September 10, 2015 Volume 37 Issue 16 Berkshire Health Systems Employee Newsletter Neighborhood for Health Opens at North Adams Campus of Berkshire Medical Center Innovative Program Expands and Coordinates Services, Manages Out-Patient Care Members of the Neighborhood For Health team pose at the North Adams Campus of BMC. The region s only Neighborhood For Health has opened at the North Adams Campus of Berkshire Medical Center for patients from the Northern Berkshires. For the first time in our community, patients are receiving comprehensive outpatient medical care all assembled under one roof, as well as the social and community services needed to regain their health. The Neighborhood For Health is located on the second floor of the North Adams BMC campus, which has been modified for the initiative. BHS also hired a new Neighborhood For Health team. Darlene Rodowicz, BHS Chief Financial Officer, left, speaks with visitors to the community open house for the Neighborhood For Health. This initiative enables us to pull all of the critical pieces together for patients, so that they can return to the best health possible, said David E. Phelps, president and CEO of Berkshire Health Systems. It ensures that all of their care is easily accessible in one location, completely coordinated, and carried out by a team that is all working together in partnership with the patient. Delivery of high quality healthcare services through the Neighborhood For Health is funded in part by a multiyear CHART grant that BHS received for its North Adams continued, page 2
2 Neighborhood for Health Opens continued from page 1 campus from the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission, with additional investments and infrastructure from BHS. Enhanced behavioral health services will also be provided in collaboration with the Brien Center. Only the Northern Berkshire region met the eligibility requirements for a CHART grant to help fund a Neighborhood For Health. Designed to benefit those with greatest need, the first priority will be patients being discharged from BMC with chronic health challenges, and BHS will expand the program so primary care physicians can also refer patients who would benefit from these services. This is a very innovative model of patient care that begins with an enhanced plan at discharge, when patients need the most support to regain their health, said Diane Kelly, RN, Chief Operating Officer at BMC. This unique approach manages their care with a team that is dedicated to each patient s needs, working in close collaboration with the primary care physician. This team will support them every step of the way during their recovery. The new medical services include diabetes education, a congestive heart failure clinic, nutrition counseling, an outpatient detox center, expanded mental health services, care for substance use disorders and a smoking cessation program. These services were selected through a data-driven process to determine which conditions most frequently challenge people s health and can cause+ potentially avoidable returns to the hospital. Among the goals of the Neighborhood For Health is to provide not only high quality healthcare, but also identify and eliminate whatever barriers may prevent an individual from being healthy, said Mark Pettus, MD, Director of Medical Education and Medical Director of Wellness and Population Health at BHS. For some, that may be transportation to care. For others, it may be access to nutritious food or a safe environment. That s why Social Workers and Community Outreach Workers are an important element. The Neighborhood For Health will take a holistic approach to each patient by creating an individualized care plan focused on the patient s needs and goals that will lead them back to better health. Over 200 people attended the open house, held on September 2nd at the North Adams Campus of BMC. The process begins as soon as a North Berkshire resident comes to BMC for care. Their zip code will activate a call to a Care Coordinator at the hospital, who will visit the patient while still in the hospital, confer with the patient s hospital healthcare team, and work with the patient to prepare a care plan to meet the patient s medical and social needs once he/she goes home. The Care Coordinator will also arrange the first visit to the Neighborhood For Health upon discharge, and ensure that all of the right clinicians and community support are there to meet the patient. When people are sick, they often suffer from behavioral health issues as well, especially if they have a chronic health condition such as congestive heart failure or diabetes, said Alex Sabo, MD, Chairman of the BMC Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science. That s why it s so important to have behavioral health services from the BMC and Brien Center team as part of the Neighborhood For Health. We want to make sure that patients receive the emotional support needed to get well. Creating a Neighborhood For Health in North Berkshire is part of our on-going plan to bring proven, high quality services to areas most in need of them, Phelps said. This program leverages the full strength of our community s healthcare system.
3 Community Health Programs and Berkshire Health Systems Collaborate on Development of Federally Qualified Health Center for North Berkshire New FQHC Will Expand Access to Primary Care Over Long Term Community Health Programs (CHP) and Berkshire Health Systems (BHS) have announced that CHP has been awarded a two-year federal Health and Human Services grant to provide comprehensive primary care services to the residents of Northern Berkshire. This grant will allow for the more immediate sustainability of some existing primary care services in Adams and North Adams, followed by the expansion of services to the residents of these communities over the next two years; particularly those without health insurance and Medicare and Medicaid/MassHealth beneficiaries. This funding will allow for the development of a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in North Berkshire, with locations in Adams and North Adams. Bryan Ayars, CEO of CHP noted that, This grant recognizes not only that there is a real and growing need for preventive and primary care services in northern Berkshire County, but that the collaboration among organizations such as Berkshire Health Systems, northern Berkshire Community Coalition, The Brien Center, and others is the key to successfully addressing the health challenges throughout the community. Expanding access to care for our community is a core commitment of Berkshire Health Systems, and our continuing partnership with CHP will provide enhanced stability for primary care for North Berkshire, said David Phelps, President and CEO of Berkshire Health Systems. The new CHP location and FQHC model also enhances the ability to recruit new primary care providers to North Berkshire, so that we can continue to provide this expanded access in the long-term. The new CHP locations will incorporate two existing physician practices Northern Berkshire Family Medicine and Adams Internists which will join CHP and provide primary care services for residents of North Berkshire. CHP will have two North Berkshire locations, including North Adams, on State Road at the site of the current Northern Berkshire Family Medicine, with a relocation planned for later this fall to the North Adams Campus of BMC; and in Adams at the location of the current Adams Internists on Depot Street. Berkshire Health Systems is investing $600,000 in renovations to the Adams Internists building and the third floor of the North Adams Campus of BMC to accommodate the new CHP locations. While helping to stabilize primary care services in North Berkshire, the new CHP locations will also be expanding care as CHP works to recruit new physicians to the region. An FQHC designation brings with it enhanced capabilities for physician recruitment that can help to attract new physicians. Berkshire Health Systems and Community Health Programs have collaborated for many years on expanding access to care across the Berkshires, including jointly working on the development of CHP s Federally Qualified Health Centers in Great Barrington and Pittsfield. This latest partnership began in the days following the closure of the former North Adams Regional Hospital, where BHS first stabilized Northern Berkshire Family Medicine, and the two organizations then initiated an application for the federal access grant. Pillars of Effective Presentations Workshop Series Planned for Fall The Pillars of Effective Presentation workshop series is being offered this fall and is open to all levels of employees. Topics will include basic presentation tips to principles of adult learning. The series will be taught as four separate sessions from 8 am to 9:30 am in the Bishop Building Conference Room 1, beginning on November 5th and running through January. Space is limited to the first 16 registrants. For more information or to register, please call the BHS Education Department at 447-2132. Registrations should be made by October 1st. Participants who successfully attend and participate will receive a special certificate of completion.
4 A Great Day of Golf in Stockbridge Supports Fairview Maternity Fairview Hospital s Maternity Department will receive four new maternity beds thanks to the success of the 19th annual Fairview Golf Classic, held at the Stockbridge Golf Club on September 10th. The tournament fielded 30 teams and had the support of nearly 30 sponsors, led by underwriters Berkshire Bank, Iredale Mineral Cosmetics and Walmart. The tournament raised nearly $27,000 for Fairview Hospital. Despite the threat of bad weather, the rain held off until late afternoon. The tournament included a full day of golf and great food and prizes, including raffles prizes from some of the areas finest restaurants and golf courses, which were donated to support Fairview Hospital. For the fourth year in a row, the Fairview Golf Classic winners were the team of Tom McCarthy, Joe LaRoche, Lyn Winslow and Margaret Winslow, with a score of 56, four strokes ahead of second place team of Kate McCormick, Smitty Pignatelli, Del Kinney and Georgette Kinney. Net winners were the BMC team including Jeanne Morin, Matt MacLeod, Frank Barnes and Ronnie Lacey. BHS Bill Young won the Men s Straightest Drive on Hole #16. Janet Dohoney, former director of volunteers at Fairview, won Women s Straightest Drive on the same hole. The sporty Lexus 2015 RC350 AWD Coupe, the hole-in- one prize donated by Balise Lexus, narrowly missed going home with one of the day s participants on a number of occasions, when drives landed just inches from 14th hole. The nine member Fairview Golf Classic Committee, chaired by community members Aidan Gilligan, Kate McCormick and Richard Kelly, is already looking forward to the 2016 Fairview Golf Classic, which will be a celebration of Fairview s 20th year of holding its annual tournament at the Stockbridge Golf Club. The tentative 2016 date for the tournament is September 8th. Employee Opinion Survey Starts Soon: All Employees Encouraged to Participate The 2015 Berkshire Health Systems Employee Opinion Survey will be available for a two week period beginning on Monday, September 21st, with each employee having access through their employee email address. This survey, which will be administered by Press Ganey, is important for the organization, as it gauges employee opinions on key issues and aids in the promotion of ways to continue to improve the workplace. Some important information regarding the survey: Employees should watch for an email from Survey@pressganey.com beginning on Monday, September 21st. If you do not see this email by the end of the day, be sure to check your Junk Mail folder, in the event it did not make it past your email filter into your regular in-box. The emails will go out in waves to employees, so check your email throughout the day. The email will contain the information and link needed for you to complete the survey online. All responses are confidential. Results are averaged for work groups and individual responses are not reported. Demographics are not reported at the work group level; only as the overall organizational level. All survey responses are sent directly to Press Ganey. If you do not have a work computer, there will be lap top computers set up outside the BMC Café periodically for employees to use in order to take the survey. Please participate in this year s Employee Opinion Survey your opinion matters! The 2015 Fairview Golf Tournament was held on September 10th, raising funds for new maternity beds. There were 30 teams playing. Here, Fairview President Gene Dellea (third from left) poses with, from left to right: Tom Audet, Suzanne Arre, Roger Knysh, Bob Dillon and Charles Harner.
5 The Sandra Solomon Memorial Lectures in Medical Ethics and Humanism The Sandra Solomon Memorial Lectures are made possible through the generous donations provided by the Solomon Family. Wednesday, October 7 th, 2015 6:00-7:00 pm Berkshire Medical Center Auditorium, Pittsfield, MA Why Americans Resist Palliative and Hospice Care Benita Zahn, DPS Doctorate in Professional Studies and Bioethics / News Anchor and Reporter, WNYT As the health reporter for Live at 5 and 6, Zahn has covered issues including wellness, treatment breakthroughs, aging, nutrition and the latest healthcare trends. She co-produces and hosts Health LINK and pens a weekly column for the Live Smart page of the Times Union. Zahn s work has garnered numerous awards, including the Arthur Kapner Sprit of the Chamber Award (Albany-Colonie) and has been named one of the 100 Women of the Century by the Albany-Colonie Chamber. Our Discussion Objectives: Review sociological resistance to hospice and palliative care Present latest research supporting its use Discuss innovative ways to introduce this care into a community Holistic approaches to incorporating this care into a community Berkshire Medical Center BERKSHIRE HEALTH SYSTEMS www.berkshirehealthsystems.org To register, contact Susan Kelly at skelly@bhs1.org or call (413) 447-2775.
6 WellnessWorks (413) 447-3100 Core and More - Starts Sept, 29 th Visit the WellnessWorks page of the employee portal for more information and to register for any of our programs. https://www.bhswellnessworks.org Fairview Employee Monday, October 5, 2015 Ground Floor Hallways & Conference Room 11 AM 3 PM BMC PDR / 4:30-5:00 pm Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6 week program This 30 minute class offers a fusion of fitness core exercises, Pilates principals and strengthening and lengthening moves designed to create a leaner and stronger body! This class is a slower-paced, putting emphasis on alignment and integrity of movement. All fitness levels are welcome. Bring a mat or towel, water, and wear comfortable clothing. Instructor: Monique Blake, CPT Cost: $30 via payroll deduction Chair Massages Give-a-ways Raffle Drawings Healthy Refreshments Many Health Topics m Relax & De-Stress: Try Acupuncture at Work FREE Open House 9/24 The Wellness Department is teaming up with Naomi Alson & Regina Touhey Serkin of Pittsfield Community Acupuncture to bring BHS Staff members acupuncture treatments in a group setting to help reduce stress and improve general well-being. This group acupuncture experience will be in a large room with other participants. Fine needles are placed on your body or on your ear. You stay fully clothed for this treatment. After insertion you rest with the needles for up to 45 minutes. Acupuncture is safe, using sterile single-use, disposable needles, about the size of one strand of hair. Open House: Thursday, Sept 24 th from 5:30-6:30pm. For future sessions, pre-registration is required: Log on to the WellnessWorks website or call ext. 3100 for more information. Session dates: Thursdays: October 8th & 22nd, November 12th, December 10th 5:30-6:30pm in the Cancer Center HEAL Room Cost: $10. Have you completed your requirements for 2016 Wellness Health Plan eligibility? The deadline is September 30 th, 2015. Wellness staff members will be available to help employees with their online requirements on Monday, September 28th, from 7:30 am 5:00 pm in BMC PDR A
7 BHS Job Opportunities To view job descriptions and/or apply for a position at Berkshire Medical Center, Fairview Hospital or BVNA & Hospice, please visit our website at: www.berkshirehealthsystems.org and click on Employment. Summer SiZZLE! Get your beach on! Start your Vacation Savings Account today and start thinking about the beach you want to be on! Please direct any comments, questions or suggestions for to Development and Community Relations at 447-2060. Editor: Ruth Blodgett Writers: Mike Leary, Elzbieta Lauren Smith Ala Trzepacz Layout and Printing: Deirdre McKenna, Materials Management is printed on paper with post-consumer recycled content. Savings and loan specials appear every day! 1450 East Street Pittsfield, MA 01201 (413) 447-7772 www.berkshirefcu.com Important Notice for Berkshire Federal Credit Union Members The board of directors of Berkshire Federal Credit Union has agreed to a merger with Greylock Federal Credit Union. The National Credit Union Association has approved the merger. For the time being, nothing will change in the way you do your banking. Please continue to access your accounts as you currently do. You can also visit any of Greylock s locations to open new banking, insurance and investment products or services. We will keep you fully informed throughout the conversion process as it will take both credit unions some time for Berkshire Federal s systems and accounts to be fully integrated into Greylock s. Although I am retiring as president of Berkshire Federal, I have agreed to stay on for a period of time as a consultant to assist with the transition. All other Berkshire Federal employees will join the Greylock team. Upon completion of the conversion, you will enjoy extended hours at Greylock s 10 full-service branches and 16 local ATM locations; access to 30,000 nationwide Co-Op Network ATMs; a telephone service center and a host of free online and mobile services. You will also have access to additional services, including mortgage loans, business banking services, investments and insurance products. We assure you that we are working hard to make the transition seamless and efficient. Remember, there is nothing for you to do right now. Watch your mail for further information. Welcome to the Greylock family! Sincerely, Evelyn Torrey Manager/CEO Berkshire Federal Credit Union Marilyn L. Sperling President & CEO, Greylock Federal Credit Union
8 Thanks and Recognition In Memoriam The doctors, doctors assistants, nurses and all the staff were wonderful to me. I was treated like a dear family member. Comment from a BMC Telemetry Unit patient I wish I had made a note of the wonderful nurses and other hospital staff I interacted with but unfortunately I did not. But I can say that every person, from the nurses and doctors to the people who brought the food and cleaned the room were exceptionally kind, caring and helpful. Comment from a BMC Surgical Services patient I was supposed to go to Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, but no beds were available so they sent me to BMC. I am so glad they did. Everything was just super. Comment from a BMC Telemetry Unit patient Dawn Kinne was fantastic; so friendly and kind. I didn't know she was a student until we were finished, she provided excellent service. Comment from a Fairview Hospital Laboratory Services patient Every mammogram I have had done at BMC has been on time and done by friendly well trained techs. I received the test results during the time frame they said I would. Comment from a BMC Women s Imaging Center patient I could not have been more pleased with my experience. It was wonderful; I recovered much more quickly than expected. I don't have any thing to say but how pleased I was with the rehab program at BMC. Comment from a BMC Center for Rehabilitation patient Dr. Chi Zhang and his team are professional, courteous, caring and compassionate. They put the patients at ease and make the entire experience very positive. Much better than Baystate. Comment from a North Adams Campus of BMC Endoscopy patient We are so lucky to have Fairview. It s been an important part of our life for decades. Comment from a Fairview Hospital patient Chaplain s Corner: Right Relationships By Sister Colette Hanlon, SC, BMC Chaplain It s that time of year again: concerns about children going back to school, vacations mostly over, days getting shorter, hints of autumn chill. Challenges and invitations abound. A key theme emerges for those of the Jewish faith and, indeed, for all seekers: Am I in the right relationships? For Jews, the High Holy Days call them to ponder and pray about their relationships with the Divine, but also with those persons with whom they have been interacting. They spend time in fasting, and engage in serious reflection and acts of repentance, and commit to establishing right relationships in the future, as the Lord has commanded. Whether we consider ourselves religious or spiritual or none of the above, this can be a time for us to consider our own interactions with family, friends, colleagues, and indeed, all of creation. Acknowledging the gifts of the Creator that we enjoy can deepen our appreciation for the gorgeous autumn surroundings of the Berkshires. Becoming a grateful people can impel us to avoid useless arguments, demeaning conversations, and destructive activities and deepen and re-orient any fragile or broken relationships. Our Jewish sisters and brothers are preparing for their journey toward deeper reconciliation. Where will each of us begin? Joan A. Lefebvre, a Registered Nurse at the former North Adams Regional Hospital, now the North Adams Campus of BMC, died on August 26th at the age of 84. Wanda A. Valday, a Certified Nursing Assistant at Hillcrest Commons Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, died on August 28th at the age of 58. Edward W. Daley, a pharmacist at the former Pittsfield General Hospital, now Berkshire Medical Center, died on August 28th at the age of 82. The staff of Berkshire Health Systems offers its deepest condolences to their friends and family.