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Network: February/March 2008
Members of the Team: News Briefs Around Sentara
 Sentara LifeCare Celebrates the Holidays
Bethelehem Alemayehu (center) along with fellow classmates at Rosemont Elementary School in Virginia Beach took a field trip to Sentara Adult Day Care on Sentara Way in Virginia Beach on December 18. Students sang holiday songs and made crafts with program participants.
Innovation Advisory Panel Issues Report
Sentara CEO Dave Bernd completed a one-year appointment on a national U.S. Commerce Department panel called the ‘Measuring Innovation in the 21st Century Economy Advisory Committee.’ The panel issued a report during January 2008 and made some specific recommendations on how to measure the economic effects of innovation. Representing Sentara, Bernd served alongside CEOs of Microsoft, UPS, IBM and Medtronic, as well as scholars from Harvard and Carnegie Mellon. Read the report online at http://www.innovationmetrics.gov/
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| (L-R) Leslie Laconsay and Tara Wehmeyer are pictured at a TFE event at Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital. | Tobacco Free Environments: Live the Mission
Beginning January 1, 2008, Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital, Sentara Bayside Hospital and the Sentara Princess Anne campuses all became tobacco free. Tobacco free means that no smoking, chewing tobacco or snuff is permitted anywhere on the campuses, including in cars or in parking lots. More sites will follow later in the year, with Sentara Leigh Hospital and Sentara Obici Hospital scheduled for July 4, 2008. A host of other buildings and operations centers – including the corporate and Optima offices will become tobacco free on November 20, 2008, to coincide with the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout. 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. Through the TFE initiative, Sentara lives its mission “to improve health every day” and provides a healthier, more pleasant environment for employees, patients and visitors. Employes can learn more about smoking cessation programs at Sentara on WaveNet.
Optima Issues Electronic Explanation of Benefits
In January 2008, all Sentara employees insured through Optima received their Explanations of Benefits (EOBs) via email. Employees then had the option to print, store electronically or delete them. Employees will also receive email notices from members@optimahealth.com and will be able to click on an activation link. This convenient, cost-saving program is another example of Optima’s quest for innovation. Learn more about your health benefits with Optima.
FIRRST Teams Launch at Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center
To ensure early intervention and the highest quality patient care, Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center has started the Family Initiated Rapid Response Safety Team (FIRRST) program. The initiative, presented at patient orientation and promoted through brochures and posters, encourages family members to alert patient care supervisors to changes in a loved one’s condition that concern them. FIRRST teams will augment the Medical Response Teams (MRTs) currently in place to respond to staff concerns about changes in a patient’s condition.
Breast Center Receives Accreditation
The Dorothy G. Hoefer Comprehensive Breast Center at Port Warwick has received stereotactic accreditation from the American College of Radiology, and expects a similar accreditation for ultrasound in the near future. Congratulations to Breast Center staff on receiving this important, voluntary standard that ensures high quality care for patients.
Vice President of Medical Affairs at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital
Dr. Paul Chidester was named vice president of medical affairs at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. Dr. Chidester is a nephrologist with 25 years experience. He practiced for many years at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, but has served for the last two years as chief medical officer at Chesapeake Regional Medical Center.
Update on eCare at Sentara Leigh Hospital
Sentara Leigh Hospital’s new eCare go live target implementation date is Sunday, February 24. This is a very important step in the project roll out and employees throughout Sentara will be excited to see the project come to fruition. The eCare initiative will help Sentara transform healthcare for its patients. Employees can learn more about eCare on WaveNet by selecting the eCare link. Look for more information about eCare in the next issue of Network.
WaveNet Wins Gold
WaveNet, Sentara’s widely used employee intranet site, was honored with a gold award from Strategic Health Care Communications in the ‘Best Intranet Site’ category of their 2007 eHealthcare Leadership Awards. The awards are presented by the publication eHealthcare Strategy & Trends.
Tumor Boards Introduced at Sentara Obici Hospital
The first prospective tumor board at Sentara Obici Hospital convened in fall 2007 to apply a multidisciplinary approach to cancer care. At weekly meetings, surgeons, medical oncologists, radiologists, pathologists, pulmonologists, gastroenterologists and other specialists review cases together and design the most effective treatment plan for patients. Tumor boards can also make quicker decisions to adjust care plans and communicate those recommendations promptly to patients. Tumor Boards are already being used with success at the following hospitals in the Sentara Cancer Network: Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, Sentara Leigh Hospital, Sentara CarePlex Hospital and Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center.
Sentara Bayside Hospital Unveils Healing Garden
In recognition of the life-affirming power of gardens and the importance of providing a soothing environment for patients, families and staff, Sentara Bayside Hospital recently completed work on a Healing Garden. The garden, located outside the cafeteria near the hospital’s front left entrance, features three stone benches, accent lighting, a water fountain and a variety of colorful, fragrant shrubbery, plants and flowers.
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