Volume 19, Issue No. 24 - June 7, 2010

The Queen’s
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Connection
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QU
EEN’
S MEDICAL CENTE
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A Weekly Publication for the People of Queen’s • Vol. 19 • No. 24 • June 7, 2010
Generator System Ensures Lights Always On at QMC
I
In an emergency, being on an island
has its disadvantages. Worse, when the
power grid goes down, every hospital is
an island. “We are an island state which
doesn’t have the benefit of a utility system being cross-connected with neighboring areas,” said Todd Kanja, Queen’s
Director of Engineering Services. “So, although HECO (Hawaiian Electric Company) is reliable, the system can be vulnerable, especially in a natural disaster.”
Todd was explaining the rationale behind Queen’s new emergency generator
system at a blessing held at the new Paahana utility plant addition. The 20 foot
wide, four story structure was built to
house four 2.25 megawatt diesel emergency generators (9 megawatt total output) and three new 15-kilovolt, 7-megawatt HECO primary electrical feeders.
The purpose of the new generators is
to provide power to QMC during power
outages or under conditions when HECO
determines that a system emergency requires a reduction in load by temporarily
disconnecting large customers, such as
QMC, which can provide their own power. The project also doubled the capacity
of HECO’s electrical feeders into QMC.
Power is now provided by two prima-
ry and one spare underground service
feeders. Prior to the completion of the
project, peak usage at Queen’s exceeded
90 percent of feeder capacity. “The new
generators are needed to ensure a normal level of electricity for hospital operations in emergencies, including natural
disasters,” said Les Chinen, QHS Vice
President of Corporate Development.
“Our new emergency generators will allow QMC to operate for approximately
seven days without power from HECO.”
Queen’s stores 55,000 gallons of fuel.
Construction began on the new multilevel building between the existing Paahana utility plant and the Physicians’
Office Building I Parking Garage in
2007, but finding a solution to upgrading Queen’s emergency generator and
electrical feeders was a big challenge. The
parameters were restrictive. No existing
buildings could be demolished, the plant
must blend in with the surroundings, it
must be easily serviced and noise must
be indiscernible. After a thorough study
1. Third floor generator room with muffler
mounted above. 2. Todd Kanja explains
the generator switchgear. 3. Gov. Linda
Lingle, Art Ushijima, Ed Teixeira and Todd
Kanja prepare to cut the ribbon.
of the Queen’s campus, the access lane
between Paahana and the POB 1 garage
(Continued on page 3.)
WHC PTs Offer Free Lymphedema Screenings
T
“
“The sooner we diagnose and treat
lymphedema the better,” says Queen’s
Women’s Health Center Physical Therapist Ann Frost. Ann and Candice Turner,
PT, run a free Lymphedema Screening
Clinic on the first and third Wednesday
of each month from 1:00 to 2:00 pm, at
the Women’s Health Center.
Lymphedema is a complication of
surgery, particularly mastectomy and
lumpectomy, and occurs when the lymphatic system cannot work as well as
it used to due to lymph node removal,
chemotherapy, cancer recurrence and/
or radiation therapy. Funds from the
National Cancer Institute support the
clinic, which is open to the public and
requires no reservations. The clinic provides screenings only; if the condition is
diagnosed, a treatment or intervention
will be scheduled.
There’s a real need for the clinic, Ann
and Candice agree, adding that many
times patients and staff are unaware
that lymphedema is an actual condition
and that there is help for it. Common
signs of lyphedema may include range
RT Recognized
for Quality
Q
Queen’s has again earned Quality Respiratory Care Recognition (QRCR) from
the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC), a national program
aimed at helping patients and families
make informed decisions about the quality of the respiratory care services in hospitals.
“Our dedicated Respiratory Care
Practitioners make this award a living
testimony of their daily efforts in advocating for patients while promoting
quality and safety in the delivery of
evidence-based respiratory care,” said
Carol Agard, RRT, FAARC, Manager
of Queen’s Respiratory Care Services.
“We congratulate our skilled respiratory team for their ongoing and vital role
in maintaining this national award.”
Hospitals that earn the QRCR designation ensure patient safety by agreeing to
adhere to a strict set of criteria governing
their respiratory care services, including:
• All respiratory therapists employed by
the hospital to deliver bedside respi2
of motion issues, noticeable differences in limb
circumference and difficulty getting dressed
or sleeping
on your side,
or
simply
getting your
activity level
back to what
it was before
surgery. Pelvic or bladder problems
and sexual dysfunction can also be indications.
“Unfortunately, sometimes the
lyphedema is a side affect of cancer
treatment,” Ann explained. “Everyone
is focused on the cancer and may not
notice small things, like the inability
to raise an arm easily for a mammogram, or endurance or balance dysfunction issues.” If a staff member notices
something, Ann and Candice encourage
them to send the patient to the Screening Clinic.
Treatment begins with an initial evaluation to determine functional impairratory care services are either legally
recognized by the state as competent
to provide respiratory care services or
hold the CRT or RRT credential.
• Respiratory therapists are available
24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• Other personnel qualified to perform
specific respiratory procedures and the
amount of supervision required for
personnel to carry out specific procedures must be designated in writing.
• A doctor of medicine or osteopathy
is designated as medical director of
respiratory care services.
• Hospital policy prohibits the routine
delivery of medicated aerosol treatments utilizing small volume nebulizers, metered dose inhalers, or intermittent positive pressure treatments
to multiple patients simultaneously.
Circumstances under which this practice is permitted are defined by policy.
ment and develop a plan. A comprehensive lyphedema treatment program
includes manual lymphatic drainage,
lymph stimulating exercises and self
care, such as bandaging (see photo) or
wearing a compression garment.
After breast cancer surgery, seven out
of eight patients experience some type
of ongoing neck, shoulder or arm problems. They often don’t realize that moving “good enough” does not mean that
impaired movement is normal or that
these limitations have to be permanent.
“People have a lack of information,”
Candice said, “We want them to make
informed decisions; being proactive is
highly valuable. We want to help more
women who are struggling to get back
to normal after cancer treatment.”
“We see so many patients who are
surviving, but not thriving,” Ann said.
“It doesn’t have to be that way; we want
to help change that. Our goal is lifelong
management of any condition.”
Respiratory therapists are trained
health care professionals who work
under physicians’ orders to provide a
wide range of breathing treatments
and other services to people with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease, cystic fibrosis, lung cancer,
AIDS and other lung or lung-related conditions. They also care for premature infants and are key members
of lifesaving response teams charged
with handling medical emergencies.
Royal School Keiki Add to Time Capsule
F
“
“Fifty years ago few imagined that
even children in elementary school
would carry their own personal telephones around in their pockets. But it
happened, as did a million other little
everyday things; they changed over
time. What amazing changes will occur in the next 50 years? That thought
inspired the creation of a “QMC Time
Capsule.” The time capsule will be
sealed in a steel box and placed in
a carved koa chest, which won’t be
opened for 50 years.
The time capsule project is part of the
official QMC 150th anniversary celebration, which will culminate on Heritage Day, July 16, 2010. Since none of
the current Queen’s employees are likely to still be on the payroll come 2059,
Diane Paloma, director of the QHS
Native Hawaiian Health Program and
Heritage Day committee chair, looked
to the children of nearby Royal Elementary School to be the connecting
link to the future. Queen’s and Royal
School have long standing ties as it was
originally called The Chiefs Children’s
School and is the alma mater of both
Generator System
(Continued from page 1.)
was chosen. However, the new building could only be 20 feet wide by 92 feet
deep. The only option was to go up. The
final design includes an underground
crawl space for the three feeders and four
stories, for a building height of 85 feet
and six inches. Generator exhaust stacks
extend the top to 100 feet. The first floor
houses a service room and utility generator paralleling switchgear, which automatically controls the four generators
on floors three and four. Noise from the
generators is dissipated by huge, automobile-sized mufflers, sound-masking
material inside the generator rooms and
7-foot deep sound attenuators, which
look like giant vertical metal louvers.
A recent power outage caused by a
HECO substation fire was the first real
life test. Todd indicated that the generators switched on with out a hitch, and the
loss of power was not noticeable at the
medical center. Queen’s invested $32.5
million, with the State contributing $2
Queen Emma and King Kamehameha
IV, the founders of The Queen’s Hospital (now known as The Queen’s Medical Center). Student representatives
from kindergarten through fifth grade
were video taped giving their predictions of what Honolulu might be like
in 50 years. The intention is to keep
in touch with the students and actually have some of them present at the
opening of the time capsule on Heritage Day 2059, the 200th anniversary
of the founding of Queen’s.
A few of the children predicted they
would be working at Queen’s as doctors, though two especially charming third graders proclaimed boldly
that they would be running their own
comedy club. Another rascally, yet sumillion. “Having The Queen’s Medical
Center and its Level II Trauma Center
operational when disaster strikes will
save lives,” said Ed Teixeira of State Civil
Defense. “The new emergency generator
system…required a major financial commitment, and we are proud to have been
in support of this investment.”
“Experience has taught us how difficult
it is to run a hospital on only emergency
power,” noted QHS/QMC President Art
Ushijima. “These new generators will…
allow Queen’s to maintain a high level of
care for the people of Hawaii—especially
when they need it most.”
premely confident fourth grader sees
himself as a future CEO while candidly
admitting his current favorite subject
at school is recess (see photo).
But the true focus of the time capsule project is to capture this exact
moment in time at The Queen’s Medical Center. Diane and Steve Uyeno of
Public Relations are in charge of collecting items from within Queen’s that
are in common use today, but maybe
not so much in the future. Consider
the items you use now that you didn’t
use 10, 20 or more years ago to do your
job. Thermometers were always made
of glass, now an apparatus is held up
to the ear or a paper disposable thermometer is placed under the tongue.
Who knows what method will be used
in 2059? Diane and Steve freely admit
that everyday patient care is not their
field of expertise and want advice and
contributions from all aspects of care.
Employees are also invited to donate
hospital memorabilia such as personal
stories, photos, logo items, staff uniforms, baby identification bracelets,
and other historic, unique and meaningful items. Space is limited, so smaller or flat items are ideal. Please contact either of them by email (dpaloma@
queens.org or [email protected]) if you
have an item to be placed into the time
capsule. Your input is essential to the
success of this project.
3
Rent:
Waipahu: 3/2, 2 story home. Part furn.
Recently renov, nr schools & shop ctr. NS/no
pets. $1,800 + util. Call 671-1281.
Correction: Shirley Arakaki, QEL received her 20 year recognition in May.
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Nursing Education Award winner Gerri
Chock sets the record straight. Although
she did teach a course at Hilo Hospital,
she focused on her specialty, breast feeding, and did not cover couplet care.
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
The recent OCA Pulse Survey had a System-Wide participation rate of 75.5%,
the highest ever. Congratulations to the
randomly drawn $100 gift card recipients: Lynette Agcaoili, Eilleen Ruth Delos
Santos, Michelle Motas, Jodie Kaalekahi, Becky French, Maureen Day, Robin
Chun, Mary Jean Raasch, Kelly Robert,
Mai Kinimaka, Leonida Balais, Stacy
Terashita, Mary Fe Tumamao, Richard
Sagadraca, Norman Sack, Lisa Haina,
Carol Lopez, Holly Hayataka, Evelyn
Delgado, Dana Nakoa, Venalene Campos, J. Paul Thompson, Marlaine Fern,
Laurel Aki, Nely Bacerra, Susan Abe,
Emily Naai, Maydene Grace Butay, Diane Nakashima, Cheryll Collado, Lindy
Helm, Mildred Martins, Terri Naauao,
Peer-to-Peer
A C C O U N T A B I L I T Y
This session is designed to help individuals and teams
effectively engage in accountability discussions:
• Tools & approaches to help be accountable to one
another and to better ensure mutual success.
• The 5 stages of proactive recovery.
• The 5 steps from issue to breakthrough.
• How to create an environment of safety.
• The 4 steps of holding others accountable.
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Queen’s Conference Center, 2nd Floor Lobby
Registration: eww.queens.org/traindev/reg/p2p.asp
Jun. 21
Jul. 19
4
Aug. 16
Sept. 20
Oct. 18
Nov. 15
Dec. 13
Sell:
Lazy Boy/love seat: Dk brwn microfbr w/
indvdl recliners. $100. Call 722-1742.
iPhone Accessories: Clear or mirror screen
protector, $7. Car chargers & USB cords, $8.
Home chargers, $12. Otterbox case, $20. Call
Pat @ 227-9881 or x4386.
Felice Tolentino. Note: for their consistent 100% participation rate in the last
four years, Queen Emma Land Company
was recognized with an additional $100
gift card drawing. The high participation rate will yield valid and reliable data
about employee perceptions regarding
Queen’s and our work environment. Mahalo to all participants.
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Performance Excellence Program (PEP)
Online training for new employees will
be held in the Kamehameha Auditorium
on Tuesday, June 15, at 9:30 am and 2:30
pm; and Thursday, July 15 at 9:30 am,
11:00 am and 2:30 pm. All sessions are
one hour long and need no reservation.
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Welcome to new physicians Liam Wong,
DO, Edith L. Pang, MD, Neal Prakash,
MD, John L. Fratterelli, MD, and Ronald
S. Sutherland, MD.
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
A new Weight Watchers session at
Queen’s begins on Tuesday, June 22 at
the Women’s Health Center. Contact
[email protected] to register.
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Summer Session Computer Classes for
QHS employees have been announced.
Excel Level I will be held on Tuesday,
July 13; Level II on Tuesday, July 27;
Level III on Tuesday, August 10. Word
classes are: Level I, Wednesday July 14;
Level II, Wednesday, July 28; and Level
III on Thursday, August 12. All are held
from 8:30 am - 4:00 pm in the Education & Development Classroom D. The
cost per seat is $99, paid by QHS/HR
Department. No shows will be reported
to managers. Register at eww.queens.org/
traindev/reg/computerclasses.asp.
Pauoa Valley/Pac Hts: Quiet studio w/
prvt entrance and own yd. Part furn, st prkg,
walking dist to bus. Single occupant only. NS/
no pets/no drugs. $900 incl water & elec. Call
Emily for showing 808-545-5150.
Kaimuki/Wilhelmina Rise: Furn studio.
Quiet, cozy, wood/laminate flrs, tile bathrm,
w/d, stove, frig, microwv. NS/no pets. St prkg.
Close to UHM, Chaminade, KCC. $950 +ngtbl
util. $500 dep, min 6 mo lease, pref 1 yr. Call
808-398-2799 or 808-734-2799.
Miscellaneous:
Childcare/Eldercare: CNA trained. PT or
FT. 10+ yrs exp. Ref on rq. [email protected]
Pet/house sitting: Single, matr prof w/ref.
$25/night. Reduced rate for 2wks+. 225-4405
or [email protected].
Home remodel/renovation: Loyalty
Builders. A licensed & insured contractor (BC
29175) who takes pride in quality wkmnshp to
get the job done right. 864-2659.
Cookie Corner cookies: Boys bball fndrsr.
Ch chip, ch chip mac nut or shtbrd mac nut.
$6/bag. Mona 561-7084.
Placing an ad: Queen’s employees only. Include
name, phone and Employee ID number. Email to
to [email protected] by Wednesday. The Print
Connection reserves the right to edit or refuse
any ad. The Print Connection does not make
any warranty about the fitness of any product or
service listed in Q-Mart.
The Queen’s
Connection
Weekly
The Queen’s Print Connection is published
by Creative Services. If you have news or
wish to opine, call us at 537-7532 or e-mail
[email protected]. News deadline is the
Monday prior to publication.
QHS/QMC President. . . . Art Ushijima
Publisher. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Roy Cameron
Editor/Writer. . . . . . . . . . . . Jason Kimura
Assist. Ed./Writer. . . . . . . Glee Stormont
The Queen’s Medical Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.
www.queens.org
Please recycle