June 9, 2011 Volume 34 No. 10

Late on Friday afternoon, May 20, Sue Fitzsimons sent a request to nursingleadership asking them to attend a meeting on Tuesday, May 24 at

11:45 a.m. to review the “Nursing Readiness Plan.” On Monday after-noon, May 23, she sent a request to hospital leadership asking them toattend a “celebration” on the continuing journey toward Magnet®

designation for May 24 at 11:45 a.m.It all seemed innocent enough and she apologized for making both

appointments at the last minute. On Tuesday, when attendees entered

It’s official: Yale-New Haven Hospital is recognized as Magnet hospitalthe Anlyan Center’s auditorium, a slide onthe screen said “Nursing Readiness Plan.”

What the audience didn’t knowwas that Fitzsimons, senior vice pres-ident, Patient Services, and LoriHubbard, RN, Magnet coordina-

tor, had an appointment to call theexecutive director of the AmericanNurses Credentialing Center (ANCC),

the organization that grants Magnet status tohospitals. Aware that the hospital would soon learn

if it had achieved Magnet designation basedon its 47-pound application and rigorousfour-day site visit, the audience was getting alittle nervous. Fitzsimons heightened the sus-pense by doing everything but reciting arecipe for lemon pound cake from thelectern. And then it was time. The call wentthrough.

Lisa Rioux, RN, MSN, Transforming Patient Care team, anticipated the good newsSue Fitzsimons was about to share at the Magnet announcement.

Before, during and after the Magnetannouncement, Sue Fitzsimonslaughed, cried and smiled as she discussed the effort that YNHH nurses had invested in the multi-yearendeavor to earn Magnet.

Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital (YNHCH) has been rankedamong the best in the nation for five of its pediatric subspecialties

in the 2011 edition of America’s Best Children’s Hospitals, publishedonline by U.S. News & World Report. The hospital’s diabetes and en-docrinology service ranked number seven in the nation; YNHCH alsoranked among the very best in the nation in four additional medicalspecialties: gastroenterology, neonatology, pulmonology and urology.“We are honored to have our children’s hospital specialties ranked

among the best in the United States,” said Clifford Bogue, MD, in-terim chair of Pediatrics for the Children’s Hospital. “We are especiallyproud that our comprehensive pediatric thyroid program and overalldiabetes and endocrinology programs are in elite company. The depthand breadth of our expertise across all the pediatric specialties is significant and becoming more impressive each year.” This is the third consecutive year YNHCH’s diabetes and en-

docrinology service has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report.“Our total focus is providing the best family-centered care to each

and every patient at Yale-New Haven,” said Marna P. Borgstrom, president and CEO, YNHH. “The recognition by U.S. News & WorldReport is a testament to the dedication of the physicians, nurses andstaff and the passion and commitment they convey while working toadvance research and treatment of childhood illnesses at Yale-NewHaven Children’s.”

YNHCH ranked in five specialtiesby U.S. News & World Report

The hospital had hired a film crew to capture the Magnet announcement and before it broke up,a group of nurses – organized by Magnet coordinator Lori Hubbard (left), RN – needed littlecoaxing to give a thumbs up to the day’s announcement.

Everyone in the room clearly heard Craig Luzinski, director of the ANCCMagnet Program, say, “It is my honor and privilege to inform you that Yale-New Haven Hospital has been granted Magnet recognition....” Applauseerupted. The phone call ended with Luzinski telling the audience, “You’redoing wonderful work up there.”Then the place went wild. As Fitzsimons wiped tears from her eyes, green

– Magnet’s color – balloons wafted into the auditorium and beach balls fromlast summer’s Magnet fairs were tossed into the crowd. Nurses distributedcommemorative placards and green-tinged carnations.Fitzsimons asked Richard D’Aquila, executive vice president and COO, to

make a comment. At the lectern, he recalled his interview with Fitzsimonsfive years ago. “She grilled me on Magnet – that’s all she talked about,” saidD’Aquila. “You are a very special group. But to achieve Magnet, you neededa leader and Sue is an extraordinary leader – and she deserves a round of ap-plause.” The audience cooperated. Fitzsimons had the last word. “This is only the beginning of celebrating

our nurses for this achievement,” she said. “When it comes to getting thingsdone, the Navy SEALs have nothing on our nurses!”

Staff Nurse Council taking ap-plications for new members

Staff Nurse Council is now ac-cepting applications for new mem-bers who will serve starting inJanuary 2012. Candidates shouldhave at least one year of YNHH ex-perience as a registered nurse, mustbe on the Clinical Ladder and ableto commit to a two-year term. De-tails, a list of current members andapplications can be found on theStaff Nurse Council page on thenursing web site. Deadline for appli-cations for SNC is Friday, July 1.

Financial fair scheduled for June 14-17

The hospital’s annual financialfair will be held over the course offour days and in five locations againthis year. The fair helps employeeslearn more about the financial pro-grams the hospital offers employees.Representatives from Fidelity Invest-ments, Yale-New Haven HealthcareFederal Credit Union, Bank ofAmerica, YNHH Parking/TransitOffice, RideWorks/CT Transit, FirstNiagara Bank/H.O.M.E. programand Marsh Voluntary Benefits willbe on hand to answer questions.

Benefits staff will also be availableto answer questions about theYNHH Benefits Program. Prior tothe fair, employees will be able to ac-cess their personal statement of com-pensation and benefits on their pageat Employee Self Service.

The dates and times for the fairare: Tuesday, June 14, 10:30 a.m.-noon, at Medical Center South;Tuesday, June 14, 12:30-1:45 p.m.,

…NEWSBRIEFS…

YNHH nurses show their prideMany faces…

Many roles…

first floor, 300 George Street;Wednesday, June 15, 7:30-9:30 a.m.,Temple Medical Center; Wednesday,June 15, 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m., HospitalAtrium, 2nd Floor, West Pavilion;Thursday, June 16, 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m.,Hospital Atrium, 2nd Floor, WestPavilion; and Friday, June 17, 11a.m.-1 p.m., Shoreline Medical Center.

YNHH named by Becker’s asbest place to work

Yale-New Haven Hospital hasbeen named to the 2011 Becker’sHospital Review/Becker’s ASC(Ambulatory Surgery Center) Re-view list of the “Best Places to Workin Healthcare.” Becker’s list of 100workplaces represents leading healthsystems, small community hospitals,ambulatory surgery centers andphysician practices.

Becker’s considers robust benefits,opportunities for self-improvement,employee appreciation and strongties between staff members.

According to Becker’s, YNHHwas recognized for programs benefit-ting employees including an annualmerit pay program, year-end bonusesbased on the overall performance ofthe organization and specialachievement awards, and its pro-grams that welcome employee feed-back and encourage communicationbetween staff and management.

Financial Wellness presents firstquarter market update June 14

Financial Wellness has scheduledanother talk for employees to helpthem make informed financial deci-

Many names…

sions. On Tuesday, June 14, noon-1p.m., Ken Patterson, senior invest-ment education consultant, FidelityInvestments, will give a market up-date on the first quarter, endingMarch 31. He will discuss what’sbeen driving the economy andspecifics on how the domestic andinternational stock and bond mar-kets performed.

The talk will be held in CH 201.Reservations are requested becausespace is limited. Employees shouldcall 1-800-642-7131 or reserve atwww.fidelity.com/atwork/ reserva-tions. Employees may also call oremail to schedule a one-on-one con-sultation with Fidelity consultantErin Wright who visits YNHH twicea month.

Notes at Noon concerts beginFriday, June 10

For the 26th year, the Yale-NewHaven Hospital Auxiliary will hostNotes at Noon, its annual summermusic concert series.

Beginning on Friday, June 10, thisyear’s concerts feature several artistsnew to Notes at Noon as well assome returning favorites. The con-certs take place at noon in theHunter Courtyard. In the event ofrain – except for July 15, concertswill move indoors to Harkness Hallon Cedar Street.

The concerts offer exceptionaloutdoor lunchtime entertainment onseven consecutive Fridays – with theexception of July 1 – through July29.

This year’s line-up includes: June10: Hudson Howard, jazz and R&B;

June 17: Glen Roth, jazz, pop, rocksoloist; June 24: Airborne Jazz, con-temporary jazz ; July 8: SarahBlaker, jazz, folk, rock; July 15: BobLamothe, blues; July 22: The JollyBeggars, Celtic band; and July 29:The Michael Cleary Band, funk androck.

Correct phone number for Car-diac Rehab in Branford

The May 19 issue of the Bulletinincorrectly reported the phone num-ber of the newly opened YNHH Car-diac Rehabilitation Center at 84North Main Street in Branford. Itscorrect number is 203-483-3107.

YNHH offers employees careerassessment, resumé workshops

To help employees further theircareer and educational goals withinthe hospital, Yale-New Haven nowoffers two workshops. One workshopallows participants to take a career-related assessment and the otherhelps participants develop a resume.Each class is two hours long and aregiven online at the Institute for Ex-cellence. Space is very limited. Ad-ditional information on the newprograms is on the HR website underEmployee Programs.

Upcoming career assessmentworkshops will be held Tuesday, June21, 6-8 p.m. and Tuesday, July 19, 8-10 a.m. Upcoming resumé work-shops will be held on Thursday, June23, 6-8 p.m., and Thursday, July 21,8-10 a.m. To register, those inter-ested should contact Cynthia Low-man, career counselor, 688-1085, orcynthia.lowman@ynhh.org.

Each year during national Laboratory Medicine

Week, Laboratory Medicine honors one of its

own with the ROSE Award, an acronym for

Recognition of Outstanding Service and Esprit

de corps. This year, Lab Medicine chose Toney

Marguy, blood gas technician in the Blood Gas

Laboratory - for the 11th annual ROSE Award.

Referred to as the "go to" person in the Gas

Lab, Marguy first started with the hospital in

1968 and, except for a 10-year absence, has

been with the blood gas lab and or YNHH ever since. Shown at the ceremony are (l-r): Brian Smith, MD,

chief, Laboratory Medicine; Peter Marone, director, Laboratory Medicine; Toney Marguy; Rita

Napierkowski, laboratory regulatory compliance specialist, Laboratory Medicine, and previous ROSE

Award recipient; and Norman Roth, senior vice president, administration.

Toney Marguy named winner of 11th annual ROSE Award

Through Thursday, June 23, YNHH

and YNHHS employees may nominate

an employee whom they think would

make an outstanding Service Excel-

lence Hero at heroes.ynhh.org. To

help get the word out to employees

about Heroes and how to nominate

one, the Service Excellence Heroes

Nomination Committee enlisted the

help of current and former Heroes,

who signed up to hand out cards and work at an informational table in front of the East Pavil-

ion cafeteria. Displaying some Hero-ic efforts and the year they were named are (l-r): Charise

Berghaus, billing coordinator, SBO (current); Sandi Barbiero, MRI technician, Diagnostic

Radiology (2008); Angie Smith, patient representative/volunteer coordinator, Patient Relations

(current), and Ivette Colon, agency coordinator, PFAS (2007).

Heroes past and present helpfind Heroes future

At the information table, employees alsolearned that OPCC staff will visit departmentsand units to provide more targeted education and

training on privacy or compliance issues. Any de-partment interested may make a request byemailing compliance@ynhh.org.To access compliance policies online, employ-

ees may click on the corporate compliance/pri-vacy link in the blue bar at the top of theIntranet page. This will connect employees withhospital compliance policies, privacy policies andHIPAA privacy forms.

…NEWSMAKERS…Marna P. Borgstrom receives national Grass-roots Champion AwardMarna P. Borgstrom, president and CEO, was re-

cently honored by the American Hospital Associa-tion (AHA) and the ConnecticutHospital Association (CHA) with aGrassroots Champion Award.Borgstrom was recognized for herleadership in generating grassrootsand community support for issues ofimportance to hospitals and healthcare both in Hartford and Washing-ton, DC. In addition, Borgstrom works to represent all

Connecticut hospitals in CHA’s advocacy efforts. The AHA created the Grassroots Champion

Award to recognize hospital leaders who most effectively educate elected officials on how major issues affect the hospital’s vital role in the com-munity. The Grassroots Champion Award is pre-sented annually to one individual from each state.

Pina Violano honored by national highwaysafety groupPina Violano, RN, MSPH, the hospital’s injury

prevention coordinator, has been recognized as theNational Child Passenger Safety Board’s National

Child Passenger Safety Technicianof the Year. Violano received the first-ever

award at the recent national Life-savers Conference in Phoenix,Arizona.Violano, a 33-year YNHH vet-

eran, began her career on the Pedi-atric Intensive Care Unit. Since becoming acertified technician in 2008, Violano and theYNHH Auxiliary have distributed more than 350new car seats to low-income families. She earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing at

Quinnipiac College and her MS in public health atSouthern Connecticut State University. Currently,she is a candidate for her doctoral degree in publichealth at Walden University.

Connecticut Dietetic Association namesEllen Liskov outstanding dietitianEllen Liskov, registered dietitian, MPH, outpa-

tient nutrition specialist, Food and Nutrition Serv-ices, received the Outstanding Dietitian of theYear Award from the ConnecticutDietetic Association (CDA) at itsrecent annual meeting. The CDAis the state’s leading advocate forthe dietetic profession and pro-motes optimal nutrition. Liskov, who joined YNHH in

1986, provides counseling to out-patients with health issues at YNHH and theYNHH Shoreline Medical Center in Guilford.Liskov, who is a contributing author to many publi-cations, including Yale’s Guide to Child Nutrition,earned a BS in food and nutrition at Drexel Uni-versity and a master’s in public health at SouthernConnecticut State University.

Borgstrom

pride at Magnet announcement!

One team…

Violano

Liskov

In early May, the Office of Privacy and Corpo-rate Compliance (OPCC) celebrated Compli-ance Week to raise awareness of important laws,regulations and policies thatpertain to compliance and pri-vacy. Employees came awaywith an important messagefrom the week – compliance iseveryone’s responsibility.OPCC staff set up an infor-

mation table where they gaveemployees the opportunity toask questions and gather infor-mation on topics from con-flicts of interest to guidelinesfor accepting gifts and gratu-ities to protecting patients’privacy.“Our goal is simple. We

want to help everyone do theright thing,” said Karen Mur-ray, chief compliance and pri-vacy officer, OPCC.“Compliance and privacy im-pact everyone and the OPCC is here to help peo-ple understand and comply with importantregulations.”Employees, physicians and other staff also

learned about the Corporate Compliance Hotlinewhich gives them the ability to report concernsor make inquiries anonymously, if they desire.Employees can call 1-888-688-7744 or go towww.ynhhscomplianceprogramhotline.com.

Yale-New Haven Hospital celebrates Compliance Week

At the OPCC information table, Sonja Haley (left), corporate compliance specialist, andKamlesh Rangwani, corporate compliance auditor, provide information to three mem-bers of Hospitalist Services. They are (l-r): Cecilia Waldron, credentialing coordinator;Donna DeMarinis, administrative secretary; and Kimberly Novey, secretary.

For the first time, Yale-New Haven Hospital

is making its annual re-port available solely on-line. To view the 2010annual report, employeesmay go to www.ynhh.organd click on the bluebar that says 2010 AN-NUAL REPORT inthe upper right handcorner of the page andthen click the linkbelow. “We took this di-

rection for several reasons,” said RobertHutchison, director, Marketing and Communica-tions. “Online is cost-effective and environmen-tally friendly and it is how we increasingly findand access information. Social media allows indi-viduals and groups to interact instantly and cre-atively, as well as share information easily.”The report – whose theme is “Follow Us”– in-

cludes: a year-end message, lists of leaders, med-

ical staff and donors, 2010 financial and statisti-cal information and patient and hospital stories.Hutchison wants to know how employees like

the online delivery of the annual report and itscontent. He asks for employees to comment atYNHHPublicRelations@ynhh.org.

YNHH 2010 annual report now available online

YNHH extends its teaching expertise to area paramedics, EMTs

BulletinJune 9, 2011 Vol. 34 No. 10 www.ynhh.org

Editor: Leah Colihan

Graphic designer: Tracy Cole

Contributors: Ashley Brabham, Katie Fischer,Katie Murphy, Myra Stanley

Photography: Ashley Brabham, Carl Kaufman

Next issues: June 23, July 14

Copy deadlines: June 10, July 1

Submit story ideas to Leah Colihan, 688-9440,or to leah.colihan@ ynhh.org. Yale-New Haven Hospital is an EEO/AAP employer.

Bulletin is available on the YNHH intranet and the internet

Off-shift nurse leaders provide clinical assist through the night

Up until last summer, a groupcalled off-shift administrators

(OSAs) – all nurses – provided di-rection at night for everything frombed management to staffing to bro-ken water mains.“Last summer, the hospital moved

in a new direction,” explainedTahiry Sanchez, RN, MS, director,Off-Shift Administration. “We sepa-rated responsibility for these impor-tant tasks and assigned professionalsto new roles to manage them.”One of the new roles is the off-

shift executive who has the author-ity and accountability for overseeingpatient safety and quality from 7p.m. to 7 a.m. and 24 hours daily onthe weekends. The CentralizedStaffing and Scheduling Depart-ment, responsible to assure adequatenurse staffing, now has managers on-site 24/7, and the Bed ManagementOffice makes sure the right patientgets in the right bed at the righttime.The final new role is that of the

off-shift nurse leader (OSNL).“These nurses are an important

resource because they help nursesfocus on providing expert care,” saidFrancine LoRusso, RN, director,Heart and Vascular Center, liaison

to the OSNLs.“Yale-NewHaven is a 24/7organizationand off-shiftnurse leadersprovide ournight staff withthe same sup-port our daystaff have.”According to

LoRusso,OSNLs have in-troduced nurs-ing grandrounds, unit-based educa-tional supportand real-timeclinical practiceadvice to the night staff. TheOSNLs also participate in nightlyhuddles with the off-shift executivesto ensure effective communication. “As an OSNL, I am able to focus

on patient safety, support and men-tor nurses, and resolve concerns be-fore they become issues,” said JasperTolarba, RN, off-shift nurse leader.“It’s important to have leaders on allshifts that nurses can turn to if theyhave a question or concern.”

Frequently, the OSNLs are askedto provide direction if a patient orfamily has a complaint that is clini-cally focused. They help units pre-pare for clinical audits and assist newhires and new graduates, many ofwhom gain their early career experi-ence on off-shift rotations. They alsosmooth the way when patients haveto transfer from one unit to another.Carol Tinti, RN, senior charge

nurse, Cardiac Step-down Unit in

the Heart and Vascular Center, callson the diplomatic skills of theOSNLs. Clinically ready patients onher unit are sometimes asked tomove to another unit so incomingpatients who need its enhanced caremay move in.“The patient may have been here

for a few days and does not want tomove – and the family does not wantthe patient to move,” said Tinti. “Ifrequently call in the nurse leaderwho is able to help the patient andfamily members understand themore intense needs of the patientwho needs their bed. The OSNLsare reassuring and help patientsmake a smooth transition to the reg-ular care unit.”

In addition to Tolarba, theOSNLs include: Patricia Boudreau,RN, and Joanne Reilly, RN – bothformer off-shift administrators, andLisa Hoffer, RN. “Off-shift nurse leaders provide a

consistent presence that is crucialwhen questions of practice comeup,” points out LoRusso, “but theyalso work well with the off-shift ex-ecutives, Bed Management and Cen-tralized Staffing and Scheduling togive superior support to all staffthroughout the off-shift.”

Despite varying schedules, off-shift nurse leaders were able schedule a few moments for a picture. Shown (l-r) are: Patricia Boudreau, RN;Joanne Reilly, RN; Francine LoRusso, RN; Virgilio Dixon, RN, clinical services manager, Adult PCC; Jasper Tolarba, RN; Sherry Petit, RN, member of the SWAT team; and Lisa Hoffer, RN. Both Dixon and Petit provide casual coverage for the OSNLs when needed.

Yale-New Haven Hospital has an excellentreputation as an academic medical center

that extends beyond the staff it trains to thecommunity where it provides training, certifi-cation and continuing education to hundredsof area paramedics, emergency medical techni-cians (EMTs) and dispatchers.Yale-New Haven and the Hospital of Saint

Raphael jointly operate the New Haven Spon-sor Hospital Program (NHSHP) – the largestand oldest in Connecticut – and provide initialand ongoing training to emergency medicalservices (EMS) providers in New Haven andits surrounding towns. Carin Van Gelder, MD, ED attending at

YNHH, is the program’s medical director. Sheand a staff of three work with 22 agencies –from fire and police departments to ambulancecompanies. YNHH receives approximately3,600 emergency transports from these andother agencies each month.The New Haven Sponsor Hospital Program

provides basic training in a 15,000-square-foot facility on Willow Street inNew Haven. Paramedics and EMTs gain first-hand experience at YNHH andother hospitals where they learn about trauma, obstetrics, burns, stomach ill-nesses, respiration, behavioral health and emergency medicine.“Our physicians, nurses and staff do an excellent job of exposing para-

medics and EMTs to what they need to know to skillfully treat patients in thefield and successfully transport them here,” said Dr. Van Gelder. David C. Cone, MD, also an ED attending, is the director of Yale School

of Medicine’s EMS fellowship whose fellows as-sist in the training of paramedics. The para-medics receive 1,500 hours of training over thecourse of two years to become licensed. EMTsneed 145 hours of training to become certified.Paramedics must continue training in ECGs, pe-diatrics, drug administration, intubation, strokeand more, which is done at the Willow Streetfacility.A NHSHP protocol finalized last year has al-

ready contributed to improving the important“door-to-balloon” time it takes for a patient suf-fering a heart attack to get to YNHH’s catheter-ization laboratory for life-saving angioplasty.With the new protocol in place, paramedics –now trained to interpret 12-lead ECGs – whosuspect a heart attack can activate the cath labso the team is ready to treat the patient as soonas he or she enters YNHH. Paramedics are also now trained to call the

receiving hospital as soon as they suspect that apatient is having a stroke. Dr. Van Gelder calls

them “ambassadors” because they play such an important role in educatingthe public on what these symptoms are. As with heart attacks, fast action cansave stroke patients from death or debilitating injury. “The greater New Haven area is fortunate to have paramedics and EMTs

who are well trained and then receive superb ongoing training – it neverstops,” said Mariane Carna, vice president, Heart and Vascular Services andAdult Emergency Department. “Many times, the care a patient receives be-fore being admitted to YNHH can have a positive impact on their outcome.”

Dr. Van Gelder (left) recently met with staff near the ambulance bay en-trance in the Adult ED. They are (l-r): paramedic David Tauber, educationcoordinator, responsible for training; Kevin Burns, PA, YNHH’s EMS coor-dinator and liaison between YNHH and EMS agencies; and Al Gambino,director of NHSHP’s overall program. More information about NHSHP isavailable at www.sponsorhospital.org.