All Staff Need to Know
March 14, 2019
|
|
Improving the Journey; Real time patient surveys
|
Did you know, HDGH provides our patients with real time surveys that aim to capture the patient's experience while in our care? These surveys have proven to be very valuable in identifying any patient safety concerns or areas of improvement for us to continuously look at quality improvement at HDGH.
They have also allowed us to be able to acknowledge staff that have been recognized by our patients for the great work that they do.
Our two Quality Advocates, Sue Garbula and Norma Mamaril, currently complete surveys with our patients on admission and prior to discharge.
We are pleased to announce that we have four members of our Patient Family Advisory Council who will now be completing surveys with some of our patients who are in the middle of their stay with us. Our PFAC was instrumental in designing the questions they wanted to ask our patients.
A small sample size of these surveys was completed in January and the experience proved to be very valuable as the PFAC members found patients to be very perceptive to giving honest feedback “peer to peer” as these are individuals who were previous patients/family members at HDGH.
We hope to share more positive results from these growing surveys.
|
|
Anticipating Huron Church Road closure
|
Beginning on Monday, April 1st, 2019, there will be construction taking place on Huron Church Road. This construction will last approximately 90 days and work will be taking place 7 days per week and 24 hours per day as necessary to maintain schedule. This road construction will result in lane closures leaving only one northbound and one southbound lane open for traffic. This may result in delays if using Huron Church Road to access our campus. As such we are asking for your help in notifying your clients and patients.
The project will be broken down in two phases however; all staff, patients, clients and visitors are encouraged to access HDGH via Tecumseh Road or Matchette Road through to Prince Road.
The first phase will result in the closure of the northbound lanes between Malden Road and Dorchester Road. It is important to note that during this phase (approximately the first 50 days of construction), no left turns will be allowed onto Prince Road when travelling Northbound on Huron Church. (Southbound traffic will be able to turn right onto Prince during Stage 1).
The second phase (approximately 50 days into the construction), will mean there is no access to Huron Church from Prince road.
The City of Windsor will have appropriate signage for the construction project however, we would like to notify as many of our visitors in advance. For those outpatient programs who call with appointment reminders or to set up appointments, we ask that you notify your clients of the construction and encourage them to leave extra time.
We are also asking those staff who use Huron Church road to please plan accordingly and establish a new route. It is your responsibility to arrive at work on time and ready for your duties.
|
|
HDGH's 2019 United Way Campaign
|
|
Final days to submit pledge forms
|
Today and tomorrow are your last days to submit your pledge forms for the 2019 HDGH United Way Campaign.
Donor Bonuses
Remember, for making a contribution to this year’s campaign, here’s what you will receive:
- $1/pay ($26/year) - you will receive 1 cafeteria voucher to our HDGH cafeterias; offsite staff will receive a Tim Horton’s gift card of the same value.
- $2/pay ($52/year) or more - you will be entered into a draw to win free parking at HDGH for 2 months; the prize for offsite staff will be a gift card of your choice of same value.
Stay tuned for next week's E-Connect to hear our official campaign total!
|
|
81 Days until Accreditation
|
|
HDGH Patient/Family Surveyor selected
|
HDGH staff and patients will have the pleasure of meeting Accreditation Canada’s surveyors the week of June 3. Their varied expertise and extensive, first-hand knowledge of the healthcare system will help our organization excel at what we do best.
We would like to take this time to introduce Heather Thiessen, the selected Patient/Family surveyor who will be joining the rest of the survey team from Accreditation Canada.
Heather has been a patient in our healthcare system for the past 30 years, dealing with two chronic neurological conditions. She is now in her ninth year as a Patient and Family Advisor in Saskatchewan, sitting on the Accreditation Oversight Committee and the Provincial Policy Committee as part of the Saskatchewan Health Authority.
|
|
Staff info session on West-End Transit Hub - Tuesday
|
Staff are welcome to attend either or both information sessions on Tuesday, March 19
th
in the Brown Auditorium regarding plans for Transit Windsor’s West-End Hub on our HDGH Campus.
Session 1 - 11:00 a.m. – 12 :00 p.m., Brown Auditorium
Session 2 - 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., Brown Auditorium
Partners from The City of Windsor’s Engineering Department as well as Transit Windsor will be in attendance to answer any questions and provide visuals of what’s to come. We will also welcome West-End Ward 2 Councillor Fabio Constante.
Sessions have been purposely timed during lunch for day staff as well as before start time for evening staff. We look forward to seeing you all Tuesday.
|
|
Reminder: Requesting signage at HDGH
|
Have you recently changed offices? Are you new to HDGH and need a name plate? Or have you spotted a sign that isn't quite right?
Fill in the appropriate boxes for either wayfinding or name plate signage.
|
|
Hot off the press is the March edition of the e-VOLVE newsletter.
In this edition, read what a few Erie St. Clair doctors have to say about the project, as well as what's happening now and what's to come.
|
|
Reminder of what to do if an illicit substance is found on HDGH property, including offsite locations
|
Early this week a used syringe was found in the RCC parking lot. As you know, we are committed to ensuring a safe environment for all patients, clients, employees, physicians and visitors of our facilities. We ALL have a responsibility to act reasonably to protect everyone from harm. With that, we felt it necessary to take this opportunity to remind our HDGH staff of the safety precautions to take if an illicit or unidentified substance or a used/unused syringe (needle) is found on HDGH premises, including offsite locations.
If you discover an illicit substance/needle while on HDGH property, the following steps should be taken:
1. Don’t open or touch it
2. If you think the substance causes an immediate safety risk, call 9-1-1 and follow their instructions
3. Call for a second “witness.” This can be a staff member or security.
4. Determine the most appropriate Personal Protective Equipment to use
a. Nitrile Gloves (double them so they don’t tear)
b. N95 Respiratory protection if substance is powder
c. Face shield if necessary
5. Place within a proper tamper proof bag. All syringes and sharps should be disposed of in the nearest sharps container immediately. Call security for pick up of sharps container.
6. Complete all necessary documentation including Safety Reporting System entry.
Please be mindful of the loved ones and visitors with patients. This is particularly important during later evening and night hours. If you have any concerns or something is just not feeling right, our HDGH Security Team is available and can stand by during visitation if need be.
|
|
Substance Use Policy sign-off in Halogen
|
A reminder to all staff to review and sign-off your understanding and completion of the Substance Use and Prescription Medication Use Policy in Halogen.
Please log on to Halogen to complete this
mandatory task
. This task should take you approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.
Should you require assistance, please contact your manager.
|
|
Changes to Citrix StoreFront
|
As part of TransForm’s ongoing work to improve security and stability, the IT department is making upgrades to a portion of the StoreFront (Citrix) environment known as XenApp. This update will have implications for your day-to-day workflow.
Starting at 10:00 a.m. Saturday March 23rd
, you may notice icons in your StoreFront Favourites page disappear. We strongly recommend users document what Storefront Favourites they have before the date above. Please see the attached document titled “
XA7StorefrontFavorites.pdf
” which assists with documenting your Favourites before the event as well as instructions on how to add an application to your Favourites.
The XenApp upgrade will also impact users of the XenApp Desktop feature, which is part of the StoreFront (Citrix) environment. During the date and time noted above, a new link titled “
XenApp Desktop 2008
” will appear and others will disappear. Again, you will need to replace your XenApp Desktop shortcuts, and detailed instructions are included in the document titled
“
XA7DesktopInstructions.pdf
”
.
If you encounter any issues, please contact the Regional IT/IM Service Desk by clicking on the “Transform Support” icon in StoreFront or speak with a live agent by dialing ext. 7771.
|
|
Welcoming Sean Bays as HDGH's
Responsive Behaviour Navigator
|
You may know this week’s Need to Know spotlight, Sean Bays from his previous role as an HDGH Security Guard with G4S or from being recognized as an extra happy individual during last year’s Happiness Happens month segment.
As of the beginning of March 2019, Sean officially joined the HDGH family as our new Responsive Behaviour Navigator.
The Responsive Behaviour Navigator plays an important role in supporting the mental health and behavioural needs of our inpatients. The Navigator supports the needs of our patients, by developing a framework for understanding the, often multiple, causes as to why a person behaves the way that they do. After receiving an initial referral from another member of our HDGH team, Sean will meet with the patient and their family to gather information that will help understand and build solutions for positive experiences while in our care and throughout the discharge process.
With a degree in Psychology and Philosophy and his experience as a HDGH Security Guard, Sean is well prepared for his new role and is eager to be able to use his education and experience.
“This new position will help me broaden my knowledge and view of mental health.” Sean explains that he enjoys tasks that challenge and advance his thinking and learning, going on to say, “Learning about the brain is fascinating to me, so I’m really looking forward to being able to learn more while helping people in need.”
Away from HDGH, Sean still enjoys travelling and spending time with his family and friends. Welcome, Sean!
If you have a patient or client that you think would benefit from talking with our Responsive Behaviour Navigator, please contact
Sean
.
|
|
HDGH Green Initiatives: Reducing single-use plastics
|
Canadians generate 3.25 million tons of plastic waste each year? That’s 140,000 garbage trucks of plastic waste! A significant portion of this plastic waste ends up in landfills, oceans, lakes and streams because it is not properly recycled or, in the case of single use plastics, cannot be recycled at all. The Canadian Federal Government estimates that by the year 2050, single use plastics will outweigh all of the fish in the world’s oceans!
You can do your part in reducing the amount of toxic plastics entering our environment by bringing your own reusable utensils to work and refusing plastic straws with beverages. These two small lifestyle adjustments can have a significant impact in making our environment healthier and more sustainable.
|
|
Stock up the HDGH Clothing Closet
|
The Volunteer-run 'Tuck Shop', also known as the Clothing Closet, located within the Toldo Neurobehavioural Institute, is used daily by many of our patients to provide them with clothing to wear during their stay.
A reminder that items in the Clothing Closet can be used for any patient throughout our organization. If you have a patient in need, please contact the TNI team by leaving a message at ext. 77853.
To keep our stock filled, please consider donating any gently used, pre-washed items. We are currently in need of the following:
- Men's underwear.
- Jogging pants, sweat pants, or pajama pants (size L and XL); we discourage the donation of jeans are they are hard to put on and to fasten, and tend to be uncomfortable.
- Socks.
- Women's clothing, such as shirts and dresses, size L and XL.
Items can be dropped off at the Security Desk at the TNI entrance.
Help us keep our patients feeling safe and comfortable. They appreciate any donations we can receive!
|
|
Glengarda Fire Alarm System Replacement
|
Work to replace the Glengarda fire alarm is underway and is expected to be completed tomorrow, March 15th. This work involves the replacement of the main control panel in the mechanical room as well as all devices throughout the building (i.e. detectors, speakers, strobes, etc.). Contractor personnel from Troy Life and Fire Safety as well as Poirier Electric will move about the building. The work has intentionally been scheduled for the March break week in hopes of minimizing operational impact.
During this period, the fire alarm system will be
OUT OF SERVICE
. The fire sprinklers will be operational. What this means is that if a fire were to start, the ‘early detection’ function is not present, and the sprinkler will go off only when the temperature of the space below it is high enough to trigger it. As a result, there is potential for a fire to begin unnoticed and burn longer before the sprinkler system initiates to extinguish it.
Signage will be posted at fire alarm pull stations advising that the equipment is non-functional, and at the building entrances. During the day when staff are present, they will need to maintain vigilance for any signs of fire and be prepared to act immediately to alert other staff and evacuate the building. Similarly, the installation contractors will be present for the bulk of the day shift and will be watching for any issues.
Security has been asked to perform fire watch rounds during the off-shift. For questions please contact Richard White ext. 74119 or
Richard.white@hdgh.org
|
|
To freshen up the appearance of our Regional Children’s Centre, main areas of the Huot and Glengarda buildings are scheduled to receive updates, including fresh paint and new tile, over the next few weeks.
The majority of the painting will take place in both buildings after 4:30 p.m. in order to minimize interruptions to day-to-day operations. The paint being used is rated low in Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) so as to minimize smell and promote healthy indoor air quality.
The main lobby of the Huot building will also be receiving new tile. Work has begun to remove and replace the current tile. This work will also occur after 4:30 p.m. on workdays.
For questions on this project, please contact
Jeanne Lucier
, RCC Program Coordinator at ext. 75274.
|
|
HDGH Tunnel Refresh Project
|
Beginning last week, the tunnel between Emara and Tayfour Buildings is undergoing a refresh. The first phase of this refresh will include a fresh coat of paint. Painters from R&H Painting will be onsite from
Monday to Friday
during the evening (
8:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m.)
and should cause little to no disruption to tunnel traffic.
We ask if you are using the tunnel during these hours you pay attention to the signage and use extra caution when driving or walking. Signage will be posted throughout this project as a reminder. The painting is estimated to take approximately a month to complete. Although a faint odour may be present during the painting project, all paint being applied is No VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds), which is safe for indoor use and dries quickly.
Following the painting, our Changing Lives Together Foundation will be sprucing up the tunnel by adding murals that will represent HDGH and our partnerships within the community.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this project, please feel free to reach out to
Nicole Crozier
, Manager of Communications.
|
|
HDGH to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day
|
Join us on Thursday, March 21st as we celebrate World Down Syndrome Day - a day to spread awareness and understanding, and to celebrate those with Down Syndrome.
In addition, we encourage all staff to "rock your socks" to show your support. Break out your funkiest, mix-matched, or favourite socks on March 21st!
|
|
Talk on Advance Care Planning coming to HDGH
|
Tuesday, April 16th is National Advance Care Planning Day. This day promotes the importance of having conversations with your patients about their wishes and values for their future healthcare, and conversations with yourself and your family about the same.
On this day, learn about the importance of Advance Care Planning as we hear from Maria Giannotti from Assumption University.
The informative event will be held on April 16th from 11:30 a.m. until 12:15 p.m. A display table with a number of resources will also be set up.
We hope to see you there!
|
|
The Heart Breaker Challenge needs you
|
Taking place on Saturday, May 25th, the event will challenge participants to get fit, get dirty, and give back. If those first two options don't appeal to you as much, you can still give back at the Heart Breaker Challenge by being an Event Day Volunteer.
Our Heart Breaker team relies heavily on the dedication of our volunteers and couldn't pull this elaborate event off without them.
If you are interested in watching people have fun, get covered in mud, and feel good about helping out a great cause, complete a volunteer application form today!
|
|
This spring, refresh your body, mind, and soul with HDGH Employee Yoga Classes.
The new 12 week yoga session will take place from Monday, April 1st until Wednesday Wednesday, June 19th. Sessions will run every Monday and Wednesday - excluding holidays. Our current yoga session will be ending on Wednesday, March 27th.
Sessions are held in the current Employee Wellness Yoga Studio located on 1st floor, Tayfour Building, behind Volunteer Services from 12:00 - 12:30 p.m. You can practice yoga twice a week for $80 or once a week for $40.
If you are interested in trying yoga before signing up for the new session please contact Tanya at ext. 74105 for information.
|
|
Supporting In Honour with Teaze
|
On Saturday, April 6th support In Honour of the Ones We Love's Kids Beating Cancer program as you rock out to the hard rock band, Teaze.
Playing at the Olde Walkerville Theatre, Teaze was formed in Windsor, Ontario in 1975. The band released four studio albums and a live album recorded in Japan.
Click the event poster for more details.
|
|
|
|
|
Employee Purchase Plans for HDGH staff
|
Have you checked out the latest deals from Telus? HDGH staff receive exclusive Employee Purchase Plans!
|
|
Assumption University presents:
|
Assumption University wants you to Learn for Life through a number of their upcoming seminars. Check them out:
|
|
If you have an item you would like to see in Need to Know, please email
Maciah Telfer
|
|
www.HDGH.org | 519.257.5111
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
