In Touch newsletter: December 2014

INTOUCH DECEMBER 2014

Volunteer Eucharistic minister Christina Santos delivers Holy Communion to Mario Corpos, a patient at St. Michael’s Hospital.

(Photo by Yuri Markarov, Medical Media Centre)

The holy gift volunteers deliver to patients

By Evelyne Jhung

“Being able to give Holy Communion makes you realize how lucky you are to have the health and motivation to be in this line of work,” said Marianna Korman. “I’ve done other volunteer work, but this has been the most rewarding; it nourishes your own spirit.”

them nor do they offer any counselling but “being beside them and praying for them makes me feel helpful and I can see that God is alive in a little way,” said Christina Santos, a fellow Eucharistic volunteer.

The volunteer Eucharistic ministers are all lay people who go through the regular volunteer orientation and receive additional training from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Korman is one of 14 volunteer Eucharistic Toronto to become Extraordinary Ministers ministers who help the hospital’s Roman of Holy Communion.

Catholic priest-chaplain, Father Yaw They are each assigned a day to visit Acheampong, distribute Communion to patients across the hospital. Korman and patients who ask to receive the sacrament Santos come on Fridays and see about during their stay at St. Michael’s. She has three to four patients each. On average, been volunteering in this capacity for about 14 Catholic patients a day request more than 20 years.

Communion by their bedside. Christmas, The volunteer communion ministers don’t discuss patients’ illnesses with Printed on 100 per cent recycled paper

Easter Sunday and Ash Wednesday are the busiest days of the year.

Interested volunteers must be practicing Roman Catholics with the desire to serve others in a hospital setting.

Korman became interested when she was a volunteer in the ICU in 1993.

“I could see then how patients benefited from chaplain visits,” she said. “I’ve also been a patient here, so I know how comforting it is. I believe this is a good way of trying to be a good Christian.”

Santos, who has been volunteering as a Communion minister for the past year and a half, echoed her sentiment.

“I just had a calling to do this. It makes me happy to be able to help patients through their suffering by offering comfort and peace through Holy Communion. I’ll never stop doing this.”

DECEMBER 2014 | IN TOUCH | 1

OPEN MIKE with Judy Shearer Program Director, Inner City Health are less fortunate.

For many of us the holidays are the most wonderful time of the year. They provide an opportunity to connect with family and friends, to reflect on everything that happened over the year and to set new goals for the coming year.

But for some the magic of the holidays isn’t very magical. For these people the holidays are a stark reminder of how little they have in their life, no matter how hard they have worked to make ends meet. For others they may feel empty due to the fact that they don’t have a home to decorate or family and friends to celebrate with. It is for these reasons that we should take a moment to reflect on all that we have and spend time remembering those who

One of the greatest things I’ve seen since joining St. Michael’s 11 months ago is how our staff, physicians, students and volunteers live our hospital’s mission and values. I’ve seen people stop what they are doing no matter how busy they are in that moment to help someone in need, I’ve watched people give back to our community and I’ve learned that no matter who enters our doors, we welcome them and treat them in the most dignified way we can.

As an inner city hospital we see things that others may not and we have worked hard to provide services to meet the needs of our patients. We have a Baby Tuck Shop to help vulnerable mothers get the clothing and supplies they need for themselves during their pregnancy

and for their baby after it is born. We offer unique services such as our new legal clinic at our Health Centre at 80 Bond and programs like the STAR Learning Centre that help those transitioning from homelessness to housing in as smooth a manner as possible. And we have worked hard to build supports in our community to help those who require nonurgent care to get it without needing to come to the hospital.

So as you prepare to celebrate with your families and friends over the coming weeks I encourage you to remember those less fortunate.

I would like to thank you for all you do to help and care for our patients in need.

You truly are a special group of people and I wish you and your families much happiness for the upcoming holidays and a healthy and prosperous new year.

By the numbers...

Influenza vaccination compliance has increased from the 2013-14 flu campaign year: Highest number of vaccinations given in one day: on Oct. 14, 2014 Total number of vaccinations given:

4,244 3,095 DECEMBER 2014 | IN TOUCH | 2

(as of Dec. 1) – 2014-15 flu campaign compared to (as of Jan. 31) – 2013-14 flu campaign

535 60.88% Current compliance rate (as of Dec. 1) Follow St. Michael’s on Twitter: @StMikesHospital

Dr. Sandro Rizoli, head of trauma, stands on the St. Michael’s Volunteer helipad, one of only three hospital heliports in Toronto and one of the arrival points for trauma patients at St. Michael’s. (Photo by Yuri Markarov, Medical Media Centre)

St. Michael’s trauma survival among top in North America

By Leslie Shepherd

Trauma patients who come to St. Michael’s Hospital have a better chance of surviving than those at almost any other comparable trauma centre in North America, new figures show. An astounding 90 per cent better chance.

The figures come from the American College of Surgeons Trauma Quality Improvement Program, which tracks the performance of more than 220 North American trauma centres in three areas – mortality, complications and care process. The results are then risk-adjusted so hospitals can compare themselves against other centres with a similar patient population. St. Michael’s is the only Canadian hospital participating in the program.

The statistics for October 2013 to September 2014 show the hospital’s all-cause mortality rate is lower than 90 per cent of other centres and its complication rates are dropping over previous years, said Dr. Sandro Rizoli, director of trauma.

Several initiatives contributed to St. Michael’s excellent statistics, said Sonya Canzian, program director for trauma and neurosurgery.

First, the hospital has undertaken a quality initiative to prevent blood clots in patients who are immobile for long periods of time, making sure they get blood thinners at the right time – not too early so that they cause bleeding and not too late after clots have already formed.

St. Michael’s is an RNAO Best Practice Spotlight Organization

The Trauma Quality Improvement Program figures show that 78.5 per cent of eligible patients at St. Michael’s receive venous thromboembolism prophylaxis, compared to 56.6 per cent at similar trauma centres. For patients with traumatic brain injuries, where bleeding is of special concern, 54 per cent of St. Michael’s trauma patients received VTE prophylaxis compared with 28.6 per cent at other centres.

Second, only 4.5 per cent of St. Michael’s trauma patients wait more than 24 hours for surgery to repair femur fractures, compared with 30.9 per cent in other centres. Only 33.3 per cent of patients with an open tibia or fibula fracture waited more than 12 hours for surgery, compared with 51 per cent for all TQIP centres.

“We have a culture of prioritizing trauma patients, including dedicated OR time,” Canzian said. “This is a huge commitment involving everyone from the ED to orthopedics and Perioperative Services to make this happen.”

Third, St. Michael’s uses leading edge technology and best practices to monitor inter-cranial pressure in TBI patients to detect brain swelling as soon as possible. ICP monitors were inserted into the brain in 21 per cent of St. Michael’s patients with head injuries compared to 16 per cent in other centres.

The spleen was preserved in 82 per cent of St. Michael’s patients compared with 78 per cent in other centres.

DECEMBER 2014 | IN TOUCH | 3

Your Favourite Holiday Tradition Michelle Moldofsky General Counsel

Hanukkah, while not one of our holiest holidays, is one of the holidays when we gather our family together to celebrate.

I love getting together with my parents, aunts, uncles, cousins and sometimes friends of the family to have a big midday party on the weekend during Hanukkah. The kids light the menorah, saying a blessing and we all sing Ma’oz Tzur before it’s time for the kids to open presents. There is always a great meal that includes potato latkes (the latkes are usually prepared by either my mother or my aunt). We’ll use telephone or Skype to get the kids in contact with their cousins in British Columbia, the U.S. and China.

Last year I had my brother and sister-in-law join the party for the better part of a half-hour via Skype on my iPhone as my nephew was still too young to join us for that long and needed to nap.

Bob Howard

President & CEO Now that the kids are all older and married, it’s harder to gather the entire family together, but we always get together for a big dinner. We also do a secret Santa gift exchange. Because there are eight of us, we’ve enlisted the help of one of my son’s friends to organize it for us to ensure complete randomness and secrecy. I’m in trouble this year because of the person I got assigned. I have no idea what to get.

One tradition I always looked forward to when the boys were younger was the annual scavenger hunt. When all the presents had been opened, Brenda, my wife, would “find” a secret note in the Christmas tree. It would be a rhyming riddle for the boys directing them to the next location where they would find another riddle and so on. These notes would take them all over the house and they would almost always have to go outside in the snow as well, but the last note would bring them back to the tree where they would find final gifts that hadn’t been there when the hunt began. One year, after the boys had opened their final gifts, they found another secret note in the tree. It was for me and Brenda; they had organized a hunt for us.

Erin Walsh

Executive Assistant to EVP Dr. Doug Sinclair Every year, at some point over the holiday season, the whole Walsh family gathers together for a few days at my parents’ house in Muskoka (myself, my three brothers and sister, several spouses, and five grandkids, er grandteens). It’s been a tradition for more than 35 years that we have a “game” night when everyone is home. And every year I am in charge of coming up with that special game. Some have been hits, some have been misses. One year, playing Survivor, we voted our poor mother off the island (she was a threat!!). In the end, we know it’s not about the game, or the holidays – it’s about appreciating the fun and laugher we always enjoy when together. We savour those moments.

DECEMBER 2014 | IN TOUCH | 4

Kataneh Dadashi

Registered Nurse, OR Specialty My favourite holiday tradition is in March, the last Tuesday of the Persian new year, which marks the arrival of spring. The holiday is called Chahārshanbe Suri, which means Wednesday Light, also is known as Fire Festival here in Canada. We dress up and go out in the darkness similar to Halloween, and our tradition is to “jump from the fire.” Many Iranian people gather at Lawrence Park and Mel Lastman Square in an area designated by the city every year. We make our own fires and jump over them followed by live music, dancing and fireworks. It’s a tradition that goes back to our Zoroastrian roots. It’s so nice that we can do this in Toronto, supported by the city – the tradition is not allowed in Iran anymore.

Anthony Mohammed

Senior Specialist, Equity and Community Engagement, Inner City Health Program Singing “O Holy Night” at my local Baptist Church on Christmas Eve and dancing to Soca and Parang (a Spanish language folk music popular in Trinidad and Tobago at Christmas) with my entire extended family.

Jennifer Stewart

Administrative Co-ordinator, Neurocognitive Evaluation and Rehabilitation Centre Helping out our local food bank has become one of my favorite holiday traditions.

Every year I organize a 5/10K run-walk event, to raise donations for the local food bank.

Participants are encouraged to bring two kilograms or more of non-perishable food items or personal hygiene items. In return for their giving spirit, they receive a gift at every kilometer marker, a hand-crafted medal at the finish line with hot cocoa and treats and a chance to win some amazing prizes at the post-race raffle (usually donated Leafs or Raptors tickets). More than 3,200 kilograms of food and personal products are raised every year, requiring six mini vans to haul the supplies to the food bank. The food bank staff look a bit shell-shocked when we roll up to the door with such a large donation. It’s a wonderful feeling to know that their shelves are stocked well for the holidays and a little bit beyond, so no one goes hungry over the holidays.

Bernadette Slingerland

Education Co-ordinator, Critical Care Department Some of my fondest memories about Christmas are the cookies. Not so much eating them, but my relationships with those who baked with me. Each year in mid-November when I was young, my mom would make sugar cookies after dinner in the evenings. She always saved the sugar cookies to make with me. There were a few cutters - a tree, a holly leaf, a goose, Santa and a star - that we used every year. The importance of these cutters was never the shape, it was the tradition that they were ones that my grandmother used with my mom when she was young. When grandma was older and tired, she gave the cookie cutters to my mom to take over the tradition of making cookies for everyone at Christmas. Once my daughter was old enough to make Christmas cookies, mom passed the cutters on to me. Over time, the odd new cutter joined the collection, but we always used grandma’s five and covered them all with different coloured sugars or icings. My daughter has grown and she is now the keeper of the cookie cutters.

DECEMBER 2014 | IN TOUCH | 5

To teach is to learn twice: St. Michael’s in Qatar

By Emily Holton

SickKids International approached St. Michael’s with an idea in 2013, and the hospital agreed it was an interesting one. So began a journey that involved physicians, nurses, a few camels and a lot of sunscreen.

The government of Qatar, a small country nestled between Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf, had asked SickKids International, a part of The Hospital for Sick Children that does international educational projects, to help improve pediatric health care education for the country’s primary care nurses and physicians.

SickKids International asked St. Michael’s, as a leader in family medicine and pediatric education, to develop and deliver the curriculum in Qatar.

Although it is a wealthy country, Qatar’s primary care system is still under development. Most Qatari health care is delivered by specialists, and a family doctor is rarely a patient’s first point of contact.

Chief of Pediatrics Dr. Michael Sgro takes a break with a Qatari camel. (Photo by the St. Michael’s Project Team)

“We know that a strong primary care system can address inequities,” said Dr. Nav Persaud, a staff physician in Family Medicine. “We wanted to contribute to improving the health of the broader population. But this was also an opportunity to try some international education work and learn from SickKids International.”

A St. Michael’s team, including Dr. Persaud, went to Qatar and conducted a needs assessment, then developed an evidencebased curriculum. It covers topics such as newborn care, adolescent health and pain management.

Every module is taught by an interdisciplinary team of one St. Michael’s family physician, one pediatrician and two nurses.

Anna DeMarchi, the CLM for the Women’s Health Centre and Pediatric Clinic, was one of the first from St. Michael’s to go.

She’s been back twice since.

“It’s been an eye opener,” said DeMarchi. “First we had to establish the foundation: what it means to deliver family-centred, collaborative care. I think we wanted to go in and change the world, but we couldn’t take on their whole health care system!

So we found ways to inject bits of familycentred care and collaboration within their current structures.”

DeMarchi helped a group of nurses write a policy for using sucrose in pain management for children.

“We gave lots of examples and guidance,” said DeMarchi. “Then our nurse leaders worked with their education leaders to write the policy and get it approved. They already knew what to do but we needed to change policies in order to allow them to use their knowledge in practice. It was so rewarding.”

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Doug Sinclair and other members of the family health team ride camels in Qatar. (Photo by the St. Michael’s Project Team) DECEMBER 2014 | IN TOUCH | 6

John Gerrard in the Receiving Department uses a mobile device to scan in deliveries. The device is part of the hospital’s new business system.

(Photo by Yuri Markarov, Medical Media Centre)

St. Michael’s discovers quality improvement through new business system

her department such as vacation time.

By Karen Orme My Business is hard at work throughout St. Michael’s. Whether ordering medical supplies, receiving a delivery at the loading dock, or completing payroll and finance reports, the hospital’s new integrated business system is helping staff complete non-clinical tasks more efficiently and with more information.

For John Gerrard and his colleagues in the Receiving Department, that means they now use a mobile device to scan courier labels on the parcels, envelopes, medical supplies and equipment that flow daily through their area directly into the mobile supply chain management application of My Business.

“Before My Business, I had to handwrite courier information down in a log,” said Gerrard, who works in small-parcel logistics. “Now, a quick scan puts the package’s courier tracking number directly into our receiving and delivery system.”

This allows receiving to quickly provide information to hospital staff on the status of the goods they’re waiting for. Upon delivery,

recipients can digitally sign the hand-held device confirming receipt of the goods.

“It’s all about information accuracy and the ability to track and deliver goods in a timely fashion,” said Gerrard.

Nuclear Medicine’s operations leader Matthew Doggart uses the My Business online purchasing application to enter his weekly orders for medical supplies such as ventilator parts and isotopes.

“Templates make it easier to navigate online ordering and product viewing,” Doggart said. “The new system also provides you with detailed information such as package size and numbers per case, pricing and tracking status of purchase order approvals.

My Business makes things a lot easier and facilitates better supply management.”

In the Trauma and Neurosurgery Intensive Care Unit, clinical leader manager Elizabeth Butorac said she likes the new efficiencies of the My Business payroll application along with up-to-the-minute online Human Resource reports that help her better track personnel information in

“Everything is accessible in one place through the online My Business portal, with information updated in real time,” Butorac said. “Before, you had to go to different areas on the intranet to find information or wait for it to be sent to you. The time entry and approvals of staff payroll hours especially has been great with new coding that ensures greater accuracy.”

Updating the hospital’s key business system processes, from payroll and HR to supply and finance, is going a long way in meeting St. Michael’s corporate and quality improvement objectives, said Vas Georgiou, executive vice-president and chief operations officer.

“It’s an investment that’s all about ensuring staff have the right information and tools at the right time to deliver improved, streamlined back-office capabilities that support and enhance our front-line care for patients,” said Georgiou.

Online month-end finance reports for managers are slated to be introduced in December. Phase Two begins in 2015 with a further focus on streamlining the hospital’s finance and supply chain management.

DECEMBER 2014 | IN TOUCH | 7

Q&A

VALERIE AGAWIN,

Officer, Annual and Mid-Level Giving, Foundation

By Leslie Shepherd (Photo by Katie Cooper, Medical Media Centre)

Valerie Agawin is an officer for annual and mid-level giving at St. Michael’s Hospital Foundation. Her team is responsible for donors who give $1,000-$10,000, attracting them through such tactics as direct mail, telemarketing and a new door-to-door program in the hospital’s catchment area. The foundation has raised almost $170 million of its $200 million-goal for the Inspire 2018 campaign.

Q. What brought you to St. Michael’s Hospital Foundation nearly eight years ago?

I had been a patient here, a grateful patient, so I knew about St. Michael’s. I had my oldest child here before I started. All three of my children were born here.

Q. What does your average day look like?

It’s hectic, but in a very good way because we are very productive. I talk to different donors and try to find out what motivates them to give to us. Learning what people’s interests are helps us to strategize how to approach them. Are they technologically savvy and do they prefer email contact? Or do they prefer direct mail? Our group is also a stepping stone for people who have given $1,000 and want to increase that, or convert from a $10,000 giver into a major gift donor, or a legacy donor, who plans to leave money to charity in his or her will. A large percentage of our donors are grateful patients.

Q. Most people find it difficult to ask others for money – what’s the secret to being tactful yet successful?

INTOUCH

DECEMBER 2014

In Touch is an employee newsletter published by Communications and Public Affairs.

Please send story ideas to In Touch editor Leslie Shepherd at shepherdl@smh.ca.

Design by Dermot Covel, Medical Media Centre

It’s not as simple as just picking up the phone and asking. There are steps you need to take to get to that point. You have to get to know the person first, what motivates them, what they are passionate about. Talk to them, engage them by giving them a tour … then you feel more comfortable asking.

Q. What about staff and physicians, how do you ask them to give?

We’re very lucky in that 100 per cent of physicians have donated to our last three campaigns. We’re always looking for ways to make physicians feel more comfortable approaching grateful patients about giving or referring them to the foundation. Staff are asked when they start working here whether they want to have money deducted from their payroll for the foundation. We’re looking at ways to make it easier for staff to make a commitment.

Q. Does the foundation have a special Christmas fundraising campaign?

We’re sending Christmas cards to our regular donors, our major donors and our planned givers, with a “soft ask,” an insert that reminds them this is the traditional season of giving – not to mention the year end when they might want to give one more time for that tax break!

Q. You ask people for things all the time--what are you asking Santa for?

Tickets for my family to Disney World. With three kids it’s harder and more expensive to get away.