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VOLUNTEER BEACON

A newsletter for and about the Volunteer Services Department

Of the Lehigh Valley Health Network

November 2010

Dear Friends:

Happy holidays! As many of you already know, I am planning my retirement effective March 31, 2011. I have been working at Lehigh Valley Health Network in the Volunteer Services Department for 18 years. Over the years I have had the privilege of working with many wonderful and dedicated people for whom I am so very thankful…. not only our wonderful volunteers, but the paid staff that I have worked with in the volunteer services department and gift shops.

As I prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, I have thought a lot about these dedicated people. I can truly say that I have worked with the best of the best!

The person who gave me my start at LVHN was Hazel Kramer. I had known Hazel for several years through our involvement with the Society of Volunteer Administrators of the Lehigh Valley (in my prior job with the American Red Cross in volunteer services). She told me that she was planning to retire and that her job would be open and that I should think about applying for it. I did and was hired in March of 1993 as the Assistant Director of Volunteer Services for Lehigh Valley Hospital.

Hazel retired in the summer of 1995 and I was promoted into her position as director.

Hazel Kramer died last month at the age of 81. After retirement, she was committed to helping her church in Richland town and the Lehigh Valley Health Network Retirees organization. In her 30 + year career with the Allentown Hospital and then Lehigh Valley Hospital, Hazel was very involved in promoting the profession of volunteer administration. She served as the president of several organizations, both locally and state-wide that serve to educate volunteer administrators, particularly in healthcare. She was a pioneer in this field of work and a mentor to many.

I am thankful to have served with and alongside Hazel during my early years with our hospital.

As you each prepare to celebrate the holidays, I hope that you will recognize the gifts that you have each been blessed with, and continue to share them with others. These are what make you the very special people that you are.

Happy holidays!

Betty Anton

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|UPCOMING IMPORTANT SURVEY |

Lehigh Valley Hospital has been notified that it will receive a full Medicare Survey to evaluate its compliance with all CMS Medicare Conditions of Participation (COPs), with a particular focus on Patient Rights. This survey, which will be unannounced, will occur after December 10, 2010, but prior to January 1, 2011.

The survey will encompass all Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH) services, and will include all inpatient and offsite locations that are licensed as part of LVH. Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg is NOT included. We expect a minimum of a five (5) day survey, with multiple surveyors. The survey will be conducted by Department of Health surveyors, but may also include Center for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) surveyors. Additionally, the DOH surveyor contingent may include surveyors from outside our immediate region.

Lehigh Valley Hospital has not experienced a CMS Medicare Survey previously. LVH has maintained its certification with CMS's Medicare program through Joint Commission (TJC) accreditation, as TJC is a deeming authority for CMS.

If you see surveyors in the hospital, they may approach you and ask you questions about your work as a volunteer. As many of you have experienced Jt. Commission surveys in the past, you know that education is key to success.

Each year, the Volunteer Services Department does an annual education with all of our volunteers. This is often done through this newsletter. 2010 will be no exception....thus within this edition of the Volunteer Beacon, you will find important information relating to safety, infection control, confidentiality, cultural awareness, etc. This education is required of volunteers at all locations.

Below you will find a tear-off that you can keep with you while you are at the hospital to remind you of some of these items.

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EDUCATION QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE

SECURITY

Dial 555 if you observe an emergency situation

Wear your photo ID at all times

Non-Emergency dial 8220

FIRE SAFETY

R.A.C.E

R-remove anyone in immediate danger

A-alert others-activate alarm pull-box dial 555

C-contain the fire

E -extinguish, if possible (we do not expect volunteers to use fire extinguishers) - alert paid staff

INFECTION CONTROL

Hand washing soap, running water, 10-15 sec. of friction, dry with paper towel, turn off faucet with towel In cases of no visible contaminations alcohol-based hand sanitizers are available

BLOODBORN PATHOGENS

Never come in contact with a patient’s blood or body fluid

Never Clean up a spill-unless you know it’s water (call general sevices)

Always use a cooler to transport specimens

Always cover breaks in your skin with band-aid (waterproof)

TB

Every volunteer is tested on start date and if on leave for 1 yr. or longer needs re-test on return

HIPAA-Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act

Confidentiality and Privacy are Patient Rights

Volunteers need to protect patient information

Proper Disposal of paperwork with patient identifiers into BLUE recycles containers

Every volunteer must sign annually and adhere to a confidentiality agreement

Do not leave computer screens unattended

Do not discuss patient information in public areas

CULTURAL DIVERSITY WHEELCHAIR USE

Develop Awareness Always lock the brakes when patient is getting into & out of chair

Accommodate as able Back patient into elevator so they are facing door

Show Respect to all Ask for help if patient is too heavy for you to push safety

|What is AIDET? |

AIDET the 5 Fundamentals of Communication:

AIDET the 5 Fundamentals of Communication tool was developed by the renowned

consulting firm The Studier Group, known for helping healthcare organizations improve the

patient experience. They have found in their research when asking health care staff and volunteers

what they would want for a family member if they were hospitalized, the things they

consistently mentioned are:

⇒ Respect

⇒ Communication

⇒ Appreciation

⇒ Confidence in the skill of the caregiver

As a result of this research the Studer Group developed the AIDET Tool to enable healthcare staff and volunteers to deliver on key service drivers identified by family members.

AIDET Tool/ Acronym Stands for:

A - Acknowledge the customer.

I - Introduce yourself and your role, co- workers, other departments, and/ or physicians.

D - Duration, explain how long procedure may take.

E - Explain in a language the customer can understand what is about to happen.

T - Thank the customer for choosing LVHN.

While the AIDET tool is primarily used by clinical staff in the hospital, it is important for all of us to keep this acronym in mind when interacting with patients everyday in every way.

|UPCOMING SPECIAL HOLIDAY EVENTS |

| |

|December 2 and 3 |

|Auxiliary 30% off sale (with a few exceptions) |

|Gift Shops of LVH (CC & 17) |

| |

|December 3 |

|Auxiliary Holiday Tea |

|LVHM (2 – 4 pm) |

| |

|December 8, 9, 10 |

|Auxiliary Flower and bake sale |

|LVHM (8 – 5) |

| |

|2010 Holiday “Adopt a Family Program” |

|Items are requested for a 48 year old female patient of |

|one of our clinics who is in great need – items need to be |

|wrapped and brought to the volunteer office at Cedar Crest by 12/20/10 |

|Please call Betty at 610-402-8897 if you can participate. |

|Requests include a coat, jeans, and sweaters |

| |

|December 9 & 10 |

|Auxiliary $5 Jewelry Sale |

|LVH-CC (7 am – 4 pm) |

|(top of stairs in Jaindl Pavilion) |

| |

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|2010 VOLUNTEER ANNUAL EDUCATION |

Our Mission

We heal, comfort and care for the people of our community by providing advanced and compassionate health care of superior quality and value, supported by education and clinical research.

General safety

It is our goal to provide the safest possible environment of care for our patients, visitors and personnel. Your participation is an esssential part of an effective, proactive safety program. Your role in accomplishing this goal is to promptly report hazards, participate in safety training and perform in a safe manner.

Safety is Everyone’s Responsibility

• DIAL 555 if you observe an emergency condition

• Know the in-house emergency codes-familiarize yourself with these codes.

• During an large scale emergency return to your department – do not leave the hospital without reporting to your supervisor.

LVHN Emergency Codes

Code Yellow - Fire Safety

Remember R.A.C.E

R-remove anyone in immediate danger

A-alert others-activate pull-box and dial 555

C-contain the fire

E-extinguish (we do not expect our volunteers to use fire extinguishers-please alert a paid staff

member)

Code Blue – Cardio pulmonary arrest

Code Green – Medical Gas/Vacuum System Failure

Code Orange – Behavioral Health Emergency (need Security)

Code Pink – Missing Child (need Security) – be aware, especially of children near exits

Code White – Bomb Threat (need Security)

Code Red – Trauma arrival

Code 45 – Hazardous situation, STAY CLEAR, evacuate and avoid the area noted

(could be active shooter in building)

Infection Control

• HAND WASHING-It cannot be stressed enough how important hand washing is to preventing the spread of infection. Always perform hand washing when entering a patient’s room, between any physical contact with a patient, before eating, before leaving the restroom and after any contact or handing of contaminateed items.

• PROPER METHOD

Use an approved soap--running water---10-15 seconds of friction when hands are visibly

soiled. Dry hands with paper towel and turn off faucet with towel. Alcohol-based hand

sanitizers are available in most areas and when no visible contamination is present they are as

effective as soap & water.

Wheelchair Use

Make sure that brakes are locked when a patient is getting into and out of a wheelchair

Always back patients into the elevator so they are facing the door

Bloodborne pathogens

• NEVER come in contact with a patients blood or body fluid.

• NEVER clean up a spill unless if you don’t know what it is. Always contact General Services.

• ALWAYS use a Cooler to transport any type of specimen.

• ALWAYS cover breaks in your skin with waterproof band-aids

• NEVER put biohazardous waste into regular trash must be put into a red bag

TB-Tuberculosis is a disease spread through the droplets of infected nuclei coughed into the air by a person with active TB.

To prevent the transmision of TB remember the five P's:

1. Patient Hygene

2. Properly fitting respirators

3. Proper patient room assignment

4. Place airborne isolation sign on door

5. Patient TB screening Tool - all volunteers are tested when starting as a volunteer and, if on leave for one year or more, will need to be tested on their return.

HIPAA--The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act

Confidentiality and Privacy are patient rights.

Volunteers need to protect patient Information through proper disposal of papers with patient identifiers on them (must be placed into blue secured recycle containers),

every volunteer must sign and adhere to a confidentiality Agreement, not leave computer screens unattended and not discuss patient information.

Photo IDS

• Wear your photo ID at all times to identify yourself and your positon

• Provides access to some in-house departments for those who need access

• Shows in-house emergency codes on extra badge

Cultural Awareness

• Develop awareness

• Show Respect

• Begin by making changes to accommodate cultural perfernces whenever possible

Remember.....only certified medical interpreters may be used for communication of medical information with non-English speaking inpatients. Children and other family members may not interpret medical information for our inpatients. To contact the Interpreter Services Department, call 402-8221 for CC and Muhlenberg or 969-4002 for 17th Street.

If any of our bi-lingual volunteers are interested in becoming a medical interpreter, please contact Josephina Clark at 610-969-2892 and ask for information about the 40-hour “Bridging the Gap” interpreter training program.

VOLUNTEER INFORMATION TELEPHONE NUMBER

Did you know that we now have a general volunteer telephone line that provides information on becoming a volunteer? Dial 610-969-2850.

PLEASE COMPLETE THE ANNUAL VOLUNTEER EDUCATION POST-TEST INCLUDED IN THIS NEWSLETTER AND RETURN TO ANY OF THE HOSPITAL VOLUNTEER OFFICES NO LATER THAN DECEMBER 31, 2010. VERIFICATION OF ALL TRAINING IS A JOINT COMMISSION REQUIREMENT.

|THANK YOU |

| |

|Thanks to everyone who donated to the book drive that was held at LVH-17th & |

|Chew |

|1,009 books were donated to support pediatric literacy at this site |

|(if you want to see more about how literacy is promoted at LVH-17 go to the |

|LVHN’s website at and click on “Learn What’s News.” Scroll down|

|and see Linda Hoskins’ photo!) |

|☺☺☺☺☺ |

| |

|Thanks to the LVH-Muhlenberg |

|Summer Festival volunteers who raised and donated $85,000 to purchase a |

|3D Transesophageal Echocardiography (TEE) probe and surgical light for the |

|Operating Room at Lehigh Valley Hospital – Muhlenberg. |

|Congratulations on another successful year! |

|☺☺☺☺☺ |

| |

|From Terry Burger and Dr. Michael Consuelos |

|We would sincerely like to thank all the hospital employees and volunteers |

|that contributed their time and talent to help vaccinate 11,000 of our |

|community members during our recent drive-thru flu clinics. The program |

|would never be successful without the assistance of our dedicated steering |

|committee and volunteers. |

| |

|Please know that you helped to save lives with flu shots and helped to |

|provide food for many hungry people! |

|We wish you Happy Holidays. |

|We look forward to your help again next year. |

| |

|Number of venues 2 |

|Number of shots given 10,808 |

|Pounds of food donated 8,632 |

|659 Volunteers Priceless |

|50 leftover boxed lunches Allentown Rescue |

|Mission |

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Lehigh Valley Hospital – Cedar Crest teen volunteer, Sam Tate, was awarded the Pennsylvania Workforce Investment Board’s (WIB) Northeast Region Student Healthcare Hero Award in Harrisburg on November 9th. Samuel was nominated for this honor by the Volunteer Services Department of LVHN in recognition of his many hours of service to the inpatient pharmacy, his participation in the LVHN Emerging Health Professionals Program, and his future career goal of becoming a surgical fellow in orthopedics.

Sam and his family will also be honored at the Lehigh Valley WIB board meeting on December 14th in Easton.

Congratulations Sam!

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|DECEMBER IS A BUSY MONTH FOR VOLUNTEERS AT ALL LEHIGH VALLEY HOSPITALS |

| |

|THE HOLIDAY SEASON IS A VERY BUSY TIME IN ALL PARTS OF OUR HOSPITALS. |

|ILLNESSES, MOTHERS GIVING BIRTH, AND ACCIDENTS DO NOT KNOW ANY HOLIDAYS. |

|IF YOU HAVE ANY EXTRA TIME TO HELP, PLEASE LET SOMEONE IN THE DEPARTMENT YOU |

|VOLUNTEER IN KNOW. ANY EXTRA HELP WILL DEFINITELY BE APPRECIATED. |

|WELCOME MARY SCHAEFFER – Sales Associate for the Gift Shops of LVH |

| |

|Mary grew up in Macungie, attended Emmaus High School and graduated from Moravian College in 1979 with a BS in Computer Science. That same year, she married her |

|high school sweetheart, Ken, and they now have a 27 year old son Scott, who is a Juvenile Probation Officer for Lehigh County. Scott is married to Julie. |

| |

|After college, Mary had several different jobs at Western Electric/AT&T/Lucent/Agere. The job she was most proud of was creating, staffing, and managing a 24/7 |

|World Wide Technical Support Desk. |

| |

|Mary was also was involved with the Longaberger Basket company. When a Sales Associate position became available last month, Mary applied for the job. With her |

|knowledge of retail sales and a background in business with computer science, she was a great fit for the gift shops of LVH. |

| |

|Please welcome Mary to the Lehigh Valley Health Network |

The Volunteer Office at the Muhlenberg site will be relocating around the beginning of January. The new office will be located on the second floor of the tower near the stairway to the main lobby. The relocation is due to an expansion of the Emergency Department.

|Free Vitality Plus Cards |

| |

|If you are 50 plus years old, call 610-402-CARE for your free membership card. Show you card at all three LVHN cafeterias for discounted meals (11am – 7pm). Each|

|meal is $4.35 and includes an appetizer, entrée of the day, side dish and a 12 oz. fountain drink. |

| |

|Volunteers can also use their badge and your meal will be free without going over your $6.00 allowance. Call for your free card today and see the many other |

|benefits of this card. This is available to everyone, not just LVHN staff and volunteers! |

| |

|Other “perks” include: |

|Vitality Plus in Healthy You magazine |

|Workshops and seminars |

|Free health screenings, flu shots and medication analyses throughout the year |

|Health plan and insurance claim counseling |

|Discounts on enrollment fees at top local health clubs (monthly fees still apply): LV Racquet & Fitness Centers, Allentown Racquetball & Fitness Club, Bethlehem |

|Racquetball & Fitness Club, Trexlertown Fitness Club |

| |

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SAVE THE DATES

2011 Volunteer Recognition luncheons

Wednesday, April 20, 2011 LVH-Muhlenberg at the Candlelight Inn

Wednesday, May 4, 2011 LVH at the Lehigh Country Club

2010 VOLUNTEER ANNUAL EDUCATION POST TEST

Name _______________________________________________________________

Please circle the most appropriate answer.

1. The phone number to call to report all emergencies in all of our hospital sites is 555.

True False

2. You should wear your volunteer ID badge at all times when you are working at LVHN

True False

3. The “A” in the RACE acronym relating to fire response stands for ACTIVATE the alarm/pull

box and dial 555.

True False

4. Code Blue is used for a patient who is in cardio pulmonary arrest.

True False

5. Hand washing is required when entering a patient’s hospital room and after having any physical

Contact with a patient, after using the restroom, and before eating.

True False

6. Only trained medical interpreters may be used when communicating medical information to

Non-English speaking inpatients – family members cannot be used for this purpose.

True False

7. Always use a cooler when transporting specimens from units to the lab.

True False

8. Hands should be washed for 10 – 15 seconds with soap and water when visibly soiled.

True False

9. All papers with patient identification on them must be disposed of in a blue recycle container.

True False

10. Wheelchair brakes must be locked when a patient is getting into or out of the chair.

True False

_____________________________________________ _____________________

Signature Date

_____________________________________________________________

E-mail address (please print clearly)

Lehigh Valley Health Network

Volunteer Services Department

P.O. Box 689

Allentown, PA 18105

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

|Volunteer Services Department and Gift Shops of LVHN |

| |

|Joan Harrison & Betty Anton, Co-Editors, Volunteer Beacon |

|Betty Anton, Director, Volunteer Services, LVHN |

|Karla Bachl, Coordinator, Volunteer Services, LVH-Muhlenberg |

|Richard Doddy, Bookkeeper, Gift Shops, LVH |

|Elizabeth Holland, Secretary, Volunteer Services, LVH-Muhlenberg |

|Linda Hoskins, Coordinator, Volunteer Services, LVH-17th & Chew |

|Elizabeth Monaghan, Manager, Camille Gift Shop, LVH-Muhlenberg |

|Lynn Schaeffer, Secretary, LVH-Cedar Crest |

|Mary Schaeffer, Sales Associate, Gift Shops, LVH |

|Monica Weida, Manager, Gift Shops, LVH |

|Sallie Zahour, Sales Associate, Alcove Shop, LVH-17th & Chew |

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