WHAT’SNEW P E N N S Y L VA N I A H O S P I TA L
APRIL 2017
PUPPIES & KITTENS
OFFER EMPLOYEES AN RX FOR STRESS Pennsylvania Hospital Focuses on Caring for the Care Provider May 11 will mark PAH’s 266th birthday, and while we celebrate the excellent care we provide for our community, we must also recognize the importance of caring from within by providing support and resources to promote the health and wellness of PAH’s staff and faculty. That’s where PAH’s Care for the Care Provider (C4CP) program comes in—it’s dedicated to promoting a culture of empathy, reliance, and work/life balance while also reducing the stress that health care providers often face.
“Whether providing direct patient care at the bedside or supporting those who do, we are all touched in one way or another by unanticipated events that can cause emotional distress,” Vanek said. “C4CP gives care providers a safe place to talk about how their work impacts them and lets them know that they are not alone. It also helps foster selfreflection and emotional intelligence so that team members can recognize signs of second-victim phenomenon within themselves and in their peers.”
“We started this program because there was a growing recognition both here at PAH and nationwide that care providers also need support in order to thrive at work and provide the best patient care,” said Florence Vanek, MSN, RN, a professional practice consultant at PAH and chair of the C4CP committee. “We can’t provide safe and quality patient care without also taking care of ourselves.”
Since the program first launched in 2014, the committee has supported several events including mindfulness seminars, health and wellness initiatives, and Paws for Pennsy. Beginning in the summer of 2017 C4CP also plans to roll out a formalized peer support program.
One major challenge the committee seeks to address is what is known as “second victim phenomenon” in which the health care provider is emotionally impacted by a traumatic event such as the loss of patient or a work event that reflects issues the providers faces in his or her personal life. C4CP’s goal is to create a cultural shift away from considering traumatic events as “part of the job” to recognizing their effect on care providers in both the short and long-term.
Last month, C4CP hosted one of its most popular and cuddly events—Paws for Pennsy. Three little kittens, three pit bull terrier mix pups, and Rico, a 6-year-old Australian cattle dog mix all from the Morris Animal Refuge were on hand to provide staff members with some nuzzles and kisses to brighten up their days, all while also helping these animals find forever homes—all seven pets have since been adopted.
AFTER SOME QUALITY ANIMAL CUDDLES,
“The program is dedicated to promoting a culture of empathy, reliance, and work/life balance
83% 90%
OF STAFF REPORTED THEY FELT STRESS-FREE OR CLOSE TO IT
Paws for Pennsy Makes a Positive Impact
The event’s positive impact on employees is clear. In the first of the three previous Paws for Pennsy events hosted by C4CP, participants were surveyed before and after the event about their relative levels of stress and feelings of happiness. Some respondents started off feeling neutral and nearly 53 percent said they showed up feeling very or at least somewhat stressed, and 17 percent admitted to varying degrees of feeling unhappy. But after some quality cuddles, nearly 83 percent reported they felt stress-free or close to it, and 90 percent said they felt happy. “The response to this event has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Vanek. “You can see the smiles and feel the joy for hours and even days after a Paws for Pennsy event.” The Philadelphia Inquirer along with local TV stations CBS3 and 6ABC also came out to cover the adoption fair and help promote the importance of employee wellness in a health care setting. To learn more about C4CP and to see a list of upcoming events, visit: http://uphsxnet.uphs.upenn.edu/pahhome/ C4CP/index.html
while also reducing the stress that health care providers often face.” said Florence Vanek,MSN,RN.
SAID THEY FELT HAPPY
IN THIS ISSUE » Join the 2017 Donate for Life Hospital Challenge
» Happy 266th Birthday, Pennsylvania Hospital
» Gearing Up for Nurses Week 2017
» American Red Cross Blood Drive – May 12, 2017
» Remembering Robert Cathcart
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JOIN THE
2017 Donate Life HOSPITAL CHALLENGE
Did you know that more than 118,000 people on are the national organ transplant waiting list, with more people being added every day, including
Happy 266th Birthday, P E N N S Y LV A N I A H O S P I TA L
more than 5,000 people here in Philadelphia?
Join PAH senior leadership to celebrate Pennsylvania Hospital’s 266th birthday on May 11. Cake will be served from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Cafe 1751.
To help raise awareness about the important gift of organ donation and encourage others to become organ donors, PAH has again joined the Hospital and HealthSystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP) and Gift of Life Donor Program as a hospital partner in HAP’s Donate Life Hospital Challenge to educate hospital communities on the critical need for more organ, tissue, and cornea donors and to encourage individuals to register as donors.
Gearing up for Nurses Week 2017
As a Hospital Partner in this initiative, PAH encourages all members of our staff to join with Gift of Life Donor Program, our partner organ donation organization, in educating our hospital community on the critical need for donation and providing opportunities for people to sign up as organ, eye, and tissue donors. The campaign, which will take place now through August 31, 2017, aims to register new organ donor donors to the state registry to contribute to the national goal and to earn state recognition from the Hospital and HAP for conducting activities that promote enrollment in state organ donor registries. PAH will earn points for each activity we implement between April 1 and August 31, 2017, and will be recognized for reaching a titanium, platinum, gold, silver, or bronze level. To learn more about donation and to sign up as a future donor in your state’s registry, please visit www.donors1.org. By taking a few minutes to register, you ensure that your desire to give this gift is officially recorded. You may someday be able to give the priceless gifts of life, sight, and mobility to another.
National Nurses Week is celebrated annually from May 6, also known as National Nurses Day, through May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. This year’s national theme is “Nursing: the Balance of Mind, Body, and Spirit.” It’s all about celebrating nurses who are leading the charge for health and wellness. Be on the lookout for announcements about different events and celebrations as Nurses Week approaches!
While we value our amazing nursing staff every day at PAH, we use this week each year to spend time acknowledging our nursing staff’s invaluable role in the care they provide to our patients and the support they provide to other PAH team members.
For event information and details on ways you can become involved, contact Rhoda Sulzbach (rhoda.sulzbach@uphs.upenn.edu), or Christopher Huot (christopher.huot@uphs.upenn.edu) or visit www.donors1.org.
American Red Cross Blood Drive— MAY 12, 2 017 Organ Donation Information Sessions Representatives from Gift of Life will be at PAH to answer any questions about organ donation and offer assistance for anyone interested in becoming a donor. Information tables will be available in Café 1751 from 11 AM to 1 PM on the following dates:
May 5 | June 6 | July 10
Sign up to give blood on Friday, May 12 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. | McClelland Conference Room TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT: Visit www.redcrossblood.org and enter sponsor code: PA Hospital. Save up to 15 minutes at your appointment with RapidPass. Learn more at redcrossblood.org/RapidPass NOT SURE IF YOU’RE ELIGIBLE? Visit www.redcrossblood.org to find out.
REMEMBERING
Robert Cathcart It is with deep sadness that we recognize the passing of H. Robert Cathcart, a visionary leader who left an indelible imprint on both Pennsylvania Hospital and the health care landscape nationally. Cathcart served as an administrator of the hospital for more than 40 years before his retirement in 1991. As the Philadelphia Inquirer noted in his obituary, his careful stewardship of PAH earned him the moniker “Mr. Hospital.” When he took over the reins as chief executive in 1952, Pennsylvania Hospital was comprised primarily of 40-bed charity wards. To help stabilize the hospital’s finances, Cathcart created a pavilion that featured patient rooms with two beds and a bathroom. He also boosted the hospital’s specialty care,
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adding urology and orthopedic surgery services, and upgraded basic and clinical research programs. A nursing champion, he also improved teaching programs for nurses within the hospital. These activities sustained our longrunning tradition of “putting patients first at the nation’s first,” and cemented the hospital’s future as a continued innovator in improving the health of our community. During the 1960s, Cathcart was ahead of his time when he created community health centers and outreach programs. A Modern Healthcare article one noted that he “devoted himself to realizing a vision of hospitals as grand instruments for community service.” Cathcart was also extremely active in the American Hospital Association, bringing his
WHAT’SNEW EDITORIAL STAFF Johanna Harvey Editor
passions to improve nursing education and health care for the poor to a national level. For his many efforts, he earned the association’s distinguished services award in 1983 and was ultimately inducted into its Health Care Hall of Fame. He also received Pennsylvania Hospital’s Good Samaritan Award. Cathcart’s wife of 65 years, Tressa Bolt Cathcart, a nurse and pillar of the PAH community, passed away in 2016. Cathcart is survived by a daughter, Tressa Ann Cathcart Silberberg, and three grandchildren.
Lisa Paxson & Alexa Creter Graphic Designers
ADMINISTRATION
Susan E. Phillips Senior Vice President, Public Affairs Holly Auer Corporate Director of Communications Sally Sapega Director of Internal Communications
CONTACT WHAT’SNEW AT:
Department of Communications Pennsylvania Hospital Philadelphia, PA 19106
phone: 215.349.8062 email: Johanna.Harvey@uphs.upenn.edu WHAT’Snew is published biweekly for PAH employees. Access WHAT’Snew online at news.PennMedicine.org/inside/whats-new/.
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