Staff Connections: Issue 2, 2013

Issue 2: 2013

News, Notes and Numbers for Gift of Hope Staff

NewsBriefs

DonationStats *

New Cook County Medical Examiner Arrangement Producing Benefits A new working relationship we now have with the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office is beginning to produce benefits. Under the new arrangement, Cook County Medical Examiner Stephen Cina, MD, allows us to review the office’s daily ledger to identify potential donors. Andrew Norberciak, Tissue Chart Liaison, and Chasity Dodd, Forensic Liaison, rotate days reviewing these cases.

National Organ Waiting List:. . . . . . . . . . . . . 117,963 Illinois Organ Waiting List:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,149 Indiana Organ Waiting List: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,414 Illinois Organ Waiting List By Organ: • Kidney: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,447 • Liver:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459 • Heart: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Stephen Cina, MD

“This new arrangement was Dr. Cina’s idea based on what was done at other offices he has worked at,” explained Shaun Martin, Manager of Tissue Recovery Services and Forensic Liaison. ”We expect to see many more tissue donors coming out of his office as a result of this initiative.”

We performed our first tissue recovery under the new arrangement recently, Shaun added. “Dr. Cina has played a key role by opening his doors to us, and he works collaboratively to make donation happen.”

Dr. Cina was appointed Cook County Medical Examiner last July. Since then he has voiced strong support for organ and tissue donation. “We are fortunate as medical examiners and coroners to be able to work with Gift of Hope to honor the wishes of our patients and their families through organ and tissue donation,” he said. “It is extremely satisfying to know that we can offer donor families some peace in knowing that their loved ones were able to help many others in need through the gift of donation.”

We soon will be moving tissue donors from the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office here for recovery.

• Kidney/Pancreas:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 • Pancreas: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 • Lung:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 • Intestine: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 *As of 4/23/13

SafetySnippet Tips for Safe Spring Travel Potholes and puddles and glare, oh my! As the seasons change, so do road conditions. Stay safe on the road this spring by following these driving tips: • Slow down on slick roads and increase your following distance.

• Be ready for rain by replacing your windshield wipers at least once a year.

• Avoid driving through large puddles.

• Share the road with warm-weather travelers, such as motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians.

• Avoid potholes.

• Keep tires inflated.

• Change your cabin air filter.

Saving & Enhancing Lives Through Organ and Tissue Donation

News, Notes and Numbers for Gift of Hope Staff

Organizational Changes Target Strategic Goals President/CEO Kevin Cmunt recently announced several changes to our organizational structure designed to better align our pool of talented staff with goals being set for Gift of Hope.

“Over my first 100 days, I’ve talked a lot about our goals of improving our organ transplant numbers and increasing our tissue utilization,” Kevin said. “I’ve learned a lot about the organization and, particularly, about the awesome people we have throughout the organization. We have also talked in abstract terms about broad goals like becoming more customer-focused, assuming goodwill, being a ‘can-do’ organization and being one of the best OPOs in the country.”

The Donor Resource Center now operates under the direction of Arnitha Lim, Director of Tissue Recovery and Donor Resource Center.

During Kevin’s first three months, the organization has taken a number of actions to help us achieve these goals. But more are needed, he said. Here’s a look at a few of the key changes that already have been implemented.

• The Donor Resource Center has been moved to Operations under the direction of Arnitha Lim. Her new title is Director of Tissue Recovery Services and Donor Resource Center. Because the DRC is a key area of our organization and a critical component of a successful tissue recovery operation, this move will help to streamline referral information and dispatch and create a clearer continuum for the tissue donation process from referral to authorization to recovery.

• Anna Gonzalez, Assistant Vice President of Information Systems, who previously directed the DRC’s operations, is now focusing her efforts on information systems and the development of key IS projects such as the organ and tissue electronic medical record, data warehouse system and other data and reports that will help drive organizational improvement.

• The Training Department now reports to Marianne Steimle, Director of Human Resources and Training. This move helps to bring all of our organizational training needs — from orientation to continuing staff education — under one umbrella.

• Medical Records has been moved to Quality Systems, reporting to Robin Dreas, Manager of Quality Systems.

“I recognize that change tends to create a certain level of stress,” Kevin said. “But I am confident that these changes are the right answer for us for the long-term success of the organization. In the short term, I ask that we all be patient and flexible as we work through these changes. I also thank all staff for their commitment to ensuring a smooth transition.”

Funeral Director Seminar a Success More than 120 funeral and forensic service professionals attended our April 10 continuing education seminar designed to educate these professionals about organ and tissue donation and their role in the donation process.

Our professional staff serving funeral and forensic services professionals were on hand for the April 10 event. They are (l-r) Shaun Martin, John Krenn and Roy Mayfield, shown with President/CEO Kevin Cmunt, who welcomed attendees and gave an overview of Gift of Hope and organ and tissue donation.

This year’s seminar, themed “Circle of Life” and held in Springfield, covered topics ranging from our new embalming program now being offered to funeral service professionals to how to embalm full-thickness skin donors.

Speakers included former AlloSource Medical Director Michael Bauer, MD, who spoke on what’s involved in tissue donor testing and why it’s done, and Donor parents Vivian and Larry Glenn Greenleaf, Lefferts shared their experiences at Director of Tissue the Donate Life Rose Parade with Services for Lifefuneral service professionals who Cell, one of our attended the seminar. With them is tissue processing Kevin Cmunt, President/CEO. and distribution partners, who spoke on technical advancements occurring in allograft skin processing and the evolving techniques being used to recover allograft skin.

The annual event was produced by John Krenn, Supervisor of Peri-Operative Services and Funeral Service Professionals Liaison, and Kim RushingHenley, Administrative Assistant Tissue/Donor Resource Center.

News, Notes and Numbers for Gift of Hope Staff

Retirement Reception for Jerry Anderson Set for May 3 A special retirement reception for former Gift of Hope President/CEO Jerry Anderson will be held here at Gift of Hope from 4 – 6 p.m. Friday, May 3. Jerry served as Gift of Hope’s chief executive from our inception as an organ procurement organization in 1987 until his recent retirement in December 2012. Under his dedicated leadership, the organization evolved into one of the most respected organ procurement organizations in the country.

OnwardandUpward We recognize and congratulate the following Gift of Hope team members for their academic, professional and personal achievements: Donation Coordinator Roxanne White will celebrate the graduation of her son, Lionel W. Keys III, on June 2 from Homewood-Flossmoor High School. Lionel is the recipient of the high school’s 2012-2013 Distinguished Scholar Award and will attend the University of Illinois at Chicago this fall.

A paper on cultural bereavement practices written by Donation Specialist Stefanie Dziedzic was cited in Do Funerals Matter, a new book published on March 10. The book interweaves historical, sociocultural and research-based perspectives on death rituals to create a picture of what death Stefanie Dziedzic rituals have been and where they are headed, especially in the Western world. Stefanie currently is working on a graduate degree in thanatology (the study of the impact of death and dying on the decedent and the bereaved) at Marian University in Fond du Lac, Wisc.

Stefanie also will be giving a presentation on the role of organ donation specialists to the International Transplant Nurses Society in September. In her talk, she will dispel some myths

about donation and demonstrate how OPO and hospital staff work together to make donation a safe and realistic option for a grieving family.

Donor Resource Center Coordinator Raymond Papiernik will earn his master’s degree in clinical professional psychology from Chicago’s Roosevelt University on April 29 and will walk in the graduation ceremony on May 3.

Organ Recovery Coordinator Alison McSweeney just tied the knot with Trevor Karmanian on April 20.

Matt Tilson recently was signed off to practice independently as an Organ Recovery Coordinator.

Korie Golden has officially joined the satellite tissue team full time as a Tissue Recovery Technician. She had been a per diem Tissue Tech for the past year.

Jason Ruszkowski has completed the first phase of his Tissue Recovery Coordinator training and has been signed off to recover tissue independently.

Visit GiftofHope.org and Connections to learn more about what’s happening at Gift of Hope.

News, Notes and Numbers for Gift of Hope Staff

Poised for Success More than 125 people are alive today thanks to organ transplants provided by 68 generous donors through the end of March 2013. And hundreds more people in need of tissue transplants soon will benefit from our efforts in working with 244 skin donors and 93 cleared bone donors. Based on organ and tissue activity to date, the combined organ/tissue score through March falls short of incentive targets (see charts):

2013 Incentive Metrics As of March 31, 2013

Level I

Level II

Level III

Level IV

Level V

Level VI

Weight

Organ Score

201

205

209

213

217

221

80%

Tissue Score 251 256 261 266 271 276 20% Percentage per Level

2.25%

3.75%

6.00%

9.00%

10.20%

11.25%

Year-to-Date Actual

Estimated Incentive

Estimated Incentive Weighted

Organ Score

177

0.00%

0.00%

Tissue Score

243

0.00%

0.00%

Total Estimated Incentive

0.00%

MilestonesBirthdays & Anniversaries Birthdays May Birthdays Hillary Kirschbaum...................1 Rosemarie Ciruela-Kahun......2 Michael Shelton........................2 Diane Wheelwright..................3 Amy Johnson-Bax....................4 Teresa Cagle...............................5 Eric Price......................................5 Jane Lee-Zimmer......................8 Tony Sullivan..............................9 Susan Shapiro............................9 Loretta Zainine..........................10 Alison McSweeney...................10 Steven Averhart.........................12 Virginia Dunnick........................12 Marion Shuck.............................13 Cindy Thomas............................17 Stacey Logan..............................17 Catherine Kamm.......................19 Barbie McKennie......................19

Anniversaries Floubel Paner.............................22 Alison Damato...........................23 Lenore Hicks...............................26 Kathleen Vasilopulos...............27

June Birthdays Elizabeth Makowski.................1 Jerome Howard.........................1 Sarah Stein..................................2 Michele Stanczak......................2 Blair Matejak..............................7 Roy Mayfield..............................8 Whitney Roberts.......................8 Justin Van Denend....................12 Katarzyna Brooks......................15 Morgan Lord...............................18 Chasity Dodd.............................21 Alison Smith...............................22 Kelly Tracey-Wood...................25 Justin Gaeta................................27 Christopher Hallgren...............28

May Anniversaries

June Anniversaries

Susan Haibeck........................... 1 Mischelle Harris........................ 1 Kristin Jones............................... 1 Lavell Meeky.............................. 1 Andrew Wielgat........................ 1 Chyealla McBride..................... 2 Paul Theusch.............................. 5 Karyl Hildebrand....................... 6 Franz Martinez.......................... 6 Alexander Mastalarz............... 6 Andrew Norberciak.................. 6 Betsy Leach................................ 8 Floubel Paner............................. 8 Alison Damato........................... 9 Maelene Tapia........................... 12 Thomas Davis............................ 16 Jennifer Mascarella.................. 23

Justin Carrera............................. 2 Ryan Churchill............................ 3 Jesse Hilliard.............................. 3 Diane Schmitz............................ 6 Ann Venezia............................... 6 Robert Horsley.......................... 8 Roxanne White.......................... 12 Brendan Glynn........................... 14 Ann Scott.................................... 15 Carol Wasik................................. 15 Charles Metz.............................. 16 Denise Alexander..................... 17 John Krenn.................................. 19 Ruth Keith................................... 25

News, Notes and Numbers for Gift of Hope Staff

New Task Force Developing Values-Based Messages

Daughters and Sons Visit a Rousing Success

Vice President of Operations Alison Smith has convened a special task force that will be working to develop messages — tied to our organizational values — addressing the most important critical discussions, questions and circumstances that we routinely encounter in our work with internal and external Gift of Hope audiences. The finished “deliverable,” expected this summer, will be a document that will guide all of us in communicating consistent messages to our various stakeholders involved in the donation process.

The youth of America — more specifically the children of several of our staff members — were on site at Gift of Hope on Thursday, April 25, to participate in the Ms. Foundation’s, Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. The program, themed “Work in Progress” this year, was designed to expand opportunities for girls and boys, expose them to what adults do during each day at work, show them the value of their education, and give them an opportunity to share how they envision their future. Each year, workplaces and adults around the country recognize the event’s benefits and participate in the program to support our nation’s daughters and sons.

Alison Smith has been our “values conscience” during her tenure here as Vice President of Operations, ensuring that everything we do as an organization is tied to our core values.

The task force is using a tool developed by our neighboring OPO, Mid-America Transplant Services in St. Louis, as a model. The group met for the first time on April 12 to evaluate MTS’ tool and identify key messages that we need to consistently convey no matter who is delivering the message.

We were proud to be a participating workplace in this 21st edition of the program.

“To carry out our mission and live our values, we need to communicate clear and consistent messages to our external stakeholders in order to make donation happen,” Alison said. “Our destination is donation, and we will produce a clear roadmap for everyone involved in the donation process — donors, Gift of Hope staff, hospital staff, funeral and forensic service professionals, donor family members and others — to reach that destination without incident on a consistent basis. Our diverse task force will inject the knowledge and expertise they have gained in their various arenas to identify what messages we need to convey and how to deliver them to our audiences consistently.”

In addition to Alison, task force members are: Kathleen Abhalter, Hospital Development Regional Manager; Susan Cochran, Family Support Services Coordinator; Tamara Dunn, Donation Specialist; Mike Harmon, Manager of Organ Recovery; Brett Kesselring, Donation Specialist; Jacqueline LaMarre, Donor Resource Center Supervisor; Shaun Martin, Manager of Tissue Recovery Services and Forensic Liaison; Chyealla McBride, Donor Resource Center Supervisor; Eric Price, Donation Specialist; and Tony Sullivan, Public Relations/ Marketing Communications Coordinator.

Jaylen Fenn, son of Crystal Fenn, Donor Resource Center Coordinator, had a close encounter of the mascot kind with Morgan D’Organ during Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day.

Visit GiftofHope.org and Connections to learn more about what’s happening at Gift of Hope.

News, Notes and Numbers for Gift of Hope Staff

Life Matters Media and Gift of Hope Join Forces to Guide People Faced with Critical End-of-Life Decisions Donation Specialist Eric Price is spearheading a new partnership with Life Matters Media to help provide information, resources and support for people faced with end-of-life decisions. By fostering better communication, Life Matters Media empowers the ill, aged, caregivers and medical providers to navigate life’s final phase. The newly formed organization is encouraging the consideration of organ donation as a crucial part of comprehensive advance care planning.

Eric is serving as an expert columnist with Life Matters Media on its new digital platform, Lifemattersmedia.org. His columns will appear in the website’s Legacy section, sharing inspiring stories and advice from transplant recipients, donors and medical providers.

Mary Mulcahy, MD, and Randi Belisomo are the founders of Life Matters Media. Mary is a medical oncologist and an instructor at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. Randi is an award-winning reporter with WGN-TV.

Randi Belisomo, an award-winning multimedia reporter for Chicago’s WGN-TV, and Mary Mulcahy, MD, a medical oncologist and associate professor at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, founded Life Matters Media. Both are board members of the Chicago End-of-Life Care Coalition and serve on the Illinois Task Force for the Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment.

Histocompatibility Laboratory’s “Lab Day” Open House a Success Our Histocompatibility Laboratory observed Lab Week by hosting a “Lab Day” open house on April 24. Staff participants were given a presentation and walk-through on all of the steps medical technologists take in processing a donor and took part in a Med Tech Raffle. At the end of the presentation, staff became med techs for an hour and participated in a simulated processing.

“The activity offered a real-life experience and gave us keen insights into a

day in the life of the Laboratory staff,” said Marion Shuck, Human Resources Recruiter. “I learned a lot and have a new-found appreciation for all they do to contribute to the mission of Gift of Hope.”

Raffle winners were: Vice President of Operations Alison Smith; Financial Analyst Donna Ferrante; IS Systems Developer Lavell Meeky; and Marion.

Thanks to all of the Lab staff for their hospitality and information-sharing.

Participants in the Histocompatibility Lab’s open house experienced a day in the life of our Laboratory staff members.

Visit GiftofHope.org and Connections to learn more about what’s happening at Gift of Hope.

Why We Do What We Do During the recent Easter weekend, Organ Recovery Coordinator Ernie Spaulding was on call and had the privilege to talk with a family about donation. “I said my piece, and they agreed,” he recalled. Their decision to authorize donation was impactful enough, but their follow-up statement left Ernie nearly speechless.

Ernie Spaulding “They said, ‘Ernie, thank you for coming out this Easter weekend and tell your wife and family thanks for sharing you and sacrificing their weekend time so you can help others.’ In my 17 years at Gift of Hope, I have met a lot of families. But for a family to say what they did shook me up to the core. So when you go home and your family asks what you did today, tell them my little story because it is meant for all of us.”

HD, Volunteers to Thank Nurses During National Nurses Week Our Hospital Development staff and many Advocates for Hope volunteers will be sending nurses at our donor hospitals a special thanks during National Nurses Week in May. It will take the form of a thank-you card bearing a note of gratitude for the work nurses do to help make donation happen. Donor family members Vivian and Larry Lefferts adorn the front cover, along with their daughter, Eleanor, and son-in-law, Ray. You can view the card here.

While giving HD staff a strong tool to help them maintain and strengthen our relationships with our hospital customers, the card also supports our strategic priority of building our brand and image in the marketplace by keeping our name and graphic identity in front of these important people on a consistent basis. 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.

See what’s new on GiftofHope.org

WelcomeNewStaff Melanie Flaming joined Gift of Hope on March 18 as a Tissue Recovery Coordinator. She comes to us from Community Tissue Services based in Indianapolis. Melanie is a graduate of Taylor University in Upland, Ind., where she earned a bachelor of science degree in biology education.

Sean Foege joined Gift of Hope on March 18 as a Tissue Recovery Coordinator. Sean comes to us from Airmed 1 Rotor Wing and is a certified flight paramedic.

Christopher Foster joined our team on April 22 as a weekend driver in Transportation. He comes to us from Dunbar Armored. Chris graduated from Central Texas College in Killeen, Texas, with an associate’s degree in criminal justice.

David Garcia joined us on April 22 as a Donor Resource Center Coordinator. David comes to us from Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

He is a graduate of Concordia University (California) where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in business management.

Melissa Garth joined Gift of Hope on March 18 as an Organ Recovery Coordinator. She comes to us from Providence Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park, Ill. Melissa earned a bachelor of arts degree in business management at Southern Illinois University.

Anna Michels joined our team on April 22 as a Tissue Recovery Technician. Anna comes to us from Lurie Children’s Hospital and is a graduate of Robert Morris University in Chicago where she earned an associate of applied science degree in surgical technology.

Jesse Sobalsky joined us on March 18 as a Donor Resource Center Coordinator. She comes to us from Mid-America Transplant Services in St. Louis. Jesse is a graduate of the University of Missouri where she earned a bachelor of science degree in biology.