an employee & physician centered publication of medical west

vol 7 issue 17 2016

HEALTH5 Simple Rules to Maintain

a Balanced Diet

BESSEMER HEALTH CENTER

HOSPITAL• Hoover National Night

Out• Senior Care Luncheon• Hospice Education• Congratulations Dr.

Denney

FAMILY• Meet Cathy Eddings• Gloria & Pam Retire• Pat on the Back• Welcome Aboard

Eugena White• Celebrating Business

OfficeWeek• August Employee of

the Month

. . . . . . . INSIDE THIS WEEK’S ISSUE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

NEWS• Food Truck

Wednesday • August Events

Calendar

A L E T T E R F R O M K E I T H P E N N I N G T O N

As many of you know, Medical West hosts an annual Cheers to Charity Gala benefiting the Western Health Services Foundation. At last year’s event, the funds raised were used to develop a Medical West Wellness Center. I am proud to say that through the hard work of Matt Turncliff, Rehabilitation Services and the Plant Operations team, we officially have a Wellness Center that will be available to therapy patients, our employees, and our community.

This 1500 square foot facility is located at the Outpatient Therapy Center and Wound Center building and holds a wide variety of exercise

equipment including 5 treadmills, 2 arc trainers, 2 recumbent bicycles, 11Cybex strength machines and 3 50-inch flat screen televisions. Hours of operation will be Monday – Thursday from 7:00 am – 6:00 pm and Friday from 7:00 am – 5:00 pm. As a benefit to Medical West employees, employee memberships are only $10 a month and will be payroll deducted at a biweekly rate of $5 per pay period.

I would like to invite you to an Open House on Tuesday, August 30th from 2 – 4 pm at the Wellness Center. The grand opening will be on Tuesday, September 6th. Please make plans

to stop by, tour the new facility and enjoy light refreshments. I look forward to all that this facility has to offer our employees, patients and community.

Thank you for all you do,

Keith Pennington, CEO and President

NEWSYOUR NEWSe m p l o y e e n e w s • e v e n t s c a l e n d a r • s p e c i a l a n n o u n c e m e n t s

AugustEVENTS CALENDAR

Celebrating Health Care Facilities Week Monday, August 15 - Friday, August 19thThank you to the Health Care Facilities team members for your hard work and dedication to Medical West. We appreciate you!

Food Truck WednesdayWednesday, August 24th (Front Lawn)Treat yourself to delicious, fresh seafood from local food truck, Off The Hook! The Off the Hook food truck will be on campus on Wednesday, August 24th from 11:00am - 1:30pm. Cash and card accepted.

August Birthday Breakfast Thursday, August 25th @ 8:00am (Civic Room) All employees with an August birthday are invited to join us as we celebrate your special day! Join us for breakfast and enter for a chance to win some great door prizes! Call ext. 8500 to RSVP.

PROVIDED BY OFF THE HOOK ood Truck ednesday F W

OFF HOOKtheWednesday, August 24th

11:00am - 1:30pmOn the Front Lawn

AugustEVENTS CALENDAR

YOURa guide for a healthy YOU brought to you by the Medical West Health Rewards Program

HEALTHHEALTHmust adhere to eating at that specific time. If you’re hungry at 10:00 a.m., and your snack isn’t going to cut it, then go ahead and eat your lunch. Will you use the excuse, “Oh but then I’ll want dinner really early.”? Not a problem. Eat dinner earlier. The ‘food-time fairy’ isn’t going to punish you if you don’t eat at exactly 7:00 p.m. The bottom line is to listen to your body and eat when you’re hungry.

Portion ControlPortions aren’t so easy to decipher. That half rack of ribs on your plate, with a side of mashed potatoes and sauteed veggies isn’t a single serving. But, you don’t want to let it all go to waste, right? You don’t have to let it go to waste. Ask for a to-go box. Eat half of your meal and save the rest for the next day.

You can’t go a day without hearing someone talk about a new diet or new superfood. With so much information, it can be confusing. But, food and nutrition shouldn’t be rocket science. It’s actually simple; eat whole foods and listen to your body.

Eat What You WantIf you’re craving a burger, go ahead and eat it. Well it’s not that simple.

If you decided to eat a burger, opt for a healthier option. Why not make your burger at home instead of going to a fast food restaurant. Use turkey meat instead of ground beef. Choosing a healthier variation is generally a good rule of thumb.

Eat When You WantJust because your lunch break is at noon doesn’t mean you

5 Simple Rules to Maintain a Balanced Diet

source: http://active.com

Rewarding YourselfStop rewarding yourself with food. Runners tend to be an entitled bunch when it comes to food. They finish a run and reward themselves with food. Many times I hear this, “I ran 3 miles; surely I can eat this bucket of wings.” Not so fast. Find a new reward. How about a foot massage? Eat to run, don’t run to eat.

You are What You EatYou’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again. You are what you eat. Personally, I don’t find food to be all that attractive (A bell pepper just doesn’t look sexy to me), but that’s not the point. This phrase makes more sense if it said, “If you want a simple life, eat simple foods. For a complicated life, choose foods with ingredients you cannot pronounce.” It’s totally your choice. I prefer the simple life, free from complications. Besides, I feel better when things are simple.

HOSPITALYOURBESSEMER HEALTH CENTERHOSPITAL

r e n o v a t i o n s • o u r p a t i e n t s • h o s p i t a l s e r v i c e s • c o m m u n i t y i n v o l v e m e n t

Senior Care LuncheonMedical West hosted a Senior Care Luncheon on Friday, August 5th at the Bessemer Civic Center. A special Thanks to Dr. Brad Denney for being our guest speaker! Dr. Denney spoke to over 100 senior citizens about skin cancer. Thank you to Dr. Denney, our Food Services staff and the Medical West Volunteers for all of your help!

Hoover National Night OutOn Tuesday, August 2nd, Medical West participated in Hoover's National Night Out, hosted by the Hoover Police Department. Members of the community were invited to interact with the city's police and fire departments as well local businesses in the area. National Night out is designed to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness, generate support for and encourage participation in local anti-crime programs and strengthen neighborhood spirit and police/community partnerships.

HOSPITALYOURBESSEMER HEALTH CENTERHOSPITAL

r e n o v a t i o n s • o u r p a t i e n t s • h o s p i t a l s e r v i c e s • c o m m u n i t y i n v o l v e m e n t

Hospice EducationOn Wednesday, August 10th, the Medical West Case Managers held an event titled, Education on General Inpatient Hospice & The Services it Provides, which focused on educating our employees on inpatient hospice and the benefits associated. Six hospice companies were in attendance; Hospice Service of Alabama, Comfort Care, Gentiva, Vitas Healthcare, New Beacon and Alacare. Thank you to all who attended!

Congratulations Dr. Denney!On Thursday, August 11th, the Bessemer Area Chamber of Commerce awarded Dr. David Denney the 2016 Doctor of the Year award at their 25th Annual Bessemer Business Awards and First Responders Gala. Dr. Denney has been with Medical West for more than 30 years and is the Director of Medical West's Emergency Services. He is also the President of Bessemer Emergency Physicians. Congratulations Dr. Denney on your prestigious award!

FAMILYYOUR FAMILYmeet your co-worker • employee of the month • bi r thdays • pat on the backs

Meet Your Co-WorkerCathyEddings,BusinessOffice

Cathy Eddings is a Customer Service Representative in the Business Office and has worked for Medical West for a year. Cathy is from Southside, AL and graduated from Southside High School. Prior to working at Medical West, Cathy worked at the Jefferson County Board of Education.

Fun Facts Cathy Eddings:1. I have been happily married to my husband Bob for 16 years.2. I love God and my family.3. I have three kids: Jason (40), Heather (36) and Chase (15) and four

grandkids.4. I love Alabama Football. Roll Tide Roll!5. I love Nascar Racing! Go Dale Jr.!6. I love to fish.7. I love vintage muscle cars.8. I was the captain of the Colorguard in high school.9. I love and collect antiques.10. I own two labs and raise puppies.

FAMILYYOUR FAMILYmeet your co-worker • employee of the month • bi r thdays • pat on the backs

Gloria Harris RetiresGloria Harris, 6E Registered Nurse, has retired after 40 years of dedicated and loyal service to Medical West. Thank you Gloria, you will greatly be missed.

A Pat on the BackLee Lake, Registered Nurse recently received a positive comment from a coworker.

“Lee has gone above and beyond to assist PACU in getting a PALS class that four of us could attend despite having other classes scheduled that we could not attend due to staffing issues. I also want to commend him for his class. He stayed for PALS and ACLS and thoroughly covered the material then waited very patiently as we took the test. Each class he stayed and answered questions and reviewed material despite the fact that we had exceeded a routine eight hour day. This was the best PALS class I have ever attended. He is committed to have employees leave competent to apply the information presented in the manuals! ”

Thank you Lee for making a difference. We appreciate you!

Pam Giardina RetiresPam Giardina, Quality Coordinator, has retired after 43 years of dedicated and loyal service to Medical West. Thank you Pam, you will greatly be missed.

FAMILYYOUR FAMILYmeet your co-worker • employee of the month • bi r thdays • pat on the backs

Welcome AboardEugenaWhite,ComplianceOfficer

Eugena White has joined Medical West as the Compliance Officer.

Eugena is a native of Birmingham, Alabama. She received her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and her law degree from Birmingham School of Law. Before joining Medical West, Eugena was at UAB Hospital where she spent more than eight years in Hospital Compliance. In her spare time, Eugena enjoys traveling, reading, cooking, quality time with friends and family, and is very interested in web blogging.

Meet A DepartmentCelebratingBusinessOfficeWeek

The Medical West Business Office is located across the street from the hospital behind the Bessemer Clinic, and is made up of 25 employees. We have one cashier located in the hospital on the first floor across from the elevators.

We are responsible for patient billing, follow up and posting of all the payments for the hospital as well as for all of our employed physicians. We are like family, we all love what we do and would not want to work anywhere else.

- Angie Jacks, Director of Patient Accounts

Thanks for reading this week’s issue!

FAMILYmeet your co-worker • employee of the month • bi r thdays • pat on the backs

If you have a Pat on the Back or a special feature you would like to see in our next issue, please email it to caroline.dahlen@uabmw.org.

Thanks for reading this week’s issue!

EMPLOemployee of the month

Wanda Barnett

AUGUST 2016

congratulations to wanda barnett for receiving our august employee of the month award. wanda exhibits each of the medical west values and we are honored to have her as part of our team. thank you wanda for your

outstanding performance and commitment to medical west!

MEDICAL WESTcongratulates our

C a s e M a n a g e m e n t