Intercom

Volume2/1987_November11U Hospital Serves Julia Sperry Top Honors A stay in the hospital can slow down even the heartiest eaters. Even though it's tough to help sick and injured people enjoy their meal, Julia Sperry does it everyday. Her extra attention to detail has led to happier patients and Employee of the Month honors for herself. Ms. Sperry, a registered nutrition care technician, has worked for Nutrition Care Services for six years and is the senior technician on the staff. She has worked in every patient area and now takes menu orders and serves the patients of 6 North, most of whom are recovering from orthopedic surgery. There are anywhere from 14 to 36 patients on the floor at a time. According to Ms. Sperry's supervisor, Gwen Bartschi, Ms. Sperry has worked for her longer than any of the technicians she's worked with. She has even made the extra effort to become registered. "To register, I had to complete an undergraduate degree in foods and nutrition," Ms. Sperry said. "I then had to take a few more classes in management. "She is now eligible to serve an internship in preparation for becoming a registered dietitian, but with a three-year-old daughter, she says she is spending most of her spare time being a mom. Ms. Bartschi takes advantage of Ms. Sperry's experience and asks her to train many of the new technicians when they begin working at University Hospital. " She is very organized and efficient, and pays special attention to detail," Ms. Bartschi said. " She takes the time to make sure patients get what they want- unless a special diet doesn't allow it- even if it means running down to the cafeteria to get it." Recendy, Ms. Sperry made some extra efforts to help a young retarded patient on her floor. The boy's mother expressed her appreciation to Ms. Sperry with a short note on the back of her son's menu. It read: " Thanks for your love and kindness to my special boy." University Hospital administra-tion and the Social Activities Committee also thank Ms. Sperry for Julia Sperry exemplifying the kind of caring attitude all of our patients deserve. As Employee of the Month for November, whe will be treated to lunch with Hospital Administrator George Belsey where she will be given a $ 50 U. S. savings bond. Thank You Hospital Staff ( EDITOR'S NOTE: The following letter was published in the Deseret News on October 28- 29,1987.) To the editor: Because of an accident near your city, our daughter Suzanne is in the University Hospital. I spent three weeks there, and I must say, the people I met were great. Not only are the hospital personnel caring people, but the bus drivers are so very helpful and patient. Even the people who rode the bus daily when I did were kind. Many of them said they were praying for our daughter, and one lady even visited her. Thank you for a town full of great folks. Lucy Huston Lithonia, Ga. Direct Line Suggestions Do Become Reality Changing tables in the rest-rooms... cafeteria discounts to Health Sciences Center staff... lockers in the third floor waiting area... bctter cleaning fluids for Environmental Services' use... no- smoking Nursing Appoints New Faculty Two new faculty members have been appointed in the University of Utah College of Nursing. Judith Graves, Ph. D., will direct the Office of Nursing Informatics, while Barbara Kerr will coordinate the Office of Community Service. Dr. Graves, associate professor of nursing, is a nationally recognized expert in nursing informatics with a special interest in using comuters for nursing diagnosis and care. She recently completed a National Library of Medicine fellowship in health informatics at the University of Minnesota. She earned doctorate and master's degrees in nursing from New York University, and her bachelor's of nursing degree from Texas Christian University. Ms. Kerr, a U of U alumna who served as an assistant professor of nursing administration from 1977- 80, will direct the college's continuing education program through the Office of Community Service. For the past two years, she has served as assistant vice president for medical/ surgical nursing at several hospitals in southwestern Washington. She also was the clinical coordinator of nursing at University Hospital in Denver and the nursing director at Valley West Hospital ( now Pioneer Valley Hospital) in West Valley City. Ms. Kerr received her bachelor's degree in nursing from the U of U and her master's degree from Catholic University in Washington, D. C. She is completing her doctorate in nursing care delivery systems at the University of Colorado. designations in the main lobby and adjacent areas. These are some of the changes that took place at University Hospital because staff, patients and visitors took time to make suggestions and ask questions through the Hospital's Direct Line program. Health Sciences Center employees are the most frequent users of the suggestion program, according to Pat Hawthorne, hospital employee communications coordinator. Staff members submitted 122 inquiries during fiscal year, 1986- 87. Suggestions, comments and questions also come from patients and visitors. The program averages 13 inquiries per month, 60 percent of which are signed. Each Direct Line question or comment, anonymous or signed, is sent to the responsible associate administrator or service director for response and/ or action. If an employee signs the form, a letter is directed to him or her to explain how the inquiry is being handled. Some Direct Line inquiries appear in INTERCOM if they are of general interest. The suggestion program was established at the Hospital in 1984. Direct Line boxes are located in the cafeteria, across from the patient/ staff elevators on the first floor near the main lobby and in the Northwest Pipeline Building in Research Park for the use of Financial Services and Home Health Care employees. If you have questions about the program, call Ms. Hawthorne in Personnel Services, extension 2300. Bring Your Card! It's nothing personal, really folks. The Cashier's Office asks everyone for a check guarantee card. Checks will be cashed for Health Sciences Center staff provided they write their social security number and telephone extension on the check and present a driver's license and check guarantee card. Lee Deffebach Lee Deffebach Featured Artist Lee Deffebach is the featured artist in the Hallside Gallery this month. A University of Utah student who studied under artists LeConte Stewart, George Dibble and Alvin Gittins in the 1940s, Ms. Deffebach went on to the Arts Students League in New York. She also studied painting in Florence and Paris on a Fulbright Scholarship. During the 1950s, she traveled throughout Greece, Turkey and North Africa and spent three years in Southeast Asia. A nationally recognized artist, her vibrant color abstractions on canvas are perhaps her best known works. While living in Nevada, she completed a series of small sculptures from flattened tin cans, metal scraps, car parts and other found objects. In the 1970s, she turned to the techniques of the acrylic wash and stained canvases reminiscent of Helen Frankenthaler's works. Most recently, she has used paint-layering, the process of layering and uncovering of color fields by scraping and then ovcrpainting. This continual covering, scraping and recovering reveals many tones, some more vibrant than others, she explained. The Hallside Gallery is located in the School of Medicine's Medical Illustrations Department. The gallery is open from 8 a. m. to 5 p. m. Monday through Friday