NEXUS CONNECTION - HealthBridge Children`s Hospital

NEXUS
CONNECTION
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
HBO Anniversaries
TNC Anniversaries
NSH Anniversaries
# yrs.
# yrs.
Diane Raymond, RN................................... 10
Maria Hernandez, Housekeeper ................. 9
Thuy Nguyen, Dir. Outpatient Services ..... 9
Ana Parra, CNA ......................................... 8
Sherrell Draves, CNA ................................. 5
Maria Lopez, RN ....................................... 5
Leticia Urrutia, Housekeeper ..................... 3
Cherryl Trajano, RN .................................. 3
Karena Bui, OT ......................................... 1
Carolyn Ndu, Program Facilitator .............. 11
Elva Perez, LSA II ..................................... 5
Chrystal Burkhalter, LVN .......................... 4
Alicia Payne, Van Driver ........................... 4
Cindy Mostaffa, CEO ................................. 2
HBO Birthdays
Elva Perez, LSA II ..................................... 11/02
Stella Reardon-Puentes, Dir.
Nutritional Services ................................... 11/02
Alisha McGeary, RN ................................. 11/08
Carmen Cabacungan, CRT ........................ 11/12
Maria Lopez, RN ......................................... 11/19
Shawn Jones, LSS ...................................... 11/06
TNC Birthdays
Thomas Ridley, Psychometrist ................... 11/01
Sharee Brown, Case Manager .................... 11/02
Teressia Hamilton, Shift Leader ................. 11/03
Christina Williams, LSS ............................. 11/07
Bret Fry, Van Driver .................................. 11/09
Candace Bishop, LSA I .............................. 11/10
Katie Kimberlin, LSS ................................. 11/12
HBH Anniversaries
Rachelle Zamarripa, RN ............................. 11/14
# yrs.
Kristie Murphy, RN ................................... 6
Nancy Melly, CNA .................................... 2
Leah Thompson, CNA ............................... 2
Qhudsia Arshee, Director Clinical Nutrition
Services ...................................................... 1
Deletea Bradley, RN .................................. 1
Roxanne Cantu, Charge Nurse ................... 1
Rita Proutt, LSA I....................................... 11/19
Debra Lutzow, LVN ................................... 11/23
Dana Atkins, LSS ....................................... 11/25
Julie Snyder, RN ......................................... 11/05
Angel Bonaventure, Director HIM ............. 11/06
Caroline Kamau, RN .................................. 11/06
Maria Garcia, CNA ..................................... 11/07
Jennifer Natividad, CNA............................. 11/07
Esther Urbano, Telemetry Tech .................. 11/08
Mirlinda McClain, OT ............................... 11/09
James Norman, RN .................................... 11/09
Rudy Ceballos, LVN .................................. 11/07
Erum Qureshi, RN ..................................... 11/07
Isabel Sanchez, CNA ................................. 11/13
Darilyn Adams, RN.................................... 11/14
Leslie Porter, LVN ...................................... 11/10
Wanda Felder, CNA ................................... 11/11
Everlyne Osok, CNA ................................. 11/14
Rachael Skinner, Dietary Aide ................... 11/14
Corporate Anniversaries
# yrs.
Ronell Myburgh, VP Clinical Services ....... 11
Tim Stiff, Clinical Liaison .......................... 1
November 2011
NSH Birthdays
Roselyn Nolen, RN ..................................... 11/01
Lauryn Bruce, SLP ..................................... 11/03
Rebecca King, Admissions Coordinator .... 11/03
Leslie Wemple, Coder ............................... 11/03
Delila Magare, CNA .................................. 11/01
Silvia Cruz, Admissions Coordinator ......... 11/03
Maureen Arvanetakis, VP Sales & Mktg .... 11/10
Quondolyn Clayton, Patient Accounts ........ 11/12
# yrs.
Patricia Hagler, LVN ................................. 9
Judith Copeland, Wound Care Tech............ 5
Ashley Phillips, Dietary Aide ..................... 5
Irma Roberson, RN ..................................... 5
Charito Villanueva, RN .............................. 5
Duchar Lind, RN ........................................ 3
Natalie Munoz, Dir. Clinical Services ........ 3
Desirae Reese, Dietary Aide ....................... 3
Tina Baldwin, RN ....................................... 2
Erna Beaver, RN ......................................... 2
Johnette Jarrett, LVN .................................. 2
Taylor Perkins, Dietary Aide ...................... 2
Rebecca Posinski, RN ................................ 2
Teresa Bryan, RN ....................................... 1
May Bullard, Dietary Aide.......................... 1
Jonathan Dameron, CNA ............................ 1
Imelda Juarez, Dietary Aide ........................ 1
Alice Nalondo, RN ..................................... 1
Cordelia Nwankwo, RN .............................. 1
Jennifer Ralphs, LVN ................................. 1
Rachael Skinner, Dietary Aide .................... 1
Jenice Caldwell, Neuro Tech II .................. 11/20
HBH Birthdays
Corporate Birthdays
Happy Birthday to HealthBridge Houston
Sr. Pharmacist, Evelyn Perridon who celebrated her birthday on October 25!
Nexus Connection
NOVEMBER 2011
Tina Baldwin, RN ....................................... 11/15
Myeisha Spears, Rehab Tech ...................... 11/18
Angela Walters, RRT ................................. 11/19
Oswald Barake, RN ................................... 11/21
Cecilia Camacho, CNA............................... 11/21
Judith Clarke, Director Wound Care ........... 11/21
Lavaughn Taylor ........................................ 11/27
Page 8 of 8
NEXUS EMPLOYEES HIT GOAL
OF RAISING $20,000 FOR
THE COMMUNITY!
In late 2010, Nexus employees set a tion includes safety awareness and
goal of raising $20,000 to be given to equipment. Employees wanted to be
the Nexus Hope Foundation to pur- a part of helping the community prechase safety helmets to be given
vent brain injuries.‖
away in the communities surroundThis is the first time that Nexus
ing the Nexus facilities. Foundation employees took on a project as big as
Board Memraising
ber and Vice
$20,000.
President of
Foundation
Human ReBoard Memsources,
ber and Vice
Guy MurPresident of
dock said
Information
―Employees
Technology
wanted to be
commented,
a part of
―We knew it
project that
was going to
impacted
take team(pictured above) Medical Credentialing Specialist, Beverly Hessel from
the commu- Nexus Specialty Hospital, participated in one of the many events spon- work and
nity. When sored to give away helmets to adults and children in the community.
partnership.
we set our
And , togethgoal to raise the money we knew that er we did it. It is an indication of the
employees could do it. We knew it type of dedicated employees we have
was a big goal and it was for a good at Nexus.
cause. Many of our employees see
The business partners of Nexus
every day the results of accidents that also deserve some special recognimight have been prevented. Preven- tion for their support. Many of those
business partners heard about what
the employees were trying to achieve
and made donations to the cause.
Their support really helped us reach
the $20,000goal.
And raising the money was just
part of it. Employees have been actively involved in distributing the
helmets to the community. They
have donated their time as part of the
effort. The helmets include both hel(Continued on Page 2)
Helmet Project
Continued from Page 1
mets for children as
well as adults. The
helmets are distributed in an effort to better equip children and
adults in preventing
brain injuries during recreational
activities such as bicycling and
skateboarding.
The original $20,000 goal has
been achieved! And there is still 2
months to go! So far over 1000
helmets have been given to individuals in the community, free of
charge, in an effort to promote safety and provide equipment to prevent brain injuries. And we will
keep collecting money and keep
supporting the community. When
the 2011 project concludes we expect to have distributed 1500 helmets and participated in over 10
community events.
Thanks to all employees who
were part of the project. It is truly
an effort and cause to be proud of.
Nexus Direct
A direct access hotline to the
Nexus Compliance Department available to all employees, families, vendors
and visitors.
1-866-285-8528
Ring, Ring Ring…
―Thanks for calling Nexus Direct!‖
November 2011
PTO Sharing Program
Now Available
At the request of our employees, Nexus Health Systems has created the
PTO Sharing Program. The program provides employees the opportunity to
demonstrate their compassion for fellow employees by donating their PaidTime-Off (PTO) to assist other employees who have exhausted their PTO
balance. The donated PTO will be placed in a PTO Sharing Pool until an
eligible employee requests additional PTO. To receive additional PTO, the
employee must be classified as a full time or part time employee.
Any employee who meets the definition for medical or personal emergency and who has exhausted all their PTO or has 12 hours or less in their
PTO bank at time of request may make a request for additional PTO. Contact the Human Resources department to complete a PTO Sharing Request
Form. PTO sharing for the year will be granted according to the chart below:
Full Time Status
80 Hours
Part Time Status
40 Hours
Anyone interested in donating PTO can go to their Human Resources
department and complete a Payroll Adjustment Form. Hours cannot be donated to another individual directly. They are placed in the PTO Sharing
Pool for eligible employees to access once they meet the established criteria.
Employees may not donate more than 25% of their available PTO balance as of their most recent pay period. Only one (1) donation can be made
per pay period. Once hours have been donated, they will not be returned to
the donating employee. Per IRS regulations, donated hours may not be considered ―charitable gifts‖ for income tax purposes. See your human resources representative for a copy of the PTO Sharing Policy.
The Nexus Family is Growing: Nexus Physician
Services, PLLC
Nexus Physician Services, PLLC recently joined the Nexus Family!
Nexus Physician Services was formed in 2011 to provide a centralized
function for providing professional services throughout Nexus Health
Systems. This entity currently employs the Nexus Physician Assistants
that provide care throughout the Nexus facilities. During the fourth
quarter of 2011 physicians will also be joining the team to round out the
delivery model. Nexus Physician Services is currently seeking to add a
Hospitalist, an Internist and a Psychiatrist to the team. The team will be
growing throughout the remainder of 2011. Watch for the new faces
that will be joining the team!
Nexus Connection
Page 2 of 8
Happenings in West
Houston!
HealthBridge Children’s Hospital in Houston Introduces
The Obesity Program
October 3, 2011 kicked off the Obesity Program at HealthBridge Children’s
Hospital in Houston. The program is an interdisciplinary tertiary care intervention that addresses the complex medical, physical, emotional and social
needs of obese children and adolescents. The program is designed for children and adolescents with body mass index (BMI) >= 95% and at least one
obesity-related comorbid condition. It utilizes a highly structured, aggressive approach to decrease BMI, resolve obesity related conditions and increase quality of life.
The HealthBridge Obesity Program incorporates low calorie diets, individualized physical training programs, and mental health support for both
patient and family. Our expert staff is committed to seeing each child
achieve their health goal during and after discharge.
Patient
Reunion at
HealthBridge
HealthBridge Houston hosted it’s
6th annual Patient Reunion on October 22. Radio Disney came out
to help celebrate and there was
plenty of active fun in the sun.
Watch for pictures from the event
in the December edition of Nexus
Connection!
Thanks to everyone
who participated in
this community
event!
EXERCISE YOUR BRAIN: Continued from Page 4
2. Exercise
Yes, exercise can stave off or delay dementia—but did
you know it can actually reverse brain aging too? A team
from the University of Illinois recently reviewed dozens
of past studies and found that aerobic exercise boosts not
only speed and sharpness of thought, but also the volume
of brain tissue. As little as 50 minutes of brisk walking 3
times a week was found to have this brain-expanding effect. Tip: For an added boost, walk in the park: University of Michigan researchers found that volunteers whose
course took them through a tree-filled setting performed
20% better on memory and attention tests than those who
walked downtown.
3. Brush and Floss
Oral health is clearly linked to brain health, according to
a team of British psychiatrists and dentists. After studying thousands of subjects ages 20 to 59, they found that
gingivitis and periodontal disease were associated with
worse cognitive function throughout adult life—not just
in later years. Tip: Follow your dentist's advice—floss
daily and brush your teeth at least once a day.
4. Drink Sparingly
Limiting cocktails is beneficial for cognitive function.
Keep your alcohol consumption within the healthful limit: no more than one drink a day. The more alcohol a person drinks, the smaller his or her total brain volume becomes, according to a recent study. Tip: If you like a
glass of white wine with dinner, make a spritzer by replacing some of the wine with sparkling water.
5. Eat Blueberries
New research shows that blueberries may help sharpen
your thought processes. After National Institute on Aging
and Tufts University researchers injected male rats with
kainic acid to simulate the oxidative stress that occurs
with aging, rats that had been fed a diet containing 2%
blueberry extract did better navigating a maze than rats
that didn't get the compound. In another study, the same
researchers found that rats that ate blueberries showed
increased cell growth in the hippocampus region of the
brain. The researchers theorize that the dark blue pigment
found in blueberries is responsible for these cognitive
changes; it contains chemicals that may cross the bloodbrain barrier and lodge in regions that govern learning
and memory. Tip: Stock up on blueberries when they're
on sale, and sprinkle them over your cereal or yogurt or
fold them into your smoothie.
News from Shenandoah
and The Woodlands
Nexus Specialty’s
Annual Wreath
Contest Begins
Soon!
Learning about the
Functional Independence
Measure (FIM)
Written by: Stefanie Gowen, Rehab Manager at Nexus Specialty Hospital:
Shenandoah Campus
The Functional Independence Measure (FIM) is a tool therapists use to
measure patient outcomes. Measuring outcomes is important because it
helps to monitor and ensure quality patient care. Each number score is associated with the level of assistance a patient requires:
Nexus Specialty’s annual holiday
silent wreath auction will begin November 14th and run through November 28th. Employees are given
an undecorated holiday wreath to
use their creative minds and turn
them into beautiful holiday wreaths
for a good cause. Last year, over
$1,000 was raised during the silent
auction. The funds were matched
by Nexus Specialty! All proceeds
went to the Montgomery County
Food Bank. We are so proud to
have funded over $2,000 for such a
need in the community. We hope
to exceed our funds this year to
give back even more. All employees are welcome to participate and
anyone (employees, patients, visitors, members of the community)
can participate in the silent auction.
Wreaths will be hung in the NSH
front lobby on November 14th.
November 2011
1=Dependent
3=Moderate Assistance
5=Supervision/Set-up
7=Independent
2=Maximum Assistance
4=Minimal Assistance
6=Modified Independent
At Nexus Specialty Hospital - Shenandoah Campus, patient’s FIM levels
are recorded during their initial assessment and reassessed on a weekly basis and as needed to track progress. The graph below illustrates the comparison between the admission FIM scores and the discharge FIM scores.
Practices such as recording and tracking FIM scores is just another example of how Nexus Health Systems and Nexus Specialty Hospital is focused
on ensuring quality care for patients through best practices and successful
outcomes.
Nexus Connection
Page 6 of 8
SAVE
THE
DATE!
Nexus Holiday
Events!
Texas
December 10
California
December 16
Additional information will be
provided. But mark your calendars now and plan to
attend the annual employee
celebration.
Invitations will be
coming soon via
your email! Watch
for your invite!
We are still collecting
recipes!
Do you like to cook?
Do you like to share
your recipes? Well,
find your favorite
recipe and put on
your apron. Nexus is
making a cookbook!
The employees of Nexus are
assembling a cookbook of favorite recipes that will be shared
with the community during the yearend holiday season. All employees
are invited to participate in this new
holiday event. The recipes can be
for any food type….appetizers, beverages, salads, meats, desserts,
breads, etc. You decide what you
would like to share. And share as
many as you would like.
Recipes can be submitted to your
human resources department or
faxed to (713) 482-4946. Recipes
can also be emailed to:
tjones@nhsltd.com.
All recipes must be submitted no
later than November 10, 2011. Get
out your recipes and join the fun!
ITS HERE!
Ensuring employee health and wellness is essential to a productive and
effective work environment. In addition, employees can benefit from a
healthy lifestyle with decreased costs
associated with health insurance.
Nexus has teamed up with Humana to bring employees, participating in the Humana medical insurance
programs, the Humana Vitality
Wellness Program. This program
will reward employees for choosing
a healthier lifestyle. The program is
designed to help incentivize employees for making better choices. The
program includes wellness education
and support as well. It also encourages employees to become involved
in as many of Humana’s wellness
programs as possible.
The Vitality program allows employees to earn points which they
can use to buy items such as electronics, gift cards and movie passes.
It’s easy to earn points. Points can
be earned for completing a health
assessment, having wellness tests,
participating in a wellness program
or just going to the gym.
Meetings have been scheduled in
all facilities. Watch for the notices
and join the fun. Anyone attending
has a chance to win a new iPod Nano
for just learning about the program.
Get involved. Win prizes! Get
healthier!
Communications
from Conroe, Texas
Thoughts about
being thankful…
Written by: Assistant Administrator at Touchstone, Tam Harwell
With Thanksgiving fast approaching, we find ourselves thinking about what
we have to be thankful for. A fun activity to do at home with family, or
your work family, is to make a ―Thankful Tree‖. Here’s all you need to
know to make your tree: 1) Cut up leaves out of autumn colored construction paper and place somewhere that everyone can access one per day (30
leaves for each person participating)—you may want to color code or they
can be anonymous. 2) Draw or otherwise construct a large trunk that everyone can access. 3) Each day of the month, everyone picks a leaf from the
stack and writes one item that they are thankful for—either really sincere or
really silly. It’s up to you! 4) Enjoy looking at the ―tree‖ as it grows
throughout the month, realizing that we all have lots of big and small things
that occur all year long that make it great to be part of our family or the
workplace!
October brings fun and friendship
to Touchstone
Everyone quickly got into the Halloween
spirit at Touchstone with the many events
and activities for employees during the
month of October. Shown above: Assistant Nurse Manager, Theda Pyle; RN,
Amanda Raley; Assistant Administrator,
Tam Harwell and Staff Educator/HR Assistant Tanisha Carter. Theda, Amanda,
Tam and Tanisha all showed their Halloween spirit during the Halloween TShirt Day.
November 2011
Luis Banda got into the Halloween Spirit
at Touchstone by participating in the Candy Guess Contest. This contest consisted
of identifying candy that had melted in the
microwave. You could touch and smell.
But no tasting! Luis is a Living Skills Advisor at the Somerset House at Touchstone.
Nexus Connection
From the Sunny Shores
of Southern California
5 Ways to Boost
Your Brain!
By Elizabeth Svodoba
Muscle Up Your Memory
Around the time we hit 30, our
brains begin a slow, steady downward trajectory, or so popular wisdom would have it. But cognitive
decline is by no means an inescapable side effect of aging. In fact, according to a flurry of new reports,
you can counteract age-related
changes in the brain with a surprisingly simple regimen of activities
guaranteed to nurture and fortify
your mental muscle power. Here are
five easy ways to keep your brain
quick, sharp, and bristling with
youthful vigor.
1. Google Often
When you search the Internet, you
engage key centers in your brain
that control decision-making and
complex reasoning. And these few
clicks may be more mentally stimulating than reading, say UCLA scientists. Their studies found that Internet searching uses neural circuitry that's not activated during reading--but only in people with prior
Internet experience. MRI results
showed almost 3 times more brain
activity in regular Internet searchers
than in first-timers, suggesting that
repeated Googling can be a great
way to build cognitive strength over
time. Tip: Spend around 20 minutes
a few days a week searching topics
you've always wanted to learn more
about—regardless of how seemingly frivolous!
(Continued on Page 7)
Page 4 of 8
The Heart
& Soul of
HealthBridge
by Allan Komarek, Ph.D., R.N., CEO/
Administrator at HealthBridge Orange
Since coming to HealthBridge Orange at the beginning of September,
the one thing I’ve noticed is the
spirit that exudes from each and
every employee. As I make rounds,
smiles are always ready and it feels
like a family atmosphere. It’s easy
to tell this is more than just a job
for the team. It is passion. The care
you provide for those we care for,
not just the patients, but the families and the visitors as well, is palpable.
And I’m not the only one who
notices. You can see it in the faces
of the children as they play and
laugh – and heal. Healing not only
comes from the physical plane. It
also comes from the spiritual plane
as well.
When I was two years old, I
developed Calve Legg Perthes’ disease (aseptic necrosis of the head of
the femur.) My right hip was the
hip really affected.
Don’t ask me how I remember,
but I can see my hospital room, the
hip-spica cast, being put on a bedpan, but most of all, I remember my
mother sitting at the side of the bed
being sad, and the nurses and aides
who came in the room.
I also remember the terror I felt
the day they cut the cast off. I was
sure I was going to be sawed in
half. Obviously I wasn’t (that
would be one heck of a way to lose
weight, and I’m ALWAYS trying
to lose weight!).
I spent a year in a wheelchair
and two years in a brace on crutches. I was one of those bratty kids
who would take my leg out of the
brace as soon as I was out of sight
of my parents and run around
climbing trees and generally getting
into trouble.
Because of the therapy I received, I healed well and my only
deficit is that my right leg is slightly shorter than my left. (I wish I
could find a way to blame my baldness on it, but I think that is genetics.)
My reason for sharing this is
that I have personal experience with
your predecessors… the nurses,
nursing assistants, and therapists
(and every one of you who support
the work they do) who made such a
difference in my life. Don’t let
anyone tell you your job is not important. Everything you do affects
everyone in the organization. We
all have the power to make it a
wonderful day for our coworkers,
or … not. We are all here for the
same reason and every one of our
jobs is just as important as everyone else’s. We all just do different
things. We, all of us, are the heart
and soul of HBO.
Customer Service Tip of
the Month
Laughter is therapeutic. Smile or laugh
out loud daily – especially if you’re
going through a tough time.
Saying Goodbye to
Ronell Myburgh
September 30 was Ronell’s
―official‖ last day as an HBO employee; however, she will be back
once a month for meetings in her
new role of Vice President of Clincal Services.
To show
our appreciation,
Thuy Nguyen organized one of our famous
potlucks. We wish you the best,
Ronell, and thank you for your
years of service as our leader!
Aquatic Therapy
Do you know that Lynda Kappelman has been using the pool at Cedar Creek Senior
Apartments to
provide aquatic
therapy to some
of our patients?
The weather has
been cooperating
beautifully (it is
SoCal, after all,)
and the patients are getting a great
workout safely. Editor’s note: Now
that’s thinking out of the box to
provide additional ways we can
provide therapy!
Employee of the Month
Congratulations to Jason
Wandel, Housekeeping.
STAR Award Winner
Congratulations to
Mercedes Chavez, RN