1. Educators Publish Guide to Living with Diabetes
MILLER AND GAWEL CO-AUTHOR 86 PAGE BOOKLET DESIGNED TO HELP PATIENTS LIVE HEALTHIER
ISSUE 43
NOV. 13, 2014
With more than 29 million Americans
affected by diabetes, educators at
Mercy Hospital Grayling are hard
at work to combat the disease by
teaching patients about the steps they
can take to manage their symptoms.
Though there is no cure for diabetes,
research shows that it can be
controlled by lifestyle changes – such
as diet and exercise – and the correct
use of medication. Proper control
of blood glucose levels can also help
prevent or delay the serious long-term
complications of the disease.
“Diabetes educators have a unique
skill set and are specially trained to
help patients manage their illness,”
said Carrie Miller, RN, BSN. As
the diabetes education program
coordinator, Miller spends her day
meeting with patients individually and
in a number of group environments.
“I see people in all stages of the
disease: from those newly diagnosed
to patients who have been managing
their diabetes for years. I really like
to encourage them that diabetes is
manageable and together we can
develop a strategy that will work for
them,” she added.
Miller, who co-authored Today is
the Day: Your Guide to Living with
Diabetes with fellow educator Jen
Gawel, BS, RDN, saw that their
patients were frequently overwhelmed
with the number of handouts and
flyers provided by many education
progams. “These materials are a great
reference for patients but can be
difficult to keep track of. If patients
can’t easily locate them, how will they
ISSUE43
Everybody’s been wonderful – the nurses, the CNAs, the
respiratory therapy. It’s been excellent. My physician is associated
with Tawas but I come here because of how good it is here.
OUR PATIENTS
ARE SAYING:
Continued on following page.
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2. follow their plan a few months
from now?” Miller asked. “When
we began work on our booklet,
we wanted to make sure it
was something that would be
interesting, easy to read, and
informative.”
What they created was an 86
page booklet that organized
everything needed to manage the
chronic illness. Beginning with
an introduction to diabetes, the
booklet touches on the causes
and many of the myths associated
with the disease. Other sections
include: monitoring blood sugars,
medications and insulin, weight
loss and nutrition, exercise, and
shopping healthy on a budget. A
variety of meal plans accompany
each patient’s individual plan and
serve as a great resource for meal
and snack ideas. The booklet also
includes a 10 page food guide that
shows the number of carbohydrates
in hundreds of common foods and
beverages as well as a section for
tracking medications, meals, and
blood glucose.
“It’s not always easy for patients
to travel to hospitals and
medical centers where classes
and activities are offered,” said
Jennifer Fuhrman, director of
quality and risk management at
Mercy Hospital Grayling. “When
Carrie and Jen noted the difficulty
their own patients were having,
they decided to reach out to the
underserved rural communities in
northern Michigan by expanding
our Diabetes Education Program.”
To expand the program and offer
this crucial education, Miller and
Gawel turned to Michelle Styma,
CEO of Thunder Bay Community
Health Service, Inc. (TBCHS).
Working with clinical managers
and physicians, four clinics were
recognized as certified expansion
sites. Since they began seeing
patients in May, a tremendous
number of people have increased
their knowledge about diabetes and
began using the self-management
skills learned in the program.
“This hollistic approach to diabetes
management really delivers on
dietary improvements, lifestyle
modifications, and medication
compliance,” remarked Wayne
McEwen, PAC, medical director
at TBCHS’s Atlanta clinic. “All
of these have helped to improve
the diabetic control – and overall
health – of our patients.”
In addition to counseling and
group classes, the Diabetes
Education Program holds several
community events throughout the
year designed to help community
members enjoy holidays and
everyday activities while managing
their diabetes. “We explain to
our patients that having diabetes
doesn’t mean you have to give up
all of your favorite foods,” Gawel
said. “The important thing is to
understand the effects of different
foods on your blood sugar levels
and to know how to include them
in your diet in a healthy way.”
These special events are listed
on the hospital’s Facebook page
throughout the year.
To learn more about Diabetes
Education or to purchase a copy of
the booklet, call (989) 348-0455 or
contact Carrie Miller at cmiller4@
trinity-health.org.
Window Shoppe Sales
Don’t miss this week’s special sale:
• 25% off jewelry and scarves
Be sure to stop into The Window
Shoppe next Saturday, November 22 for
Grayling’s Christmas Walk. We’ll have
treats and activities for the kids, as well
as one night only sales for you! We look
forward to seeing then!
Auxiliary’s Christmas
Silent Auction
December 3, 2014
Please consider donating items to the
Auxiliary’s Christmas Silent Auction.
Your donations will benefit a great cause
and allow for some fun bidding between
colleagues. If you have an item you’d
like to donate, please contact Carolyn
DiPonio a cediponio@hotmail.com or
989-348-5656. Proceeds from the Silent
Auction will support the Auxiliary’s
$100,000 pledge to the Mercy Cancer &
Infusion Center. Thank you in advance
for your generous support!
Cafeteria Updates
New Ice Machine
The ice machine in the cafeteria is
working at full capacity and providing
as much ice as possible, but sometimes
this is not enough to meet demand.
The WE CARE Team has generously
offered to help out with the purchase of
an additional ice and water machine.
We will be removing a vending machine
to create space and we appreciate your
patience with the existing machine until
the new machine arrives.
Silverware & Trays
We are running low on silverware and
trays for our customers. Please return
any that are in your department. Thank
you!
“Diabetes” Continuedfrompreviouspage
3. Fellowship Club Updates
Fellowship Club Officer Election Winners
The ballots are counted and the winners are:
• Vice President – Julie Schoen (incumbent)
• Asst. Secretary – Angela Rimer
• Treasurer – Holli Fehrenbach (incumbent)
Thank you to everyone who voted in this very close race.
Also thank you to everyone who let us put you on the ballot.
We will be keeping you in mind for other elections and to
fill vacant Board Member seats.
Christmas Party
The Fellowship Club Christmas Party will be held on
December 6 at Michaywe in Gaylord. Social hour will begin
at 6:00pm with a prime rib buffet served at 7:00pm. Tickets
will go on sale the week of November 17. Dinner is free for
members and guest tickets are $30. Everyone attending the
dinner must have a ticket to be eligible for cash drawings.
This also helps us make sure enough food is prepared. If
you are not a member, you can still sign up now and join
us at the Christmas Party. Contact Candi Taylor or any
Fellowship Officer for details. Tickets are available from
Candi Taylor (Nursing) Julie Schoen (Cardiac Rehab), or
Terri Lohr (Pharmacy).
Nacho Lunch Drawing Winners
Congratulations to Stephanie Emmel from OB (“New
Member” drawing) and Laurie Florida from Prudenville
(“Voter” drawing) who each won $25 gas cards at the
Fellowship Club’s Nacho Lunch.
November Gas Card Winners
Congratulations to the following Fellowship Club members
who won gas cards this month: Bobbi Gusler (CCU), Jessica
Fultz (OB), Linda Montgomery (Pharmacy), and Debra
Canfield (Dietary).
Hanson Hills/Grayling Recreation
Authority Needs Ski Patrols
Hanson Hills/Grayling Recreation Authority is looking
for volunteer ski patrol personnel for the 2014-2015 winter
season. Candidates must be CPR/First Aid certified or be
able to attend classes. In return for their time and skills,
patrollers will get meal tickets and have the opportunity to
receive season passes and get discounts on tubing. For more
information, please contact Wendy Kelso at (989) 348-9266.
Transamerica Updates
Upcoming Retirement Plan Update
By now, you should have received a newsletter at your
home outlining the upcoming changes to the Trinity
Health Retirement Plans. A second newsletter will be
sent to your home later this month.
Amy Birtcher will be conducting group meetings to
help you better understand these changes. She will
also share an overview of the Munson Retirement
Plan. You are invited to attend one of the following
meetings, which will last approximately 30 minutes:
• Monday, November 24 – Crawford Room
7:00am, 9:30am, 11:30am, 12:30pm, 3:30pm, 5:00pm
• Wednesday, December 10 – Prudenville
Noon
• Wednesday, December 29 – Roscommon
Noon
Leaders in Health Care Scholarship
The Transamerica Retirement Solutions Leaders
in Healthcare Scholarship is a $5,000 opportunity
awarded to two recipients. Applications are now
open and will be accepted until January 9, 2015.
It is available to first and second year graduate
students who are pursuing careers in healthcare
administration. Individuals must demonstrate
financial need, a commitment to community service,
and excel academically. Download a copy of the
application when you visit diversityconnection.org
and locate the Scholarship Opportunities page.
4. HCAHPS survey results are published
by the Centers of Medicare and
Medicaid online at hospitalcompare.gov.
When patients access these scores,
they are able to compare patient
satisfaction at health care facilities
and make more educated choices
about where to go for care.
An important category included
in the HCAHPS survey is
Responsiveness of Staff. This category
contains two questions.
• How often did you get help
in getting to the bathroom or
using the bedpan as soon as you
wanted?
• After you pressed the call
button, how often did you get
help as soon as you wanted it?
It’s easy to see how the questions in
the category might be understood
differently by patients, especially
given the many levels of care we offer.
The true intent of these questions is
to discover how well we anticipate the
needs of patients, rather than waiting
for them to ask for assistance.
Mercy Hospital Grayling currently
has a score of 74.3 for Responsiveness
of Staff. This score places us in the
75th percentile. If we can raise our
score to 79.0 (79% of patients check
the “always” box), we would move into
the 95th percentile.
Studies have shown that organizations
who implement purposeful hourly
rounding were able to maintain or
elevate their performance scores.
Purposeful hourly rounding uses
eight behaviors:
• Use opening keywords
Responsiveness of Staff: Helping Patients Who Press the Call Button
• Accomplish the scheduled tasks
• Address the 3Ps (Pain, Potty,
Positioning)
• Address additional comfort needs
• Conduct environmental
assessments
• Ask if the patient needs anything
else before you exit the room
• Tell the patient when you will
return
• Document the round on the
whiteboard
Nurses – and any staff – that interact
with patients can impact this score.
When interacting with patients and
visitors, use the A (Acknowledge),
D (Duration), and E (Explain)
components of AIDET. This is very
similar to the eight purposeful hourly
rounding behaviors.
By understanding the power of
anticipating patient needs, together
we can maintain and evaluate patient
satisfaction, improve outcomes and
protect the safety of our patients.
of patients said
staff was always
responsive when
called for.
75
See the new names for other facilities when
you visit MercyHealthGrayling.com and click
on the Teaming Up for Transition link.
You’ll also find questions asked by employees
and responses from the Transition Teams.
This page is your source for the latest
updates as we transition to ownership by
Munson Healthcare.
New Hospital Name Revealed
The new names for Mercy Hospital Grayling and other facilities
affected by the transition to ownership by Munson Healthcare were
announced in the last issue of Teaming Up for Transition. These
new names reflect the regional alignment of the organizations
and will be used after the closing date – currently scheduled for
February 1, 2015.
An independent research firm conducted more than 1,000
telephone and online surveys with community members, medical
staff, employees, and hospital leadership before these new names
were selected. To learn more about the names and the process used
to select them, visit munsonhealthcare.org/teamingup/names.
5. According to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), vaccines
have prevented countless cases of infectious
diseases and saved millions of lives.
August is National Immunization
Awareness Month and now is a great
time to understand the importance of
immunizations as preventive care.
Vaccines can protect both the people who
receive them and those with whom they
come in contact. Vaccines are responsible
for the control of many infectious diseases
that were once common around the world,
including polio, measles, diphtheria,
pertussis (whooping cough), rubella
(German measles), mumps and tetanus. A
vaccine actually eradicated smallpox, one of
the most devastating diseases in history.
When germs, such as bacteria or viruses,
invade the body, they attack and multiply.
This invasion is called an infection and
the infection is what causes illness. The
immune system then has to fight the
infection. Once it fights off the infection,
the body is left with a supply of cells that
help recognize and fight that disease in the
future.
A vaccination is designed to help the body
create these cells to fight the disease by
introducing a weakened form of the disease
into the body. The body will then make
antibodies to fight the invaders so then if
ever the actual disease germs attack the
body, the antibodies will return to destroy
them.
To ensure vaccines are held to the highest
standard of safety and efficacy, the CDC has
measures in place to test and continuously
monitor them. To learn more, visit the
CDC Vaccine Safety website (http://www.
cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/Vaccines/Index1.
html) and read their Healthcare Personnel
Vaccination Recommendations.
Learn more about vaccines by contacting
Nancy Goodyear, Employee & Occupational
Health Manager, at ext. 80368.
Wellness
LIVE WELL. WORK WELL.
A SPECIAL SECTION OF THE MERCY HOSPITAL GRAYLING WEEKLY
Learn more about these and other programs by contacting
Nancy Goodyear, RN, BS, Employee & Occupational Health
Manager at goodyen@trinity-health.org or (989) 348-0368.
Below are
the results
for the Walk
100 Miles
Challenge:
Kris Gosselin ............................... 25
Emergency Department
Jo Mayhew.................................. 25
Patient Access
Pat Adkison................................. 25
Radiology
Kevin Leavesley.......................... 25
Marketing
Lindsay DeRousse .....................50
Mercy Manor
Jennifer Gawel .........................100
Dietitian Services
Jeanne Reichelderfer .............100
CCU
Don’t forget to stop by Nancy
Goodyear’s office or send
her an email when you reach
one of these milestones.
Check back next week to see
if anyone has reached a new
milestone!
Update
Walk
a mcdonalds Caesar
salad contains
3.6 times
more fat than a
hamburger does.
IMMUNIZATIONS CAN PROTECT YOU AND OTHERS FROM ILLNESS
According to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), vaccines
have prevented countless cases of infectious
diseases and saved millions of lives.
August is National Immunization
Awareness Month and now is a great
time to understand the importance of
immunizations as preventive care.
Vaccines can protect both the people who
receive them and those with whom they
come in contact. Vaccines are responsible
for the control of many infectious diseases
that were once common around the world,
including polio, measles, diphtheria,
pertussis (whooping cough), rubella
(German measles), mumps and tetanus. A
vaccine actually eradicated smallpox, one of
the most devastating diseases in history.
When germs, such as bacteria or viruses,
invade the body, they attack and multiply.
This invasion is called an infection and
the infection is what causes illness. The
immune system then has to fight the
infection. Once it fights off the infection,
the body is left with a supply of cells that
help recognize and fight that disease in the
future.
A vaccination is designed to help the body
create these cells to fight the disease by
introducing a weakened form of the disease
into the body. The body will then make
antibodies to fight the invaders so then if
ever the actual disease germs attack the
body, the antibodies will return to destroy
them.
To ensure vaccines are held to the highest
standard of safety and efficacy, the CDC has
measures in place to test and continuously
monitor them. To learn more, visit the
CDC Vaccine Safety website (http://www.
cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/Vaccines/Index1.
html) and read their Healthcare Personnel
Vaccination Recommendations.
Learn more about vaccines by contacting
Nancy Goodyear, Employee & Occupational
Health Manager, at ext. 80368.
Wellness
LIVE WELL. WORK WELL.
A SPECIAL SECTION OF THE MERCY HOSPITAL GRAYLING WEEKLY
Learn more about these and other programs by contacting
Nancy Goodyear, RN, BS, Employee & Occupational Health
Manager at goodyen@trinity-health.org or (989) 348-0368.
Below are
the results
for the Walk
100 Miles
Challenge:
Kris Gosselin ............................... 25
Emergency Department
Jo Mayhew.................................. 25
Patient Access
Pat Adkison................................. 25
Radiology
Kevin Leavesley.......................... 25
Marketing
Lindsay DeRousse .....................50
Mercy Manor
Jennifer Gawel .........................100
Dietitian Services
Jeanne Reichelderfer .............100
CCU
Don’t forget to stop by Nancy
Goodyear’s office or send
her an email when you reach
one of these milestones.
Check back next week to see
if anyone has reached a new
milestone!
Update
Walk
a mcdonalds Caesar
salad contains
3.6 times
more fat than a
hamburger does.
IMMUNIZATIONS CAN PROTECT YOU AND OTHERS FROM ILLNESS
Trivia
Our first few snowfalls have
made driving and walking more
challenging, especially here at the
hospital and clinics. Protect yourself
this winter with these smart tips:
• Wear smart footwear. Flat shoes
or boots with good traction are
much safer than high heels,
smooth soles, or plastic shoes!
• Be careful when exiting your
vehicle or leaving a building.
Your footwear will be warm and
may be slippery when you step
on snow or ice.
• Remove as much snow from
your shoes as possible when
entering a buildling. Remember
wet shoes on tile will be very
slippery.
• Walk like a penguin or a duck.
As strange as it sounds, you’ll be
safer when you take short steps,
keep you feet flat on the ground
with your toes outward, and
avoid leaning forward.
• Don’t carry heavy loads that
you can’t see around. Heavy
bags and backpacks will change
your center of gravity, so keep
your arms free to maintain your
balance.
• Take your time. Whether you are
walking or driving, give yourself
a few extra minutes to get
where you’re going.
• Watch out for black ice, snow-
covered ice, uneven surfaces, or
unsalted areas. If possible, walk
around snow or ice instead of
through it.
Winter is here to stay and conditions
are only going to get worse, so be
prepared. Contact Nancy Goodyear at
ext. 80368 to learn more about winter
safety and preparedness.
Special Savings on
Slip-Resistant Footwear
CHE Trinity Health employees
are eligible for special savings on
slip-resistant shoes from SureGrip
Footwear. Visit suregripfootwear.com
and login:
Username: CHE_Trinity
Password: safety
Shop the site and select your shoes
and proceed to the checkout. You
will need to enter your name and
type “NOID” in the employee ID
area. Enter your home shipping
information and select the no
cost ground shipping option.
After entering your credit card
information, you’ll be able to review
your order and confirm it.
You can also place your order by
phone when you call 877-566-7547.
Shipping and returns are free.
Avoid Winter Falls with these Smart Tips
Theworldrecordforthelargest
snowfallinasingledaywasseton
December4,1913,whenGeorgetown,
Coloradoreceivedastaggering
63inchesofsnow
6. CELEBRATE ONE YEARPLEASE JOIN US AS WE
OF COMPASSIONATE CARE
DECEMBER
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Enjoy cupcakes
and refreshments
Visit with staff
and patients
Take a behind
the scenes look at
the center
Get information
about services
1100 E. Michigan Avenue | Grayling, MI 49738 | 989-344-5800
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