Digital Edition of Presby Bulletin - 11/23/2016

Volume 11

Issue 24

November 25, 2016

PRESBYbulletin Penn Presbyterian Medical Center

PPMC TAKES 1ST IN HAP DONATE LIFE CAMPAIGN The results are in: Penn Presbyterian Medical Center won “Top Hospital” in the Hospital Association of Pennsylvania’s Donate Life challenge (HAP) to raise awareness about organ and tissue donation. The University of Pennsylvania Health System won top overall health system and HUP finished right behind Presby in the hospital category.

The annual competition encourages health care organizations to get the word out about organ and tissue donation by offering points to participants for various tasks.

Each hospital recorded evidence of activities completed on a score card during the campaign and submitted it to the HAP Donate Life judges who then verified the evidence submitted and then selected the winners Susan Chodoff, director of Regulatory Affairs and Accreditation Matters at PPMC and one of the organizers of this year’s Donate Life campaign, said all of PPMC stepped up to the plate when asked. Managers of departments across the hospital built enthusiasm to get their teams involved in raising awareness and helping tally up the points needed to clinch the victory for PPMC. Gift of Life’s Amy Martiner was especially helpful at amplifying all of their ideas and initiatives, Chodoff added.

Chodoff gave special kudos to Sonia Khanchandani and Soma Deall-Williams, both interns in the Regulatory and Accreditation department, who worked closely with the HAP Donate Life campaign, according to Chodoff. They were instrumental in (continued on back)

American Red Cross Blood Drive

An American Red Cross team will be available to take blood donations on Friday, Dec. 16, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the Rotunda Medical Conference Room on the first floor.

Those interested in donating blood can pre-register and make their appointment by visiting RedCrossBlood.org and entering the sponsor keyword “PennPresbyterian.”

Prospective donors are asked to bring identification and to drink plenty of water beforehand.

Penn Medicine Raises $1.55 Million for Local Charities

PPMC Takes 1st in HAP Donate Life Campaign

We made it! The 2017 Penn’s Way Campaign officially drew to a close last week. Thank you to everyone who donated or participated in the campaign this year. This effort is a truly remarkable team endeavor that has the power to change the lives of many people in need in our community.

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coming up with creative strategies to score points, and were dedicated to mastering the all the details of the program to ensure that the campaign was a success.

One thing that separated this year from previous years was a big shift to engaging our clinical staff, Chodoff said. From daylong training at the Gift of Life, to quick huddles to discuss donation topics, the clinicians across PPMC made the topic a priority. In addition, the critical care staff participated in outreach by volunteering at the Gift of Life Family House, where they served a meal to the families of those recipients.

This year’s campaign also brought a new sense of mission around organ donation, due to Presby’s expanded role in the health system and the community at large, according to Michael Atweh, director of Laboratory Medicine and another of the organizers.

“We are no longer that community hospital tucked away in West Philly. We are a Level 1 Trauma Center, as well,” Atweh said. “It became more essential for us.”

We have officially exceeded our Penn/ Penn Medicine $1.55 million goal, having raised $1,651,442. We’re still receiving last minute donations, so the final number promises to be even higher.

We had very generous participation by everyone at PPMC this year. We contributed $80,289, which is 122% of our goal. Great job by everyone!

We had a participation rate of 62 percent – which is our best ever – and very close to our goal of 65 percent.

This is a wonderful reflection on the commitment of PPMC staff members to support our communities. Again, thank you and great job!

The work to educate people about Gift of Life went well outside of the hospital.

Participants in the campaign took their message to the streets, spreading the message to everyone they could. Chodoff and Khanchandani even donned construction hats and spoke with crews working on the new Penn Medicine Cherry Hill about organ and tissue donation.

All monies that are donated specifically to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center – listed under Penn Medicine – will be directed to the Pharmacy Assistance Program, supporting medications upon discharge to our neediest patients.

Despite the full-court press, Chodoff and team still said they were surprised by the victory. They knew how hard everyone at PPMC worked to spread the word, but with their submission in, it was all in the hands of the judges.

- Bob Russell, associate executive director for Operations at PPMC

“We just knew that we did a good job,” Khanchandani said. “We did it the right way.”

Contact Us: Paul Foster | paul.foster@uphs.upenn.edu | http://news.pennmedicine.org/inside/presbybulletin/