Dear Team,
As April arrives, the days are longer, the air is warmer, and we’re ready for a fresh start.
This month, we’re focusing on what inclusion really means and our goal of creating an environment where everyone feels respected, valued, and heard. We know we need to learn more about individual’s experiences, and we are committed to listening.
"Inclusion refers to how diversity is leveraged to create a fair, equitable, healthy, and high-performing organization or community where all individuals are respected, feel engaged and motivated, and their contributions toward meeting organizational and societal goals are valued." Global Diversity and Inclusion Benchmarks: Standards for Organizations Around the World
Along with inclusion, we love the concept of "welcoming". Inclusion means you've been invited to the party. Welcoming means that the hosts actually want you to attend!
It’s hard to believe we’ve passed the one year anniversary of the pandemic. It has been a very difficult year, to say the least. The article 'Tragic optimism': The antidote to toxic positivity highlights the importance of both acknowledging the pain and losses and changes associated with the pandemic, as well as having optimism. Rather than the tempting coping strategies of simply “grin and bear it,” or “it could be worse,” the article points out the need to share and recognize our combined, difficult realities as well as to endure, strengthen, and grow as a team--searching for the light at the end of the tunnel together. We hope you find it as meaningful as we did. We are hopeful for the future, as more of the population gets vaccinated.
As always, we thank you for your continued efforts and dedication.
Happy Spring!
Jim, Liz, Karin, Billy, Ann, Jennifer, & Jef
|
|
Reducing Our No-show Rate with Compassion and Thoughtfulness |
Learn more about how Susan Boston and the Orange Pediatrics team used creative and compassionate strategies to help a family and reduce no-shows over the past year.
|
|
|
Together We Make a Difference |
|
|
|
Theme of the Month:
Inclusion
|
|
Quotes of the Week
April 5: “Inclusion is not bringing people into what already exists; it’s is making a new space. a better space for everyone.” ~ George Dei
April 12: "There is only one way to look at things until someone shows us how to look at things with different eyes." ~ Pablo Picasso
April 19: "Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance." ~ Verna Myres
April 26: "Inclusion is not tolerance it is unquestionable acceptance." ~ JW teach
|
|
Mark Your Calendar
Professional Recognition & Health Awareness Days
- National Occupational Therapist Month
-
National Autism Awareness Month
- National Child Abuse Prevention Month
- National Minority Health Month
- National Public Health Week (April 6–12)
- Black Maternal Health Week (April 11 –17)
- National Infertility Awareness Week (April 19–25)
- Every Kid Healthy Week (April 20–24)
-
World Immunization Week (April 24–30)
- National Infant Immunization Week (April 26–May 3)
- Pediatric Perfusionist Week (April 28-May 5)
- World Health Day (April 7)
- Administrative Professional Day (April 21)
-
World Meningitis Day (April 24)
|
|
Check out the April calendar from Action for Happiness encouraging you to get active, get outdoors, and take care of your body! There are simple things we can all do to take care of our bodies - for example unplugging from technology, getting outside and - importantly - making sure we get enough sleep.
|
|
|
From Felisha Tyree, Nurse Manager, Labor and Delivery
Here is the initiative L&D has implemented to improve the culture and moral on our unit. Our high performing PCTs, Danielle and Jessica, along with the wonderful help from our AA, Amy Minor, worked on creating a Random Acts of Kindness Board.
Inside each envelope is a different task. The thought is that team members can open an envelope on the board for the day and complete that task. If they are feeling courageous, we ask that they try and capture a picture of the moment and send it to Amy or myself, either through email or text! This way, we would have the opportunity to post the pictures on the Random Acts of Kindness board to help encourage healthy conversations and others to do the same.
This is so much fun!
|
|
|
Reflections & Expressions |
|
Let’s Listen
by Elise Geithner, BA, BSN, RN
“Her mom is in denial, and she tried to refuse hospitalization.” That was the verbal report I received at shift change. This was a potentially reductive perspective, and I wanted to gauge the family’s emotions firsthand.
“J” had been hospitalized in DKA and diagnosed with diabetes. J and her mother, both native Spanish speakers, were trying to process the flood of information and emotions that come with a new diagnosis. My clinical teaching goals were clear: teach J and mom how to check blood sugar, calculate insulin dosages, and administer insulin. With the help of a translator, I asked them about their life and goals. Mom glanced at the family photo on her phone and said wistfully, “Life is so hard here, sometimes I wish I was back in my country.”
Realizing I needed to create space for J and mom, I used open-ended questions, and learned that they had recently immigrated to the US from Latin America. J now lives with her grandfather, while mom rents a room two hours away, closer to the job she was able to find at a fast-food restaurant. I paged the team about J’s living situation, explaining that mom was not J’s primary caregiver.
Gaining perspective about J’s life outside of the hospital, enabled me to tailor my teaching to build on her strengths. We found resources to fill the gaps, and with the help of our social worker and translator, we were able to enroll J in health insurance. I listened to mom’s worries about the long-term financial, emotional, and physical impacts of diabetes, and Grandpa participated via FaceTime.
Questions about a sick child’s living situation may seem unimportant, but we must still ask them. Treatment outcomes are more likely to be successful when we take the time to learn if a patient is uninsured, feeling unsafe at home, or homeless. When there is a cultural or linguistic barrier, these questions become even more crucial because they help us learn the patient’s context and enable us to meet them where they are.
As they navigate the medical system with a chronic illness, J and her mom will face many challenges. Each time they want to schedule a clinic appointment, they will need to dial a special number to be connected with a translator first. For their first two weeks at home after discharge, they must call the endocrinologist daily with blood sugar reports. When using a translator, especially over the phone, there is a risk of miscommunication. However, the risk is higher when no translator is used.
Through our questions, we may discover patient and family needs that the healthcare system can’t immediately address. By making space to listen, we grow one step closer to understanding a family’s strengths and vulnerabilities so that we may better care for our patients.
|
|
UVA Faculty COACHE Town Halls
Tenure Policies and Expectations
Tuesday, April 6, 1:00 – 2:20pm
Mentoring for Faculty
Thursday, April 15, 10:00 – 11:30am
|
|
41st McLemore Birdsong Pediatric Conference
April 16-18
The McLemore Birdsong Pediatric Conference offers a variety of case-based, clinical practice-oriented lectures and workshops covering a broad range of topics relevant to physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, and other providers in pediatric and family practice settings.A virtual, live-streamed event, also available online, on-demand. Registration closes at midnight on 4/15.
|
|
The 33rd Annual University of Virginia Children’s Hospital Research Symposium and 9th Research Trainee Competition
Children’s Hospital Research Symposium
Abstract due date: Friday, April 16
Symposium date: Thursday, May 27, 8:00am - 2:30pm
This year, we will be celebrating the 33rd Annual Research Symposium with research presentations, awards ceremony, and featured speaker.
Ninth Annual Research Trainee Competition
Abstract due date: Friday, April 16
Trainee Competition date: Friday, May 14, 11:00am - 1:00pm
The Research Trainee Competition features Platform Presentations by Residents, Medical Fellows, Medical Students, Graduate Students, and Undergraduates.
All presentations are virtual, on Zoom.
Kendig Award Call for Nominations
Nomination due date: Friday, April 16
The Kendig Research Award is given annually to a fellow in the University of Virginia, Department of Pediatrics who has demonstrated excellence in clinical or basic science research over the course of his or her fellowship.
|
|
An Insider's Guide to Pregnancy and Paralysis
Thursday, April 29, 6:00pm
This session is presented by Dr. Robert R. Fuller, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine & Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, as part of the second annual virtual ReeveSummit: Where Care, Cure and Community Connect! This three-day virtual event (April 27-29) will touch on topics and themes relevant to the paralysis community and give everyone a chance to hear from experts, ask questions and share experiences on many aspects of life living with paralysis.
|
|
Save the Date: The 1st Annual Children's Hospital Quality Improvement/Patient Safety Project Showcase!
Tuesday, May 11, 11:30am-1:30pm
This year, we will hold the first annual showcase highlighting the impactful work our residents, fellows and faculty are doing to provide effective, coordinated, collaborative, evidence-based, and patient- and family-centered care. This is an opportunity for teams to present completed projects or discuss works in progress. This year it will be presented concurrently in person and virtually.
Abstract deadline is April 23rd and reviewers will determine which teams will give 5min and which will give 10min presentations. Projects that have been submitted to other conferences are welcome to re-use already submitted materials.
Please submit your abstract to Dr. Joanne Mendoza jm7zg@virginia.edu and contact her, Dr. Elisa Hampton, or Dr. Jon Swanson with any questions.
|
|
Medical Center Hour
Medical Center Hour is a Zoom Webinar series: Zoom link & Passcode: 763749
Wednesday, April 7, 12:00 - 1:00pm
Edward W. Hook Lecture in Medicine and the Arts // Medicine Grand Rounds
HEALTHCARE BEYOND COVID—A CONVERSATION
Atul Gawande MD MPH, Professor of Health Policy and Management, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health; Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA; Founder and Chair, Ariadne Labs; author of Complications, Better, The Checklist Manifesto, and Being Mortal; and staff writer, The New Yorker;,
and Sthuthi David MD, chief resident, Department of Medicine, UVA;
Calvin Dorsey, SMD 2021, UVA; and Lydia Prokosch, SMD 2022, UVA
|
|
School of Medicine Professional Development
The Annual Review
Wednesday, April 7
12:00 – 1:00pm
Certificate Program: Providing Effective Feedback
Tuesday, April 13
12:00 – 1:00pm
Certificate Program: Authentic Workplace Assessment through the Use of EPAs
Wednesday, April 14
12:00 – 1:00pm
Digital Privacy
Wednesday, April 14
4:00 – 5:00pm
Certificate Program: Authentic Workplace Assessment through the Use of EPAs
Wednesday, April 14
5:15 – 6:15pm
Journal Club (April)
Wednesday, April 15
12:00 – 1:00pm
Certificate Program: Crossing Time and Space Boundaries with Simulation: Evidence-Based Practice Tips
Wednesday, April 28
12:00 – 1:00pm
P&T Polishing the Portfolio: Panel Discussion
Friday, April 30
12:00 – 1:00pm
|
|
|
|
Pediatric Intern Class of 2024
The time has come to announce our new UVA Pediatrics residents who will start in July. A big thanks as always to every single person that took the time to chat, interview, evaluate, and a dozen other things to make this possible!
|
|
Congratulations, Dr. Diane Pappas! |
|
iTHRIV, a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded Clinical and Translational Science Award hub, has awarded almost $80,000 in seed funding across two community-focused projects. One of the projects will work to improve access to Medicaid for noncitizen children. The community-based team aims to identify and reduce common barriers to Medicaid enrollment for noncitizen children, as well as collect information on primary-care and emergency-room use.
|
|
RN Care Coordination at its Finest |
|
Shout out to the Ambulatory Services team!
There was recently a complex patient that needed coordination after discharge. He had many medical complexities that required a lot of coordination. Adding to the complexity, he could not be in a wheelchair and had to be transported flat on a stretcher to his appointments. Additionally, he was seeing a mix of pediatric and adult providers. The Ambulatory Services team coordinated with multiple different teams. Everyone worked together to consolidate appointments and had providers come directly to the patient to save a trip to Fontaine. The RNCC worked together as a team with each other and the inpatient team - what a great example of care coordination at its finest!
From Teresa Green, Director of Ambulatory Services, to Tina Knicely, Ambulatory Manager 2, and the entire team:
"This makes my heart happy and I too am so proud of this team. In addition, I want to celebrate your accomplishments with growing the RNCC role and bringing them together as a team. Your leadership has allowed them to forge stronger relationships and increase their comfort level with each other thus improving patient care. This type of work fuels them…all of us!"
|
|
Happy National Doctor's Day! |
|
March 30 was National Doctor's Day. From the Peds team: "Today is a day to celebrate YOU. The entire Pediatrics staff wanted to send a big THANK YOU to you for working tirelesslessly every day to keep your patients healthy. We are proud to be part of your team, and appreciate you." |
|
Thomas Beckett Genarelli
Born January 19
Isis Genarelli,
NICU RN
|
|
Theodore "Noah" Trevillyan
Born January 26
Bailey Trevillyan,
Child Life Specialist
|
|
Have a story idea? Let us know!
Working on an exciting new project? Want to spread the word about your clinic? Know a team member that should be recognized? We can help!
WCH Communication and Culture Workgroup
The WCH Communication and Culture workgroup focuses on team-building, keeping us all in touch with the meaning of our work, giving us all common language and common goals, and helping to ensure that every member of our team, regardless of role, feels welcomed, included, respected, heard, and valued. We are always seeking new members, new ideas, and feedback!
Please help us spread the word
Know someone who would enjoy our newsletter? Please forward this email. Want to be added to the list to receive monthly updates? Please email us.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
