April 11, 2023

Aspirus Welcomes Tracey Marino, FNP-C, RRT, RN, MSN

Please join us in welcoming Tracey Marino, FNP-C, RRT, RN, MSN, to our team of medical providers. She joins Kasey Burke, FNP-C, in delivering a higher level of care for patients close to home. Tracey will begin seeing patients at the Aspirus Ontonagon Family Practice Clinic on April 13, 2023.

Tracey earned her Associate of Science in Respiratory Therapy from Washtenaw Community College, Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Lake Superior State University and her Master of Science in Nursing from Saint Joseph’s College of Maine.

Prior to becoming a nurse practitioner, she was a registered respiratory therapist and a registered nurse.

Tracey specializes in comprehensive care for the whole family, and has special clinical interests in asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lifestyle change and promoting wellness.

In her free time, she enjoys all outdoor activities, spending time with her husband and dogs, and playing guitar. When you see Tracey, please be sure to give her a warm welcome.

Aspirus Iron River: First Hospital in World to View Anti-Reflux Valve in Awake Patient

Aspirus Iron River Hospital & Clinics is proud to be the first hospital in the world to view a post TIF (transoral incisionless fundoplication) valve in an awake patient without a flexible endoscopy procedure. The TIF procedure is a minimally invasive surgery that corrects the root cause of GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) and helps to prevent future problems with acid reflux.

David Lorenson, RN, Manager - Surgical Services (pictured), presented at the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) in Montreal, Quebec, Canada (March 30). David enjoyed the great privilege of delivering a podium presentation of this momentous experience.

The mission of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons is to innovate, educate and collaborate to improve patient care.

Laura Brogan, RN, Promoted to Manager - Clinics

We are pleased to announce Laura Brogan, RN, accepted the position of Manager - Clinics at Aspirus Keweenaw effective April 16, 2023. Laura joined Aspirus in September 2020, initially working as a registered nurse in our wound care department. She's served as a clinic supervisor since May 1, 2022.

Laura has over 18 years of clinical experience serving rural communities in the Upper Peninsula. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Northern Michigan University and holds specialty certifications in Wound and Ostomy Care. Laura has a passion for supporting team members in the best way possible to help make their work meaningful and impactful. In her new role, Laura will be responsible for daily operations of the Laurium, Houghton and Lake Linden clinics.

We are very excited to have Laura take this next step in her leadership journey. Please join us in congratulating her on this new position.

Patient Safety Tip

Unsafe Condition Reporting in SafetyZone

What: Do you know the difference between a Good Catch and an Unsafe Condition? This matters when reporting into SafetyZone.

A Good Catch is any patient safety event that did not reach the patient, or it almost reached the patient, but was identified, caught or stopped before it directly touched the patient. A Good Catch is any patient safety event that would have affected an identified patient had it not been caught in time. If a patient cannot be identified (the event could have impacted a variety of unknown persons), it’s an Unsafe Condition.

Unsafe Conditions are NOT events that have reached a patient. These are reported as Incidents in SafetyZone.

1. Good Catch examples: Medication barcode scanning identified incorrect medication before administration; no armband on patient when performing patient verification before a diagnostic imaging procedure.
2. Unsafe Condition examples: Doors found unlocked when they should not be; medications stocked in the wrong drawer in Pyxis; biomedical equipment that is overdue for calibration; oxygen tanks found out of a rack or cart.
3. Incident examples: patient fall; mislabeled specimens; incorrect medications administered

Call to Action: Do not report events that have reached a patient as Unsafe Conditions in SafetyZone.

Questions?

Keweenaw:

• Jessica Hermann, Infection Preventionist, Jessica.Hermann@aspirus.org
• Emily Lawrence, Manager - Quality, Emily.Lawrence@aspirus.org

Ontonagon:

• Vonda Lukkari, Infection Preventionist, Vonda.Lukkari@aspirus.org

Iron River:

• Vonda Lukkari, Infection Preventionist, Vonda.Lukkari@aspirus.org
• Angela Steinbrecher, Manager - Quality, Angela.Steinbrecher@aspirus.org

Ironwood:

• Tara Graham, Infection Preventionist, Tara.Graham@aspirus.org
• Maggie Hill, Manager - Quality, Maggie.Hill@aspirus.org

PX Spotlight

Manage Up Challenge

Join in our challenge to recognize and celebrate our ability to Manage Up – to Manage Up ourselves, our care, our services, our co-workers, and our organization.

Through Managing Up, YOU can positively impact patient perceptions of teamwork and collaboration.

• Instead of: “I get to go home now. This is Mary, your next nurse.”
• Try this: “My shift will be over shortly, but Mary will be taking over your care. She is a very experienced nurse and will take wonderful care of you."

See the poster for details of the challenge.

If you aren’t sure how to Manage Up, or need some help, ask your co-workers, managers or Mariah Maggio, Patient Experience Coordinator, for ideas and support.

Thanks to each one of you for creating meaningful and caring patient experiences every day!

Welcome to Aspirus

Michele Kamppinen

Medical Receptionist

Aspirus Keweenaw

Every day, Aspirus staff do amazing things for our patients, visitors and each other. Here are just a few examples randomly selected from the Rewards & Recognition section on the intranet.

You can recognize employees who go above and beyond by visiting the Rewards & Recognition site.

Aspirus in the News

Aspirus Medical Monday (partnership with WJMN TV3)

Shea Donnelly, Kinesiologist, spoke to WJMN TV3 about Cardiac Rehab Services, who can benefit from cardiac rehab, what patients will experience and what locations in the Upper Peninsula have cardiac rehab. Click the image below or here to view the interview.

The collective cost of competition (Daily Mining Gazette)

Aspirus Health Recognized by GHX as 2022 "Best 50" Health Care Provider for Supply Chain Excellence (Daily Mining Gazette)

Aspirus Iron River dubbed first hospital in the world to view medical procedure in awake patient (Upper Michigan Source, TV6)

Recipes to Get You Excited For Spring

Springtime Beignets & Berries

Ingredients

• 1/4 C butter, room temp
• 3/4 C sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 C plus 2 tbsp warm water, divided
• 1/2 C evaporated milk
• 1 package quick-rise yeast
• 1 large egg
• 3 3/4 C all purpose flour
• Oil for frying
• Confectioner's sugar
• Berries and whipped topping

Directions

1. Beat butter, sugar, salt and cinnamon until crumbly. Beat in 1/2 cup water and evaporated milk. In another bowl, dissolve yeast in remaining 2 tablespoons water; add to milk mixture. Beat in egg until blended.
2. Add 2 cups flour; mix until well blended. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky). Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover; refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
3. Bring dough to room temperature. On a floured surface, roll dough into a 16x12-in. rectangle. Cut into 2-in. squares. In a deep cast-iron skillet or deep- fat fryer, heat oil to 375°. Drop beignets, a few at a time, into hot oil. Fry until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Drain on paper towels. Dust with confectioners' sugar. If desired, serve with assorted berries and whipped topping.

• AIW Masquerade Ball - * POSTPONED *
• Brief Practices in Mindfulness | Michigan State University Extension | Ironwood

Aspirus Health's employee assistance partner offers mental and emotional support services for employees and their families. Click here for information.

Submit newsletter contributions by noon Thursday to Jennifer.Jenich-Laplander@aspirus.org.