Garnet Health Gems Newsletter - September 2020

Gems

September 2020

Exceptional Lives Here.

Kim Jablonski, MSN, CMRSN Hudson Valley Magazine’s Excellence in Nursing 2020 Top Nurse Award Winner Read full story on page 9

Wear Proper Hospital-approved Face Masks For the safety of patients, visitors and all staff, employees are required to wear hospital-approved face masks prior to entering any Garnet Health building. Security is stationed at Garnet Health Medical Center by the Employee Entrance from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. every day to supply new masks as requested. Security at Garnet Health Medical Center - Catskills is stationed at the main entrance all day.

Please note that employees are not permitted to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) not provided through Garnet Health. PPE provided by Garnet Health has been verified as effective and from a reliable source.

Garnet Health Infection Preventionist Susan Thirkield, RN, displays the proper way to wear a hospital-approved face mask inside all Garnet Health facilities.

Employees must cover their nose, mouth and chin while wearing masks.

PATIENT-SAFETY CORNER

Check One! Check Two! The Importance Of Independent Double-Checks For many years, independent double-checks have been an important risk-reduction strategy and they remain an important part of Garnet Health’s Culture of Safety.

An independent double-check is “a process in which two clinicians independently check each component of prescribing, dispensing and administering a medication,” according to the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP).

When used carefully, independent double-checks can detect up to 95% of errors. Automated double-checks, such as bar coding and smart pump technology, also can provide better results when used in conjunction with manual doublechecks, the ISMP adds.

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To reduce the risk of bias and increase effectiveness, double-checks must be done independently by a second person. This means both healthcare workers must separately review orders, the drug, lab results and calculations.

The value of independent double-checks has been repeatedly reaffirmed in research studies.

Technology used in conjunction with independent double-checks can decrease medication errors, and the double-checks process must be used on select, high-risk medications. Independent double-checks should not be taken lightly; they can literally save a life.

For more information on patient safety, contact Quality Business Intelligence Analyst Katie Haun at 333-1294 or khaun@garnethealth.org.

NEWS FLASH

U.S. News & World Report Recognizes Our Hospitals Garnet Health Medical Center - Catskills: Heart-Failure Care Among NY’s Best Garnet Health Medical Center - Catskills is one of New York State’s 2020-2021 best hospitals for heart-failure care, according to U.S. News & World Report.

U.S. News & World Report evaluates hospitals in 16 adult specialties across the country. In most specialties, it ranks the nation’s top 50 hospitals and recognizes other high-performing hospitals that provide care at nearly the level of their nationally ranked peers.

Congratulations to all who made this honor possible!

Garnet Health Medical Center: Recognition for Heart Failure, COPD and Pulmonology Care Garnet Health Medical Center has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a 2020-2021 best hospital for treatment of heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and pulmonology.

The U.S. News & World Report analysis of hospitals includes data from more than 5,000 centers in the United States across multiple clinical specialties, procedures and conditions. Scores are based on a variety of patient outcomes and care-related factors, including patient safety and nurse staffing. A hospital’s heart failure, COPD and pulmonary score is based on multiple data categories, including patient survival, volume and more.

Congratulations are in order!

U.S. News & World Report publishes the Best Hospitals issue to guide patients who need a high level of care because they face particularly difficult surgery, a challenging condition or added risk because of other health problems or age.

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Congratulations!

Congratulations to Garnet Health employees Ann-Marie Neville and Shawn Springer.

Ann-Marie has been promoted to Administrator of Talent Management.

In her new role, she oversees system recruitment, including the physician-recruitment process and volunteer services. She also has oversight of the Organizational Development team.

Ann-Marie has worked for the health system since 2010. She can be reached at aneville@garnethealth.org.

Ann-Marie Neville Shawn has been promoted to Director of Technical Services. In his new role, Shawn is responsible for the combined Network, Infrastructure and Communications teams across Garnet Health. He also has oversight of Datacenter operations, as well as Information Technology (IT) vendor relations.

Shawn joined Garnet Health in 2015. He can be reached at sspringer@garnethealth.org.

Shawn Springer

Behavioral Health Leadership Changes within the Behavioral Health Department have been more efficiently aligned with clinical operations across our health system. While most of leadership remains the same, we congratulate Antonia Duncan on her new Behavioral Health responsibilities.

Halana Finnie, PhD, RN, PMHNP, PMHCNS-BC, FNP, remains Senior Administrator for Behavioral Health Services. She continues to have direct oversight of Behavioral Health outpatient services, and will collaborate with our two Inpatient Mental Health Units to best integrate clinical and operational best practices. She can be reached at hfinnie@garnethealth.org.

Norae Jones, RN, MSN, remains Director of Nursing for Inpatient Behavioral Health at Garnet Health Medical Center. She can be reached at njones@garnethealth.org.

Antonia Duncan, RN, MSN, Nursing Director of Obstetrics, now also oversees the Inpatient Behavioral Health Unit at Garnet Health Medical Center - Catskills. She can be reached at aduncan@garnethealth.org.

Beth Sciortino, LCSW, remains as Director of Social Work for Behavioral Health Services for Garnet Health, and Christopher Stimpson remains as Director of Operations, Behavioral Health Services, for Garnet Health. Beth can be reached at bsciortino@garnethealth.org and Christopher can be reached at cstimpson@garnethealth.org.

We thank these leaders for their outstanding focus on clinical excellence and for providing care to Behavioral Health Services patients.

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Care, Quality and Dedication: A Showcase of Excellence Darlene Conklin, Garnet Health Medical Center - Catskills Environmental Services worker, was recently interviewed and photographed by Joseph Abraham, co-editor of the Sullivan County Democrat. She was featured in the newspaper for her outstanding work in helping keep patients and staff safe during the pandemic. During the interview, Darlene was asked her motivation for coming to work during the COVID crisis. She didn’t hesitate to say, “People needed help and needed us. If we aren’t here, who is going to take care of them?”

Article as seen in the Sullivan County Democrat on Friday, September 18.

Did You Know?

Garnet Health Foundation President William Dauster, CFRE, was recently a guest panelist at the Association of Fundraising Professionals New York City Chapter Conference. He spoke about donor communications, including fundraising, marketing and other communication techniques in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Catskill Regional Medical Center - Catskills Unit Coordinator Ella Snowden worked at our organization for over 50 years before her recent retirement. Thank you, Ella, for decades of devotion to our community and neighbors! We wish you health and happiness in all endeavors.

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The Magnificent 7 While all of our doctors are tops, seven physicians from Garnet Health Doctors were nominated by their peers and named as 2020 Top Doctors by Castle Connolly. These physicians will be featured in the November issue of Hudson Valley Magazine.

There are 850,000 doctors in the United States. Castle Connolly, which performs rigorous research, recognizes only a small percentage with Top Doctor status. We are very proud to have seven of our devoted physicians selected from Garnet Health Doctors.

What an honor for your service, compassion, dedication and excellence. Kudos to all!

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Pictured are the seven physicians from left to right: Michael Hoffman, MD, who specializes in male and female urology; Raghuram Gorti, MD, FACS, who leads our vascular surgery team; Joseph Chavez Carey, MD, FAAFP, a bilingual family medicine practitioner and Goshen native, who serves as our Primary Care Medical Director; Bella Fradlis, MD, who has specialized experience treating lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, gout, vasculitis, psoriatic arthritis and osteoarthritis; Orthopedic Surgeon Eric Martin, MD, FAAOS, who serves as our Medical Director for Surgical Specialties for Garnet Health Doctors; Cleveland Lewis Jr., MD, who is an accomplished thoracic surgeon with expertise in cancer care; and Samer El-Zarif, MD, who is Board-certified in internal medicine, pulmonary care, critical care and sleep medicine.

Sharing Gratitude Heartfelt thank-you notes wonderfully recognize the dedication and compassion of our doctors. This note was received from a patient of Dr. Jose Toro, Orthopedic Surgeon, and is just one example of how our team put patients first when they need it most.

Visit Notes Now Available At Your Fingertips Need a recap of your last appointment?

Or of a loved one’s diagnosis or treatment if you’re a caretaker?

Visit Notes allow you to review your visit in detail, taking communication and transparency to the next level.

If you or someone you love is a patient of Garnet Health Doctors and have a MyChart account, you can now see your providers’ Visit Notes (also known as OpenNotes) from recent visits.

MyChart is an electronic patient portal that organizes all of your medical records for you and gives you convenient access, any time of day, to receive test results, schedule appointments or Telehealth visits, request prescription refills and see information provided to you by your physician during your recent visits.

How to access Visit Notes in MyChart Once logged into your MyChart account, navigate to “Visits,” then scroll down to “Appointments and Visits” and click “View notes” after the date of the appointment you want to review. It’s that easy.

To sign up for MyChart, call the MyChart Help Desk at (845) 333-2345 or email mychart@garnethealth.org.

For more information on Visit Notes, and to view its benefits, visit garnethealth.org/notes.

Please tell your patients about Visit Notes in MyChart.

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Hudson Valley Magazine Honors Kim Jablonski, MSN, CMRSN, with Excellence in Nursing Award As Kim Jablonski’s children were getting older, the stay-at-home mom realized she wanted to do something more. She wanted to set an example for her children and discovered that nursing could be a career that would fit her and her family’s needs.

At age 33, she enrolled at SUNY Orange, where she began her higher education and journey to nursing. In May 2004, she graduated with a degree in nursing and, the next month, joined the Garnet Health Medical Center family.

Today, Kim, Nursing Director, 4 North, has achieved one of Garnet Health Medical Center’s greatest accomplishments: winning Hudson Valley Magazine’s elite Excellence in Nursing Award. This regional honor comes as no surprise; Kim is a daily reminder of nursing excellence.

“The drive to care for others is different for everyone. For me, having the opportunity and ability to care for someone is a feeling like no other,” Kim said. “The most rewarding times are when you can help to relieve someone’s pain, hold their hand when they are scared or lonely and educate them on a new diagnosis to alleviate their fear of the unknown.”

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Kim Jablonski, MSN, CMRSN

Sarah Ruggiero, RN, Peripheral Access, also were nominated. Twenty of the 81 nominees were finalists, and Kim was chosen for the top honor from that group. She was honored during a virtual ceremony, gave an acceptance speech and received an etched-glass award. Hudson Valley Magazine has been saluting nurses for more than 20 years.

“Kim’s dedication and commitment to excellence are inspiring,” said Garnet Health Medical Center Chief Nursing Officer Lisa Oldham, PhD, MSN, RN-BC, NEA-BC, FABC, FACHE. “She is a clear role model for others.”

Exhibiting true leadership and nursing excellence, Kim contributes to the good of her staff, patients, their families and her community – and her peers at Garnet Health Medical Center see and appreciate her contributions every day. She received the BEE Employee of the Month Award in October 2019 for her exceptional skills and how she provides positive employee and customer experiences.

Every year, several outstanding nurses from our organization are nominated for Hudson Valley Magazine’s prestigious award. This year, Nora Higgins, RN, 4 East and Magnet champion, and

Previously, Kim was a clinical instructor at Mount Saint Mary College. She has been a bedside nurse and is now the Director of our innovative Medical Surgical/NICHE Unit. Board-certified in

medical-surgical nursing as well as oncology, she completed her master’s degree while working full-time as a Nursing Unit Director. Serving on the Falls Safety Committee and Shared Governance, she worked collaboratively with other disciplines to decrease CAUTI rates, falls and falls with injury.

Kim’s leadership has increased staff-engagement scores and she values each member of her dedicated 4 North team. She visits her night staff to make certain that all shifts and staff are held accountable for patients’ positive experiences and their safety, recognizing her own unit and members of the float staff and other units that provide positive experiences.

“Hearing the difference my team makes in our patients’ lives – such as answering patients’ requests with a smile, assisting with their daily care, keeping fresh water at their bedside, or spending a few minutes to talk with them and really listen – is inspirational,” Kim explained.

“Seeing and hearing what a difference we make in someone’s life is what drives you to want to keep going and do more.”

Her caring goes beyond nursing. Kim arranged a wedding ceremony for a terminally-ill patient, encouraging staff to participate and inviting hospital clergy and staff to witness the marriage.

She also ordered a bouquet for the bride, cake for the celebration and gifts.

“She made the patient’s last wish come true, turning the most vulnerable time in a person’s life into a powerful memory,” said the Nursing Professional Excellence Committee of Garnet Health Medical Center.

In the community, Kim raised money to battle diabetes by forming the 4 North dodge-ball team.

For the American Cancer Society, she led the 4 North “Breast Friends” team during the annual breast cancer-awareness walk. She also arranged a bake sale for an ill staff member and raised over $1,000.

Being recognized by the American Nursing Credentialing Center as a Magnet hospital, Garnet Health Medical Center received the highest honor and most prestigious distinction a hospital can earn for nursing excellence and high-quality patient care. Kim embodies these attributes.

Kim’s clinical skills and knowledge aid patient safety, and her compassion underlines her commitment to wonderful patient experiences. 4 North’s Press Ganey scores have increased from a 60.2 overall rating of care in 2018 to 70.3 in 2019.

Her encouragement, mentoring and professional success inspire her staff.

Overall, the Excellence in Nursing Award symbolizes everything Kim stands for; she exemplifies the true meaning of a leader.

Thank you, Kim, and congratulations!

“There are five components of the Magnet Model for Nursing Excellence: Structural empowerment, exemplary professional practice, new knowledge, innovations and empirical outcomes. Kim is an example of a leader who exhibits all these qualities,” said Garnet Health Medical Center Chief Nursing Officer Lisa Oldham, PhD, MSN, RN-BC, NEA-BC, FABC, FACHE. “This past year, she has worked collaboratively with her team and her administrator to improve the patient and employee experiences.”

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Ebony Samuel-Bakpessi, MSN-Ed., RN, NPD-BC, and Tenipa Medina, BSN, RNC-EFM.

Nursing Research Goes Global In July, Ebony Samuel-Bakpessi, MSN-Ed., RN, NPD-BC, Nurse Scientist at Garnet Health Medical Center, and Tenipa Medina, BSN, RNCEFM, Maternal Child Health Clinical Nurse and Magnet Champion, participated in the Sigma Theta Tau International 31st International Nursing Research Congress 2020. The theme was “Transforming Global Nursing Research and Scholarship through Connections and Collaborations.” The congress was to take place in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, but was held virtually due to the global pandemic.

They presented a poster titled: “The Great Cookie Experiment: How to Differentiate Between Good and Crummy Research,” a study developed by the Garnet Health Medical 10

Center Shared Governance Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Committee, with participation from the Shared Governance Nursing Congress and Magnet Champions.

The International Nursing Research Congress is an elite opportunity to “catalyze scholarship, connect and innovate within the global nursing community.” Statistics from this year’s event: • 615 attendees • 370 presenters • 374 presentations; 182 oral and 192 posters • 46 countries and territories represented For more information, contact Ebony SamuelBakpessi at esamuel@garnethealth.org.

A Touch of Hawaii, A Touch of Creativity Garnet Health Medical Center - Catskills’ Skilled Nursing Unit (also known as the short term and long term rehabilitation unit) residents celebrated the end of summer with a special luau. Staff helped them celebrate with music, decorations, smoothies, fruit cups and fun festive wear.

Additionally, the residents have been busy creating masterpieces, now on display in the unit’s “Museum of Art.” We are so proud of our talented creators!

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Garnet Health Foundation - Catskills Welcomes Board President Sullivan County resident, local financier and long-time supporter Robert Ernst is the new President of the Garnet Health Foundation Catskills Board of Trustees. Robert has served on the Foundation Board of Trustees for over 30 years, including most recently as Treasurer. With a 50-year career in banking, and 45 of those years spent leading Sullivan County-based financial institutions, Robert Ernst he brings his passion for achieving long-term financial sustainability and the drive to expand and diversify Foundation support.

Foundation Members As of August 2020

Robert, who is “honored to serve on the Garnet Health Foundation - Catskills Board of Trustees,” has extensive experience in identifying opportunities to advance fundraising.

He has served as the Founding Director and President for both the Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce and Independent Bankers Association of New York State. He also has worked with several other community organizations, including the Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development, Sullivan County Community College and the Capital Campaign for the United Way of Sullivan County.

Trustees Dan Berkowicz Ira Gold Hon. Anthony Kane Alex Rey Larry Richardson Lawrence Schafman Helen Spicka Lisa Wiles

Additionally, Joan Farrow has been appointed as Chair of the Garnet Health Foundation - Catskills Board of Trustees. Joan served as the previous Foundation president and is a longstanding member of the Garnet Health Foundation - Catskills Board of Trustees. Congratulations and thank you, Robert and Joan!

President Robert Ernst Chair Joan Farrow Vice Presidents Lewis Klugman Dr. Joseph Lauterstein Interim Treasurer Robert Ernst Secretary Debbie Berman

Honorary Trustees Paul Carlucci Sandra Gerry Greg Goldstein Joseph Jaffee Carla Kutsher Eileen Rhulen Fred Stabbert III Ex Officio Richard Baum Irwin Gitlin Joyce Salimeno Gitlin Gerald Skoda Darrell Supak

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Pet Therapy Is Back!

Pups On Parade History has shown that a pet or a furry friend’s visit can substantially benefit a patient’s recovery.

After a necessary hiatus, the Garnet Health Medical Center Volunteer Services Department has welcomed back our pet therapists. The team was excited to hold the first Pup Parade on September 7; patients, visitors and staff waved at our Pet Therapy teams during their outside “walkabout.” The next “walkabouts” are scheduled for October 12 and November 9 from noon to 12:30 p.m.

Our Pet Therapy teams will also host Meet & Greets in the grassy area to the left of the Outpatient Building, near the employee entrance, between noon and 1:00 p.m. throughout October.

Reservations are required and are scheduled in 10-minute increments. Masks are required and social-distancing rules apply for everyone’s safety. All events are weather-permitting. Please call the Volunteer Services Department at 333-0213 or 333-0218 to schedule a visit.

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Parking Garage and Emergency Department Expansion Underway

Rendering of future parking garage In response to increased demand, and in anticipation of future growth, Garnet Health Medical Center has begun the first phase of the Emergency Department (ED) renovation and expansion, beginning with construction of a new four-tier, 232,782-square-foot parking garage.

After completion of the garage, expected to take a year to build, the hospital plans to expand the ED by 30,000 square feet. The project also includes renovation of existing ED space and relocation of the hospital helipad.

The new parking garage will provide 628 staffparking spaces and space for five ambulances.

Parking will be accessible at two levels and connect to the hospital at two points. A new ambulance bay will connect to the east end of the planned ED addition, adjacent to the new trauma rooms.

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A new pedestrian bridge will connect the southwest corner of the parking structure to the main hospital. The garage’s addition means parking spaces directly adjacent to hospital services can be used by patients and visitors.

The ED renovation and expansion will include six additional trauma rooms and add approximately 35 treatment rooms to the current 50. Enhanced entry points and drop-off zones are in the design.

New signage will aid navigation, and a covered patient drop-off and waiting area at the ED entrance will enhance the patient experience.

Did You Hear the Buzz?

June’s BEE Award Winner is Nyx Conklin The power of compassion solidified Garnet Health Medical Center’s Emergency Department Technician Nyx Conklin as the June 2020 Employee of the Month, also known as the BEE Award. Nyx went above and beyond in providing extra care and empathy to a patient by simply sitting with her and holding her hand.

“Nyx is a very kind, compassionate, reliable and hardworking technician. He has always gone above and beyond,” a co-worker said in his award nomination. We congratulate and thank you, Nyx! BEE stands for Being Execeptional Every day. To nominate an employee, physician, volunteer, team or department, visit the Intranet homepage, scroll down and click on the BEE Award icon.

Good Catches Mean Great Care

Jovanie Delrio, Samantha Duquette, John Gallagher, Jasmine Hogan, Dawn Kaylor, Sonya Pierre and Sandra Sinchi received Good Catch Awards for their proactive patient care. A Good Catch occurs when corrective action and/or timely intervention prevents an incident or medical error – so, thank you to all for your attention and taking that extra step to ensure quality! For more information about the Good Catch Award, whose nominees are judged by the Patient Safety Subcommittee, contact Quality Business Intelligence Analyst Katie Haun at 333-1294 or khaun@garnethealth.org.

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DON’T FORGET

Influenza Vaccines Available It is influenza season! The New York State Department of Health requires healthcare providers to get a flu shot or wear a surgical or procedure mask during flu season. This year, more than ever before, it is important that you take every opportunity to protect yourself and your family.

Get Moving! Get More Energy! Get Paid!

We are happy to offer the Healthywage step challenge to all employees. The step challenge is a 60-day activity where you can win cash for walking.

Here’s how to get that prize!

November 13 is the deadline to get a flu vaccination or submit your signed declination form to Occupational Health. The Influenza Vaccine Consent Form, declination form and vaccine-information sheet for 2020-2021 are available on the hospital intranet under Occupational Health. Failure to do so will result in discipline up to and including termination.

• Win money for increasing your daily steps.

If you received or plan to receive a flu shot somewhere other than our organization, documentation must be received by Occupational Health by November 15. Occupational Health provides flu shots in Garnet Health Medical Center’s Occupational Health office Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and in the Garnet Health Medical Center - Catskills Occupational Health office Mondays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Wednesdays and Fridays from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Here’s how it works:

Dates and times for vaccinations at off-site locations will be announced. For more information, contact the Catskills Office at 794-3300, ext. 2073, or the Middletown office at 333-2060.

Deadline for Annual Education Approaching The Organizational Development and Learning Department has kicked off annual education for Garnet Health. Please take action; annual education must be completed by November 5. For more information, contact Manager of Organizational Development and Learning Naomi Lippin at ext. 0228 or email nlippin@garnethealth.org.

• Sign up on Healthywage’s mobile app and connect your step tracker to calculate your goal.

• Increase your daily average steps by 25% or more in 60 days.

• Participants typically win $100 - $130.

• Each participant pays $70 into the pot.

• Every participant who hits the step goal wins!

• Winners split the pot.

• Your step goal is a 25% increase over your current media step count. Step-tracking devices compatible with Healthywage are Fitbit, Garmin, Apple Health and Google Fit (most participants use their smartphone to track their steps).

The challenge runs until November 22 and is open to staff, their families and friends. For more details, contact Healthywage at info@healthywage.com or 1-888-636-3832.

Your Voice is Vital!

Take the Annual Gallup Employee Engagement Survey October 12 through November 13 Look for the survey from "Gallup" in your Garnet Health email.

Gems Newsletter Produced by Garnet Health Marketing & Corporate Communications.

For more information, contact Lauren Kropf-Zuckerman at lzuckerman@garnethealth.org or call 333-2363.

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