Memo
Smoke from microwaves is triggering Code Reds. »
Out & About this week: Smoke from microwaves is triggering Code Reds.
Be sure to get your flu shot! The flu is here, and all team members, volunteers and providers must be vaccinated prior to November 1. Walk-in sessions are available on the hospital campus and at various offsite locations. Get the schedule here >>
Inspire Health will reopen with limited hours beginning October 22. Available appointment times will be displayed on the appointment page on the intranet. Employee Health remains open Monday through Friday 8:30 to 5 p.m.
Cerner Update: Please read the latest update on Cerner here>>. We’re ALL IN!
Nominate an inspiring provider at VMM!These awards recognize outstanding Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, and Nurse Anesthetists who contribute to Virginia Mason Memorial’s vision to create healthy communities one person at a time. Click here to nominate >>
Women’s & Children’s Grand Rounds: The October Women’s and Children’s Grand Rounds features Amber Weiseth, MSN, RNC-OB and Angela Chien, MD, OB/GYN presenting “Getting Upstream with Postpartum Hemorrhage.” The presentation focuses on two key objectives.First, quantitative blood-loss measurement and early identification of post-partum hemorrhage, and second, the treatment of anemia with oral and IV iron to reduce blood transfusions among maternity patients. Watch the latest Grand Rounds video and find previous Grand Rounds here.
Read The Memorial Foundation's October newsletter, A Spectrum of Care.?
Have questions about your retirement plan? Talk to a representative from Fidelity Investments. Fourth-quarter appointments are now available. Click here to sign up and reserve your time.The name of the employer will be under “Virginia Mason Memorial.” You can also call 877-895-5986 to reserve an appointment.
Calling a Code: If you need to call a code, please dial 8123 and not the operator. Your call will be answered and the code implemented immediately by calling 8123.
Parking Lot Electric Charging Stations: Please do not park in electric charging station spaces in the North parking lot. We have several employees who depend on those spaces for commuting to work. Security will be monitoring the spaces and action will be taken.
More on the Parking Front: Team members in Security have received complaints about the lack of parking in the West Pavilion I lot. They have also seen a number of team members parking in that lot. Please know that this lot is for patients and visitors only. Patients and Families are No. 1 in our Quadruple Aim. Care begins as soon as they arrive on our campus!
Security tips: The Security Department is urging everyone to be extra cautious walking to and from your vehicles (and to buddy up, if possible!). Jim Castillo says his department is available to conduct a safety-tips class with individual departments. The Security phone no. is 575-8985.
EVENTS, CLASSES & WORKSHOPS
Join us at the Fall Festival! All Virginia Mason Memorial team members, volunteers and their families are invited to the Inspire Employee Appreciation Fall Festival from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 3. Look for the festival on the lawn behind the old church and just west of West Pavilion l. There will be tasty fall food items and activities, including a petting zoo, carnival games, temporary tattoos, photo booth and more! There’s even an apple pie baking competition! To find out more click here.
Memory Loss Conference is Oct. 23: Alzheimer’s is the third leading cause of death in Washington state. But there is help and support available. The day-long Central Washington Alzheimer’s & Dementia Conference will be held Tuesday, Oct. 23, at the Yakima Convention Center. Family caregivers will have sessions tailored to their needs. The sessions, 9 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., will be offered concurrently in English and Spanish, and are free for family caregivers caring for loved ones. A special track for health-care professionals is $50. A complimentary box lunch is provided to all attendees. The conference is hosted by the Alzheimer’s Association Washington State Chapter and sponsored by The Memorial Foundation. For more information or to register click here or call 800-848-7097 ext. 8169.
Eating for Survival: It Matters:Tricia Sinek, Senior Director of VMM’s Cancer Service Line, is giving a talk about reducing your risk of cancer and cancer recurrence with simple lifestyle habits and behavior changes. This think-and-drink, courtesy of Gilbert Cellars, will be held 5-6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 30 in the lower level of the downtown tasting room. Space is limited. Please RSVP by calling 509-574-3541.
Lunch and Learn with Kate Gottlieb: Pop in to the Auditorium at noon on Tuesday, Oct. 30 to learn about opportunities and employee discounts for home solar, electric bikes, carpooling/transportation and more!
<![if !supportLists]>o <![endif]>Home Solar: Virginia Mason Memorial is partnering with Energy Sage to offer a new employee benefit: Discounts for Home Solar! Learn how you can save money on your electricity bill, boost your home’s property value, generate clean electricity that protects human health and the environment. And, by choosing your solar through EnergySage, $250 will be donated to the Memorial Foundation after installation! Find out more about the benefits of solar energy here. Estimate how much money solar can save you and explore your solar options here.
<![if !supportLists]>o <![endif]>Car pooling/transportation: Looking to carpool to work with fellow employees? Look for opportunities here. Also, check out the new transportation guide here. Have questions, need help? Kategottlieb@yvmh.org
National Food Day is Oct. 24!The Café will be serving meals from local vendors and our own garden all day long! Food Day is a national celebration and awareness campaign about food that is healthy, affordable and produced with care for the environment, farm animals and the people who grow, harvest and serve it. Whenever possible VMM buys and serves to our customers and patients food that is local and sustainable. Did you know that in 2017 the Memorial Café harvested 4,000 lbs. of fresh produce used in the café and patient menus?
National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is Oct. 27! From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27, anyone with expired or unused prescription medications is invited to bring them to Memorial Cornerstone Medicine, 4003 Creekside Loop, to be properly discarded. The medication take-back program, sponsored locally by Virginia Mason Memorial and the Yakima Police Department, is part of a national initiative to provide a venue for safe disposal of unneeded medications. NEW! If you can’t make it on Oct. 27, Virginia Mason Memorial has recently installed a permanent prescription drug take-back box in the waiting area of the hospital’s Emergency Department.
Yakima Free Bikes 4 Kidz update: Any interest in fixing bikes? To volunteer go to http://fb4kyakima.org/ and click on volunteer. There are three levels—cleaners, preppers (changing tires and tubes) and mechanics (more advanced mechanic work such as brake and derailleur adjustments). The volunteer section will ask you a couple questions to determine your best fit and provide some dates and times to participate. Questions? Email us at volunteer@fb4kyakima.org We will be adding new shifts, so if you don't see one that fits, please check back. There will be someone to help get you started at the volunteer location (VMM’s 15 West building). We appreciate your support to get kids on bikes!
Grief Recovery Workshop: Virginia Mason Memorial is offering a grief recovery workshop for anyone dealing with a loss such as a death, divorce, loss of relationship or identity. The course is centered on personal discovery, with homework-style exercises designed to help you focus on grief recovery. The no-cost workshop will run for eight consecutive Tuesdays. The first class is Tuesday, Oct. 23, at Cottage in the Meadow. There are two sessions to choose from: noon to 1 p.m. or 6 to 7 p.m. For more information and to register, call 509-574-6746. This workshop is sponsored by The Memorial Foundation.
REMINDERS
Waste Reduction and Recycling: Please read the NEW waste reduction and recycling guidelines for VMM. If you have any questions or would like to become a champion, please email kategottlieb@yvmh.org.
The 5 S Closet: Decluttering and want to get rid of excess items? Bring them to the 5 S closet in the basement of the hospital! Also, shop here first before ordering supplies from purchasing. You can also recycle toner cartridges and batteries here. NEW to the 5 S Closet is a nonperishable food box. Please bring your unwanted nonperishable food to share with fellow employees who might be experiencing food insecurities. A special thank you to our volunteer who is helping us keep the closet organized! Learn more here.
JUST A REMINDER: Help us keep our email system running smoothly! If emailing to a large group, please use the ‘bcc’ line for email addresses. When you don’t, it clogs up the email system.
Don’t forget!You can view MEMO when you’re offsite here >>Keep up to date even when you’re not at your computer! You can view MEMO on all of your mobile devices!
If you would like your news or events to be included in MEMO, or if you have questions, please contact rebeccateagarden@yvmh.org. The deadline is Tuesday at noon and the email typically goes out mid-week. Just Be sure to include “FOR MEMO” in the subject line.