Pulse

Volume5/2000_May24PULSE May 24, 2000 UNIVERSITY OF UTAH HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER Penny Drive Raises $400 for Peds Clinic Paul Young, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics, and Sandi Martin, R.N., director of Community Outreach and Volunteer Services (along with her reading-assistance dog Olivia) accept a donation of $ 400from the hospital's Child Development Center ( CDC). The money will be used by Clinic 6 ( pediatrics) to purchase new books for the Reach Out and Read program, which allows doctors to give young patients a new book at every well- child visit. The program is designed to emphasize to parents the importance of reading to children. The CDC also donated three boxes of gently used books to the clinic. " All five of our classes, which include more than 70 students, participated in the Reach Out and Read fund- raiser," said CDC assistant director Christina Moore. " When we started the penny drive last month we had no idea it would be so successful. We're thrilled with the results." U Cancer Screening Trial Reaches Goal of 14,000 Study Participants The U's Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Screening Trial ( PLCO Trial) marked a milestone recently, reaching its goal of 14,000 study participants, five months ahead of schedule. During the past seven years, the PLCO Trial has actively enrolled men and women between the ages of 55- 74 into the 13- year early- detection study. Participants are from Utah, Wyoming, Nevada, Idaho and Oregon. According to Jeff Childs, trial recruitment coordi-nator, volunteers who still wish to participate may enroll through the end of September 2000. Saundra S. Buys, M. D., associate professor of oncology and a member of the Huntsman Cancer Institute, is principal investigator for the trial. Utah is one of 10 research centers participating in the trial, funded by the National Cancer Institute ( NCI), a division of the National Institutes of Health ( NIH). The trial is the largest early- detection cancer study ever funded by the federal government. continued on back page Body Donor Service This Friday All health sciences employees and students are invited to a memorial service this Friday, at 11 a. m. honoring residents of the Intermountain West who bequeathed their bodies to the medical school in the last year. The service will be held at the Body Donor Program's grave site in the northwest corner of the Salt Lake City Cemetery. " It is important that these caring people, who continued to contribute to science and medicine even beyond their deaths, be remembered, that they be honored, and that their earthly remains be treated in a most dignified way," said Kerry Peterson, director of the U's body donor program. Mark Allison, University Hospital chaplain, will lead the service, which will include special musical presentations, a Native American ritual honoring the deceased and an opportunity for loved ones to share their memories. Richard J. Sperry, M. D., Ph. D., associate vice president for health sciences, will express the University's appreciation to the families of the donors. UH Golf Tournament June 13, Not June 12 The hospital's annual employee golf tournament, the Tee Time Scramble, will be held Tuesday, June 13. Last week's Pulse, as well as fliers sent to departments, incorrectly announced that the event was scheduled for Monday, June 12. Registration is $ 7 per player or $ 28 a team and tee times are available between 7: 30 a. m.- 5 p. m. Teams must include two men and two women, and one team member must be a university employee. To register, call A1 Tokunaga or Jeanne Henson, Health Information, xl- 2180. continued from front Prostate, lung, colorectal and ovarian cancers together account for 43 percent of the cancers diag-nosed each year, and 48 percent of cancer deaths, according to Childs. " Scientific information about screening tests for PLCO cancers is currently incomplete and, as a result, medical opinions vary regarding the usefulness of widespread screening," he said. " The University of Utah's 14,000 volunteers are vital in determining whether screening exams can reduce deaths from PLCO cancers." Trial volunteers are assigned by a random process to participate in either a control group or a screening group. Control group participants complete health questionnaires and continue with their usual health care. Screening group participants receive free cancer screening exams for PLCO cancers and complete annual health questionnaires. No medications are involved. Study participants are contacted annually for up to 13 years. Men and women between the ages of 55- 74 who wish to volunteer for the PLCO trial can call the center at x5- 7526 for enrollment information. Childs projects an additional 400 participants for the study. Summer Showdown Volunteers Needed Want to see some of the world's greatest golfers play one of the most beautiful golf courses in the state? Volunteers are needed to help at this year's Senior PGA Novell Utah Showdown scheduled for Aug. 14- 20 at the Park Meadows Country Club in Park City. Proceeds from the tournament will go to support to the hospital's Newborn Intensive Care Unit. The first 100 health sciences employees to sign up will have the $ 35 uniform fee paid by the vice president for health sciences' office. Volunteer duties include helping with admission, updating leader boards and serving as course marshalls. Applications, which are due July 1, can be picked up in the health sciences development office located on the 5th floor of the Moran Eye Center and should be returned to Lindsay Cutshall in that office. For more information call Cutshall at x5- 2739. Jewelry Sale Coming Next Month The hospital's Volunteer Auxiliary will sponsor a jewelry sale on June 5- 7 on the first- floor bridge. A portion of all proceeds from volunteer sales are donated to the University Hospital Foundation. Last year, the auxiliary raised more than $ 10,000 for the hospital. PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER UH Committee Approves Changes to Inpatient Diabetic Menus Based on research and published guidelines from the American Diabetes Association and American Dietetic Association, the hospital's Pharmaceutics and Therapeu-tics Committee has approved new dietary guidelines for diabetes patients. The hospital's diabetic menus will change in June to better meet current guidelines and to give patients more flexibility in meal planning. The new guidelines replace traditional diabetic dietary recommendations, which are based on six food groups, with carbohydrate- based diabetic diets, accord-ing to Caran Graves, Nutrition Care Services. " The old ADA guidelines used six food groups to assist with meal planning and often limited food choices. The new diets use only one food, carbohydrates, to distribute foods throughout meals," she said. The new guidelines state that all foods- including simple sugars and concentrated sweets- can be used safely. " In reality, most people with diabetes will continue to avoid highly concentrated sugar sources," she said. Further information, including answers to frequently asked questions and a flow chart to assist in diet selec-tions, will be available on each nursing unit or through Nutrition Care Services. For more information, contact a floor dietitian or call Nutrition Care Services at xl- 2157 or xl- 2203. Putting His Left Brain to Work Creativity guru Denis R. Berkson ( right) demonstrates to Madeline Buelt and William Holt, hospital administration, how he gets in touch with his creative side. Berkson's presentation, which was part of UH's observance of hospital week and was open to all employees, focused on the importance of using creativity and original thinking to solve problems in the workplace. He encouraged employees to be willing to take chances and to appreciate the differences between right- and left- brain thinking. NBICU Nurses Share Expertise, Donate Supplies to Eastern Europe seems a lot closer these days for staff from the newborn intensive care unit ( NBICU) who have shared exper-tise, supplies and even decorating know- how with nurses in the Czech and Slovak republics. Health- care providers from University of Utah and LDS hospitals and Primary Children's Medical Center ( PCMC) are visiting hospitals in Prague and Nove Zamky, Slovakia, to imple-ment a curriculum designed to increase the skills and confidence of nurses and to improve the collabo-ration between physicians and nurses. The project has been supported by a three- year grant from the Thrasher Research Fund awarded to Ronald S. Bloom, M. D., professor of pediatrics and residency director of neonatology. Charles University medical school's hospital in Prague, and the equivalent of a county hospital in Nove Zamky, Slovakia, are offering the upgraded training for neonatal nurses. According to Bloom, there is evidence that morbidity and mortality on intensive care units are related not only to the skills of physicians and nurses, but also to the relationships between unit care givers. Bloom has had a long- standing association with Charles University and with the Slovak Neonatology Society and previously has collabo-rated with Czech and Slovak neonatologists in developing a curriculum for teaching neonatol-ogy to resident physicians in the Czech and Slovak republics. Participants in the current project include registered nurses ( R. N.) Bart Chournos, Carol Henderson, and Diane Bedell and neonatal nurse practitioner, Laurie Vonderahe, University Hospital; registered nurses Laura Wolters and Kitty Giles, PCMC; Dave Sheppard, R. T., respiratory thera-pist, LDS Hospital; Jerald King, M. D., associate professor of neonatology and Laurie J. Moyer- Mileur, Ph. D., R. D., research assistant professor of neonatology. While the grant has paid for transportation and the hospitals have provided lodging and food, the Utah nurses have used their vacation time and paid for other expenses to participate. Areas of focus have ranged from basic assessment of premature infants to surgical emergencies. Cultural issues, such as bereave-ment, also are addressed. In Nove Zamky, a special effort was made to teach the nurses English for better communication and to facilitate ongoing exchanges over the Internet. Chournos, who has worked with neonates for 16 years, and Henderson, with 15 years' experi-ence, agreed that, in the two foreign hospitals they visited, nurses had a non- professional role. Known as " sisters," their training starts in the ninth grade and they are bedside nurses when they finish high school. They are not identified by name tags and have limited input into patient care. During his first visit, Sheppard, a respiratory therapist, discovered his work was a " non- defined job" there; it was something the physi-cians did. He and two physicians became good friends and, during his second visit, he was part of the staff caring for the babies. Chournos' photos of the babies in Europe inspired his son Jared to organize fundraisers for the two hospitals as an Eagle Scout project. Raffles, a garage sale and auction raised $ 2,500. Chournos, who raises paint and quarter horses, donated one of his animals to the cause. The group was able to buy Czech, Slovak Hospitals supplies at a discounted price, tripling the value of the money raised. Sheppard's mother, Joy, was a generous benefactor, giving $ 5,000 to the hospital in Nove Zamky. Welcomed as " Santa Claus," Chournos delivered the supplies in January in two huge suitcases on wheels and one regular- sized bag which he slung over his shoulder as a " carry- on." Spinal needles, diaper scales, skin care items and other supplies not easily available were donated. The Europeans have been thrilled with the spinal needles, said Vonderahe, a nurse practitioner with 23 years' NBICU experience. " When I went in November, they asked me to show them how to do a lumbar puncture because they were having a great deal of difficulty. When I saw the needle they were using, which resembled a long strand of spaghetti, I realized the problem had nothing to do with technique, it was the equipment." Tucked among other supplies were brightly patterned fabrics. " Now, the NBICUs look just like ours, with print quilts, made by their nurses, and name tags on the isolettes," the nurses said. It's one more connection to their new friends many miles away. CDUS Offers Free Seminar " Your Changing Role as an Outstanding Assistant," a free one-day seminar for university adminis-trative support staff, is scheduled for Wednesday, June 14 from 8: 30 a. m.- 3: 30 p. m. in the Olpin Union Building. Sponsored by the U's Career Development for University Secretaries ( CDUS), the seminar will focus on time management and problem- solving techniques. For more information, contact Pam Morrison, x 1- 2203 or Nicolle Eberhard, xl- 4981. UH Employees Open Their Wallets and Hit the Road for Healthier Babies More than 300 walkers and health- fair volunteers from University Hospital braved unpredictable Spring weather to participate in last month's WalkAmerica at Sugarhouse Park. Hospital employees contributed more than $ 12,000 to the March of Dimes to fund research and education programs designed to reduce birth defects. Chrissy Gardner, Sandi Martin and Gene Corapi were part of the early morning crew that helped set up the health fair. More than 1,500 WalkAmerica participants visited the fair, which included screenings and information from 26 hospital and health sciences departments and programs. AirMed paramedic Lane Gleave ( left) shows some young health- fair visitors around one of UH's new helicopters. Members of UH's rest- stop team prepare for the arrival of walkers. Back row: Cheryl Henson, Linda Ryerson, Marion Bradford, Brent Aim and Jeanne Henson. Front row: Stefan Smith, Tari Henson, Tiffany Henson, Melody Francom and Brittany Ryerson