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Volume 14 • Issue 5 • $5.00 November 2017
THE REGIONʼS MONTHLY NEWSPAPER FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS & PHYSICIANS

TECHNOLOGY American Lung Association, SALUTE TO

Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital HOSPICE

Partner to Honor Medical

Heroes in Lung Health

BY VANESSA ORR

On Thursday, November 30, the American
Lung Association in Florida will host “Salute to
Our Physicians in Lung Health,” an event cele-
brating the medical heroes at the forefront of
helping patients battling lung disease.
The tribute will recognize Dr. Swie Hing The
and Dr. Walter Ryan for their efforts in provid-
ing pro bono services in lung health, and will Maureen Knips
feature speaker Tiffany Christensen, author of
the New York Times bestseller “Sick Girl When Hurricanes
Speaks,” and the survivor of two double lung
ScrubVAULT transplants.
“Born with cystic fibrosis, Tiffany provides a Strike, VITAS
Monitors unique perspective into lung disease from the Chantal LeConte
patient’s point of view,” said Marsha Jaquays, Healthcare Rises
Inventory, executive director, American Lung Association in Florida—Palm Beach and Treasure
Coast Area. “Since 2007, Tiffany has opened her heart and shared her story to illus-
trate the opportunities and challenges within the new age of relationship-centered to the Occasion
Reduces care.”
BY MAUREEN KNIPS
Scrub Loss Continued on page 25
As Hurricane Irma made its way across
Through RFID Combatting Stress the Atlantic and took aim at Florida,
VITAS Healthcare, the nation’s leading hos-
pice care provider, swung into well-oiled
Technology and Encouraging Creativity action as our Florida programs went into
disaster preparation and recovery mode.
Memorial Hospital Pembroke From addressing the myriad concerns of
BY VANESSA ORR patients and families, to supporting
Has Employees’ Backs employees and assuring physicians whose
Health systems are always looking to patients we care for, VITAS set new bench-
save money, especially on reoccurring marks of compassion and dedication, and
expenses. One area that has always been BY BARBARA R. FALLON gave true meaning to the term,
problematic is the “borrowing” of scrubs – “#VITASstrong.”
many of which never get returned. Work and life have routine lulls punctuated
“Scrubs are a source of pain for many by intense and dramatic incidents … the end Patients and families come first
health systems and surgery centers; people result is STRESS. The cause of stress varies Once a direct hit on South Florida
leave the facility with the scrubs on, or depending on individual circumstances but an became imminent, the company leader-
there’s not enough inventory, or vendors argument with your teenager as you are leaving ship initiated the detailed disaster prepara-
and staff can’t find the sizes they need,” for work can be just as stressful as taking care of tion and recovery plan designed to prevent
explained Jay Juffre, vice president of oper- a heart attack patient or treating a child in any breakdown in patient care before, dur-
ations and national service director of severe pain. Daily stress can cause your body ing and after a storm. The key to successful
ImageFIRST. “It costs a lot of money to and mind to overreact to situations, resulting in implementation of the plan is clear, con-
replace missing scrubs, and up until now, digestive problems, weight fluctuation, heart cise communication.
there’s really been no accountability. It’s a disease, sleep deprivation, depression, and a A few days before the storm, the
problem that administrators are tired of host of other issues that no one deserves. Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach
having to manage.” Additionally, research indicates it can negatively programs’ leadership began the drill,
In order to solve this problem, impact work productivity. Mark Doyle reaching out to every patient under our
ImageFIRST decided to use UHF RFID The world of health care is full of lifesaving care. Employees came together like an
chips to track and maintain scrub inven- technology and gadgetry for patients but some of the most beneficial features might army, working 24/7, including weekends,
tory. “Our clients were already using this be found in its simpler amenities. Memorial Hospital Pembroke, Pembroke Pines, to create detailed patient logs recording:
Continued on page 13 Continued on page 10 Continued on page 22
www.southfloridahospitalnews.com