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Network: August/September/October 2008
Members of the Team: General Updates
 Sentara Named Employer of Choice®
Thanks to Sentara’s talented staff and its commitment to quality, patient care and customer service, Sentara Healthcare was designated an Employer of Choice® in June 2008.
This distinction has been awarded to fewer than 30 companies in the financial, construction, technology and health care industries in the nation. Following a rigorous evaluation, Sentara received the third highest score among all companies in the history of the award. Due to the strength of this score, Sentara was granted the Employer of Choice® status for two years rather than the customary one-year period.
 Celebrations - Recognitions like the one pictured here at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital were held for employees. Pictured from left to right are Kyle Carter and Janet Moffett as they take a break from serving cake to hospital employees.
Advertisements - To share the news with the community, print ads featuring photos of Sentara employees at work ran in The Virginian-Pilot, Daily Press, The Virginia Gazette, Suffolk News Herald and the Elizabeth City Daily Advance during July 4th weekend.
Video - A video is being developed to discuss Sentara’s positive work culture and will feature commentary by Senior Vice President of Human Resources Mike Taylor and various Sentara employees expressing pride in working for an Employer of Choice®. The video will be used to help with recruiting events, new employee orientation and for various award applications, including Magnet status. For more information - Read Sentara CEO Dave Bernd’s remarks, an article about the award, or the press release announcement.
 Tobacco Free Environment Update
On July 4th, 2008, Sentara Leigh Hospital and Sentara Obici Hospital campuses declared their independence from tobacco adopting Sentara’s Tobacco Free Environment initiative. Tobacco free means that no smoking, chewing tobacco or snuff is permitted anywhere on the campuses, including in cars or in parking lots. Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital, Sentara Bayside Hospital and the Sentara Princess Anne campuses all became tobacco free as of Jan. 1, 2008.
A number of other Sentara facilities – including Sentara CarePlex Hospital, Sentara CarePlex West, Sentara Port Warwick, Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center, Sentara Corporate offices, Sentara’s Data and Recruitment Centers, Sentara Home Care, and Optima Health offices — will all become tobacco free on Nov. 20, 2008, to coincide with the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout.
The entire medical campus encompassing Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters (CHKD) and Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS), including all ancillary departments will become tobacco free on Jan. 1, 2009.
Sentara supports and celebrates every team member who quits tobacco and aids their efforts by offering tobacco-cessation classes to employees and their spouses, and reduced costs on nicotine replacement therapy.
As explained during open enrollment, Sentara also offers an economic incentive for non-users who adopt a healthier lifestyle in the form of lower health plan premiums. Employees may learn more about Sentara-sponsored smoking cessation programs on WaveNet.
Family Initiated Rapid Response Safety Team (FIRRST) a Success
This June 2008, Sentara Virginia Beach General and Sentara Leigh Hospitals each adopted a new program to further enhance Sentara’s culture of safety for patients and their families.
Family Initiated Rapid Response Safety Team (FIRRST) is a system that encourages family members to initiate an emergency call to a Safety Response Team from within the hospital if they notice a change in their loved-one’s condition and feel medical attention is needed. A family member can often detect subtle changes in a patient’s condition that may not be apparent to the health care team.
This system-wide initiative was launched first at Sentara Bayside Hospital followed by Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center, with all Sentara hospitals scheduled to have it in place by the end of 2008. A patient education video describing the FIRRST system and how to use it has been produced and will be aired on the patient education television channel within participating Sentara hospitals.
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