Participate in our celebration of Medical Laboratory Week news CENTRE WPSH weekly newsletter of West Parry Sound Health Centre April 29 to May 5 2013 We thank our Volunteers... While serving cake and cleaning up tables, CEO Donald Sanderson personally thanked volunteers (and staff) during last Friday s Volunteer Week Appreciation Barbecue. Hundreds were served with hamburgers, hotdogs, salads, and cake. Donald is shown here with volunteers Trudy Weeks and Ellen Gilchrist. Thank you to everyone who participated in celebrating the outstanding contribution of our volunteers! We join in celebrating DaDOCTORS 1 May 2013 May 1 was chosen as Doctors Day in Ontario because it is the birthday of Dr. Emily Stowe. Dr. Emily Jennings Stowe was the first female physician in Canada. Like many other physicians of her time, it was a personal matter that drove her to medicine. Her husband contracted tuberculosis and, with several children to support, she decided to pursue medicine. She graduated from the New York Medical College for Women in 1876 and returned to Canada to practise. Say Thank You to members of our Medical Community
Parry Sound Blood Donor Clinic St. Peter s - Knights of Columbus Hall Thursday, May 9 1 to 2:30 p.m. and 4 to 7:30 p.m. Support a blood donor clinic In Honour of Cathy Weaver on Friday, May 10 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus Hall, Parry Sound. Blood and blood products are an integral part of our health care system. Without these products many services would not be possible, from cancer treatments and transplants to complicated surgeries. We often take it for granted; never thinking it won t be there when we need it. Cathy Weaver has a rare and incurable disease called pulmonary hypertension. She was diagnosed with this disease in 2006. At that time, she was also diagnosed with an auto-immune disease called lupus. A few months ago, Cathy experienced complications and required many units of platelets. The Carling Fire Department is sponsoring this blood donor clinic in Cathy s honour. Friday, May 10 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (In Honour Clinic for Cathy Weaver) Please visit us online at www.blood.ca or call 1 888 2 DONATE (1 888 236 6283) and book your appointment to save a life today. New electronic system improving patient care and team approach to treatment Cancer patients at West Parry Sound Health Centre are benefitting from more personalized care as a result of our participation in a provincial project developed by Cancer Care Ontario called ISAAC (Interactive Symptom Assessment and Collection). This technology facilitates the team approach, as members of our health care team in Sudbury are also aware of all patient issues, and as a team we are able to address these issues and continue to improve all aspects of care as the patient continues on their journey, said Judy Gohier, Charge Nurse Ambulatory Care/Chemotherapy Program at WPSHC. While providing improved patient support, it also involves family members as part of the support team to assist in day-to-day care and concern. This computer-based tool allows patients to simply enter their symptom severity scores electronically using state-of-the-art technology in a touch-screen computer within the health centre. The assessments are entered by the patients, tracked within the system, and reviewed by the patient s care team, allowing symptoms to be managed more effectively. ISAAC measures symptom severity based on the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS), which addresses nine common symptoms including pain, nausea and anxiety. ESAS scores are reported as a histogram. This includes scores collected anywhere there are participating collection points such as WPSHC, regional cancer centres, and other participating hospitals and/or care providers. This allows symptom severity to be reported individually at that point in time for the necessary treatment, as well as tracked over numerous entry dates collected at any participating health care facility. The ISAAC system has the ability to help identify things that might include developing trends for patient symptoms as well as a capacity to notify clinicians immediately by email when the score is in the moderate to severe range. This allows health care providers to take appropriate steps to help patients manage their symptoms, including referrals to specialized services when needed. Whenever you donate blood, you can register to help WPSHC meet its commitment to support the Partners for Life Campaign. Share your comments through our on-line suggestion box www.wpshc.com
weekly newsletter of West Parry Sound Health Centre April 29 to May 5 2013 Celebrate Medical Laboratory Week Medical Laboratory Week Trivia How many days do red blood cells survive? Visit the What s Your Type clinic Our Lab will be having a What s Your Type Clinic happening on Thursday, May 2 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the front lobby. This is a blood typing program that is offered free to the public through Canadian Blood Services and only takes about two minutes. This program is helpful in knowing what your blood type is so that you could potentially be a donor in the future. Plan to participate in Medical Laboratory Week! How many litres of blood is in an average male? How often can you donate blood? What is the most common blood group? What are the three components in your blood? What is another word for red blood cells? What is the most common organism that causes UTIs? What temperature is most common for growth of an organism? What is the difference between Histology and Cytology? What is the name of the routine stain used in Histology? Find the answers by visiting the Medical Laboratory Week display. Learn more about our Lab by visiting this week s display near Hava Java. Knowing matters When it comes to your health, or the health of a loved one, knowing matters. Knowing can bring peace-of-mind that everything is okay. Knowing can instigate life-saving treatment. Knowing makes all the difference... and the reason you know is because of the diligent work done inside the lab. Medical laboratory professionals are the third largest group of health care professionals in Canada, yet most of the general public don t know they are there. These dedicated professionals often go unnoticed because they are rarely seen by patients. However, every day they play a vital role in Canada s health care system. With up to 85 percent of medical decisions based on lab results, the system simply could not function without them. During National Medical Lab Week, we shine a light on these professionals to highlight the contributions they make to your health. Take this opportunity to learn more about medical laboratory professionals and the impact they make. Information from the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science visit knowingmatters.ca
Available at WPSHC in Room 4213
Let s bike together Perhaps a couple of times each week (not on walking/running days) anyone who s interested could get together for cycling - staff, volunteers, Lakeland and WPSHC. People do not need to be superb athletes. Let s just get together just for fun, exercise, and safety in groups. Please call 3606 if you are interested. SWAT news Join Lakeland s Dragon Boat team It s that time of year again to recruit our Dragon Boat team! Whether you have paddled years before, or have never before, now is the time to sign up! This year our friends at the health centre are invited to paddle with us. If you sign up you will need: To attend at least one of two practices before the day of the races. (Practice times will be posted when they have been scheduled). Fill out a waiver and pledge form (please take one from the board in Lakeland s staff room or contact extension 1044). Paddles and life jackets will be supplied to you for the day of the races. The event is taking place at Waubuno Beach on June 15. Sign up at the Spirit Board in Lakeland s staff room or call extension 1044 and join us for a fun and exciting day. Paddles Up! For any questions please contact team captains: Elyse Whitehouse or Hilary Harway at ext. 1044 SWAT - Staff Welcoming and Activities Team supporting Quality Worklife at WPSHC Bingo Bowling on Saturday, April 20 was a lot of fun with the defending champions Donald s team (above) earning a tie-breaking victory from Kat s Team. They will remain Champions for another six months as a result of their nail-biting bowl off against the challengers. The players on Kat s Team were all first-time bowlers and they are a team to reckon with! Thanks to Debbie Mann for organizing the event! The next Bingo Bowl will be held in October. Join for the joy of singing! SWAT is hoping to organize a group of people (staff, volunteers, and Auxiliary members) who would like to get together every week or so to exercise their vocal cords. Anyone who loves to sing in a group is welcome! You don t need to be star material. This is just for fun! We have two leaders interested in sharing the responsibility of leading the group (Winfer Foster and Debbie Junk-Lloyd). If you would like to give it a try, please call ext. 3606 and we will try to get something going.
Confidentiality is a top priority at WPSHC From the Privacy Task Team... Patient confidentiality is a top priority at West Parry Sound Health Centre. Ensuring that all staff and volunteers working here do everything they can to keep patient information confidential is a MUST. Public knowledge and media coverage of confidentiality breaches are becoming more and more common and we cannot get complacent in our day-to-day work. No staff member or volunteer has the right to access records that do not pertain directly to their current work. Accessing records must be done as it relates only to your job, not for personal viewing. Our IT department runs random audits and reports to managers about any suspicious activity. These audits are becoming more frequent and detailed due to departmental integration within MediPatient and additional information that is now found on the Tracer Tree. Lab, xray, pathology reports, and transcription results are all available for viewing. A Privacy Review Task Team has recently been created. The team is preparing an education and refresher program for everyone at WPSHC. Please refer to the IT policy - Network and System Access Acceptable Use Policy and PHIPA - Personal Health Information Protection Act - for additional information. Breaching patient confidentiality can lead to disciplinary action up to and including dismissal. Simply put, if not related to your job DO NOT access any record. We all share our commitment to privacy A promise to patients, families, and each other. We re protecting our commitment to privacy through the use of regular random audits of our Information Technology System For an application form or more information contact: Sarah Stone, Educator extension 2327 sstone@wpshc.com
What s cooking this week... Open for lunch service from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. MONDAY Soup: Homemade chicken noodle soup Heartland bean medley Entree: Chicken caesar salad Macaroni and meat sauce TUESDAY Soup: Spinach and meatball Tomato Entree: Chinese food plate Corn beef on rye sandwich WEDNESDAY Soup: Chicken pasta Low sodium vegetable Entree: Shepherd s pie with gravy Salad bar THURSDAY Soup: Chicken cheddar broccoli chowder Tomato with bell pepper Entree: Steak melts Chicken broccoli casserole FRIDAY Soup: Homemade beef noodle Cream of asparagus Entree: Fish & fries Salad bar SATURDAY Soup: Tomato tortellini Entree: Sausage rice casserole SUNDAY Soup: Homemade turkey noodle Entree: Toasted bacon, tomato and cheddar cheese wraps Delicious selection of made-to-order sandwiches available at our Sandwich Bar during lunch hours Monday to Friday OUR DAILY LUNCH MENU Meal Cards can be purchased in the Cafeteria, or from the Finance Department during regular office hours - Monday to Friday - 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. DINNER menu Open for dinner service from 5 to 7 p.m. MONDAY Swiss steak Whipped potatoes Honey glazed carrots TUESDAY Parmesan chicken Mashed potatoes Parslied cauliflower WEDNESDAY Beef goulash with dinner roll THURSDAY Maple chicken O Brien potatoes Mixed vegetables FRIDAY Turkey pot pie Seasoned asparagus SATURDAY Salisbury steak Roasted potatoes Peas SUNDAY Turkey Dressing casserole Whipped potatoes Herbed green beans All weekly menus can be subject to change
weekly newsletter of West Parry Sound Health Centre You can support the White Elephant Sale The Auxiliary is preparing to hold its Spring White Elephant Sale. If you have precious items that you no longer need and that someone else would be interested in purchasing, please bring them to the Auxiliary office by Friday, May 17. Thank you to everyone for helping our Auxiliary support quality care at WPSHC. It s healthy and it helps... Get your coworkers involved! April 29 to May 5 2013 SPRING SALE + Silent Auction Support our Auxiliary Tuesday, May 21 Main Lobby 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 2K 5K 10K
Are you a woman living with cancer? A Look Good Feel Better workshop will be held at West Parry Sound Health Centre Wednesday, May 8, 2013. Register by phoning: 746-4540 extension 1405
FROM THE NE LHIN Seeking and supporting health care improvements Dear Fellow Northerners, Moving forward often involves thinking about what you re leaving behind. This is true of changing jobs, homes, relationships, and yes, even health care systems. With April showers bringing seasonal change, this is an ideal time to reflect on the health care transformation that s happening right here in northeastern Ontario. Depending on where we live, we see how change is needed in different ways. Here in northeastern Ontario, our demographics tell us that a change in health care delivery is needed. Whether we live in communities from Parry Sound to Peawanuck, Sault Ste. Marie to Sturgeon Falls, Timmins to Temiskaming Shores, or anywhere in between, we see why change is needed. Our communities have growing numbers of seniors (we re a decade ahead of the province in this regard), high rates of people suffering from chronic illness, fiscal constraints, a shortage of health care professionals, and collective voices who say status quo is no longer acceptable. Most importantly to the North East LHIN, change is needed to respond to what northerners say they need and want from their health care system the ability to access quality care when they need it. Resoundingly in our community engagements, northerners have told us they want enhanced service, an easier to navigate health care system, and less duplication of services between providers. Through accountability agreements with their LHIN, health service providers are legislatively required to actively seek integration opportunities... Read more at www.nelhin.ca This note from the North East Local Health Integration Network is an excerpt from CEO Louise Paquette s monthly blog. Staff are strongly encouraged to park in Lot #2 or the back gravel portion of our main entry parking lot