September 2010
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Who We Are - Who We Serve
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Meeting Our Fiscal Accountabilities
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Improving the Workplace
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Proud of the Work We Do
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Working in our Communities
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Improving Access
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Proud of Our People
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Connect is published by the Employee Communications department of Eastern Health. Connect is printed internally by Printing Services. Please address any comments or suggestions to Diane Hart, Editor: Employee Communications Administrative Office Waterford Bridge Road St. John's, NL A1E 4J8 777-1425 diane.hart@easternhealth.ca
A Message from the President and CEO n behalf of the Board of Trustees and our leadership team, I’m pleased to present to you this special employee annual report edition of Connect magazine. As an organization that is accountable to the public, it is our responsibility to prepare an annual performance report that is provided to the legislature of Newfoundland and Labrador. The complete 2009-2010 report will be released to the public later in September at which time you will be able to access it online. I encourage you to take the time to read it. In advance of the public release, through this issue of Connect, we are sharing with you some of the highlights of the full report. What you will read here are just some of the stories behind the achievements - your achievements and you deserve to feel proud of them. As I reflected on the past year, my first year working with you, my immediate thoughts were of the people of Eastern Health. While I have not met you all, for the many that I have encountered, I do get a true sense of the dedication and commitment you have for the work you do on behalf of the people we serve. After all, they are your families, your friends and your neighbours. That is why the theme for our report this year is “Celebrating Our People.” There have been challenges over this past year but I have been struck by the team strength that I witnessed as we addressed them. The collective effort that we demonstrated during the HINI pandemic is a very good example of what we can accomplish when we all come together. We will continue to face challenges; however, I have full confidence that as time goes on we will view those as opportunities – opportunities to improve our working environment; to improve the quality of patient care; and, to make you feel proud to work at Eastern Health. Far too often we hear criticism of our organization; yet we all know those are the exceptions. Each day there
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are thousands of patients, clients and residents who receive quality care from caring people. I encourage you to share your positive stories with your colleagues as well as your family and friends. That is just one step along the way to help us improve employee engagement. I have learned a lot recently that will influence further steps that we need to take – both from the meetings I have had with different departments, programs and services, and from getting to hear from you, face-to-face, at employee town halls. As you read the articles in this magazine and reflect on the work you do, I encourage you to celebrate our successes and think positively about the work we do. I want you to know that the Board, Executives, and Directors are looking forward to providing you with a positive vision of the future that puts your engagement at the top of our priority list.
September 2010
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Contributors
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Jackie O’Brien Strategic Communications St. John’s
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Scott Haines Employee Communications St. John’s
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Mervyn House Human Resources, Client Services St. John’s
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Angela Lawrence Strategic Communications St. John’s
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Phil Simms Strategic Communications St. John’s
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Susan Bonnell Employee Communications St. John’s
Who We Are Who We Serve
e serve a regional population of 293,795 (Census, 2006) across 21,000 square kilometres. Our boundaries include 111 incorporated municipalities, 69 local service districts and 66 unincorporated municipal units.We also bring services closer to where people live through provincial outreach programs, regional cancer centres, and travelling cancer and child rehabilitative clinics.
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Employees by Gender
Employees by Location
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Who We Are - Who We Serve
Employees by Profession
Here are the hard facts about the EH Team:
13,009 employees 700 medical staff 1,250 volunteers who provided 59,400 hours of volunteer work 28 health service facilities Community-based offices in 30 communities 925 acute care beds, 87 critical care beds, 13 holding beds and 1,722 long-term care beds
* A service event is used as a measure for a patient or client visit in the community.
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Who We Are - Who We Serve
We also bring services closer to where people live through provincial outreach programs, regional cancer centres, travelling cancer clinics and child rehabilitative clinics.
—Kay Williams
connectedness
Regional Mandate
It is because of the values that Eastern Health promotes that the standard of care is the highest I have ever seen.
respect • integrity • fairness • excellence
Did you know we provide distinctive provincial services, too? genetics and cardiac genetics hyperbaric medicine neonatal transport Community Living and Supportive Services provincial equipment program organ procurement paediatric advice and poison control lines provincial perinatal program provincial post adoptions program stem cell transplantation
Expanding Knowledge Did you know that in 2009-2010 the Department of Research’s Patient Research Centre was actively involved in over 100 clinical trials in cardiology, child health, clinical epidemiology/nephrology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, hematology, neurology, respirology, rheumatology, and women’s health? Our Research Proposal Approval Committee reviewed and approved 180 research projects during 2009-10.
the
To learn more about the Living the Values Campaign, visit Eastern Health’s intranet and click on the Our Org section
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Meeting Our Fi$cal Accountabilities he provincial budget 2009 announced new initiatives designed to expand current programs and introduce new provincial initiatives. Investments have been made in Child, Youth and Family Services, Commission of Inquiry on Hormone Receptor Testing Report, Task Force on Adverse Events Report, Strengthening Long-term Care and Community Supports, Mental Health and Addictions, Healthy Aging Strategy as well as other initiatives such as Workforce Recruitment & Retention. These initiatives will commence when formal approvals are received from the Department of Health and Community Services.
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Our seven foundations provide tremendous financial support to our organization. In 2009-10, the foundations contributed $4.8 million to Eastern Health. We recognize and appreciate the efforts of the Board of Directors, staff and volunteers of our seven foundations: Burin Peninsula Health Care Foundation, Discovery Health Care Foundation, Dr. H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Care Foundation, Health Care Foundation, Janeway Children’s Hospital Foundation, Trinity-Conception-Placentia Health Foundation and the Waterford Foundation. Funds were raised for a variety of purposes, including the purchase of medical equipment and grants to promote both research and comfort in care.
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Fiscal year 2009-10 was extremely challenging, particularly in light of the fact that Eastern Health had to avail of one-time stabilization funding of $17.7 million as well as deferred revenues of $3.6 million to achieve a balanced financial position in 2008-09. Financially we finished the period ending March 31, 2010 in a balanced position after receiving $21.2 million in one-time stabilization funding from the Department of Health and Community Services.
Meeting Our Fi$cal Accountabilities
Expenditures by sector for 2009-10 When we live by our values, we create opportunities to promote strong and healthy work environments in our organization and as a direct outcome; we maximize Eastern Health’s abilities to provide quality patient care and community health services.
We have started the process of consolidating long term care resident trust accounts into one system, which will result in more consistency, control and efficiency for some 2,500 trust accounts. We implemented the Attendance Management Program, which saved approximately $1.3 million through reductions in paid sick leave and replacement costs (estimated at $40.5 million). We implemented Strata, a Capital Budgeting, Tracking and Optimization Tool, to assist in choosing the right capital priorities within available resources.
respect • integrity • connectedness • excellence
Some achievements:
fairness
—Rick Seward
the
To learn more about the Living the Values Campaign, visit Eastern Health’s intranet and click on the Our Org section
September 2010
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Meeting Our Fi$cal Accountabilities
Making Healthier Purchases with his past year Eastern Health has participated for the first time with a national health sector group purchasing program, HealthPro, in an attempt to increase annual savings and enhance product quality. Health Pro is currently the largest group purchasing organization in the country. It is Canada’s number one health sector purchasing organization with over $1 billion in contract value. The partnership was made official in August 2009. “Eastern Health has decided to partner with Health Pro because it bests align with our needs - getting the highest quality products at a reasonable price to best serve our staff, clients, residents and patients,” says Ron Johnson, Director for Material and Biomedical Equipment Support. HealthPro provides quality products acquired through national purchasing
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volumes. They also ensure that everything purchased goes through rigorous evaluation: the company encourages member involvement in a benchmark product evaluation process. Since joining the group, Eastern Health has yielded $1.5 million in annual savings for non-contract items and projects an additional $1.2 million in supplies and $2.4 million in pharmaceuticals. The money being saved is helping Eastern Health’s budget recovery plan. This new partnership will allow savings of up to $7 million annually. With a healthier budget, quality supplies and equipment, Eastern Health can strive to further increase the health of people and communities. by JACKIE O’BRIEN
Meeting Our Fi$cal Accountabilities
GERARD GIBBONS, SHARON LEHR AND JOY THOMPSON
Measuring Success “What gets measured, gets done.” —Tom Peters e’re big, we’re diverse, we work hard and, as an organization, it’s important that we ensure that our work is as efficient as possible. To effectively manage departmental performances and successes, Eastern Health has created a department that aligns budgeting with performance measurement to ensure financial resources are allocated appropriately and efficiently. “By reflecting on collected data, the Decision Support Department helps guide managers in making evidence based, best-practice decisions,” says Sharon Lehr, Director of Budgeting and Decision Support. The new department will help managers develop key performance indicators to measure success and identify opportunities for improvement. The department has already addressed the issue of reporting with the creation of the Cognos Dashboard, a portal that allows all management to access finance reports, scorecards and relevant data in a standardized way.
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by JACKIE O’BRIEN Photography by Phil Simms
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Improving the Workplace n 2009, we conducted the organization’s first employee engagement survey, an important step in ensuring that our employees are engaged in the work we do. Engagement is a measure of an individual’s commitment to their employer: it’s what you say about Eastern Health, how you strive to achieve the operation’s goals and how committed you are to staying here for the long haul.
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Our engagement score was low, with only 25% demonstrating high engagement. However, another 46% of us are nearly or slightly engaged, so we know there is room to grow and improve. ENGAGED
25%
22% 2%
NEARLY ENGAGED
Most of us have good working
relationships with our co-workers. We feel a sense of accomplishment from our work. Most of us enjoy the nature of our dayto-day tasks. About half of us are satisfied with our work-life balance. We believe our managers act with integrity.
NOT ENGAGED
29% 9%
24% 4%
AND WHAT DO WE NEED TO WORK ON?
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ormance well. zation manages perf ni ga or e th ve lie be We don’t . ed for the work we do iz gn co re el fe n’t do Most of us and our people practices on k or w to ed ne e We feel w r strategies. ort we need from ou pp su e th ng tti ge e ar e d We don’t feel that w es to maintaining an m co it n he w ly al ci pe senior leadership, es . health and well-being improving employee reputation. out our organization’s ab y el iv sit po el fe We don’t
SLIGHTLY ENGAGED
Improving the Workplace To address these concerns, our Executive has put together an oversight committee focused on engagement and our leaders are opening up dialogue with staff on how we can all work together to improve our workplace.
It reminds us we are all working together to achieve our ultimate goal which is our vision Healthy People, Healthy Communities. —Janet Fisher
Approved a Healthy Workplace Plan 2008-2011 Launched the Healthy Workplace Champions Award Launched a new Smoke Free Environment Policy Developed the Diversity Enhancement Project and held 35 awareness sessions for 530 staff, with specialized training for an additional 85 staff Celebrated the contribution of our many volunteers and community partners Developed an online Manager’s Toolkit, which provides managers with a central source for information and ideas Implemented transition agreements with NAPE-LX (April) and NLNU (January), merging seniority lists for both bargaining groups and allowing for regional posting of job competitions Awarded 123 nursing bursaries and 20 bursaries for other health professionals Recruited 57 permanent physicians throughout Eastern Health - 13 GPs, four GP Assistants and 40 specialists - and appointed 11 Clinical Chiefs Successfully implemented the Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Bridging Program to integrate students into the BN (Collaborative) Program; applications for the LPN Bridging Program more than doubled over this past year Developed and began to implement a regional plan for a new nursing staff mix for five long-term care sites
integrity • fairness • connectedness • excellence
respect
Here are some of our achievements from 2009-2010:
the
To learn more about the Living the Values Campaign, visit Eastern Health’s intranet and click on the Our Org section
September 2010
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Improving the Workplace
Recruitment Successes astern Health has experienced significant growth in the past few years. On average, Recruitment fills more than 4000 job competitions across the region each year, 1500 of which are external hires. “We have developed a rapport with many of our local educational institutions,” says Kim Blanchard, Manager, HR Client Services. “This year was our best in terms of new graduate hires from our nursing schools for both registered nurses and licensed practical nurses. We’re also very competitive with other new graduate recruitment, including Lab and Diagnostic Imaging Technologists and Personal Care Attendants.” A number of other initiatives have helped support Eastern Health’s recruitment strategy, including a significant increase in web-based advertising, hosting
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KIM BLANCHARD, NOREEN WALSH, DAVID HAMMOND, CHAD CHAFE AND GAYLE BRENTON-SMITH
an annual recruitment open house in preparation for summer hiring, as well as participating in job fairs provincially, nationally and even internationally. Earlier this year, three representatives from Eastern Health travelled to India as part of a provincial mission to attract and recruit registered nurses. Our first group of hires are expected to be arriving in mid-Fall 2010. There are a number of programs to support new recruits joining our workplaces. General and site orientation is mandatory for all new hires, and most departments or programs offer a comprehensive orientation to the role for their new hires. Welcome to all new employees who came on board last year! by JACKIE O’BRIEN Photography by Phil Simms
Improving the Workplace
Work Healthy, Work Safe n 2009-2010, the organization successfully implemented a WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System) management program; completed an inventory of hazardous products, including a database of Materials Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) that is automatically sent to appropriate departments; and developed Safe Work Practices and Procedures for both biomedical waste and sharps. Other clinical and occupational health and safety (OH&S) components of our Safety Plan have also been implemented. OH&S has been actively involved in dealing with legislation and issuing directives. The year ended with 269 directives completed and 75 directives outstanding. Work continued throughout the year on meeting legislative compliance on safety issues such as working alone and in isolation, the handling and storage of hazardous medications, and ergonomics. As well, our new Security Services completed threat-risk assessments for Carbonear General, Placentia Health Centre, Newhook Community Health Centre and A. A. Wilkinson Memorial Hospital; action plans are underway in addressing risks in these areas.
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We’re very proud to report that: 1
Fewer employees have been injured at work lost-time incidents reduced by 135 (approximately 19%) and medical aid claims reduced by 292 (approximately 44%); these numbers of incidents were the lowest for the last three fiscal years.
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Employees injured at work are returning to work faster than in previous years durations of workers’ compensation claims reduced by about seven weeks over previous years and durations of return-to-work programs reduced by about two weeks over previous years.
3 As a result of the above, worker’s claims per FTE have has been steadily declining over the past three years down to 38.35 for 2009-10, as compared with 41.68 in 2008-09 and 40.90 in 2007-08. by JACKIE O’BRIEN
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Proud of the Work We Do Rebuilding Confidence t is important that the public feel confident about the quality of health services we provide. One way we’re building public trust is through increased media presence. Our President and CEO, Vickie Kaminski, is making herself available to the media whenever possible. Last year alone, our Strategic Communications Department responded to 821 media inquiries and we produced over 120 news releases, advisories and public service announcements. We’re also tracking data on media inquiries to better understand public concerns and determine how to address concerns in the most appropriate manner. We have worked closely with Government and other Regional Health Authorities to make significant progress in implementing the recommendations from the Cameron Inquiry. Within one year of the release of the recommendations, 65% were either fully or substantially completed and the remaining 35% were partially completed. Ensuring that the public trusts our ability to protect the confidentiality of their health information is important, too. A new email system introduced by our Information Management and Technology Department provides full protection for all email sent from or received by Eastern Health employees. And nothing has challenged this or any other health care organization as dramatically as this year’s HINI
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pandemic. In less than a three-month period, our staff vaccinated 200,751 people - approximately 68% of the region’s population! Members of the general public, government officials and others applauded Eastern Health for this achievement and lauded our staff for the professional and caring way in which they handled this public health crisis.
Proud of the Work We Do
A Different World: Two Budget Analysts Share their Story of Responding to the H1N1 Pandemic SHELLEY BYRNE
or employees like Roseann Smart and Shelley Byrne, responding to the H1N1 pandemic meant more than just leaving the comforts of their offices at Mount Pearl Square. These two budget analysts entered into a completely different world which brought them face-to-face with members of the general public and side-by-side with colleagues from across the organization they would have never had the chance to work with. It was an experience they will never forget. Roseann was first redeployed to the Flu Assessment Clinic and then to the Mass Immunization Clinic at Mount Pearl Square. Although it was difficult to see people so sick, she admits the experience was positive for her as she was able to see a different side of working in healthcare that she had never experienced in her role as a budget analyst.
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“A lot of people said ‘the system you got here is working really great’. We met a lot of people. We don’t meet the general public, so it was really nice. They tell you all their stories,” says Roseann. Shelley was stationed at the Mass Immunization Clinic at Major’s Path and part of her role was to ensure people who were meeting the criteria (which changed almost daily) were seen first. This involved turning some people away which was never an easy thing to do. She says there were many sleepless nights as she struggled with this new role of dealing with the public and dealing with people who were concerned for their own health and safety. “The immunization clinic was tough because we had to turn a lot of people away. We heard everybody’s story. We heard every ailment they had, all of their illnesses…you had to explain in
ROSEANN SMART
your own mind that you weren’t turning them away, you were prioritizing the people who needed it first,” says Shelley. “Not that they didn’t need it. But, we had to tell them that these other people are at a higher risk. You tried your best to fit people in.” Although both Shelley and Roseanne admit most days were challenging, there is a slight hint of sadness in their voices as they reflect on the unique opportunity they got to share with their colleagues. They were exposed to a side of Eastern Health they had never seen before and will probably never see again, but it gave them a new perspective, allowed them to meet new people and become part of something bigger that had a direct impact on ensuring the health and well being of the people we serve. by JEANETTE O’KEEFE Photography by Phil Simms
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Proud of the Work We Do
Accomplishments for Our Children and Families Children in the Janeway Lifestyle Program participated in The Jelly Bean Cru - three short plays to help
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children understand that character is more important than appearance. Through our Community Development Fund, the Roots of Empathy program expanded to four schools on the Burin and Bonavista peninsulas. This classroom-based program for grades K-8 promotes the development of empathy in children. Health Promotion delivered the Smoke Free Program to nine public libraries, four Child Care Centres, eight schools and one Family Resource Centre. Awarded $1,000 grants to six rural schools to support health and wellness in the school setting. Concluded the first phase of Reaching Out - a training project of the Janeway Family Centre for professionals across the province on children and parenting group programs. The CYFS Residential Team piloted the Circle of Care respite home project to provide respite for children with complex needs who live in caregiver homes. Addictions and CYFS staff partnered with the SPLASH Centre in Harbour Grace to offer Strengthening Families, a program that provides evidence-based family skills training to significantly reduce problem behaviours, delinquency, alcohol and drug abuse. Implemented $309,875 in government funding for Family Resource Centres and $93,920 to enhance the delivery of their Healthy Baby Club programs through waitlist reduction. Entered the development phase of a new Family Resource Centre for Conception Bay South to Mackinsons. Delivered training for families and home therapists working with children with autism through the Applied Behaviour Analysis Home Therapy program. Increased the number of child care programs in the Inclusion Program from 74 to 85. Met program benchmarks for monthly inspection visits in Child Care Services (Licensing). Implemented waitlist management strategies in Children and Youth Behavioural Support, significantly reducing the waitlist for service from 15 months to a current wait time of 2.5 months.
Proud of the Work We Do
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by JACKIE O’BRIEN Photography by Phil Simms
—Gail Downing
respect • fairness • connectedness • excellence
his year Health Promotion extended the Eastern Active Schools Program, which incorporates 20 minutes of activity into the classroom each day, into 11 new schools. The program currently runs in 55 schools. According to Tracy English, School Health Promotion Liaison Consultant with the Eastern School District - Burin, Vista and Western Regions, “the project’s goal is to use the Eastern Active School Program as an avenue to promote the adoption of an active and healthy lifestyle at home and in the community.” The 11 new schools that joined will not only be taking part in the Eastern Active School program but also in an additional project called Building upon TRACY ENGLISH Active Schools to Increase Family and Community Involvement in the Promotion of Health and Wellness. The project started in January with teacher training, and activities were launched in the spring. The project is being funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada and involves a partnership between Eastern School District, Eastern Health, Nova Central School District, Central Health and Memorial University. Eight schools in Nova Central School District are also participating in this project. With education, comes change!
Of all the values, integrity most resonates with me. It is a component of trust, which I think is essential to all relationships. To quote Stephen MR Covey-“trust is the one thing that changes everything.”
integrity
Working With Schools to Give Children a Healthy Start
the
To learn more about the Living the Values Campaign, visit Eastern Health’s intranet and click on the Our Org section
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Proud of the Work We Do
Accomplishments for our Patients and Residents Promoted and increased the use of ethical consultations. Implemented and evaluated the Handover Report within the Surgery and Medicine programs, which improves
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patient safety by decreasing delays in patient transfers and improving communication between nurses when changing shifts. Archived Pharmalerts on the intranet for quick access to pharmaceutical notices. Based on infection control standards, policies and workload studies, increased Environmental Services personnel hours within the Case Room, Cancer Clinic, Emergency Department and OR areas and added 3.5 Infection Prevention and Control Practitioner positions. This enables us to meet the national standard for the number of ICP’s per hospital beds. Piloted safe surgery checklists in the Perioperative Program, and for Orthopaedics and General Surgery services in St. John’s. Installed automated dispensing units for safe medication delivery and storage in Critical Care, HSC. Deployed the Client Safety Reporting System (CSRS), which is a nationally recognized system for incident management. Formed the Medical Device Reprocessing Service Department and initiated a regional instrument tracking system, T-DOC. Began implementing the ISISpro Quality Auditing System, an electronic housekeeping quality auditing tool that reports component compliance, quality assurance and benchmarking statistics. Expanded the Safer Healthcare Now! initiative to prevent surgical site infections in patients having colorectal surgery to the General Site and to Vascular Surgery. Management Engineering Services conducted a value stream mapping exercise for the preparation of chemotherapy drugs at the Health Sciences Centre. Hired a Managing Obstetrical Risk Efficiently (MORE-OB ) Coordinator and developed a proposal to implement the MORE-OB program regionally. Developed a standardized prenatal screening tool for professionals.
Working in Our Communities What Do You Need?... hat is the question that Lisa Browne and Gillian Janes from the Planning Department are asking the communities that Eastern Health serves. “This is what we want to do – give people themselves the LISA BROWNE GILLIAN JANES opportunity to identify what they think the needs are in their communities,” says Lisa. “It is our firm belief that communities can identify The Eastern Health region was divided into four needs themselves,” says Gillian. different sections – the Burin Peninsula, Southern “A needs assessment empowers the communities Avalon and Bell Island, the Discovery Zone and the they affect because it gives them an opportunity to North East Avalon. A needs assessment will be done for become a part of the solution,” says Lisa. “The needs each area. Burin, Southern Avalon, and the Northeast assessments are all about people and their communities. Avalon are complete. Research has just begun on the I think through that dialogue you empower people.” Discovery Zone (Clarenville-Bonavista). After the research phase of the assessment is Most needs assessments take about nine months completed, a report detailing all of the findings is from the first announcement to the public release of written and released to the public. The report includes findings and recommendations. recommendations for actions on the priority areas to be The usual first step is a telephone survey. The taken. After six months, the organization does a followsurvey will show what priority areas the community up to make sure it is on track. And after two years, a feels should be looked into. After the telephone survey, public meeting is held to show the community what was Lisa and Gillian narrow the scope of their research with done as a result of the needs assessment. focus groups, key informant interviews, advisory Gillian thinks the needs assessments are important committees and community groups. because they allow new research to be compiled with As staff working in health care, it’s important that research that has been done in the past. “You get we not only care for our clients, but that we listen to balanced opinion with good data.” them, too. by SCOTT HAINES Photography by Phil Simms
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Working in Our Communities
Highlighting Our Achievements Released the Southern Avalon Community Health
Needs Assessment Two-Year Report; started the Northeast Avalon and Discovery Community Health Needs Assessment and the Discovery Community Health Needs Assessments. Enhanced communication and linkages with community stakeholder groups. In the Bonavista area our Chronic Disease Prevention and Management Team partnered with numerous community stakeholders to plan, organize and co-host a Community Wellness forum in Trinity. The Eastern Wellness Coalition awarded 37 grants totaling $27,256 and the Wellness Coalition Avalon East awarded 21 grants totaling $19,762. Supported two garden projects through our Community Development Fund on the Burin Peninsula and in the Placentia area.
Caring for our communities includes caring for our planet.
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In Rural Avalon, the Peninsulas’ Breastfeeding Committee developed and implemented the Everybody’s Doing It campaign in five rural campuses of the College of the North Atlantic targeting young adults. In St. John’s, the Regional Breastfeeding Committee partnered with La Leche League to hold a Breastfeeding Challenge at the Avalon Mall during World Breastfeeding Week. Through our Community Development Fund, supported Seniors and Youth: Learning Together – Intergenerational Support for One Another, a project of the Trinity Historical Society with a series of workshops in traditional crafts, recording the stories and traditions of seniors, and students teaching seniors computer skills.
Here are some green project achievements for the last fiscal year:
Completed a significant energy saving retrofit project at Carbonear Hospital. Worked with a multi-departmental group of federal and provincial representatives on the Vale Inco Hydrometallurgy Project, Long Harbour, to ensure the project proceeded in a safe and sustainable manner. Participated as part of an environmental assessment team in the Canada Fluorspar (NL) Inc. project in St. Lawrence, to ensure all health service impacts were considered in the development proposal. Expanded the Compass Sustainability program, which is designed to respect people, the communities in which we live, and the natural environment while achieving operational success by monitoring food wastage and reducing disposable packaging.
mproving access to critical services is a vital part of the work we do. Throughout this year, a number of positions were created or filled to ensure that access across our region is uniformly available. These include nutritionists, nurse practitioners, home and community health coordinators, and physicians.
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We have also expanded access to services such as CanTalk, a telephone interpreting service to communicate with patients, residents, clients and substitute decision makers in over 170 languages. The organization now has a Regional Palliative Care Team, and within the St. John’s area, the enhanced Home Palliative/End of Life Care Program saw a 41%
increase in admissions and a 39% increase in nursing visits. Recognizing the needs of patients with arthritis, we completed a review of 1600 patients on the Rheumatology waitlist and implemented a waitlist management program for Rheumatology Services. The Total Joint Assessment Clinic expanded to include Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy and Social Work. The number of admissions for home intravenous antibiotic therapy increased by 28%, with a corresponding increase of 18% in nursing visits. And, the number of admissions for vacuum-assisted wound care increased by 50% with 81 clients admitted to the program. We redeveloped the health model at the Dr. Walter Templeman Health Centre to
enhance access to primary healthcare services on Bell Island. We reached out across the province through the Janeway’s Operation Tooth, visiting Gander, Burin and Happy Valley - Goose Bay to offer pediatric dental services and thereby improving access and decreasing wait times.
We expanded our space, opening the new Grand Bank Health Centre, a new satellite ambulance base in the east end of St. John’s, a Dementia Care Unit at the Caribou Memorial Veterans Pavilion, and a new long term care facility in Clarenville.
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Improving Access
Improving Access to Mental Health Services ecovering from mental health or addiction issues begins with two major steps; knowing you need help, and finding the resources for that help. This is a focus for Eastern Health, and its happening through new hires, new programs, and new partnerships. Kim Baldwin, Regional Director of Mental Health and Addiction Services, said some significant improvements have been made in three major areas: the development of a mobile crisis response team, an outreach program and a central intake system. “We’re reaching out to people where they need us,” she says. David Kielly is the program manager of mental health emergency services. He says that often people experiencing a mental health crisis don’t have a history or formal diagnosis of mental illness, and don’t have to have a mental illness to require support. “We have a broad definition of crisis: if it is a crisis to you, it is a crisis to us.” One of the major advances in mental health emergency services is the creation of the mobile crisis response team - a nurse, a nurse practitioner, two social workers and an addictions counselor - who are dispatched into the community in the St. John’s region to help someone who is experiencing a crisis. The key access point to the mobile crisis team is the province-wide mental health crisis phone line that David’s program offers. If someone asks to be visited by the mobile response unit, they will come. “We are trying to be as accessible to as many people as we can. You can call us, and we can come to you,” he says. The mobile crisis response team uses a triage system to assess who they should visit first: people who have a history of using the services, who are acutely upset, people who are unable or unwilling to come to a
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KIM BALDWIN, JENNIFER MERCER, MARK FUDGE, JUNE KIRKLAND SMITH AND TERRI GREEN
facility for mental health services, or who may be at a risk of being detained will be seen to first. David says the team’s main goal is to give people access to professionals with the most training in crisis mental health situations. Aside from addressing crisis issues, the program has hired a number of Outreach workers. Jennifer Mercer, a mental health social worker, does outreach in the downtown St. John’s area. She visits places such as the Gathering Place and Women’s Place and offers her help to anyone who needs it. “When we went [to the Gathering Place] the first thing we had to do was build trust. We went into the social room and explained why we were there,” she said. Surprisingly, one of the first things they helped with was a heat bill rebate. “Someone had heard about it, but because they couldn’t read, they had not known how to send in the rebate.” Jennifer always has an open door; she is visited many times a day by people who think they may need some help. Her job is to help connect them to the type of supports and services they could benefit from such as Teachers on Wheels, or Community Living Supportive Services.
Improving Access
by SCOTT HAINES Photography by Phil Simms
respect • integrity • fairness • connectedness
“Our service is not run on the ‘I am the expert, this is what you need’ mantra. I ask ‘what do you need’ and I do my best to help them,” she said. Kim Baldwin says the outreach program is also trying to work within local schools to try to preempt any mental health and addictions issues with treatment or prevention options, and Early Intervention Outreach Workers have been hired to work with youth in Clarenville and Burin. One support that was recently implemented to help children and youth is central intake, a single phone number for referral support that also assists families who are waiting for an appointment. Central intake processes well over 200 referrals a month. June Kirkland-Smith, Clinical Practice Coordinator, says her job is to process referrals so that the patient has the shortest amount of time before they see someone. “We sit down and interview the family or youth and ask them all of our questions and then answer any questions they might have. We find out what is really needed. We also let the families know that we received the referral and it is being processed,” she says. Accessing the right type of service in an appropriate amount of time is crucial. Eastern Health strives to give all of its patients access to the best care in the shortest amount of time possible.
—Dr. Justice Arthur
excellence
We have a broad definition of crisis: if it is a crisis to you, it is a crisis to us.
I treat my co-workers with respect because healthcare is all about teamwork.
the
To learn more about the Living the Values Campaign, visit Eastern Health’s intranet and click on the Our Org section
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Improving Access Our organization is also focused on addressing barriers to access. This year, in partnership with the St. John’s Native Friendship Centre, we hired two Aboriginal Patient Navigators and completed the first year of a three-year pilot called Navigators and Networks (NavNet), an initiative to address system barriers that impact individuals with complex needs.
We’ve made significant progress to address diagnostic wait times
Reduced CT wait times from 35 days to 4 days in Burin Reduced mammography wait times from 42 days to 3 days in Burin Ultrasound wait times reduced to under 30 days in Clarenville With the exception of Bone Mineral Density testing, reduced wait times to under 30 days in Nuclear Medicine Increased mammography appointments by 8 per day at St. Clare’s Reduced wait times for MRI of the head from 147 days to 49 days
Welcome to the Dr. Albert O’Mahony Memorial Manor new long term care facility has opened in the community of Clarenville. The Dr. Albert O’Mahony Memorial Manor opened on June 25, 2009 and has already filled most of its beds. Previous to the new facility, there were only 13 long term care beds in the primarily acute care facility in Clarenville. “The manor has enhanced the care of the population of Clarenville and the surrounding area,” says Jane Stacey, Resident Care Manager. The manor has 44 beds 42 for long term care patients and two beds for respite. Jane said the new facility has programming such as therapeutic recreation, and they will be introducing all of the programs you would see at any long term care facility. “This is a new facility, so we are still growing, but residents say they are very happy and contented, which is all we could hope for!”
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Proud of Our People ecognition is the act of acknowledging the positive contributions employees or teams make every day to their work environment. But the power of recognition is in how it connects us to one another, and to the organization. Everyone appreciates a pleasant “hello” and a “nice to see you!” and loves to hear a simple “thankyou” and “you’re welcome.” Sometimes, in the busy rush of our lives and our work, we forget the importance of recognizing a job well done or a helping hand. Recognition is one of the pillars supporting our vision of Healthy People, Healthy Communities. We all deserve to feel valued and know that our work contributes to the overall success of the organization. At the heart of our Recognition Program is the belief that recognition must be “the way we do things around here.” For more on our formal recognition program, visit the intranet or pick up a copy of our recognition program brochure from your local HR office.
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The Carbonear Hospital Central Supply
Elaine Tucker, Clinical Pharmacist I (Janeway):
Memorial University School of Pharmacy Preceptor of the Year Nick Nash, Social Worker, Miller Centre: Social Inclusion Award for Independent Living Mary Rose, Administrative Assistant in Rural Avalon: Administrative Professional of the Year, East Coast Chapter, IAAP Regina Jones, Health Sciences Biochemistry Lab: Eastern Health Laboratory Medicine Award of Distinction Scott Edwards: Leadership in Pharmacy Practice Award, Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacies Sonya Clarke, Sterile Supply Technician, Carbonear General Hospital: National CSA Certification in Medical Device Reprocessing Volunteers Frances Pearson and Jenny Follett from the Placentia Health Centre were among 75 recipients from across Canada to receive the Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award
Room (CSR) team received the Vision of Excellence Award from Johnson & Johnson. The Organ Donor Program (OPEN) was one of six sites across the country presented with a certificate of recognition from Accreditation Canada for successfully completing the pilot test of the New Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplant Standards. Received a leadership gold award from the Institute of Public Administration of Canada for our involvement in the Canadian Paediatric Surgical Wait Times Project. The Cardiac and Critical Care program was recognized by the Canadian ICU Collaborative for significant progress on outcome and process measures in two Safer Healthcare Now! initiatives and by the Canadian Patient Safety Institute as a national leader with our response to heart attack patients.
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Proud of Our People
Managers Leading the Recognition Bandwagon ecognizing employees for their ongoing hard work and dedication is essential to having an engaged and committed workforce, and there are managers within Eastern Health who are leading by example. Myra Young became the Resident Care Manager at Harbour Lodge, Carbonear in 2009 and proclaims she is a “rookie” manager, but when you consider that she accepted the role with 37 years of experience in health care, she is hardly a rookie! Myra manages two units and 36 employees. “I like to maintain close personal contact with all of my staff and my door is always open for them to share their ideas and concerns,” she says. Myra enjoys motivational quotes and shares a new quote each day with her staff. “The staff really enjoy these daily quotes; it brings a smile to their faces and helps brighten their day. Her favorite quote? “I like one from Ralph Waldo Emerson: ‘Do not follow where the path may lead but go instead where there is no path and leave a trail’.” Myra and her staff share a common goal; to provide the best quality of care to residents, and this can only be accomplished by working as a team. “I have a great team, they are very caring and compassionate people and I thank them every opportunity I can,” Myra says.
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Janet Young Guerra, another new manager with Eastern Health, manages 29 employees as a part of the autism and early intervention program. It is easy to see that team building is important to Janet. She and her team members retreat for staff development days twice annually. She also holds team meetings throughout the year. “The Christmas staff development day is especially fun. We do up gag gifts with individual certificates matching each employee’s personality traits and the staff really enjoy them,” Janet says. “In addition to team building exercises and professional presenters, it is important to have fun as well!” Janet pointed out there is more work to be done on employee recognition and employee engagement: “We need to invest into our employees and employee education support programs, employee fitness programs, and employee wellness,” she says. “One of the most enjoyable aspects of my job is doing individual performance appraisals because it gives me the opportunity to learn from staff and how they each deal with individual clients.”
Proud of Our People
Cyril Parsons is the Manager of Infrastructure
Happy employees are productive employees.
Support and Environmental Services for Grand Bank Health Centre and Blue Crest Nursing. He has been a manager for 21 years and currently manages 22 employees. “Listening to staff and acting on their behalf to improve patient and resident care is important to me,” says Cyril. He uses the Aramark Healthcare I-Impact program for engaging staff. Additionally, he meets with each employee every three months: “Staff have some really good ideas and recommendations and their recommendations are posted on the I-Impact board under a stop light,” Cyril says. “A green light means their idea has been acted upon, a yellow light indicates it is in progress while a red light means that their idea cannot be acted upon at this time.” Other things that Cyril does to show his appreciation include individual thank you cards and rounds every day to say a good morning to staff.
“Happy employees are productive employees,” says Lilly Mulrooney of Placentia. Lilly is the manager of disability supports and manages 13 social work staff throughout Eastern Health. “The work of the team needs to be acknowledged and their efforts should not go unnoticed. I try to show my appreciation with Tim’s coffee cards and other small prizes which we draw for at our team meetings,” she says. Becoming a strong and effective team requires strong leadership and managers who are able to listen to each team member’s ideas and suggestions. “I encourage all my employees to give their input and feedback regarding our program and I keep them informed as to where their ideas are with respect to implementation and direction,” she says. Myra, Janet, Lilly and Cyril all have a great deal of respect for each of Lily has nothing but praise for her their team members, and they have gained the respect of their team team: “I am very proud to be a members in return. All have shown they value the hard work of their member of this team of dedicated and teams and take every opportunity to show that appreciation. caring professionals, all of which are equally committed to this program and Eastern Health,” Lily said. by MERVYN HOUSE Photography by Phil Simms and Cynthia Farrell
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Proud of Our People
Congratulations to all nominees and award winners! Beginning Practitioner of the Year Jane Mulcahy
Honouring Nurses for Exemplary Service
Nursing Practice of the Year Tammy Chaytor Roxanne Rogers-Harding Andrea Pretty Charlotte Ryan Natasha Lowe Elizabeth Downton
n May 10, 2010, Eastern Health’s Regional Nursing Leadership Council and Professional Practice Nursing recognized untiring work and nursing excellence at the first annual Nursing Gala Awards. Emceed by Vice-President Norma Baker, and with a keynote address from Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer Louise Jones, the event recognized 13 individuals within eight categories. Recipients of these awards exhibited a passion for their work, an eagerness to learn and a wealth of knowledge. Whether working from a boardroom or on the front lines, all recipients demonstrate the vital role nurses play in our organization and the contributions they make daily. “Nurses are a vital part of our organization and of the health care team,� says Vickie Kaminski, President and CEO of Eastern Health. “At Eastern Health, the passion to provide the best possible quality of care and a commitment to patient safety is evident throughout our nursing staff.�
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Nurse Educator of the Year Rodolfo Pike Nursing Leadership of the Year Moira O’Regan-Hogan Nurse Manager of the Year Geraldine Mahoney Nursing Director of the Year Ann Manning Nurse Preceptor of the Year Mary Arnold Advanced Nursing Practice of the Year Glenda Pack
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TD Insurance Meloche Monnexx is the trade name of PRIMMUM INSURANCE COMPANY COMPPA ANY which also underwrites underwrites the home and auto insurance program. proggram. Due to provincial legislation, our auto insurance program is not offered in British Columbia, Manitoba or Saskatchewan. Saskaatchewan. 1 Certain Cer tain conditions and restrictions may maay apply. apply. * No purchase required. Contest ends onn January January 14, 2011. Total Total o value of each prize is $30,000 which includes includees the Honda Insight EX (excluding applicable applicable taxes, preparation and tra transportation nsportation fees) and a $3,000 gas voucher. voucher. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received. Skill-testing question required. requiredd. Contest organized jointly with Security National Insurance Company and and open to members, employees and other eligible people of all employer employyer and professional and alumni groups who have an agreement with and annd are entitled to group rates from the organizers. Complete contest rules rules and eligibility information information available at www.melochemonnex.com. www Actual prize may differ from picture shown. Honda is a trade-mark of Honda Canada Canadda Inc., which is not a participant participant in or a sponsor of this promotion. Meloche Monnexx is a trade-mark of M Meloche Monnex Inc., used under license. TD Insurance is a trade-mark of The Toronto-Dominion Toronto-Dominion o Bank, used under license.
Proud of Our People
Young Woman Rocks as Eastern Health Volunteer fter a short trek up the red carpet, Kristina Roche, a MUN student in the Biochemistry–Nutrition course, was treated to an evening of music, awards and a funny man emcee. No, Kristina was not at the Juno awards. She was at the ceremony for the first U-ROCK volunteer awards put together by the government of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is awarded to young people who make a difference in their communities by volunteering. Kristina was nominated by the Town of Torbay where she lives. Since 2006, she has put in more than 272 hours of volunteer time at Eastern Health. “It was an honour to be nominated but I don’t do volunteer work for the recognition, I do it to help others, so it was also kind of surprising,” she says. Kristina volunteers at the Janeway Children’s Health and Rehabilitation Centre and the Health Sciences Centre. “I started volunteering with Eastern Health because I have always been interested in helping people,” says Kristina. “People who are ill generally have a greater need for help, and I feel that anything I can do to help them is important.” Michele Hunt, Volunteer Coordinator at the Janeway and Health Sciences sites, has only good things to say about Kristina. “She is an energetic and happy person who sincerely enjoys what she does here, helping the people she does. She is very dedicated and genuine,” says Michele. “I love doing friendly visiting,” Kristina says. “Just visiting patients, keeping them company, feeding them, or whatever it is they need. I love interacting with people and seeing their smiles. I have also learned a lot from patients, especially from elderly people who have told me about their life experiences, and what it was like to grow up in Newfoundland in a different era. “I love that it really feels like I’m making a difference.”
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