Volume 20, Issue No. 29 - July 11, 2011

A Weekly Publication for the People of Queen’s | Volume 20 | Number 28 | July 11, 2011
QMC Celebrates Dental Clinic’s Susi Verdugo
One afternoon, the Queen’s Dental
Clinic was short staffed. Susi’s infectious laugh cut through a clutter of
noises from whirring dental equipment
and patients coming in the front door—
and right through the tension that
might have developed out of not having enough hands on deck. With skill,
she balanced patient flow in the reception area while assisting chair-side
in back during a difficult orthodontic
procedure. At just one and a half years
of service, the Dental Clinics’s newest
patient service representative, Susan
“Susi” Verdugo, was quickly recognized
as a valuable employee who is cheerful, welcoming, giving, and skilful all
at once, and so has been named QMC’s
Employee of the Month for June.
“You can hear her laugh all the way
across an amusement park!” said Debbie
Gasparenas, about her sister’s distinctive
laugh. “Anybody around her can’t help but
laugh.” Laughter may be the best medicine for many ills, but it’s Susi’s connection to patients that stands out. With her
positive attitude and gregarious, disarming, and calming demeanor, she has been
instrumental in alleviating the anxiety of
dental visits for many patients. According to Judy Fray, Dental Clinic manager,
some patients who have had deep anxieties about dental treatment now actually
enjoy coming in. “Susi makes all of our
patients feel they are so special, honored,
and respected,” says Judy. “She epitomizes the saying, ‘people will not remember what you say to them, but they will
(Continued on page 2.)
Maria Abbott and Susi.
EOM Susi Verdugo
(Continued from page 1.)
always remember how you made them
feel.’” More employees are coming to the
Dental Clinic as patients, and Susi has
something to do with it, Judy thinks.
Susi is also well-liked by the residents
and attendings, says Judy. “What I love
the most is how Susi treats the Dental Clinic staff,” one of her coworkers
agreed. “Susi never forgets a special
occasion,” said dental hygienist Maria
Abbott about Susi’s famous rum cakes.
“She remembers birthdays, the last day
for dental residents, and sometimes just
because…and at Christmas, she made
little ones for everyone.”
“Quick to learn and apply new skills,
Susi’s always prompt, organized in
thought and action, and adaptable,” says
Mark Greer, DMD, MPH, director of
Service With C.A.R.E.
The Queen’s Medical Center delivers high
quality, evidence-based practice. But there
is another essential piece to care: Patient
Satisfaction. Learn how we are accountable to patients’ perception of HOW they
received care in six modules:
Module 1: Why Service is Important
Module 2: Defining QMC Service Success
Module 3: Delivering Excellence
Through Service Standards
Module 4: Taking Care of
Internal Relationships
Module 5: Critical Service Skills
Module 6: The Importance of
Successful Service Recovery
For all QHS employees. Register by
visiting the Queen’s Intranet at eww.
queens under Staff> Education>Training
& Development>Service With C.A.R.E.
Or, enter eww.queens.org/traindev/
reg/ special.asp. For more information,
call 537-7673 or email Felice Tolentino at
ftolentino@queens.org.
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DATE
TIME
LOCATION
July 26
Aug 25
Sept 15
Oct 20
Nov 22
Dec 12
8:00 – 11:00am
8:00 – 11:00am
8:00 – 11:00am
8:00 – 11:00am
8:00 – 11:00am
8:00 – 11:00am
QCC 200
QCC 200
QCC 200
QCC 200
QCC 200
QCC 200
1.
Dental Resident Education at the Clinic.
“She’s equally comfortable functioning
as a surgical dental assistant and as a
front office assistant, helping manage
the Dental Clinic’s business affairs—including our complex dentist and patient
schedules and our third-party claims
processing, billing, and collections.” Judy added, “She brings new ideas and
new passion to our clinic.”
Before you get the wrong idea that
the Dental Clinic routinely lets anyone
assist with dental procedures, it should
be explained that Susi has a lot of experience. She landed a job in a dental office fresh out of Kalaheo High School,
and became a certified dental assistant
at 18 years of age. After 13 years, Susie started working in the front office
in addition to being a dental assistant
because the practice she worked for was
small and needed help up front. For a
couple years, she went into office management, then decided to try something
different—not away from the dental
profession, but at an orthodontist’s office. “I like dentistry,” Susi explained.
“There are so many opportunities in so
many different fields [of dentistry], like
orthodontics, or oral surgery, or maxofacial surgery.”
After working for six years at the orthodontist’s office, Susi spent another six
at a periodontist’s office. She then decided she missed general dentistry and came
to Queen’s as a part time employee.
“What I love about the Clinic is that
it’s inspiring to watch young doctors get-
2.
1. Dental Clinic staff and residents. 2. Mariella Rivera, niece, Amoreena Verdugo,
daughter, Susi Verdugo, Debbie Gasparenas, sister, Alex Gasparenas, nephew, and
his girlfriend Jenna.
ting experience they can’t get anywhere
else,” Susi says. “I love that we work with
special needs patients—it’s my calling!”
The other part of her work time is spent
on her house/pet sitting business. Last
year, she spent only a couple weeks at
her house from June to December. A
lover of animals of all kinds—her family
has three dogs, two cats, two chickens,
six lovebirds, a cockatiel, a guinea pig,
two turtles, a tortoise, and a multitude
of fish in a pond—Susi also likes taking her grandkids, nieces, and nephew
“everywhere,” enjoys walking, and reads
anything she can get her hands on.
Queen’s has become a special place
for Susi. People have wondered aloud to
Susi and asked why and if Queen’s really
is a good place to work. Susi’s answer to
patients, staff, and all inquirers is that
she is honored to work here. “I love my
job and I love working here!”
In Memoriam: Freida Kennedy
November 10, 1998 - June 16, 2011
by Hob Osterlund, APRN
Once in a rare while, there are people
considered so vital that an annual day is
named them. At Queen’s, one being had
such an immediate impact that she had 52
days of the year named after her: “Freida
Fridays.” Freida, a yellow lab who saw
thousands of patients during her 2007 to
2011 tenure, opened hearts wherever she
went. In fact, she even opened eyes. Not
long ago, QET 7 nurses asked for Freida
to visit an oncology patient who had not
spoken—nor even opened her eyes—in
weeks. The nurses knew she was conscious. They rolled her outside with her
family and when Freida arrived, they were
introduced. Freida rested her chin on the
Heritage Day Schedule
Friday, July 15, 2011
8:30am
9am
10:30am
10am-2pm
11am
12-1pm
Buses leave for Mauna ‘Ala
Dedication Ceremonies at Mauna ‘Ala
Buses Return to QMC
Hawaiian Crafts, Harkness Walkway
Heritage Day Ceremony, Great Lawn
Entertainment, Na‘ea Courtyard
Buses to the dedication ceremonies at Mauna ‘Ala (the
Royal Mausoleum) depart from the Queen’s campus on
Lauhala Street near the Cancer Research Center. The ride
includes an informative talk about the wahi pana (legendary places). Buses will return to QMC in time for the
ceremonies on the Great Lawn. Please contact Jeannine
Johnson (691-7261 or jejohnson@queens.org) to reserve
your seat. Seating is limited. Kalo pounding demonstrations
to make pa‘i ‘ai (initial pounding of taro after cooking) will
take place under the crafts fair tent. Strolling musicians will
entertain patients and staff on the floors. Don’t miss this
opportunity to join in honoring our founders, Queen Emma
and King Kamehameha IV.
1.
arm of the wheelchair, then licked the
palm of the patient’s hand. After a minute
or two, she opened her eyes and whispered
“I love you, Frieda.” Everyone said there
was not a dry eye on that lanai.
Freida was superior to many of our
medicines: fast-acting, inexpensive, no
side effects. One bedridden patient reported so much pain that she needed help
to even turn over in bed. The nurses knew
she missed her dogs at home. As Freida
rounded the foot of the bed with her
owners and co-volunteers Jim and Vickie
Kennedy, the patient sat bolt upright, saying, “for real?” She nuzzled Freida’s face
and wept. For about 15 minutes, sitting
cross-legged in bed as if she was sitting
on the beach at Ala Moana, she giggled,
played with Freida’s ears and face, reveled
in every kiss. When the Kennedys left the
room, the nurse—herself in tears of gratitude—told them that what she had witnessed was nothing short of a miracle.
Freida gave people such a spiritual lift
that she was given an honorary title. One
patient was so despondent that she appeared to have simply given up. By the
second visit with Freida, the woman asked
if she could take her for a walk around the
ward. And she did just that, every visit for
several weeks. One day, however, she declined, saying she was in too much pain.
About an hour later, a hospital chaplain
called the Kennedys and asked them to return, saying the patient had changed her
mind. The chaplain told everyone he had
2.
1. Freida Kennedy as Vickie’s guide dog.
2. Freida, Jim, and Vickie Kennedy give pet
therapy to an ICU patient in 2009.
met the most amazing new chaplain. She
was non-judgmental, non-denominational, showed unrestrained love, and was a
great listener. And as it happened, she had
four paws. Chaplain Frieda.
Raised from puppyhood to be a guide
dog, Freida graduated from Guide Dogs
for the Blind in 2000. She then served
Vickie Kennedy for many years. During
that time, she traveled nearly 300,000
miles with Vickie, who served on the
GDB national board. Freida took up a
second career as a Pet Therapy dog after
her official retirement as Vickie’s guide.
A cancer survivor, Freida died peacefully at home on June 16 at the age of 12.
Freida entered every hospital unit with
a wag of the tail, a lick of a hand, and
long moments of the deepest eye contact
you could ever want. She never met a
stranger. She will be sorely missed. Safe
travels, Freida, and mahalo for guiding us
with joy and through our grief.
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Give the gift of
life by donating
a pint of blood at
the blood drive
on Monday, July
11 at the Bloodmobile, which
will be parked in
the old ER turnaround
from
Maddie Komatsu
7:00 am to 1:45
pm. One pint of blood can save up to
three lives. Blood doners have saved lives
like that of Maddie Komatsu, who was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of five.
She was able to beat the disease thanks
to volunteer blood donors. For availability, call the Blood Bank of Hawai‘i at 8484721. Please bring a photo ID.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The American Board of Obstetrics &
Gynecology’s “2011 Maintenance of Cer-
Sell:
Fax machine: Brother Personal fax
machine, B/W copy/fax, new cond, rarely
used, orig box, manual, cords. $30. Please
call 292-1955.
Rent:
Kalihi upper: Lg 1/1/1, dead end st, quiet,
nr Likelike, , nr Iglesia Church, easy access
to H-1, 10 min to QMC, w/d. $1,100 incl all
utils, cable. Call 221-2381.
Pearl City: 2 BR unit in house, 1 full bath,
st pkg. No smoking, no pets. $1,000+share
electric/water. Call 455-1376 or 782-2199.
Misc:
ZumbaThon fundraiser: Join the fun &
support the McKinley class of ’82, 7/16,
9-11am @ Maunawili Elem Sch, Kailua. $10.
Email Merary @ crewof82@gmail.com.
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tification, Part II Annual Board Certification, July 2011 Reading Assignment
List” has just been released. The Hawai‘i
Medical Library will make the list available with links to the electronic full text
journal articles on its Digital Library
within the next five days. Stay tuned for
an announcement by HML when the list
becomes available. Should you have any
questions about this list or other services
provided by HML, please call 691-4300.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Queen’s beautiful 2011 Heritage Day
T-shirts featuring the majestic Kapok
tree are in! You can pick up your preordered T-shirt from 11:00 am to 1:00
pm every day this week. On Monday,
July 11, T-shirts will be available outside of Morgan’s Lounge. On Tuesday,
Wednesday, and Thursday, pick-ups will
be at the Harkness Kiosk. On Friday,
Heritage Day, look for look for the Tshirt booth at the crafts fair along the
Harkness walkway. If you can’t pick up
your pre-ordered T-shirt at one of these
times, please contact Jeannine at 6917261 or at jejohnson@queens.org to arrange another time. T-shirts can be exchanged for a different size if available.
Additional T-shirts are $15 each while
supplies last. All sizes are available in
limited quantities, so come early for the
best selection!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Queen’s Federal Credit Union will
offer a free financial seminar, “The ABCs
of Financial Planning: Keeping it Simple & Find Out How AFLAC Can Benefit YOU!” on Wednesday, July 13 from
11:00 am to 12:00 pm at the Kamehameha Auditorium. Lunch will be provided, but seating is limited. For reservations, call Mona at 547-4521, option 7,
or email memberservices@queensfcu.org.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
New England vacation: Looking for a mainland escape on one of the best fishing lakes
in New England? Check out my web page @
www.vacationhomerentals.com/57524.
Placing an ad: Queen’s employees only. Include
name, phone and Employee ID number. Mail to
Creative Services—Print Connection, fax to
547-4002 or e-mail to jkimura@queens.org by
Wednesday. The Print Connection reserves the
right to edit or refuse any ad. The Print Connection
does not make any warranty about the fitness of any
product or service listed in Q-Mart.
Spiritual
Gathering
For the people of Japan
Wednesday, July 13
12:00 – 12:30pm
QET 4 Chapel
A time for prayer, meditation, or
reflection will be held by Hospital
Ministry for earthquake and tsunami victims, their families, and
friends. A hospital chaplain will
be present to guide the Spiritual
Gatherings. All are welcome.
Lexington’s Healthcare Division is
sponsoring a seminar, “Managing Risks
of Emerging Healthcare Technology:
EHR, eDiscovery, and Social Media,” on
Thursday, August 11 at the Queen’s Conference Center. Register at www.lexingtoninsurance.com/events/healthcarerm/index.php by selecting “Insured by Chartis/
Lexington” and indicating that David
Kahaulelio invited you to this seminar.
Contact Judy Kusaka at jkusaka@queens.
org or at 532-6119 for more information.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Laid up in the hospital? Need a furry
friend? If you or a loved one would like
a visit from a member of Queen’s Pet
Therapy team, call the Volunteer Office
at 691-4397.
Weekly
The Queen’s Print Connection is published
by Creative Services. If you have news or
wish to opine, call us at 537-7532 or e-mail
jkimura@queens.org. News deadline is the
Monday prior to publication.
QHS/QMC President. . . . . Art Ushijima
Publisher. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Roy Cameron
Editor/Writer. . . . . . . . . . . . Jason Kimura
Assist. Ed./Writer. . . . . . Glee Stormont
www.queens.org
The Queen’s Medical Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.
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