Pulse

Volume5/2003_April02PULSE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER Onlookers gave a cheer as the red ribbon at the Emergency Center entrance was cut March 28, marking the opening of U Hospital's new George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Critical Care Pavilion. The ribbon- cutting was preceded by a program that featured U President Bernie Machen; A. Lorris Betz, M. D., Ph. D., senior vice president for health sciences and dean of the medical school; Rick Fullmer, UH executive director; Lt. Gov. Olene Walker; and honored donors Spencer F. Eccles of the George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation and William H. Child, chief executive officer of R. C. Willey Home Furnishings. The $ 42.5 million project, the hospital's first expansion in more than 20 years, will substantially expand the University's trauma services. The new William H. and Patricia W. Child Emergency Center will feature 21 rooms designed for acute care, including specialized rooms for burn care and obstetric care, and six " fast- track" rooms for Continued on page 2 The pavilion opened with a ceremonial ribbon- cutting attended by officials and dignitaries including Rick Fullmer, left, John Kesler, Spencer Eccles, Patricia Child, Bernie Machen, William Child, Lisa Eccles, Olene Walker, Robert Graham, and A. Lorris Betz. Nurse Recruitment Makes Strides Since last fall an extra effort has been made by U Hospital administration and the Nurse Recruitment Office to hire additional nurses for the new Eccles Critical Care Pavilion and to keep pace with turnover in nursing positions. Strategies initiated include additional hospital recruit-ment staff, an employee referral program, salary adjust-ments, a new tuition reimbursement incentive, a recruit-ing campaign in the community, and increased collabora-tion between U Hospital and College of Nursing. In addition, UH administrators have approved an education benefit policy for employees who enroll in courses counting toward degrees that qualify them for hard- to- fill positions. Through February, 68 new registered nurses had been hired, of whom 19 were referred by staff and 17 were hired after being employed as students. For more information, call x5- l442. www. hr. utah. edu/ ben. One Bridge Closes, Another Opens The Moran bridge connecting U Hospital's third floor near SICU to the Moran Eye Center/ Huntsman Cancer Institute closed this week as construction began on six operating rooms being built in the vacated SICU and PACU areas. Access to Moran and Huntsman will be through the Eccles bridge from the main hallway on the third floor of the Eccles Critical Care Pavilion. HR to Hold Open Enrollment Period Open enrollment 2003, scheduled for April 7- 30, will give employees the chance to change health plan coverage and flexible spending accounts. Changes are effective July 1. Personalized open enrollment forms will be sent to employees at their home addresses the week of April 5. Anyone who doesn't receive the forms should call the Human Resources benefits department, xl- 7447. HR is also scheduling open enrollment information sessions April 7- 25. For more information go to Week- Long Activities Celebrate Grand Opening of University Hospital's Eccles Critical Care Pavilion Employee Recognition Day 1- mployi. fsi it ' ti''- University ot Utah Hoap'Iiits. S Cta'CS Rick Fullmer unveiled a plaque in the Starbucks deli recognizing employees for their contributions, ivhich helped build the plaza near the hospital entrance. Pavilion Opening continued patients with less severe injuries. The pavilion also will include 32 surgical intensive care beds, a preadmitting area, a postanesthesia care unit, and 36 same- day surgery recovery suites. " This expansion of our critical care services has been needed for so long," said hospital CEO Rick Fullmer, noting the increasingly frequent occasions when Univer-sity Hospital's Emergency Depart-ment and surgical intensive care unit have been filled to capacity. " The Eccles Critical Care Pavilion is a life- saver, in every sense of the word, for the people of Utah and the region." The Eccles pavilion has been named in recognition of a $ 7 million gift to the project from the George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation. A $ 3 million gift from William H. Child and his wife, Patricia, has funded the pavilion's William H. and Patricia W. Child Emergency Center. Continued on page 3 Employees signed oversized thank-you cards for the Eccles Founda-tion and Bill and Patricia Child. The hospital activities commit-tee and volunteers who helped with the event deserve a big " thank you. " More than 50,000 desserts were served while employees toured the pavilion. Opening and Ribbon- Cutting Pavilion Opening continued from page 2 Additional funding for the pavilion came from the release of a bond issue and donations by U Hospital employees and many community members in campaigns organized by the U Hospital Foundation. A community open house with tours of the pavilion was held March 29 featuring free health screenings, medical careers information, health activities including an ER teddy bear clinic, and prize-giveaways. Short- stay surgery recov-ery, PACU, and SICU areas opened last weekend after the community open house. The Emergency Center begins seeing patients April 2. Emergency Medicine Chief Erik Barton, M. D., spoke to members of the media at the event. Community Open House Nearly 2,500 people attended the Saturday community open house that included nearly 600 visits at the teddy bear clinic with Dr. Dog. I" the n eS. and Dolores Dore Eccles^ Foundation J mm the staff of University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics Spencer F. and Lisa Eccles and U President Bernie Machen hold the thank- you card hospital staff signedfor the George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation. U/ Neighborhood Partners Opens Community Office in Jordan Park University/ Neighborhood Partners ( UNP) will celebrate the opening of its new community office in the southeast corner of Jordan Park, 1060 South 900 West, April 4, 3- 6: 30 p. m. The University community and all west- side residents are invited. U President Bernie Machen and Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson will speak at the 4 p. m. dedica-tion. Children's activities begin at 3 p. m., and live music and food will be offered from 4: 30 to 6: 30 p. m. UNP, directed by Irene Fisher, aims to build partner-ships between University and neighborhood groups for reciprocal learning, action and benefit. For more infor-mation, call Fisher or Consuelo Alires at 972- 3596. U Hospital Lab Posts Clinical Alert U Hospital Laboratory Co- Director Christopher Lehman, M. D., is alerting clinicians to a change in the Troponin I test used to diagnose acute coronary syndrome. A new, more sensitive and specific test was implemented on the morning of April 1. It conforms most closely to the American College of Cardiology's recently published recommendations for Troponin I testing. Clinicians should note that with the new test there will be a change in the Troponin I cutoffs for the upper limit of normal and for myocardial infarction. The appropriate clinical cutoff values can be viewed in eChart by clicking on " Details." Clinicians should call the lab, x 1- 2361, with any questions about the test. Moran to Host Employee Open House The Moran Eye Center will host a special open house for U employees April 4, noon- 5 p. m., in its first- floor auditorium. The open house will feature information on how to use pretax income to pay for the latest in pre-scription eyewear, contact lenses, and vision correction surgery at the center. Employees can enjoy refreshments, speak to the experts, tour the new optical store, and learn about the surgery. Two special seminars on the latest procedures will be held at noon and 5 p. m. in the auditorium. Participants are encouraged to bring current prescriptions for glasses and contact lenses to help physicians determine if they are candidates for surgery. For more information, call x 1- 2352. Find the latest Health Sciences Center news and headlines online at uuhsc. utah. edu/ pubaffairs. 102 Med Students Get ' Match' Letters More than 100 graduating medical school students and their families, anticipating where they will live for their next years of residency training, gathered March 20 to open " Match Day" letters. Josh Fullmer, right, his wife Marie, and sons Brock and Nathan got a close look at their next stops- first in Spokane, Wash., for one year on an early match, then at the University of Oklahoma. Match Day, established by the National Resident Matching Program, is the primary route by which applicants to residency programs obtain training positions at U. S. teaching hospitals. Former Dean Jack Newell Presents Education Leadership Course Jack Newell, former dean of the U of U Liberal Education Program and now president of Deep Springs College in eastern California, will lead the continuing education course Principles of Higher Education Leader-ship and Development ( HEDLD 508). The noncredit class is set for April 4, 9 a. m.- 4 p. m., and April 5, 9 a. m.- noon, at the Alumni House. Cost is $ 240. U employee tuition reduction applies. Register online at www. continue. utah. edu/ careers. Med Students Plan Race to Help Clinic The American Medical Student Association is spon-soring the third annual triathlon and five- kilometer run to benefit the 4th Street Homeless Clinic Saturday, April 19. All proceeds will be donated to the clinic. For more information, course maps, and registration forms, please see the race Web site at umed. med. utah. edu/ 4thstreet. The event will be capped at 400 runners and 100 triathletes, so sign up early! Send questions to uutri2003@ yahoo. com. u u h s c . u t a h . e d