general happenings - Brockville General Hospital

General happenings
Healthy People, Outstanding Care
Brockville General Hospital
In This Issue
2. WHAT is Going On?
3. November was BGH Patient Safety Month
4. Brockville Tim Horton’s
Smile Cookie Raises over
$13,000 for BGH
5. Crisis Intervention Training
Workshop Partners police and
MH Services
6. Staff Forum January 14.
6. Board of Governors November Meeting/Submission
Deadline
7. BGVA Annual Christmas
Luncheon Raises over $2000
8. BGH Welcomes New ER
Physician
8. Masonic Lodge Supports
Local Palliative Care
9. Curves Prescott Supports
Foundation Annual Appeal
9. Brockville Curves Raises
over $1200 for BGH Mammography
10. Mental Health Services
Update
11. Retirement at BGH
11. Congratulations Larry
Judge
11. Oddfellows and
Rebekah Lodges Room Committee Donates $1000 to Local Palliative Care
12. Memories of Montreal Art
Sale Raises over $5000 for
BGH ACU
12. I&CD Hosts Childhood
Developmental Checkups
13. Collaborative Stroke Care
Workshop Held in Brockville
13. TL&TI Funds Washer
Purchase
14. Education Opportunities
14. New Employees
14. Annual Celebration of
Life Thank You
15. May Court Raises
$15,000 for Local Palliative
Care
15. RIG “Recovery Minute”
16. Christmas Carollers Lit up
Hospital Hallways
17. From the Core Performance Team
18. Palliative Care News
19. Staff Kudos/Notice re Employee Service Recognition
20. Construction Progress
December 2013/January 2014
Hospital Foundation Annual Appeal
Celebrates 130% of Goal
The Brockville and District Hospital Foundation (BDHF) celebrates
closing out its 2013 Annual Appeal at $195,324.00—achieving 130% of its
$150,000 goal.
“This is amazing,” says Foundation Chair Tom Blanchard. “Everyone at the
Foundation is deeply touched and grateful for such generosity and support from the
community. We have a very giving community here, and the Foundation is able to
support Brockville General Hospital (BGH) equipment and service needs only because of such generosity from local businesses, groups and individuals.”
The BDHF runs an Annual Appeal every November and December, targeting a different area in BGH to support. This year, the campaign “Your ER” launched
a goal of $150,000 to go toward equipment purchases and enhancements to service delivery, patient flow process and patient/family comfort in the Emergency Department. Part of the ongoing commitment to the redevelopment of the ER has
been the creation of the BGH Emergency Room Quality Improvement group comprised of BGH ER staff and community members to assess and enhance the patient flow system in response to feedback from patients and families. The facility
itself will receive a post-review redesign to respond to recommended changes in
patient and family ER process.
“This year’s annual appeal is a direct result of BGH and the Foundation listening to the community,” says Tony Weeks, President & Chief Executive Officer.
“Surpassing the target is a sure indicator that we are focused on the right area.
With the help of our patients, families, staff, and of course our donors, we will begin
to improve the emergency room experience”.
Celebrating the Annual Appeal success are Foundation Board members (seated, left to
right) Tom Blanchard (Board Chair), Kevin Tackaberry, Jack Butt, William Spencer, Wayne
Blackwell, Maureen Fraser, Shawn MacCrimmon, Sherry Fournier Hudson, (standing, left to
right) Ainslie Coleman, David Bryer, Marla Gilliland, Heather Halladay, Doris Hallett, BGH
President & CEO Tony Weeks and BDHF Executive Director Joan Simon.
General Happenings
PAGE 2
WHAT is Going On?
The WHAT Committee had a very busy and productive first season! For the end of the
year, we hosted the annual BGH Christmas Staff Party, and the Children’s Santa Party following the Brockville Santa Clause Parade. Both were well attended and enjoyed by all!
We also hosted our first ever BGH Toy Mountain, gathering gift donations for the BGH
Infant and Child Development Program (I&CDP) clients in need. All gifts given beyond that
were donated to the Family & Child Services of Brockville for their list of clients in need.
Here, WHAT Committee members
present our staff’s generosity to
I&CDP staff Diane Clarke and Dixie O’Reilly, third and second from
right respectively.
Thank you, BGH!
Moving into 2014, we are introducing the first Annual BGH Team Member Award:
We are excited to announce that the WHAT team has developed a ‘Team Member of the Year’
award which will be bestowed upon an employee, volunteer or physician, who has demonstrated exemplary performance in one or more of the following categories:
Professional knowledge;
Team work;
Going above and beyond; and/or
Modeling BGH’s core values.
Award recipients will be chosen by WHAT team members (your peers) following review and evaluation of your nomination submissions. Nomination forms are available on the WHAT team’s SharePoint site under the Shared Documents tab.
The deadline for you to nominate one of your peers to receive the inaugural annual award is
January 31, 2014.
The presentation of the award will occur at the Long Service Recognition Dinner, which will likely be
scheduled in April or May of 2014.
If you have any questions, you can contact a member of the WHAT team.
GENERAL HAPPENINGS
PAGE 3
November was BGH Patient Safety Month
Each year, November is marked as BGH Patient Safety Month—when we showcase and
celebrate ongoing successes in patient safety initiatives at the hospital, as well as participate
in National Patient Safety Week. This year, November was again full of success stories at
BGH:
Hands Up for Hand Hygiene at BGH
Brockville General Hospital (BGH) marked National Infection Control (IC) Week with information and promotions
on IC initiatives, including the major one with the public:
Hand Hygiene.
The 2013 slogan for National Infection Control Week was
“Infection Control Matters—Pass it On!” November is BGH
Patient Safety Month. Pictured (l – r) are BGH IC staff Dana
Finnegan-Yee, Tracey Spencer, Director Susan Pugh, and
Angie Gaudin.
“Exit” Strategy Key Piece of Successful
BGH Falls Prevention Program
A simple device called an “exit alarm” has proved
to be a key contributor to the ongoing success of
the Brockville General Hospital (BGH) Falls Prevention Program. The alarm is a simple pad with alarm
that is placed under the patient in bed. If the patient
gets up, the alarm notifies staff who can quickly respond to assist. Recently, a voice alarm option that reminds the patient to stay in bed and ring for assistance
has been added to the equipment. Displaying the exit
alarm system are (l – r) BGH nursing staff Cindy
Corney, Lorraine White, Frances Kennedy, and
Krista Landon.
BGH 2013 Flu Campaign a Success!
The BGH 2013 Flu Vaccination Campaign was launched November 5th, with a goal of a 70% vaccination rate. With the
support of the WHAT Committee and increased participation by staff, volunteers and physicians, we achieved a final
rating of almost 72%!
BGH Says Thank You Rick Mercer!
Brockville General Hospital (BGH) is saying a big Thank You! to Canadian entertainer Rick Mercer for allowing
use of the “Rick’s Rant—Flu Shot” from the Rick Mercer Report television show as part of the BGH 2013 Flu
Vaccination Campaign. First broadcast last year, the “Flu Rant” has been viewed on You Tube by over 180,000
viewers. “It’s a great piece on the importance of getting the flu vaccine,” says Patricia Hoy-Berrea, BGH Manager of
Occupational Health and Safety. “It’s Rick Mercer, so it’s humorous while making an important point. We thought what a
great tool it would be in our 2013 Flu Campaign with our staff,” she continues, “so we asked the Rick Mercer Report if
we could post it internally with our staff and tie a link on our external web site for the public, as well. They immediately
said yes.”
GENERAL HAPPENINGS
PAGE 4
Brockville Tim Hortons Smile Cookie
Raises over $13,000 for BGH
The annual Smile Cookie Campaign hosted by Tim Hortons Brockville has raised $13,567.00
for the purchase of a bladder scanner at Brockville General Hospital (BGH).
“We have five restaurants in the city of Brockville,” says Shane Joyce, owner, “and our Team Members are very committed to the campaign. As a member of the local business community, we actively support many worthy community initiatives and agencies. We are happy to once again support
Brockville General Hospital in its mission to provide quality healthcare to area residents.”
“The bladder scanner is equipment that is used regularly with the inpatient population,” says BGH
Vice President Clinical Services and Chief Nursing Executive Heather Quesnelle. “The scanner allows nursing staff to check the patient’s bladder after voiding. This can prevent the need to catheterize and possible infection—significant risks for our elderly patient population.”
Presenting the cheque and viewing the new equipment dedicated for the 1East Med/Surg Unit are (l
– r) Tim Horton’s Brockville owner Shane Joyce, BGH staff Letty Poelman, Tammy Somerville,
Elizabeth Gibson, Heather Quesnelle, Travis Wing, BGH President and CEO Tony Weeks, Tim Horton’s Brockville General Manager Trudy Primeau and Brockville and District Hospital Foundation
Board Chair Tom Blanchard.
GENERAL HAPPENINGS
PAGE 5
Crisis Intervention Training Workshop Partners Police
and Mental Health Services
Brockville General Hospital (BGH) Mental Health Services recently sponsored a Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) Workshop for local police officers.
“The CIT workshop is a three-day, Ontario Provincial Police accredited training course on Crisis Intervention,” explains Linda Peever, Director of BGH Mental Health Services. “It’s designed to
give officers training specific to dealing with persons having a mental health crisis, how to provide
the most effective and compassionate response.”
The special training took place in late November, attended by Brockville, Gananoque and
OPP (Leeds/Grenville) officers. The workshop is part of a larger initiative among police, emergency
response services, and mental health services to develop better-coordinated community responses
for those struggling with mental health issues. “We’re building on the great relationships we’ve had
and creating new ones,” says Peever.
“The relationship between local law enforcement and our community partners relating to mental health and crisis response is an asset to our community,” says Acting Chief of Brockville Police
Scott Fraser. “The coordinated response permits people to access all available resources in the
community in a timely fashion.
“Officers are frequently called to respond to issues relating to mental health,” he continues.
“We have come a long way in quickly identifying a particular issue, deescalating a situation and directing people in crisis to the proper resource. Working in silos is no longer a viable response.”
BGH Mental Health Services staff Shawna Marshall (centre row, third from left), stands with
officers from across the Leeds & Grenville region at the CIT Training last month. Missing is
Sergeant Judy Alton, CIT Training Lead (OPP Crime Prevention Section).
GENERAL HAPPENINGS
PAGE 6
STAFF FORUM
Tuesday, January 14th
@ 2:00 – 3:00 pm
Charles Street Site Auditorium
Video-conferenced with the following sites:
Garden Street Site Boardroom
Elmgrove - Rm. 1623B
Front Avenue - 2nd Floor Boardroom
All Staff are encouraged to attend
The December 10th, 2013 webcast recording of the Staff
Forum is now available through our internal SharePoint page
(see the tab on the task bar across the top of the main page).
The BGH
Board of Governors
January Meeting
is
Monday, January 13
2014
Charles Street Site
Library
Open Session usually
begins at 6:00 p.m.
Submissions for “General
Happenings”
are due on
the 24th of
every month.
Please send to
Maggie Wheeler,
Editor
[email protected]
GENERAL HAPPENINGS
BGVA Annual Christmas Luncheon Raises $2000
The Brockville General Volunteer Association’s
Christmas Luncheon and Bazaar is an annual event
enjoyed by all at Brockville General Hospital each
December.
This year, the popular event raised $2000 for the association, which will go toward supporting Brockville General Hospital. Getting ready to serve the luncheon are
volunteers (l – r) Bea Slack, Carole Lyman, Loreen
Hughes, Carol Reesor, Virginia Thomas, Karen Matte,
Marg Alexander and Anne Brennan.
The BGVA is the fourth oldest hospital auxiliary in Ontario and will mark 125 years of service in 2014.
PAGE 7
GENERAL HAPPENINGS
PAGE 8
BGH Welcomes New Emergency Medicine Physician
Brockville General Hospital (BGH) welcomes a new physician to its Emergency Medicine
team, Dr. Drew Knight.
Dr. Knight was born and raised in Kingston.
He completed his undergraduate degree at
the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver. In 2005 he went to the University of
Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, where
he completed his medical degree. In 2010,
Dr. Knight returned home to Kingston to
complete his residency in Family Medicine
at Queens University. Following his residency, Dr. Knight completed an additional
year of training in Emergency Medicine at
Queens University in Kingston. He began
working at BGH part-time in April, and recently took on full-time duties at the hospital.
“After travelling and learning in several places around the world, I wanted to
come home to practice in Ontario,” says
Knight. “I’m still living in Kingston, but
Brockville General is a great local community to work in.”
Knight says he decided to specialize
in Emergency Medicine because of the
constant change. “Working in the ER allows me to serve a diverse patient population and see a variety of medical condiDr. Drew Knight
tions,” he explains. “It is always interesting
and hands-on.”
Masonic Lodge Supports Local Palliative Care
The Masonic Rising Sun Lodge (#85) recently presented a cheque for $2300 to support the Brockville and District Hospice Palliative Care Service (BDHPCS) based at Brockville General Hospital.
“We raised the money with a skeet shoot,” says event organizer Doug Miller. “We first tried this last year and it
was such a success, we did it again.”
The event was held at the Golden Triangle Trap and Skeet Club just outside Brockville. Attendance was up
from 64 last year to 82 this year, Masons and friends of Masons. Rising Sun Lodge, located in Athens, is part of the Masonic St. Lawrence District of 17 lodges in the region encompassed by Brockville, Lanark and Kemptville. Donations are
targeted through membership interest.
Present the cheque are (from left) Lodge members
Robert Ferguson, Rising Sun Treasurer; and Doug Miller, Rising Sun Junior Warden; to BGH Director of Palliative Care
Sherry Anderson and Brockville and District Hospital Foundation Executive Director Joan Simon.
GENERAL HAPPENINGS
PAGE 9
Curves Prescott Supports Foundation Annual Appeal
Spreading some Christmas
Cheer is BGH employee
Curves Prescott member Sylvia Kelly (right). Curves Prescott Owner/Manager, Patricia
Lalonde (left) presents a
cheque for $615 to Brockville
and District Hospital Foundation Executive Director Joan
Simon in support of the 2013
Annual Appeal. The funds
were raised at Curves Prescott during Breast Cancer
Awareness month through a
bake sale, silent auction and a
raffle.
Brockville Curves Raises over $1200 for BGH Mammography
As part of marking Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, the staff and membership of
Curves Brockville raised over $1200 to support Brockville General Hospital (BGH) Mammography.
“Everyone pitched in and helped,” explains Brockville Curves Manager Lenora Towell.
“Curves' promotion for October was a cash donation of $10 for 10 workouts. In addition, our club
held a silent auction, a bake sale,
a craft sale and a 5th Avenue
Jewelry sale. We also collected
coins in a large vase. It all added
up.”
Presenting the cheque for
$1246.00 is (centre, left) Lenora
Towell to (l – r) BGH Director of
Diagnostic Imaging and Surgical
Services Deb Wilson, Brockville
and District Hospital Foundation
Board member Doris Hallett, and
BGH Vice President Clinical Services and Chief Nursing Executive Heather Quesnelle.
GENERAL HAPPENINGS
PAGE 10
Mental Health Services Update
Bell Mental Health & Anti-Stigma Research Chair
Presented in Brockville October 17th
On October 17th, Dr. Heather Stuart, Professor in the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, and Psychiatry, and School of Rehabilitation (Queen’s University) and Gary Laws, Executive Director of Mental Health Support Network, South East Ontario Corp. presented a highly informative conference on Mental Illness and Stigma to interested staff, volunteers, community mental
health and addiction agencies and members of our community.
Turnout was excellent, and attendees had ample engagement opportunities with the presenters.
Pictured are (left to right):
Gary Laws, Heather Stuart and Linda Peever,
BGH Director of Mental Health Services.
THE END OF
AN ERA:
Staff
Goodbye
Party
For
Elmgrove
Site
February 7th
2014
GENERAL HAPPENINGS
Retirement at BGH
PAGE 11
Congratulations!
On Saturday, November 9th, BGH Palliative Care
and Spiritual Care volunteer Larry Judge was ordained as a deacon in the Roman Catholic Church.
The 4-year formation program for Larry and his wife
Margo consisted of monthly study weekends in
Kingston, as well as monthly group home meetings.
Larry also completed 16 courses on-line through
Notre Dame University. Larry has
been appointed as a pastoral minister to St Mark's parish in Prescott.
Betty Anne Blake, RPN, retired in November He will continue his volunteer work
after 41 years of nursing. Betty Anne was one
in palliative care and as a volunteer
of the last graduates of the St. Vincent de
chaplain at BGH.
Paul Nursing Program in 1972. She began
her career at St. V’s and did the last 26 years
here at BGH. Here, Betty Anne (front, centre) Congratulations, Larry, on this
is honoured by fellow GSS staff at a surprise wonderful accomplishment!
retirement coffee break.
Odd Fellows and Rebekah Lodges Room Committee Donates $1000
to Local Palliative Care
The Odd Fellows Lyn Lodge 284 and Lyndale Rebekah Lodge 313 Room Committee recently
presented a cheque for $1000.00 to the Brockville and District Hospital Foundation (BDHF)
in support of local palliative care services.
“We prefer to keep our donations local,” explains Lyn Lodge Vice Grand Ron Hoare, “and
we know how important palliative care is. We have all had family members need the service, and
we all will someday too.”
The funds will be donated to the Brockville and District Hospice Palliative Care Service
based at Brockville General Hospital. Both the Odd Fellows Lyn Lodge and the Lyndale Rebekah
Lodge have been active in the Lyn community for decades. The Lyn Lodge 284, established in 1891, is one of the oldest in Ontario.
Accepting the cheque is (front row,
far right) BDHF Board member Kevin Tackaberry from (front row, l – r) Rebekah Lodge
members Noble Grand Vera Kelly, District
Deputy President Ella Kelly, Secretary/
Treasurer Jean Shane, (back row, l – r) Odd
Fellows Lodge members Past District Deputy Grand Master Bill Clow, Inside Guard Ivan
Cross, Nobel Grand Francis LeBrun, and
Vice Grand Ron Hoare.
GENERAL HAPPENINGS
PAGE 12
Memories of Montreal Art Sale Raises over $5000 for BGH ACU
A special exhibit of artwork showcasing a Montreal gone but not forgotten recently sold out
to an eager crowd at a unique fundraiser for the Brockville General Hospital (BGH) Ambulatory Care Unit (ACU).
Hosted at Maplehurst Manor in Maitland on October 27th, “Memories of Montreal” offered a
collection of 20th century artwork by Montreal artists donated to BGH by Warren Baldwin, the son of
a grateful former patient of the hospital. Wine was donated by Paul Marconi of Casa Dea Winery.
“Brockville is very lucky to have BGH right here,” said Baldwin at the event. “It is a warm,
welcoming and efficient hospital that offers quality healthcare services we will all need some day.
My family has several times, and it’s always been wonderful to be able to count on BGH when we
needed to.”
The collection of a dozen artworks sold quickly, raising $5655 for the purchase of a blanket
warmer for the comfort of patients in the hospital’s ACU.
Toasting to success are (seated l – r) Brockville General Volunteer Association Curator Carol
Reesor, artwork donor
Warren Baldwin,
(standing centre)
Maplehurst Manor
owner Anne Cox,
(standing back row, l –
r) committee members
Diana Chapman, Barbara Patrick, Berne
Reesor, Alison Abbott,
Ruby Bird, Debbie
Cole, and Richard Boadway. Missing from
photo is committee
member Peter Dawson.
I&CD Hosts Childhood Developmental Checkups
The BGH Infant and Childhood Development
(I&CD) team recently hosted an information
event for staff: Childhood Developmental
Checkups.
The display included developmental
checklists, information on childhood development, and other community resources for families. On hand to answer questions were BGH
staff (left to right) Barb Alguire,Dixie O’Reilly,
Cecile Loiselle, and Diane Clarke.
The Nipissing District Developmental
Screen can be found online at www.ndds.ca/
ontario.
GENERAL HAPPENINGS
PAGE 13
Collaborative Stroke Care Workshop Held in Brockville
An interprofessional workshop on enhancing best practices in acute stroke care was recently held at the Brockville Country Club, hosted by Brockville General Hospital (BGH), Kingston General Hospital (KGH) and the Stroke Network of Southeastern Ontario (SNEO).
Presentations such as collaborative care plans, prevention clinic referral, and transition processes
were offered through interactive learning opportunities to promote interprofessional collaboration,
problem solving and sharing of expertise in acute stroke care.
Pictured are workshop facilitators (l – r) BGH staff Eric Sham, Sherry Anderson, Jessica Barnes,
Lynn Varma, Heather Quesnelle, Julie Lynch, Angela Rogers, Elizabeth Gibson, Margriet de Bryun,
Deanne Osborne, Lorraine White, (to right of screen) stroke patient Linda Weese, KGH physician
Dr. Al Jin, SNEO Education Coordinator Sue Saulnier, SNEO Administrative Assistant Charlette
Eves, SNEO Education Coordinator Colleen Murphy, and SNEO Regional Director Cally Martin.
Township of Leeds and Thousand Islands Funds Washer Purchase
The Township of Leeds and the 1000 Islands recently presented a cheque for $13,500 to
Brockville and District Hospital Foundation for the purchase of a Washer/Disinfectant (or
Macerator) for Brockville
General Hospital.
Receiving the cheque is
Foundation Board member
Scott MacCrimmon
(centre, right) from (l – r)
Councillor Harold Emmons, Mayor Frank Kinsella and Councillor Brigitte Lesage-Tye.
GENERAL HAPPENINGS
Education Opportunities
PAGE 14
New Employees
Cathy Cassidy-Gifford
Director, Performance & Continuous
Improvement
November 22, 2013
Sasha Murray
RN, Emergency (Part Time)
November 18, 2013
Brenda Quaile
RN, Med/Surg (Part Time)
December 2, 2013
WELCOME!
Annual Celebration of Life
Thank you to all the volunteers who attended and helped with the 21st Annual Ecumenical Celebration of Life on November 6,
2013. One hundred and twenty-five people
attended this beautiful service of candle lighting and remembrance.
A big thank you to St Paul’s parish for their
generous support: the Rector Father Ed Dallow, the choir, the Altar Guild, the Anglican
Church women’s Group who provided refreshments, and the men who worked to set
up the church hall.
Sandra Thompson,
Bereavement Coordinator
Palliative Care
GENERAL HAPPENINGS
PAGE 15
May Court Raises $15,000 for Local Palliative Care
The May Court Club of Brockville recently donated $15,000 to
the Friends of Palliative Care
Golf Tournament in support of
local palliative care services.
May Court is a charitable organization that supports the community through fundraising events over
the year and sales at the May
Court Thrift Shop. This year, the
group presented a cheque at the
Friends of Palliative Care Tournament, a major annual fundraising
golf tournament, to support the
Brockville and District Hospice Palliative Care Service based at Brockville General Hospital. The
funds will go toward the purchase of 10 pain pumps for palliative care patients.
Presenting the cheque are May Court members (front row, l – r) Dolores Inglis, Margaret Lauridsen,
Lynn Hanley, and Sharon McClelland to Friends Committee Co-Chairs (back row, l – r) Dave
Publow and Jim Cooper.
Recovery Implementation Group “Recovery Minute”
What is Recovery?
Recovery is a process, not a place






It is about recovering what was lost: rights, roles, responsibilities, decisions, potential and support.
It is not about symptom elimination, but what an individual wants, how s/he can get there, and
how others can help and support them to get there.
It is about rekindling hope for a productive present and rewarding future – believing that one
deserves it.
Recovery involves having a personal vision of the life they want to live, seeing and changing
patterns, discovering symptoms and be managed, and doing it.
Finding new ways and reasons, doing more of what works and less of what doesn’t.
Recovery is about reclaiming the roles of a “healthy” person, rather than a “sick” person
Recovery is about getting there.
(Adapted from Laurie Curtis 1998)
Watch for the Roll Out of
W. R. A. P.
Wellness Recovery Action Plan
GENERAL HAPPENINGS
PAGE 16
Christmas Carollers Lit up the Hospital Hallways
in December
Patients, families, physicians, staff and volunteers were delighted!
Thank you, everyone!
The halls of BGH
rang with young
voices and old
Christmas favourites when two
groups of student
carolers visited in
December. Top is
the Brockville Collegiate Institute
Link Crew (with our
BGH Chaplain
Brenda Haggett
back row far left,
and our Manager
of Volunteers Cheryl Marshall standing far right). Beside is the Grade
Three to Five Carollers from St.
Francis Xavier Elementary School.
GENERAL HAPPENINGS
PAGE 17
From the Core Performance Team
What is the Work of the Core Performance Team?
The Core Performance Team (CPT) was created to provide the organization with a team with expertise in managing data, interpreting outcomes, and reporting performance. It is a resource for everyone to call on for assistance with analytics, in order to help them monitor and improve their outcomes.
Now that the Visibility Wall is up and running, the CPT is progressing to the next stage of assessing further accessibility and availability of data, supporting and/or facilitating the Managers and
Directors in selecting relevant and meaningful indicators for their departments, and determining how
best to graph and post the data on the Visibility Wall. Managing metrics requires joining data from
various databases for enhanced reporting opportunities. This a daunting challenge, to say the least,
but one that we are up for and know that it will offer all of us new approaches to analyze data, and
facilitate overall organizational performance affecting our quality, cost, and timeliness in making decisions about delivering outstanding care, services and patient experiences.
The dimensions of Quality, Cost, Delivery, Safety, People, and Achievements assists the
team in prioritizing the metrics that support or establish ‘best practice’ and/or establish a benchmark
that will improve departmental performance. It has been most inspiring to see the how each of the
Managers and Directors tell the story behind each of their indicators, which reflects the collaboration
of their interdisciplinary teams working together to improve performance and patient care.
The CPT is made up of the following members: Cathy Cassidy-Gifford (Chair), Steve Read,
Megan Thomson, Jessyca Brannen, Andrew Dion, Megan Johnson, and Kristi Carter. As you can
see, the Core Performance Team has a diverse membership that will ensure monitoring of performance and metric opportunities for all departments in the hospital.:




Megan Thomson and Jessyca support Clinical Data
Andrew supports Financial Data
Megan Johnson supports Human Resources Data
Kristi supports Quality and Support Services Data
The team meets weekly, or at the call of the Chair. We have as well just held a huddle to reconnect
at the end of the weekly Wall Walk held Thursdays from 0800 - 0845 hours.
What is the Visibility Wall?
The Visibility Wall is located in the CSS Auditorium. It is where you will find the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the hospital. The side walls contain department KPIs, and the head wall
contains hospital-wide KPIs such as our Hospital Service Accountability Agreement (HSAA), our
Quality Improvement Plan (QIP), and other Regulatory Requirements.
A KPI is data which drives a strategic goal, and has the following characteristics: it is measurable; it has a target; and we can exert some control over the results. There are many metrics that
the hospital and departments track in order to allocate resources and anticipate work flows, but if
they don’t have the characteristics of a KPI, then they won’t be posted in the Visibility Room.
We encourage all staff, physicians, and volunteers to stop by the CSS Auditorium to
check out the Visibility Wall. If you have any questions, you can direct them to any member
of the CPT.
GENERAL HAPPENINGS
PAGE 18
Palliative Care News
Please join us in welcoming the
new Palliative Care Volunteer Class.
Thank you to the Hospice Staff who
participated in the training. In photo
from left to right: Liz G. Thea B. Patti
H. Min V. Sandra M. Laura H. Anna
G. Leslie L. Sherry M. Cheryl K. Bob
K. We look forward to working
with all of you!
Hands on training for new Palliative Care Volunteers
News From Day Hospice
Fifth Floor Tea Party
Day Hospice has settled in on 4th floor at
GSS. The ladies continue to enjoy music, crafts,
foot care, therapies, esthetics, hair care, guest
speakers and of course seasonal fun. Thank
you to all the volunteers who are involved with
Day Hospice, offering your time, talents and caring ways. Leslie
On November 19th, patients, loved ones, staff
and volunteers took part in a patient tea party on
5th floor. As always, a good time was had by all
as we enjoyed music and treats.
Halloween Fun at Day Hospice
Pictured are PC
volunteer Helen
Brady and Volunteer Coordinator
Patti Howlett.
GENERAL HAPPENINGS
PAGE 19
Staff Kudos
I would like to extend my deepest appreciation for the support and help that Michelle Zaveda has
provided with all the IT issues I have faced. She has always been right there, helping out wherever
and whenever needed. Her patience, kindness, and willingness to share her abundant knowledge
and expertise in this field made my work enjoyable and pleasant. It’s a pleasure to hear her calm
voice and a pleasure to see that she has solved the issues/ problems in no time.
Cornelia Necula
Mental Health Crisis Team
Thanks to the crisis team for the MH educational sessions/overviews that are being rolled out to our
police partners. Feedback has been very positive and there is lots of interest. Shawna Marshall, RN,
and her student provided a comprehensive overview at the Nov. 9th session to the Leeds OPP.
Three more sessions will follow and other crisis members will be participating. Way to go, team!
Kudos to Deb Bennett and Linda Verstegen in the MH program for volunteering to provide placement opportunities for students in the office administration/medical program with St. Lawrence College for December. We know the students had great placement experiences with Deb and Linda!
Special thanks to Dorothy Culhane who greatly assisted the MH team over the last couple of months
as Interim Program Manager, Inpatients. Dorothy has been of invaluable assistance and will be
missed. We hope she won't be bored as she retires again.
Linda Peever, Director
BGH Mental Health Services
The People Services and Talent Management team, during their monthly meeting, identifies people
they feel have gone above and beyond:
For contributing to a happy healthy workplace ~ Eric Sham
For supporting the WHAT BBQ this past summer ~Dr. Malone
For supporting the Palliative Care Garage Sale
Lorraine White
Sherry Anderson
Tanya Beale
Charleen Findon
NOTICE TO ALL STAFF:
Janet Armstrong
Melanie Cromwell
The Employee Service Recognition
Frances Kennedy
Darlene Kavanaugh
Events planning is underway, with tentaLaurie Earle
tive dates set in February, 2014. More inMaureen Duff
formation will follow in the near future.
Cameron McLennan, Vice President
People Services & Talent Management
Thank you.
Eleanor Hogeveen,
Human Resources
GENERAL HAPPENINGS
PAGE 20
Construction Progress—Third Floor Renovation
(or...This is What All the Noise is About!)
Not as Light as Air!
Construction staff helps guide one of two new
Air Handling Units (or AHUs) into place on the
roof of the Brockville General Charles Street
Site. The two units were recently lifted by crane to
the roof—one for the east half and one for the
west half of Third Floor. The units will provide both
heating and cooling, and each weighs about
14,000 pounds. The work is part of the ongoing
renovation of Third Floor to accommodate the
March 2014 transfer of acute mental health services and patients from Elmgrove Site.
Inside the Third Floor
On the Ground