Vol. 3, NO.1 March 23, 1990

New Quality Process Name Focuses On Staff CommitmentWhen the instructional phase of the

quality improvement process recentlycommenced at TAH-LVHC, the firstitem on the syllabus addressed a mostbasic issue: changing the process'sname from "total quality manage-ment" to "total quality focus."

According to Samuel R.Huston, pres-ident and chief executive officer, replac-ing a single word in the title should clar-ify the roles of the groups involved inthe process.

"Asour understanding of the qualityimprovement process evolves, itbecomes clear that implying that it is amanagement responsibility is mislead-ing, since it requires the commitmentof all persons at the hospital, not justmanagement.

"Therefore, we have chosen torename the process total quality focus,or TQF. TQF reflects a concentratedeffort on all levels-management, lineemployee and physician - in meetingthe quality standards required by thepersons and departments we serve."

The first phase of in-house educationin TQF was begun in February and willcontinue until all employees and physi-cians have attended the inservices.

According to John Salventi, Ph.D.,vice president, TAH-LVHC, this stageconsists of 10, two-hour sessions whichoutline the definition of quality,preven-tion of work defects, establishment of

standards for quality, and measurementof success in meeting standards. Seniormanagers attended these first meetings,and administrators and departmentheads will be scheduled for the nextsessions in April.

"Once hospital and medical staffmembers have attended these first qual-ity education sessions, they are encour-aged to begin integrating TQF intoeveryday work processes," explainedSalventi. The most important step willbe the formation of quality improve-ment teams which will examine workprocesses in order to reduce errors andset standards for service enhancement.

Salventi added that a quality manage-ment committee will be assembledshortly at the hospital to develop plansfor setting goals, measuring improve-ment, recognizing accomplishmentsand communicating with employeesand physicians,

He also noted with optimism thatsome employees have already begun toinformally apply quality improvementprinciples to their work. "The changeis slow and subtle. But people arealready seeing ways to implement theprocess," he said.

(Continued on page 2)

Take a Hearty Step ...Join 'Journey Through The Heart'

HealthCounts, in conjunction with TAH-LVHC Wellness Committee, willsponsor "Journey Through the Heart," a walking program for TAH siteemployees and their family members. The program challenges individuals aswell as teams to compete in an effort to walk their way through the fourchambers of the human heart and 60,000 miles of blood vessels in the humanbody. Each chamber symbolizes a level of physical achievement. Asan individ-ual reaches a chamber or level, an incentive prize will be given. Participantscan receive up to four incentive prizes as they complete each level. Individu-als can sign up for a work team (White Blood Cells), a family team (RedBlood Cells) or walk on their own (Platelets). Team prizes will also beawarded for the most miles walked.

The program starts Wednesday, April 18 and runs through Tuesday, June12. For additional information, call HealthCounts at 821-2150.

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@ The AllentownHospital-Lehigh ValleyHospital CenterA HealthEast Hospital

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Educational HappeningsSaturday, March 24LVHC - "The Impaired Health CareWorker: Physician, Dentist, Nurse andPharmacist"; 8:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.;auditorium. To register, call ext. 8322.

Wednesday, March 28LVHC - CPR Recertification; 24 con-tinuous hours beginning at 10 a.m. andcontinuing through 10 a.m. March 29;nursing learning lab, second floor,General Services Building.LVHC - Teleconference, "Mismatch:Schools At Odds With Adolescents"; 3to 5 p.m., auditorium. Call ext. 8320 formore information.

Monday, April 2TAH - Employee orientation; 8 a.m. to4:30 p.m., auditorium.LVHC - Heartsaver course, includingone-man CPR and adult foreign bodyairway obstruction (FBAO); 7 to 10p.m.; Anderson Wing lobby. Registra-tion required one week prior to class.Call ext. 8600 and ask for Diane. $10registration fee.

Wednesday, April 4Helwig Diabetes Center - "FootCare," addresses ways to recognize andprevent diabetic foot problems; 9 to 11a.m.; Suite 107A. Registration isrequired. Call ext. 8890. $10 registra-tion fee covers the diabetic patient andaccompanying family members.TAH - Tour; 1-2 p.m., lobby.LVHC - Tour; 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.,lobby.

CheckUp is a biweekly publica-tion of the CommunicationsDepartment of HealthEast. To sub-mit an article or for additionalinformation, call ext. 7915.Our mission is your health.

HealthEast, a not-for-profitregional health care system, ismore than 8,000 professionals,employees and volunteersworking to provide you withquality, comprehensive healthservices.

Equal Opportunity EmployerM!F!HIV

HealthCounts, the employee andcommunitywellness program ofTAH-LVHC,in conjunction with the ChronicDiseaseEducation Committee ofTAH-LVHC,will offer the following free lec-tures to those who suffer from or livewith someone who suffersfrom breath-ing problems such as asthma, chronicbronchitis, emphysema, cystic fibrosisor interstital pulmonary fibrosis.

• Overview: Chronic ObstructivePulmonary Disease will be offeredon Wednesday, April 4. John Gal-gon, M.D., hospital pulmonologist,and agroup ofhealth care profession-als will present an overview of ser-vices to promote physical and men-tal health.

• Understanding Chronic Obstruc-tive Pulmonary Disease is sched-uled for Wednesday,April 11.KarenLandis, R.N., pulmonary clinicalnurse specialist, and Beverly Rei-nik, R.R.T., registered respiratorytherapist, TAH-LVHC, will discussspecific disease processes, risk fac-tors and treatments such as breath-

HealthCounts Offers April Classesthe craving for cigarettes andbecome a "comfortable non-smoker." The first session is free andthe fee for employees is $80 with a$20refund for attending allor all-but-one of the sessions.

• L.E.A.R.N.TMWeight Control willbe held March 26 to June 4 in LVHCsite classroom 3 and again April 9through June 18 in TAHsite confer-ence room B. This 10-week multi-faceted approach to successfulweight control is structured aroundlifestyle.It helps participants identifyand change daily patterns to loseweight and keep it off.Fivekey areasare addressed including Lifestyle, Ex-ercise, Attitudes, Relationships andNutrition. The fee for employees is$70. Registration deadline is March23 for the March 26 session andApril 5 for the April 9 session.For more information and to register

for these programs, call HealthCountsat 821-2150.

HealthCounts, the employee andcommunitywellness program ofTAH-LVHC,will offer several programs inApril.• Smoking Cessation Hypnosis will

be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in LVHCsite President's Room on Monday,April 23. Registration deadline isMonday, April 16. This 90-minutesession focuses on eliminating thethoughts and behaviors that continu-ally support your smoking habit.Relaxation and visualization tech-niques are emphasized. There is nocharge for employees.

• Smoke Stoppers will be held at 7p.m. on Wednesday, April 4 at theBethlehem Public Library, 11 W.Church St. This nationally recog-nized, highly successful group pro-gram helps you quit smoking in justfive days! Our certified instructorsare former smokers who understandhow hard it is to quit. You will learneffective techniques to overcome

LivingWith Chronic Obstructive PulmonaryDisease Focus of April Lecture Series

ing exercises, medications and oxy-gen therapy.

All lectures will be held from 7 to8:30 p.m. in LVHCsite classroom I (theApril 11 lecture will be held in class-rooms I and II). For more informationand to register, call HealthCounts at821-2150.

TQF (Continued from page 1)

The quality education sessions areled by specially prepared TAH-LVHCand HealthEast staff members, includ-ing: Salventi;Beth Cepil, quality assur-ance coordinator, HealthEast Labs;Diane Carpenter, director, HumanResource Development; Ruth Davis,coordinator, HumanResource Develop-ment; Barbara Salvadore, assistant tothe president; Mary Kinneman, vicepresident, Nursing;InaAshford,quality!standards specialist,HealthEastInforma-tion Services;and Terry Capuano, Nurs-ing administrator.

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Happy Birthday,James, Gregory, Jessica and David!

-The Haklar quadruplets enjoy a special moment with their parents, Kathleen(left) and Richard Haklar.

The Haklar quadruplets returned toTAH site on Friday, March 9 to cele-brate their first birthday with hospitalstaff and local merchants who donatedbirthday gifts.

They were accompanied by their par-ents, Kathleen and Richard Haklar ofCoopersburg. Relatives and familyfriends joined in the festivities whichinclu d refreshments, birthday cakeand the singing of "Happy Birthday."

James, Gregory, Jessica and Davidwere born on March 10, 1989. "Thefirst year went really fast," said Kath-leen. "The kids are doing great andhave really caught up to their peersquickly, as they are now trying towalk."

During the party, several staffmembers were recognized for theircontributions to the special deliveryand care provided to Mrs. Haklar andthe quadruplets. They include: the nurs-ing staffs from the Neonatal IntensiveCare Unit, Labor and Delivery and the

Postpartum Unit (3-T); Sze-ya Yeh,M.D.,chairman of Obstetrics and Gyne-cology, who specializes in high-riskpregnancies; T.A. Gopal, M.D., whoacted as the management and deliveryconsultant last year in Dr. Yeh'sabsence; and Edward Denny, M.D. andLeonard Golub, M.D., neonatologistswho participated in the special careprovided to the quads in the NeonatalIntensive Care Unit.

The Haklar family will receive a col-lage of photographs taken at the birth-dayparty as a gift from the hospital. Thephotographs will be mounted and thedisplay engraving will read: "The Hak-lar quadruplets - born at The Allen-town Hospital on March 10, 1989."

Gifts were donated by Bob's BakeShop, Holiday Hair Fashions, House ofBargains and Junior Boot Shop. Otherswere Laneco, Inc., Phoebe Floral Shopand Sherwoods for Kids.

Quadruplets are born approximatelyonce in 729,000 births.

A Special 'Thank You'"Thank you" from SusanMoyer, RN., of the Transitional Open Heart Unit (LVHC

site), and her children, Andy,Jesse and Julie, to all members of TAH-LVHC staffwho so generously offered support to them in the aftermath of a tragic house fire.All gifts, donations and letters are greatly appreciated.

Support 'Cause ForCelebration'

On Tuesday, May 1 you will have theopportunity to help Friends of Nursingand LehighValleyHospice while enjoy-ing a fun-filled day of shopping atMacy's "Cause for Celebration." Thisannual event benefits 30 area charitiesand is held at Macy'sLehighValleyMalllocation, Whitehall Township, from 10a.m. to 10 p.m.

Your tax-deductible contribution of$5 entitles you to:• 20 percent off a single apparel item;• 10 percent off a single item;• entry in a prize drawing featuring

more than 50 fabulous prizes;• continuous entertainment including

cooking demonstrations, celebrities,free make-overs, music and the latestfashions.The HealthEast Trust Fund is coordi-

nating the sale of tickets. They may bepurchased at the gift shops and NursingAdministration offices at both sites; theHealthEast Trust Fund office; andLehighValleyHospice. Tickets are avail-able through Friday,April 27.

Purchase your tickets today. If youhave questions about this promotion,please call 778-CARE.

We Want You!Spring means another men's modi-

fied fastpitch softball season. If you oryour spouse are interested, please callext. 1030 for more information!

Speech PathologyAcquires New Office

The department of Speech Pathologyhas acquired an office on corridor 6Bacross from the service elevators atLVHCsite. This will enable the depart-ment to treat patients in an area whichis free from distractions. This is espe-cially important when dealing withhead trauma patients. The departmentwill also see patients for speech ther-apy in the Rehabilitation Department.Prior to this, all treatments were per-formed at the bedside.

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Information Services Looks to the FutureNearly three years ago, HealthEast

began a major assessment of itscomputer-based information servicescapabilities with an eye to the '90s andbeyond. This resulted in a multi-yearplan and budget which is in variousstages of completion. The guiding prin-ciple is that the current information sys-tems must be upgraded, replaced ormodified to effectivelysupport the orga-nization's mission for the next decade.

A major initial step was a move to alarger and more secure facility. Thiswas accomplished last December whenHealthEast Information Services(HEIS) relocated from 2200 HamiltonBlvd. to 2024 Lehigh St.

Six IBM mainframes were movedwith minimal disruption. These com-puters drive more than 800 terminalsand printers located at TAH-LVHC,Muhlenberg Hospital and Sacred HeartHospital.

HEIS has also undergone a majorrestructuring. In August 1988, itacquired an independent computercenter - Allentown and Sacred HeartComputer Center (ASHCC). At thesame time, the information services atTAHand LVHCsites were merged.

Several key projects are now under-way.• Patient Care/Management/ Ac-

counting Project. New patient care,management and accounting systems,such as admissions,registration, orderentry, results reporting and patientaccounting, are now being evaluated.It is anticipated that new systemswillbe selected by January 1991.

• Financial and Statistical SystemsProject. This project involves theevaluation and selection ofnew finan-cial and statistical systems such asgeneral ledger, budgeting, accountspayable, materials management andcost accounting systems. The pro-jected vendor selection date is Sep-tember 1990.

• Telecommunications NetworkProject. This project includes theevaluation and selection of a system-wide telecommunications networkwhich will control the flow of data,information, voice, video, facsimileand imaging between all HealthEastfacilities. Implementation is antici-pated to begin in July or August ofthis year.

• Laboratory System Growth Strat-egy Project. A recommendation isexpected in the near future regard-ing a strategy to accommodate thegrowing needs of HealthEast Labora-tories. A cost/benefit study is beingconducted to assess the feasibility ofproviding laboratory services toGnaden Huetten Memorial Hospital,SlateBelt Nursing and RehabilitationCenter, and Muhlenberg HospitalCenter.

• Physician Access Network Proj-ect. Through this project the needsof physicians to communicate withother physicians, HealthEast hospi-tals and its entities, and non-HealthEast hospitals and other enti-ties such as insurance companiesand research data bases, are beingassessed. Results should be availablethis summer or early fall.HEISis continuing to provide shared

computer services to two unaffiliatedhospitals - Sacred Heart Hospital andMuhlenberg Hospital Center for a spec-ified period of time. It is also antici-pated that Gnaden Huetten will be con-verted to the new system uponcompletion of its computer processingcontract in January 1993.

This continuing effort to upgradeinformation services is led by RichardDuncan, senior vice president and chiefinformation officer, HealthEast; andguided by Paul Nurick, executive vicepresident, HealthEast;SamHuston,pres-ident and chief executive officer,TAH-LVHC;and Alan Schragger, M.D., thechairman of the Information ServicesPlanning Committee.

Community BCLS/CPRClasses Offered

TAH-LVHC Emergency MedicineInstitute is offering basic cardiac lifesupport (BCLS)/cardiopulmonaryresuscitation ( CPR) courses to thecommunity and health care profession-als in LVHC site's Anderson Winglobby.

The nine-hour initial CPRcourse willbe offered on April 9, 16 and 23 from 7to 10 p.m. Participants will learn one-and two-man CPR; adult, child andinfant CPR;and adult and infant foreignbody airway obstruction (FBAO),unconscious and conscious. The fee is$20.

The re-certification course, held 7 to10 p.m. on April 30, is a review of allinformation provided in the CPRcourse. A $10 registration fee isrequired.

The "heartsaver course" consists ofone-man CPR and adult FBAO. Thecourse, offered on April 2, is from 7 to10 p.m. There is a registration fee of$10.

The pediatric course is an excellentopportunity for babysitters. This courseteaches infant and child CPR andFBAO,conscious and unconscious. Thecourse is offered on May7 from 7 to 10p.m. There is a $10 registration fee.

To register or for more information,call ext. 8600 and ask for Diane. Regis-tration is required one week prior tothe first day of the course.***

Employee Meetings ScheduledSeveralemployee meetings, at which various topics will be discussed, have been

scheduled during April.All meetings will be held in the auditorium unless other-wise noted. Please plan to attend! '

y

April 3:April 4:April 5:

9 a.m., 2 p.m.; LVHC2 p.m., 9 p.m.; TAH9 a.m.; TAH2 p.m.; LVHC2 p.m.; TAH6:50 a.m.; TAH-OR8:30 a.m.; LVHC2:30 p.m.: TAH2, 3 a.m.;TAH

April 17: 6:45 a.m.; LVHC-OR2 p.m., LVHC2 p.m.; Home Care9 p.m.; LytIC9 a.m., 2:30 p.m.; TAH2,9 p.m.; LVHC10 a.m., 2 p.m.; TAH2, 3 a.m.; LVHC9 p.m.; TAH

April 9:April 10:April 11:April 12:April 13:

April 18:

April 19:April 23:April 24:April 25:April 30:

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Social Service Department CombinesCaring and Creativity

Socialwork is synonymous with car-ing. At TAH-LVHC, members of theSocial Service Department work withpatients and their families to help themcope with illness, tragedy and aftercare.

To recognize the work of this groupof dedicated professionals, March isobserved as National Social WorkMonth. At TAH-LVHC, a receptionwill be held for members of the SocialService Department and other employ-ees within the system who have a back-ground in social work.

"Social workers are very versatile,"said Maureen Sawyer, director of theSocial Service Department. "For exam-ple, 16 individuals with degrees insocial work can be found throughoutthe hospital system in administration,management and nursing."

Sixteen members of the Social Ser-vice Department recently becamelicensed in the Commonwealth ofPenn-sylvaniaas Professional SocialWorkers.They include Sawyer; Deborah Lowry,coordinator at TAH site; and MaryGrassi, manager at the LVHCsite.

Social workers within the depart-ment who became licensed are CamilleBatchis, Elyse Costello, James Ezrow,Zona Farmer, Kathleen Gruzdis, JeanneGuilfoyleand Joan Hoffman.Others areJanke Mayer, Elizabeth Mitchell, LindaMorrell, Ann Pierre, Gary Stone andLisaTaylor.

The license can be obtained basedon years of experience and examina-tion. Once licensed, an individual canuse the initials "LSW"after his or hername, identifying that person as an inde-pendent practitioner. Licensure forsocial workers in this state has beenavailable only since October 1989.

The main responsibility of the SocialServiceDepartment is to assess the ser-vice needs of patients after leaving thehospital. These might include ongoingmedical treatment, rehabilitation, coun-seling services to aid adjustment to anillness or placement in extended care.

The department works with thoseindividuals identified as "high risk"such as trauma, burn, psychiatric andcancer patients. Once a staffmember isassigned to the case, he or she reviewsthe medical record, discusses it withthe medical team and gathers moreinformation from the patient. "The

social worker then works with thepatient to identify concerns and todevise a plan to address particularneeds," according to Sawyer. If neces-sary,the socialworker supports the fam-ilyas well.

Three social workers are involved inthe SocialWork EarlyIntervention Pro-gram (SWEIP). Through this program,individuals who will be hospitalized inthe future receive support prior toadmission. These include patients whoface elective orthopedic surgery, candi-

Miss PennsylvaniaAddresses SupportGroups

Michelle Kline, Miss Pennsylvania, isnot a typical beauty pageant winner. Atevery media event, Kline attempts toeducate her audience about organ dona-tion by addressing her experiences as akidney transplant recipient.

Kline met with both the KidneyTransplant and Home Dialysis SupportGroups at TAH site this past Februaryto share her experiences and to offerwords of encouragement.

"I was up on the stage at the MissAmerica pageant and I was asked,'What can you bring to the MissAmer-ica pageant that has never beenbrought to it before? ' " Kline recalled."The obvious answer was, 'Three kid-neys.' "

Kline admitted that she gave thejudges a more appropriate answer, butas a transplant recipient and voluntaryspokesperson for kidney transplants,she has helped to create public aware-ness about transplants. Bywinning theMissPennsylvania title and becoming asemi-finalist in the 1989 MissAmericaPageant, she hopes to prove that trans-plants work.

Members of the support groupsasked Kline not about makeup tips orbeauty secrets, but about medications,recuperation periods and special diets.Most members of the audience werefamiliar with the described moodswings and enormous appetites fromsteroids; yellow skin and hair loss; andthe fear and resentment that accom-pany a transplant.

Although Kline can point to her suc-cesses, recipients face a constant strug-gle. "People think that after a trans-plant, life is wonderful but it's not,"said LisaTaylor, a renal socialworker atTAH-LVHC. "They have difficultyget-ting jobs afterwards if an employerknows they've been transplanted. But ifthey get together and talk about it theycan come up with the answers amongthemselves."

Taylor formed the Home DialysisGroup in 1983 and the Kidney Trans-plant Support Group in 1987 to dealwith the problems patients must facewith their medical conditions.

Taylor said that someone like Kline,who has overcome the same problemsthat people with kidney disease arenow facing, inspires them "to set goalsand not let their disease destroy theirlives or their goals. Lifecan go on nor-mally."

Jim Ezrow, M.S.Wand Carol Steagerdiscuss a patient case in the NursingDepartment at LVHC site.

dates for dialysis and those who areidentified as chronically ill.

The staff is involved with a variety ofsupport groups including the Burn Sup-port Group, LehighValleyStroke Club,Make Today Count (for patients andfamilies with life-threatening illness),Home DialysisSupport Group and Kid-ney Transplant Support Group. Duringmeetings, members have the opportu-nity to learn more about particular con-cerns, receive emotional support andtake part in social activities.

"The purpose of a support group isto provide peer support for peopleexperiencing similar problems," saidSawyer. "The group evolves accordingto the needs of the members."

The role of the staff is summed upsuccinctly by Sawyer."We try to be cre-ative so that we can link individualswith community resources."

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Making the RoundsBrenda Salatino, RN, BSN,CCRN,

clinical instructor for TAH site AcuteCoronary Care Unit/Transitional CareUnit, Nursing Education, Patient Educa-tion and Research (NEPE&R), pre-sented "Differentiating Wide QRSTachycardias: Supraventricular Tachy-cardia vs.Ventricular Tachycardia," at aregional critical care conference inEast Stroudsburg.

Marina Flecksteiner, RN, BSN,CNN,clinical instructor for the Acceler-ated Internship Program, NEPE&R(LVHC), recently passed the NationalLeaguefor Nursing's certification examin nephrology nursing in November.

Lynn Dashner, LPN, was electedeastern division chairperson of thePennsylvania Society of Gastroenterol-ogyNurses and Associates (SGNA);andMary Steber, RN,CGC,became a certi-fied gastroenterology clinician throughSGNA. Dashner and Steber are staff-nurses from the GI Lab-4Bat LVHCsite.

Mary Tolmie, RN, MSN, coordina-tor, Digestive Sciences RegionalResource Center (TAH-LVHC), wasreappointed by the PennsylvaniaNurses Association (PNA) Board ofDirectors to the Government RelationsCommittee as vice chairperson. Tolmiewill also serve on the Legislative Plat-form Committee, a subcommittee ofthe Government Relations Committee,which will help prepare PNA's stanceon legislative issues.

Robin Borgesen and Sandy Long-worth, students in the RadiologicTech-nology Program at NorthamptonCounty Area Community College wonthe first Annual PennsylvaniaSociety ofRadiologic Technologists District #8Techni-Bowl Quiz. Borgesen is com-pleting her clinical rotation at LVHCsite. The winners of this competitionwill represent the district and theirschool at the StateTechni-BowlCompe-tition, to be held this spring. Borgesenand Longworth won $200 towardstheir expenses in attending this meet-ing plus the cost of one day's registra-tion. Their names will be affixed to aplaque which will be rotated each yearto the winning school.

The competition was sponsored bythe Radiology Department and held atTAHsite auditorium on Thursday, Feb.8. Bill Wright, administrative director

of Radiologyat LVHCsite, participatedon the committee which coordinatedthe event. Barbara Toczek, technicalcoordinator, assisted in preparing mate-rials for the event and Lynn Gromis,quality control supervisor, and CathyStory, in-patient supervisor, werejudges.

Mary Jean Osborne, RN, MSN,CCRN, clinical specialists for Shock!Trauma-MedEvac, NEPE&R (LVHC)presented "Missle Injuries" and "CaseStudies: Missle Injuries," at the SouthCarolina State Emergency Medical Sys-tem Annual Symposium in MyrtleBeach, S.c. In addition, Osborne pub-lished an article titled "Suicide: TheResponse of the Critical Care Nurse,"in Holistic Nursing Practice, 1989.

Dave Kozemchak, TAH-LVHCemployee ombudsman, recentlyreceived accreditation as a Professionalin Human Resources from the Person-nel Accreditation Institute. To earn thisdistinction, Kozemchak passed a three-hour written competency exam whichaddressed management practices, per-sonnel management, labor relations,safety, security and personnel aptitudetesting.

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Additional CafeteriaHours Announced

Beginning Monday, March 26 TAHsite cafeteria will offer extended hours.All cold foods and hot soup will beserved from 1:15 to 4 p.m., Mondaythrough Friday.The hot bar will remainopen for lunch from 11 a.rn. to 1:15p.rn. Hot foods will not be availableagain until 4 p.m. and will be serveduntil 6:15 p.rn.

The selection will also increase onMarch 26 for the 2 a.m.service. The caf-eteria will be open from 2 to 3 a.rn.anda Security representative will be avail-able to receive cash and make change.

CongratulationsElaine Toth, physical therapy assist-

ant II, Physical Therapy (TAH), won a$100 U.S.SavingsBondfor perfect atten-dance in January.

Mike Callahan popped "the ques-tion" to Theresa Radziewicz, R.N.,staff nurse, Special Care Unit (LVHC),on Feb. lOon a romantic horse-drawncarriage ride.

Not to be outdone, poised on oneknee, resting on a red heart -shapedsatin pillow, laden with a dozen redroses, Thomas Cassium proposed toAnne Stepansky, perioperative techni-cal assistant, Anesthesia (LVHC), infront of an audience of 600 people onstage at Cove HavenResort in the Poco-nos. The couple plan a July 1991 wed-ding.

Lorraine Valeriano, R.N., staffnurse, Special Care Unit (LVHC), andher husband, Larry,became the proudparents of a son on Feb. 23. Alex Jonweighed 6 pounds, 9 ounces and was19 inches long.

HandbookRevisions To BeDistributed

Start looking for Employee Hand-book revisions. These will be deliveredto all departments beginning the weekof March 26. Please take the time toread these revisions, remove the exist-ing pages from the handbook andreplace them with the new ones.

If you have not received these revi-sions by March 31, please contact thebenefits counselor at ext. 2930 (TAHsite); ext. 9939 (LVHC site); or ext.7936 (HE).

Correction!In the February 23 issue of CheckUp,

the citation regarding Linda Williams,R.N., CNRN, staff nurse, Central Ner-vous Systemunit at the LVHCsite, wasincorrect. Williamsearned the designa-tion of CNRNby passing the certifica-tion examination in NeuroscienceNursing. She is the first staff nurse tohave earned this distinction More than50 percent of the staff in the unit areCCRNcertified.

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HealthCountsAnnounces MarchPrize Offering

HealthCounts is continuing themonthly drawings for prizes as part ofthe I'm Worth It Incentive Program.By participating in a variety of healthpromotion activities, employees willhave an opportunity to win many excit-ing prizes.

March prizes, to be awarded April 1,include a 35 millimeter camera; white-water rafting trip; tickets to LongwoodGardens, Kennett Square; a gift certifi-cate to the Foot Locker; a three-monthHealthCounts exercise membership;and several one-month HealthCountsexercise memberships.

Makehealth count and win prizes byattending health promotion classes,through personal health counselingand by selecting featured wellnessfoods from the cafeteria menu.

HealthCounts tickets will be issuedeach time employees participate in anywellness activity.Tickets should be sub-mitted in the cafeteria drawing box formonthly prizes. Drawings will takeplace in the cafeteria on the first week-day of each month. HealthEast employ-ees working at other locations maydeposit incentive tickets at the cafete-ria at either site.

To learn more about the I'm WorthIt Incentive Program, call Health-Cot.i\-ttsat 821-2150.

Tune In ForGood Health!

Health Matters, sponsored by TAH-LVHC,is a series of half-hour televisionprograms on health-related topics. Allprograms air on WLVT-lV,Channel 39on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.rn. and againon Saturdays at 4 p.rn. Upcoming pro-grams include:

March 28: The Heart Attack Quiz:What's Your Score? with hospital cardi-ologists D. LynnMorris, M.D.andJamesPantano, M.D.

April 4: Sexual Dysfunction/Disinterest with Richard Lieberman,M.D.,urologist; and Susan Wiley, M.D.,psychiatrist, TAH- LVHC.

HealthCounts Awards PrizesHealthCounts awarded prizes in the I'm Worth It Incentive Program held in

December, January and February.The winners and prizes for December were: Mikki Cherry (TAH) and Mary

Ann Knecht (LVHC), Performax 7000 electronic fitness bicycle;Joy Hoffman(TAH) and Lou Bottotta (LVHC),radio cassette player;Valerie Rupp (TAH) andKrisan Wong (LVHC),bowling party at Jordan Lanes;Elaine V-Scott (TAH) andAnnette Edelstein (LVHC), $25 gift certificate to the Health Food Hutch; AnnKusko (TAH) and Norma Radosevich (LVHC),three-month HealthCounts exer-cise membership; and Maryanne Falcone, Gloria Ferko, Donna Scott (TAH)and Jeanette Imbody, Denise Wolst and Cathy Story (LVHC), one-monthHealthCounts memberships.

The winners and prizes for January were: Lisa Taylor (TAH) and Lori Keller(LVHC), Lehigh Valley Motor Club trip of choice; Shirley Wagner (TAH) andMark Shimko (LVHC), telephone answering machine; Gloria Ferko (TAH) andChristine Niznik (LVHC),gift certificate to Nestor's Sporting Goods; Donna Pel-legrino (TAH) and Mary Ann Knecht (LVHC), "The Works" at Triangle CarWash; Anna Keene (TAH) and Marion Repko (LVHC), three-month Health-Counts exercise membership; and Maryanne Falcone, NickJupina,Judy Stubits(TAH) and Shuli Oh, Donna Kunsman and Sandi Adams (LVHC),one-monthHealthCounts exercise memberships.

The winners and prizes for Februarywere: Carol Williams (TAH) and AndreaBurkhardt (LVHC), microwave oven; Patti Heavener (TAH) and Janet Miller(LVHC),exercise mat and hand weight set; Isadore Brody (TAH) and Dottie Stal-sitz (LVHC), gift certificate to Blockbuster Video; Renee Sansone (TAH) andCathy Story (LVHC),ice skatingparty at Ice Palace;Ruth Bonn (TAH) and SandiAdams (LVHC), three-month HealthCounts exercise membership; and KayVanOverschelde,John Boos, Margaret Mary Hartnett (TAH) and Erika Witt,Agnes Andreasen and Lisa Hatler (LVHC), one-month HealthCounts exercisememberships.

For more information about the I'm Worth It Incentive Program, call Health-Counts at 821-2150.

Faces In The Crowd

Kathy Sojtori, page operator for HealthPage, remembers the days when Bobby Alli-son was a patient. "Calls were coming in from all over the country. Some op-erators got to talk with Paul Newman, Nancy Reagan and Linda Evans. " Thingsare calmer these days, says Sojtori, who adds that "talking to people" is the job'sbest feature. At right is Mary Crosson, telephone operator.

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WomanCareAnnounces AprilLectures

WomanCare, a program of TAB-LVHC, will sponsor two lectures inApril. Both will be presented at noonand repeated at 7 p.m. Free parking isavailable for all programs.

Sexual Dysfunction and Disinter-est will be held Wednesday, April 11 inLVHC site classroom I. Hospitalsurgeon/urologist Richard M. Lieber-man, M.D. will discuss what positivesteps can be taken when impotence orsexual disinterest becomes a strain on acouple. This topic will also beaddressed Wednesday, April 4 onHealth Matters.

Hysterectomy - The SurgeryWomen Fear, will be held Tuesday,April 24 in TAB site auditorium. ErnestNormington II, M.D., hospitalObstetrician/gynecologist, will presentthe facts on when hysterectomy is nec-essary, surgical techniques and therecovery process. This topic will alsobe addressed Wednesday, April 18 onHealth Matters.

For more information and to register,call WomanCare at ext. 3800.

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Easter Is Just Around the Comer!Make plans to bring your children to TAB-LVHC Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday,

April 7 at 2 p.m. at the MayDaze grounds, LVHC site. This event is open to children,1 to 10 years of age. Rain date is Sunday, April 8 at 2 p.m. Registration deadline isThursday, March 29. There is a $1 donation per child. To register, complete the bot-tom portion of the flyer which has been distributed. For further information, callHelga Klemp, ext. 1650.

Helwig Diabetes CenterAnnounces April Classes

The Dr. Frederick Helwig DiabetesCenter, a program ofTAB-LVHC, willhold several classes in April for individ-uals with diabetes and their familymembers.

Foot Care, presented by Donna Slot-ter on Wednesday, April 4 will addressways to recognize and prevent diabeticfoot problems.

Diabetic Complications, whichwill be held on Monday, April 9, is amulti-faceted program addressing long-term problems, treatments and currentresearch on diabetes. Judy Iobst is thepresenter.

Coping with Diabetes, slated forWednesday, April 11, will investigatethe emotional aspects of diabetes. Jef-frey Knauss, Ed.D., director of adoles-cent psychiatry at TAB site, is the facilit-ator.

All classes will be held from 9 to 11a.m. at the Helwig Diabetes Center,1251 S. Cedar Crest Blvd., Suite lO7A,Allentown.

Participants must pre-register by call-ing the Helwig Diabetes Center at ext.8890. The $lO fee for each class coversthe diabetic patient and accompanyingfamily members.

New Advances In PulmonaryMedicine Examined

New Advances in PulmonaryMedicine, sponsored by TAB-LVHCin conjunction with the Dorothy RiderPool Health Care Trust, will be pre-sented from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sat-urday, April 7 in LVHCsite auditorium,as part of their Regional Symposiumseries.

Up-to-date information on the diagno-sis and management of asthma, pulmo-nary embolism, snoring, sleep apneaand pulmonary complications afteropen heart surgery will be reviewed.

There is no charge for employeesand deadline for registration is April 4.For more information and to register,call Human Resource Development atext. 8322.

Count On Us To CareFrom Boy Scouts to fire companies, community health organizations to sports

programs, employees and physicians ofTAB-LVHC shine as communityvolun-teers, During National Hospital Week - May 6 to 12 - we would like to recog-nize all staff and physicians who give so much to their community, not only on •• -'the job but during their free time as well. A salute to all employees and physi- / .,cians who volunteer their time in the community will appear in TheMorning C t0 UCall during National Hospital Week. oun n s

If you are a volunteer, please complete the form below and return it to Care '""-to the Communications Department by April 6. Thank you ... and thank ~you for caring!

Name _

Department/Position _Volunteer Activities (Use another sheet of paper if necessary)

Organization and Activity _Organization and Activity _Organization and Activity _

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