susan Willis, Michelle Smith, (back row, from left) Lynn Lindsey, Peggy Stanley, Casey Curtis, Katie McGinnis with NMMC s Breast Care Center, Gloria Harper, Alicia Walker and Kristy Lindsey. McGinnis shared information about preventing or detecting breast cancer in the earliest, most curable stages. NMMC RNs Earn Diabetes Educator Certification Kitti Parman, RN, and Teresa Tittle, RN, have again achieved Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) status by successfully completing the continuing education renewal option process. Candidates must meet rigorous eligibility requirements to be eligible for certification. Achieving the CDE credential demonstrates to people with diabetes and employers that the health care professional possesses distinct and specialized knowledge, thereby promoting quality of care for people with diabetes. Currently, there are more than 17,000 diabetes educators who hold certification from the National Certification Board for Diabetes Educators. NCBDE was established in 1986 to develop and administer a certification program for health care professionals who teach individuals with diabetes how to manage their disease. Kitti Parman (left) and Teresa Tittle have retained their CDE status. For more information about services available through the NMMC Diabetes Treatment Center, call (662) 377-2500 or 1-800-THE DESK (1-800- 843-3375). November 9, 2012 Page 2
2012 Holiday Activities Schedule Dec. 12 Baldwyn Nursing Facility day shift party: Noon-2 p.m. Night shift parties Baldwyn Nursing Facility: Meal tray delivered at 11 p.m. Tupelo Main Unit: 10-11:30 p.m. (Heavy hors d oeuvres) Women s Hospital: 8:30-10 p.m. (Heavy hors d oeuvres in Education Center Rooms 1 & 2) Behavioral Health Center: 6:30-8 p.m. (Heavy hors d oeuvres) Dec. 13 Women s Hospital: 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. (Education Center Rooms 1 & 2, includes Child Care Center employees) Behavioral Health Center: 11 a.m.-1 p.m. (Includes Service Center and Logistics Center employees) Dec. 14 Tupelo Main Unit: 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. (Heavy hors d oeuvres) Off-Site Facilities Off-site facilities without a kitchen were given the option of attending a party at one of the facilities where hot food is served or outsourcing a meal scheduled by each facility s leadership team. Those locations are: Accounting All North Mississippi s All Home Health Branches Ambulance/Aeromedical Services Breast Care Center Business Services-Cliff Gookin Cancer Center Center for Business Health Center for Digestive Health Central Sterile Processing Community Health Employee Pharmacy Family Medicine Residency Center Imaging Centers Longtown Imaging Longtown Medical Park Outpatient Infusion Center North Mississippi Pain Management North Mississippi Physical Medicine and Rehab Surgery Center Wellness Centers-Tupelo, Baldwyn, Pontotoc Page 3 November 9, 2012
Clinic EOM Believes In Nothing Less Than The Best Allison Henrichs was recently named September Employee of the Month for North Mississippi s. She is currently transitioning from her role as office manager at Okolona into the Patient Experience Coordinator position for the clinic organization. She is a graduate of Hatley High School and Itawamba Community College. She joined North Mississippi s in 2008. Allison always had a great attitude and is fair to everyone in all areas, a coworker wrote in her nomination. She is one of the best leaders I have ever worked with. She always thinks about others and goes out of her way to make sure we are taken care of. She encourages you to shoot for the stars and not settle for anything less. Efficiency, along with her integrity and great character, allows her to be a shining example to others. Henrichs said that her favorite part of her job is getting to know people including employees, vendors or patients. I love helping clinic employees succeed and live up to their fullest potential, she said. She and her husband, Joel, have two daughters Samantha and Gabby. The family attends New Hope Primitive Baptist Church in Hatley. The Employee of the Month honor recognizes employees with exemplary job performance and customer service skills, as well as community involvement. NMMC Presents Health Link Magnets To Joyner Students Students at Joyner Elementary School show off Nurse Link magnets given to them by NMMC representatives. Pictured are (from left) Courtney Logan; Tony Huddleston, triage nurse with Nurse Link; Hailey Springer; Makevia Cayson; Dylan Marshall; Jackson Root; Marquallen Perkins and school nurse Julie Word. NMMC recently distributed magnets to students in Tupelo and Lee County schools to promote Nurse Link, a free health information resource offered by NMMC. For immediate answers to health questions, call Nurse Link at 1-800-882-6274 to speak directly to a registered nurse between 4 p.m. and midnight Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. until midnight on weekends and holidays. Your Voice Employee Evidence-Based Planning Survey The annual Employee Evidence-based Planning Survey will be conducted through Nov. 30. Your participation in the survey is essential to NMMC s planning process. We want to capture the voice of every employee! The survey link will be emailed to employees from survey@nmhs.net and will be placed on an Intranet slider. Take a moment to complete this very important survey. If you have questions regarding the Employee Evidence-based Planning Survey, contact Lois Sanderson (377-4677) or Kertenia Brock (377-3962). November 9, 2012 Page 4
NMHS Christmas Club Checks Exceed $1 Million Sally Finney (left) presents Jerri Cutlip, RN, and Crystal Holcomb, RN, of Women s Hospital with their Christmas Club checks during the Credit Union Day celebration Oct. 30. Credit Union staff distributed 1,181 checks totaling $1,180,115.27. Ten lucky Credit Union members won $50 each in the drawing: Lindsey Lollar, Radiology; Bobbie Fields, Business Service; Angie Owen, Acclaim; Kelli Phipps, Wellness Center; Arnetta Frazier, Outpatient Admissions; Loralei McGee, Education; JoAnna Ericksen, Employee Health; Shasheka Collins, Behavioral Health; Eva Jayamaha, Pain Management; and Phyllis Funderburk, Post-Anesthesia Care Unit. Registration for next year s Christmas Club runs through Dec. 30. Baldwyn CLPN Completes Four Cancer-Free Years Baldwyn staff members including (from left) Pam Hodges and Dr. Sharon Mitchell surprised coworker Pamela Armstrong, CLPN, with a celebration during October, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, in honor of being cancer-free for four years. Armstrong was diagnosed with breast cancer on Dec. 20, 2007, shortly after turning 29. After surgery, Armstrong completed 32 rounds of radiation therapy and six months of chemotherapy, and is now doing great. Page 5 November 9, 2012
CARES Training Employees Entered Into Drawing North Mississippi s employees who participated in CARES training were entered into a drawing for a prize pack that included a copy of The Mighty Macs movie, candy, popcorn and drinks. Gloria Harper, CARES presenter, gives a movie prize pack to Emily Sample of Neurology Consultants. Harper presents a movie prize pack to Dana Hutchison of Med Serve. The other prize pack winners were: Caryn Bivens of Lowndes Ashley Williams of Okolona Joy Moore of Hamilton Medical Clinic Meagan Gaines of Oxford Amy Crowley of West Point Ella Jones of Eupora Medical Clinic Tammie Weeks of Pontotoc Joy Baxter of Iuka Medical Clinic November 9, 2012 Page 6
Volunteer Chaplains Make Valuable Contribution NMMC s Pastoral Care Department honored its 17 volunteer chaplains with a luncheon Oct. 25. Those attending included (front row, from left) June Geddie, Bettye Clifton, Michael Goins and Kathy Smith, (back row, from left) NMMC Pastoral Care director James Richardson, James Hilderbrand, Mike Talbert, Bobby Brock, Ken Pickens, Dick Stevens, Tim Childs, Terry Rhodes and Billy Langley. The chaplains unable to attend included Marquette Rogers, Chris Sadler, Joe Smith, Kevin Lindley and David Smith. The volunteer chaplains help meet the spiritual needs of NMMC patients and their families, especially those struggling from the effects of illness. Some of the volunteers travel many miles each week to see patients. Because of their invaluable contribution, NMMC s Pastoral Care Department was able to achieve more than 24,600 patient visits during the past year. West Point s Silent Auction Benefits Breast Cancer Research Breast cancer survivors (from left) Chiri Hindman of NMMC-West Point s Respiratory Therapy and April Morgan of Food and Nutrition Services, along with Teresa Johnson of the Radiology Department, show off some of the silent auction items. NMMC-West Point hosted a silent auction throughout October to benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Bids were accepted on a wide array of items, including pink cleats signed by Mississippi State University head football coach Dan Mullen and a pink MSU #36 cap in memory of Nick Bell. The cap and cleats were like those worn by the MSU football team during the MSU vs. Tennessee game. Other silent auction items included hand-crocheted blankets, a purse, candles, photo album, original artwork and photo frames. Our facility is a proud recipient of Susan G. Komen for the Cure grant funds to provide free mammograms and breast ultrasounds for women who have limited or no income, said Teresa Johnson, director of NMMC-West Point s Radiology Department. This is one way that our staff can give back to help people in our community prevent, detect and fight breast cancer. Page 7 November 9, 2012