Flu policy changes and how it affects you!

PHC News for the week of October 26
Flu policy changes and how it affects you!
Oct 26, 2015
Starting from December 1st 2015 through to March 31st 2016, all PHC
employees, , including all casuals and excluded staff; physicians,
volunteers and contractors are required to self-report their
immunization status regardless of if you choose to obtain a flu shot or
choose to wear a mask. Self-Reporting is as easy as counting from one
to three. To self-report your immunization status, please visit
flu.providencehealthcare.org.
As health care professionals, it is very important to self-report and to obtain a vaccine or wear a mask because
“influenza can be a serious contagious disease spread by droplet transmission through close contact with an
infected individual. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, nationally there are between 2000 and
8000 deaths per year from influenza and its complications. Infected individuals are highly contagious and can
transmit influenza for 24 hours before they are symptomatic”. For more information about the Influenza
Immunization Policy, please click here.
Who is required to obtain a flu shot or wear a mask?
All of the following individuals must obtain a flu vaccine or wear a mask during flu season.
PHC employees, including excluded staff and all casuals
credentialed professionals (including physicians)
residents
contractors & vendors
volunteers
students
all visitors
PHC News for the week of October 26 - Page 1
Be a hero and #FightfluBC! Get the flu shot or wear a mask and self-report.
Get your flu shot and protect yourself and others around you
The flu clinics have already started at PHC sites. They will run until the end of November, so get your team
together and make it a team event. Flu shots are also available at your local pharmacy. For the PHC flu clinic
schedule, please click here.
Plan to Wear a Mask
If you choose not obtain a flu vaccine, you are required to wear a surgical/procedure mask starting from December
1st through to March 31st. To learn more about how to put on a mask, please click here.
Looking for more information?
If you would like to learn more about the flu policy and how to protect yourself, please click here or contact
[email protected].
ADC (Omnicell) Upgrade Complete!
Oct 29, 2015
Quality & Safety
PHC News for the week of October 26 - Page 2
On October 20 to 22, all 23 automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs), also
known as “Omnicells,” were upgraded at Providence.
An ADC is a drug storage cabinet that electronically dispenses
medications in a controlled fashion and tracks medication use.
Currently, ADCs at PHC are used by nurses, anesthesiologists and
respiratory therapists to remove medication in Emergency and Critical
Care.
The upgrade has resulted in PHC having state of the art technology with enhanced software functionality and new
hardware, including larger touch screens and fingerprint access with biometrics.
“The upgrade to our ADCs has made the Omnicells brighter, easier to read and provides faster access when I’m
prioritizing care for my patients,” said Emma Lloyd, clinical nurse educator, MSJ ICU.
Each cabinet took approximately 30 minutes to upgrade and have resulted in rave reviews from the users who can
now log in more quickly and navigate the improved software with ease.
“Staff seem to be loving the biometric log on function as it makes accessing medication much faster,” Wayne
Fritz, clinical nurse educator, SPH ICU.
Pharmacy took this opportunity to implement new features, increase lean workflows and update training
materials and documentation. Professional Practice used this initiative to develop a new Interdisciplinary
Guideline (IDG) on ADCs, which includes monthly narcotic audits. Education sessions on ADC best practice and
training on the new cabinet features was provided to current users.
Not only a foundational step in the installation of ADCs in all acute inpatient areas at PHC, coming in 2016, this
upgrade also positions PHC one step closer to the Closed Loop Medication Management System (CLMMS) that
will strengthen safety processes for medication administration with CST.
“A warm thank-you to all involved, and to all those who embraced the upgrade,” said co-project sponsors, Candy
Garossino, director, Professional Practice and Nursing, and Luciana Frighetto, Pharmacy Operations Director.
Patience with the upgrade and a willingness to participate in the training have set PHC up for success and
enhanced patient safety.
“This upgrade is another important step in our clinical systems transformation journey to improve the quality and
safety for our patients," said Leanne Heppell, vice president, Patient Safety and Innovation Chief, Professional
Practice and Nursing, and executive sponsor of the PHC ADC (Omnicell) Project.
If you have any questions about the ADC upgrades, the upcoming installations or the project , please don’t
PHC News for the week of October 26 - Page 3
hesitate to be in touch: [email protected].
Where to watch PHC on TV this week
Oct 29, 2015
Providence Health Care will be in the spotlight once again starting
Sunday with CBC's Keeping Canada Alive series.
Keeping Canada Alive is a six part series produced by CBC that
showcases what one full-day in Canada’s health care system looks like.
For episode 5, camera crews took over St. Paul’s Hospital and the
downtown Crosstown Clinic.
Episode five will not only feature St. Paul’s Hospital but also
Providence’s unique Crosstown Clinic. The episode will follow a daughter as she donates her kidney to her 81-year
old father at St. Paul’s Hospital, two heroin users as they visit the Crosstown clinic, a deaf Toronto baby as she
receives her cochlear implant, a Hamilton woman receiving radiation treatment from a robot for her colon cancer
and the birth of a baby in Edmonton.
Watch the promo for episode five now!
On top of Keeping Canada Alive, this Monday November 2nd will mark the first story in a Global News series on
the new St. Paul's Hospital campus of care.
On April 13, Providence announced the new St. Paul’s Hospital campus of care that is now in the planning stages.
As part of our efforts to engage the community, we have been working with Global BC on a series of stories on the
project, slated to air in November. The series will showcase some of St. Paul’s successes, but also highlight the
challenges of the existing space. It will also look ahead at the future of patient-centred health care in a new St.
Paul’s by rethinking current care models. The series will discuss how we can provide innovative, evidence-based,
patient-centred acute, primary, ambulatory, outreach and community care, in addition to world-class research and
teaching.
The five-part series will air on the Global News Hour starting November 2nd. There will be one story each evening
from November 2-4, and then the following week Nov 9 and 10. Global will continue to follow the progress of
planning for the new care campus in the weeks and months ahead.
PHC News for the week of October 26 - Page 4
BC CFE celebrates Treatment as Prevention® as a part of
the UBC centennial celebrations
Oct 29, 2015
The BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS celebrated the research and
treatment of HIV/AIDS as a part of the UBC Centennial celebrations on
Tuesday October 27. Celebrating HIV Research and Results highlighted
how Treatment as Prevention has saved lives and changed how we, and
the world, treat HIV/AIDS.
This full day event covered addressing the lessons learned on
addressing HIV/AIDS in vulnerable populations and the exportation of
Treatment as Prevention®. Dr. Julio Montaner, Dr. Evan Wood and Dr. Rolando Barrios were some of the speakers
at this event.
Dr. Montaner also received an Honorary Alumnus Award at the Alumni UBC 2015 Achievement Awards on October
27.
St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation celebrates a record year
for the Enhanced Patient Care Fund
Oct 29, 2015
With the season of giving just around the corner, St. Paul’s Hospital
Foundation is excited to share that this year, 113 applicants from over
45 different program areas throughout St. Paul’s have been approved
for grants by the Foundation’s Enhanced Patient Care (EPC) fund.
EPC grants are designed to support equipment needs or initiatives at
St. Paul’s that enhance patient care but are unlikely to receive funding
through any other means. The fund provides grants of up to a few
thousand dollars to St. Paul’s caregivers, allied health, staff,
researchers and physicians.
Approved projects this year included instructional videos, portable ophthalmoscopes, blood pressure monitors,
stress reduction workshops, translation of patient education materials, and more.
PHC News for the week of October 26 - Page 5
The EPC fund is supported by donations to the Greatest Needs Fund through the Foundation’s annual Lights of
Hope fundraising campaign, on now. To support EPC grants in 2016, donate today at www.lightsofhope.com, or
contact Sara Cruikshank at 604. 806.9646 or email [email protected].
Welcoming “Spiritual Health”
Oct 29, 2015
Mission/Values Ethical Framework
New name better reflects long-standing reality
PHC’s mission states we are all “dedicated to meeting the physical,
emotional, social and spiritual needs of those served through
compassionate care, teaching and research.” For many years “Pastoral
Care” has been the name of the service assigned primary responsibility
for addressing spiritual needs among patients, residents, clients,
families and staff. The term “pastoral care” reflects a traditional model
in which a “pastor” provides care to members of their faith community
– their “flock.” Such a model, however, is only one small part of the approach needed in today’s multi-cultural,
multi-faith environment where many people do not have an identified religion, yet seek or require spiritual
support at times of crisis, transition and loss.
For years our Spiritual Health Practitioners (SHPs) have been providing support across the full spectrum of beliefs
and faiths in addition to linking people with their identified faith leaders when appropriate. The name “Spiritual
Health” more accurately captures the scope of concern and practice of the professionals whose primary work at
PHC seeks to address the spiritual needs of all. This change in departmental name also serves to bring us into
compliance with the BC Framework for Spiritual Health which was developed at the direction of the Minister of
Health. Long before the Framework recognized the importance of spiritual health’s connection to physical health
and well-being, PHC has been at the forefront in addressing these patient and family-centred needs.
While the name has changed, that does not mean that PHC will no longer provide or facilitate pastoral care. We
will continue to operate with a Memorandum of Understanding with the Archdiocese of Vancouver which assigns
two Priests to provide for the sacramental needs of Roman Catholic patients, residents, families and staff. These
Priests, who oversee the activities in our institutions’ chapels, are technically the only ones who can be referred to
as “Chaplains” in a Catholic health facility, whereas those clinically trained to work as multi-faith ministers are
designated provincially as Spiritual Health Practitioners. Leaders assigned by religious communities to visit
adherents of their faith operate within PHC facilities as registered volunteers and are subject to the same
freedoms and restrictions as other volunteers.
PHC News for the week of October 26 - Page 6
Spiritual Health’s mandate also includes support for PHC employees and, not just because a healthy staff results
in a better patient, resident and client care experience. PHC values all employees and recognizes how constant
workplace exposure to trauma, suffering, dysfunction and death takes a toll of the human spirit. Existential crisis,
moral distress and caregiver burnout are common symptoms of spiritual needs in the health care work force. SHPs
are trained in helping people identify resources within their personal belief system which can increase resilience in
such circumstances or create capacity by developing new spiritual practices and perspectives. In addition to giving
day-to-day support to colleagues on the interdisciplinary teams, SHPs lead or champion self-compassion
practices such as memorial services, staff debriefing and mindfulness.
As one component of PHC’s Foundational Strategies, Spiritual Health helps us all achieve our strategic directions
while remaining faithful to our core values, mission and vision: “driven by compassion and social justice, we are at
the forefront of exceptional care and innovation.”
Help improve your IT Service: Take our survey
Oct 29, 2015
IMITS has been talking to folks across VCH, PHC, and PHSA about how
they experience IT services. Now it's your turn to weigh in.
IMITS' comprehensive engagement strategy identified many issues
people were having with the current IT service as well as what they saw
as the future state. We did one-on-one interviews with senior business
and clinical leaders and many focus groups with staff, physicians, LMC
groups, HSSBC, Community, and other operations groups.
Now it's your turn. We've launched an online survey that will validate the responses received from all these
sessions as well as help us determine the relative priority of IT service improvements from your perspective.
To take the survey:
• Copy and paste http://surveys.phsa.ca/s/rateourITservice into Google Chrome, Safari, or Internet Explorer
(version 9 or higher). (Note that the survey won’t work properly in Internet Explorer versions 7 and 8).
• Use a mobile device (smartphone or tablet).
The survey will be open to responses until 1800 (6:00 pm) on Thursday, November 12th, 2015. If you have any
questions, please contact Carol Boutin, Communications Manager, IMITS, at [email protected].
PHC News for the week of October 26 - Page 7
Volunteers setting up Lights of Hope display Saturday
a.m.
Oct 29, 2015
Continuing our annual tradition, more than 100 volunteers will be
joining the entire staff of St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation bright and
early this Saturday morning to set up the display for our Lights of Hope
fundraiser.
Set-up will be taking place at the Burrard entrance from 6am until midafternoon, with this entrance continuing to be closed and foot traffic
re-routed to the Comox entrance. During this time, a single lane on
Burrard Street will partially closed to traffic and lots of orange vestwearing volunteers will be on site to help folks way find. The hospital
parkade on Burrard Street will be accessible as usual.
Our dedicated family of volunteers includes electricians and construction specialists who travel from as far away
as Oregon to support Lights of Hope. Joining the crew this year is a class of high school students from an electrical
trades pre-apprenticeship program run by BCIT.
Staff donations spark early momentum
Lights of Hope is St. Paul’s biggest fundraiser of the year and it supports the hospital’s greatest needs. Everyone
who works at St. Paul’s is encouraged to make a donation – early gifts from hospital staff help to generate great
momentum for the fundraising campaign. Donate today at www.lightsofhope.com
Speaking your language - reduced translation costs help
get the word out
Oct 29, 2015
PHC News for the week of October 26 - Page 8
PHSA’s Provincial Language Service (PLS) provides interpreting and
translation services to all BC health authorities, translating written
content in more than 50 languages for print, video and web, and
offering interpreting services in more than 150 languages.
Programs and services routinely call on PLS to interpret for their
clients/patients at medical appointments. However, to make
translation services more accessible to more agencies, programs and
services, PLS has lowered translation rates by 22 to 25 per cent.
“Our goal in reducing rates was to make it easier for our clients to offer
translated materials,” says Kiran Malli, PLS Director. “Providing people
with materials in their language increases access to health care and improves patient care. We hope more
programs will consider using translated materials to share health care information and promote their services.”
BC has a linguistically diverse population. Providing limited English speakers with culturally sensitive and
linguistically appropriate materials and resources can reduce any language barriers to health care access and
ensure that these clients can understand important health information.
Do you need to share important information about your program/service in other languages? Visit Provincial
Language Service to learn more about how they can help or send them the details of your project for a quote to
[email protected].
Work sample:
Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre
Translation and voiceover recording provided by PLS.
The Kelty Centre’s cross-cultural resources page features translated webpages, toolkits and videos in French,
Farsi, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Korean.
Celebrating Respiratory Therapy Week with PHC’s Lena
Farina, RT
Oct 29, 2015
PHC News for the week of October 26 - Page 9
"The team environment at PHC felt like home!”
Lena completed a degree in genetics and was considering next steps
when a friend described her studies to become a respiratory therapist.
Lena thought the curriculum looked interesting, and applied to join the
RT program in Kamloops. At first, Lena wasn’t sure she’d made the
right professional choice, but arriving at St Paul’s for a clinical
placement changed her mind. The placement, which included time in
the ICU “was great!” says Lena, “and the team environment at PHC felt
like home.”
Ten years into her career as an RT, Lena was ready to tackle a new
challenge and she and her RT colleagues Julie Rugayan and Jennifer
Ladouceur, applied to participate in PHC’s Practice-based Research
Challenge. The goal of their research project was to explore the barriers
to timely extubation in ICU patients. Lena’s research project was
funded in 2014 and has just been completed (She and her team will present at the October 13 PHC
Interprofessional Research Celebration – see Page ___) The project’s findings have already garnered attention
from the interdisciplinary team, who plan to use the findings to implement changes to reduce the wait time for
extubation.
Lena says the Research Challenge was “one of the best things I’ve done in my career” and notes that while “it will
seem daunting, especially if you’ve never done formal research before, it is a well-supported process with more
than enough guidance.” Lena says that participation in research provides a great opportunity to “look at your
practice, and improve what we do for patients.” The Care Connection team congratulates Lena and her team of
awesome RTs for their clinical work and their research endeavors.
Staff Mental Health and Mental Wellness Toolkit: When
to Seek Help
Oct 29, 2015
People
PHC News for the week of October 26 - Page 10
Health promotion encompasses healthy living, physical and mental
wellbeing and is a key priority under the People strategy. Healthy staff
result in better quality patient and resident experience.
The Mental Health and Mental Wellness Toolkit contains information
to help you identify when it might be time to seek assistance from a
medical professional. While there are no common indicators to tell you
when you should seek professional help, consider speaking with your supervisor, a counsellor, or family doctor if:
You have been feeling distress for a long time (weeks, months or years).
You are frequently feeling distressed or anxious and don’t know why.
You are crying frequently without knowing why.
You have feelings of worthlessness or hopelessness.
You are using alcohol or drugs to “feel better.”
You are having difficulty carrying out your normal daily activities or don’t find pleasure in activities that you
enjoyed or that used to make you happy.
You are isolating yourself from family and friends.
Your family and friends have mentioned that you are acting differently and/or are worried about you.
You are having frequent angry outbursts towards others for no apparent reason.
If your distress is causing you to have dangerous thoughts or behaviours, such as harming yourself, help is
available.
To access additional information on this and other mental health and mental wellness topics, please visit the
workplace strategies page on the Staff Mental Health and Mental Wellness Toolkit.
Kevin Novakowski receives this year's ACCOLADE award
Oct 29, 2015
PHC News for the week of October 26 - Page 11
Kevin Novakowski, a member of the Respiratory Therapy Department
at PHC, was selected by the UBC Critical Care Fellows to receive this
year’s ACCOLADE award (Award for Exceptional Contribution to
Learning and Education). Each year one member of the
multidisciplinary team is selected to receive this award based on a
commitment to providing an outstanding educational experience for
the Fellows. Kevin received his award at the end of May at the Fellows’
graduation dinner.
Kevin has been working as a Respiratory Therapist at PHC since 1992. In
this time, he has worked in various roles including wards core therapist,
Clinical Site Coordinator for the RT student program and most recently
as one of two core ICU therapists. Kevin is recognized by the multidisciplinary team for his exceptional clinical skills and his good natured
personality. He brings a wealth of knowledge and abilities to his work in
critical care and his humble and congenial manner have earned him
considerable respect. His colleagues listen to what Kevin has to say and
appreciate his feedback. As such, Kevin is a valued mentor to new staff and a resource for other RTs and multidisciplinary team members. Each year he is also recognized by the RT students as an exceptional student
preceptor. Not only is this recognition well deserved but it also speaks to the impact that Kevin has as a teacher
and mentor. Kevin’s work has clearly been of benefit to more than the RT department at PHC. He is definitely one
of the clinical leaders in our organization.
Dr. Marla Gordon awarded the BC College of Family
Physicians Award of Excellence
Oct 29, 2015
Dr. Marla Gordon received the BC College of Family Physicians Award of
Excellence for Teaching this past weekend at the BC Family Physicians
Conference.
Dr. Gordon is the Physician Operations Leader for Residential Care at
PHC, Medical Director for Residential Care at VCH, and a medical
coordinator and staff physician at several PHC elder care sites. Dr.
Gordon also works in Geriatric psychiatry at the Cambie Older Adult
Mental Health Program.
PHC News for the week of October 26 - Page 12
The award of excellence recognizes College of Family Physicians of Canada members who have made an
outstanding contribution to a specific area – in Dr. Gordon’s case it’s teaching.
As a volunteer Dr. Gordon runs the Residential care elective for Family Practice Residents. This particular elective
has attracted residents from UBC and other Canadian and International Residency training programs. She created
a 10-part teaching module that introduces students to topics unique to the care of elderly individuals. She
personally teaches these modules to each resident who takes the residential care elective. Dr. Gordon also
spearheaded the New Grad Mentorship Program through the Vancouver Division of Family Practice and
Residential Care Committee.
Through her teaching efforts, Dr. Gordon has touched the lives of many. Dr. Janice Wong, a physician at Brock
Fahrni, said this about Dr. Gordon: "We need more teachers like Marla. With her passion and enthusiasm for elder
care she is drawing attention to an area of great need and showing younger physicians like me the joys, rewards,
and deep satisfaction of serving and bringing quality of life to our patients and their families."
Congratulations to Dr. Gordon!
Nutrition ideas for the workday
Oct 29, 2015
People
Health promotion encompasses healthy living, physical and mental
wellbeing and is a key priority under the People strategy. Healthy staff
result in better quality patient and resident experience.
A month of lunch and learn presentations celebrating Healthy
Workplace Month, came to an end this week with presentations by the
dietitians on the pros and cons of popular diets, ideas for beating the
mid-day slump (maybe a short walk instead of reaching for the
sweets), better snacks for the commute (how about nuts and raisins or
a banana) and nutrition tips for shift workers (eat a balanced dinner before the night shift, bring healthy light
snacks containing protein, limit added sugar (cookies, cakes), limit caffeine and drink plenty of water). For other
great nutrition tips please look on PHC Connect under Clinical Nutrition Services.
Thank you to all who completed the physical activity quiz. The grand prize winner of the One Year membership to
Club 16 Trevor Linden is Sea Chang. The Robert Lee YMCA generously provided a One Month membership and the
winner is Alicia Jantzen. Congratulations to both winners.
PHC News for the week of October 26 - Page 13
1. Everyone who entered knew the recommended number of minutes of activity per week is 150.
2. Fitting in physical activity during your work day? Not a problem if you take the stairs, do some squats or
wall push-ups during your break, or plan a walking meeting.
3. How can you measure all of those steps you’re taking during the day? With a phone app, wrist band fitness
tracker or pedometer.
Please remember to look at the staff discount page for all of the community fitness facilities who have provided
PHC staff discounts making it easier to be active where you work and live.
St. Paul's vendor Program
Oct 29, 2015
Did you know that St. Paul’s Hospital has a great Vendor Program?
Located just before the cafeteria entrance on P4, we periodically have
vendors selling interesting and unique gifts and crafts.
A percentage of their sales are returned back to the hospital, to support
scholarships for our amazing volunteers and patient programs.
This is who is coming for November 2015:
Wednesday, November 4th — Clogs for Comfort
Thursday, November 5th — JP Jewelry
Thursday, November 12th — to be announced
Wednesday, November 18th — Option House Ltd
Thursday, November 19 — Boca Raton Designs
Wednesday, November 25 — Dr Segal’s Compression Socks
Thursday, November 26 — Barefoot Books
Stop by on any of these dates between 9am – 5pm.
Only 8 Weeks Until Christmas!
Oct 29, 2015
PHC News for the week of October 26 - Page 14
Ho, ho, ho, Santa is coming.... Time to make those lists, check who's
been naughty or nice, and get your gifts at the SPH Gift Shop! We have
a wonderful assortment of decorations, stocking stuffers and seasonal
gifts in addition to our regular stock of scarves, handbags and jewelry.
Conveniently located on the first floor of the Burrard Building this is the
perfect place to shop before and after work, during your break, between
appointments or while waiting for a loved one.
We are open Monday-Friday between 8am-8pm, Saturday & Sunday
12-4pm. Check out our details on our Facebook page and don't forget to "Like" us! You can also call us
at: 604-682-2344 ext.62452.
Remember, when you buy gifts at SPH Gift Shop, you are giving twice! Thanks for your support!
PHC News for the week of October 26 - Page 15