Beginning today, listen for the new UH advertisement being played on radio stations throughout Cleveland, Akron and Ashtabula as part of our new advertising campaign. Click on the “Read More” link below to view a complete list of the stations that will air the UH ad. We hope you like what you hear.

Look for more updates about our advertising campaign in the coming weeks and months.

Minority health advocate, esteemed physician and beloved educator, Edgar Jackson, M.D. of University Hospitals Case Medical Center, will receive the Crystal Stair Award, the highest recognition given by the Ohio Commission on Minority Health, on March 27 in Columbus, Ohio.

The Ohio Commission on Minority Health was established in 1987 to fund innovative, culturally sensitive projects designed to reduce the incidence and severity of diseases or conditions impacting minority populations.

Dr. Jackson is the fourth recipient ever of this award designed specifically for the commission. The Crystal Award will recognize Dr. Jackson’s significant accomplishments in the field of medicine, particularly in the area of minority health.

Dr. Jackson has been a champion of diversity initiatives for more than 35 years, particularly with issues of health disparities. In 1997, Dr. Jackson helped to found University Hospitals Otis Moss, Jr. Health Center in Cleveland’s Fairfax neighborhood. The center strives to meet both the physical and spiritual needs of its patients. Dr. Jackson also created the David Satcher Clerkship, named after the former U.S. Surgeon General, to introduce visiting fourth-year minority medical students to University Hospitals with the hope of attracting them as residents.

Congratulations to Dr. Jackson!

University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital is expanding its services for psychiatric patients, thanks to a $5 million grant from The Elisabeth Severance Prentiss Foundation. The gift, received in 2004, included funds for an inpatient psychiatric unit in the Horvitz patient tower at Rainbow and for research to advance treatment. The inpatient unit construction is now complete, and ready to serve this important patient group.

The new 14-bed unit led by Noah Miller, MD, director of inpatient psychiatry, will feature a partitioned activity/dining area, group therapy room and two patient lounges to be used in a variety of program tracks depending on patient need. Admission to the unit requires patients to meet specific diagnosis and acuity criteria and/or court-ordered inpatient treatment.

Due to numerous requests, the final deadline to complete the online 2007 Safety In-Service training course has been extended to April 1. The original deadline was Feb. 1. The Joint Commission and several other regulatory agencies require that all UHCMC employees take the course and pass the test.

The online course covers employee and patient safety and includes a narrated, self-paced PowerPoint. Employees should review the presentation in its entirety. The test following the PowerPoint must be completed and passed for compliance. The training should take 25-30 minutes.

The training is located on the online Learning Management System (LMS), which can be accessed by all UHCMC employees via Employee Direct Access (EDA). Read more to learn how to access the training.

The OneNet project, through which University Hospitals is upgrading the phone system with Cisco technology and phones, will be completed at all non-UHCMC facilities by March 31 and at UHCMC in early summer.

If your department requires additional phones after the initial implementation, please contact the UH Helpdesk at (216) 844-3327 (option 2) to obtain a quote. The requester should then order the additional phones through Internet Procurement. Once the phones ship, a UH IT&S Field Engineering team member will contact you to schedule an install.

Click HERE to review step-by-step details on this procurement process.

Please visit the Quick Links on the UH Intranet Phones site: http://intranet/phones/ to review documentation and resources for your new phone.

The UH records management policy (GM-1) was recently updated to include e-mail. Beginning in July, e-mail messages will be automatically deleted from your mailbox unless the proper steps are taken to save the messages. Informational presentations will take place during March and April on the updated policy and how to appropriately retain e-mail messages. Click on the “Read More” link below to view dates, times and locations of presentations.

The neuroscience nursing conference will be held on April 17 from 8:15 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. at the Wolstein building. The conference will include topics such as brain reperfusion, stroke rehabilitation and the use of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). Lunch will be provided and nurses will receive contact hours. Please RSVP to Jessica Cahill at (216) 844-2403 or by e-mail at Jessica.Cahill @UHhospitals.org

University Hospitals (OH-003/05-01-2008) is an approved provider of continuing nursing education by the Ohio Nurses Association (OBN-001-91), an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.

UHCMC Audiology Services will begin to provide audiological care at the UH Richmond Medical Center effective on April 7. Referrals are being accepted for individuals with suspected or confirmed hearing impairment, tinnitus, dizziness or vertigo. Hearing aid evaluation, fitting and dispensing will also be available at this community location. UHCMC Audiology will be located in Suite 150 at the UH Richmond Medical Center. Please call (216) 844-7191 to schedule an appointment at the Richmond Medical Center or any of our other locations.

Nurses are invited to attend a surgical nursing symposium on April 26 at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. The symposium, presented by the Department of Surgery’s clinical nursing staff, will provide a comprehensive update on key topics in evidenced-based surgical nursing practice, including current trends in caring for the peri-operative patient in several surgical sub specialties.

The target audience includes professional nurses who work closely with the surgical patient, family members and other health care professionals to plan, implement and evaluate treatment as well as peri-operative nurses in hospital surgical departments, day-surgery units (ambulatory surgery), clinics and physicians offices.

Registration takes place April 26 from 7-8 a.m. The cost is $25 for UH employees and there is no costs for nursing students. The cost for all others is $50. For more information, please contact Cynthia Shega at (216) 844-8394 or e-mail at Cynthia.Shega@case.edu.

Purchase tickets today through Friday, March 28, to enter a raffle to win a custom photo afghan. All raffle proceeds benefit Harvest for Hunger. Tickets are $1 each or six for $5 and are available for purchase from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. in the Atrium or in the Volunteer Services office anytime before 5 p.m.

The afghan, donated by Hometown Threads in the North Olmsted Wal-Mart, is a 54” x 68” blanket which can have an image of the winner’s choice woven in (not just screen printed). Samples are on display in the Atrium this week.

Wednesday, March 26:

ImpactMD, interface maintenance, 7 – 7:30 p.m.