Franciscan Physicians Receives Community Safety Award!

On November 17, Franciscan Physicians Hospital received one of three Community Safety Awards for their work in emergency preparedness.

The awards were given by the Lake County Local Emergency Planning Committee, which serves as the liaison between industry and the local community and is accountable to the State of Indiana’s Emergency Response Commission.

A plaque of recognition, given by the LEPC, is located in the hospital’s west lobby.

The District 1 Hospital disaster drills took place on September 24, 2011. The full-scale exercise is designed to test the operational capability of multiple response functions, such as resource coordination, mental health, continuity of operations and risk communication.

Franciscan Physicians Hospital utilized volunteer participants, staged as patients, to simulate a variety of medical conditions relevant to the specific mocked disaster. The September drill scenario involved the detonation of a dirty bomb in three geographic locations in Northwest Indiana.

“We worked hard to ensure that our staff and physicians were prepared for a real life disaster, which was displayed during the scenario played out on September 24,” says Lori Postma, RN and medical care branch director at Franciscan Physicians Hospital.

Barb Greene, hospital president, states, “I’m very proud of our team for executing the plan in full detail as they’ve been trained to do. I am confident that in the face of a real disaster, their expertise and organization would prove successful in protecting our patients and staff to the fullest of their capabilities.”

Kevin Doolin, LEPC president, presents Lori Postma with the hospital's Community Safety Award.  

Franciscan Physicians Hospital Awarded HFAP Accreditation

Franciscan Physicians Hospital was awarded accreditation from the Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (HFAP), an independent, recognized accreditation authority. It earned this distinction after HFAP conducted an extensive and objective review of the hospital's quality and safety standards.

"We're always very proud to have this distinction," said Lisa Leckrone, Risk Management Director at Franciscan Physicians Hospital. "Our community comprises individuals with health care experience from many different providers. It's important that we establish a well-rounded, consistent environment in which they can place trust and pride. I believe we've done that, and the HFAP is one outlet for us to provide those elements."

The HFAP is one of only three national voluntary accreditation programs authorized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to survey all hospital and other medical facilities for compliance with the Medicare Conditions of Participation.

The HFAP is a non-profit, nationally recognized accreditation organization. It has been accrediting healthcare facilities for more than 60 years and under Medicare since its inception. Its mission is to advance high quality patient care and safety through objective application of recognized standards. Its accreditation is recognized by the federal government, state governments, managed care organizations, and insurance companies. For more information, go to: www.hfap.org.

Franciscan Physicians Hospital House Supervisor Pays it Forward

Susan Goodman, whose later name became Susan Komen, was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 33. Three years later, she lost the battle to her illness. Susan’s younger sister, Nancy, made a promise to increase awareness about cancer and its treatment in hopes that future generations would have better outcomes.

TO DONATE, CLICK THE LINK AT THE BOTTOM!!

Today, the breast cancer awareness movement has grown to international levels, with the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure Walk raising over $600 million dollars since 2003, according to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation. Taking part for her first time in this endeavor is cancer survivor Jessica Tancos. Tancos is a Nursing House Supervisor at Franciscan Physicians Hospital, who says her involvement is all about “paying it forward.”

American author and historian Edward Everett Hale once said this: “I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.” Jessica is reflective of that ideology as she works to raise the $2,300 to walk in the Susan G Komen 3-Day for the Cure walk.

“The 3-Day for the Cure Walk is such a distinctive event. I’m working to raise the money not only for the benefit of those fighting breast cancer, but also so that I can come together with other survivors and do something that, at one point, I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to do again. I’m getting more and more excited everyday, yet I always come back to thinking about those still suffering,” says Tancos.

The 3-Day for the Cure Walk pushes men and women to raise money for breast cancer research while pushing the boundaries of their own goals. Thousands of people take their commitment to end breast cancer and walk 60 miles over the course of three days.

These walks, reaching national proportions, will take place in Chicago, Boston, Atlanta, Arizona, Cleveland, Dallas, Michigan, and many other locations.

Raising the money to participate in this challenging endeavor is no easy feat, but Jessica has taken the stand to fight back against breast cancer. As a cancer survivor herself, Jessica’s endurance will be on par with many others who walk as a way of supporting the fight against cancer.

“I have two girls that I have to worry about now, and I’ve lost two very good friends to breast cancer, both under the age of 45,” says Tancos. “I just hope that we can continue to expand this event and soon end breast cancer for good.”

To donate to Jessica’s cause, click here. This donation page allows you to post comments, track Jessica's achievements, and more! Click here to reach the 3-Day for a Cure website, which provides links, donations, locations, and more about the 3-Day for the Cure Walk.

Franciscan Companion Newsletter Receives Bronze in International Design Competition!

Franciscan Physicians Hospital is proud to announce that they are the recipients of a bronze award in the magazine category from Summit International Awards. Moran Design, of Hammond, IN, handles the layout, design, and distribution of the newsletter. They submitted it for the 2011 award competition. Thousands of submittions poured in from 22 countries with the Hammond design firm scoring among the very best with their creative entries.

The "Franciscan Companion" is a quarterly newsletter written and edited by FPH employees Andrew Mullins, PR & Marketing Coordinator, and Janet Rolley, Executive Assistant. The full color, family-oriented magazine features short articles centered around living a healthy, happy life. It also works to highlight healthcare services, community organizations, and fun facts, providing a well-rounded, friendly magazine.

Janis Moran, owner of Moran Design in Hammond, states "Receiving an award from Summit International, a permier arbiter of creative excellence, is truly a coveted honor due to its prestige worldwide. Our entries were creative opportunities for us, with the goal of fostering effective communications for out client-it's what we like to do."

Moran Design, a veteran in the industry, provides state-of-the-art graphic design, advertising, marketing, Web design, copywriting, photography and public relations services.

Summit International Awards, celebrating it's 17th year, is an organization dedicated to furthering excellence in the marketing communications industry. It administers three distinguished advertising and marketing award competitions throughout the year with the goal of raising the awareness of companies and individuals who have the creative and marketing talent to go beyond the ordinary.

"Winning a Summit Creative Award is a significant accomplishment," says Jocelyn Luciano, executive director for Summit International Awards. "The combination of our excellent judges and the tough judging criteria ensures that only deserving entries receive Summit recognition."

Franciscan Physicians Hospital offers a special thanks to Moran Design for their exceptional work in the design industry. Their ability to implement various themes and factors into a concept, while maintaining the goal and directive of the piece, sets them apart from the norm. The hospital truly appreciates all of the work they do.

To view the award, click here!

FPH and P.U.C. nursing students promote a comprehensive work environment!

Four Senior Capstone Nursing course students from Purdue University Calumet joined forces with the Indiana Hospital Association, Lisa Leckrone, Director of Quality & Risk Management and the nursing team at Franciscan Physicians Hospital to promote hand-off communication in the hospital.

The task: ensure communication between departments as patients are moved from one area to another. Michelle Jansma, Brittany Rispens, Tara Zegazzewski, and Caitlyn McDonald, all seniors in PUC's nursing program, came up with a way to solidify the communication taking place. They did so by creating a promise: literally.

P.R.O.M.I.S.E., an acronym created by the nursing students, is a communication tool that can be easily remembered by nurses doing initial analyses of their patients as they move through departments such as pre-surgery, surgery, recovery, intensive care and inpatient rooms.

The letters represent the following:
P: Patient information
R: Review of systems (another way of saying a head-to-toe analysis)
O: Overview of tests and labs
M: Medications
I: IV (including solution, rate, size of needle and site of entry)
S: Specific unit checklist (pertinent information from each department)
E: Exchange of information to family and nurse

Through observation and listening, the students pinpointed communication areas for added assistance and practiced their new method with nurses to analyze change. The information contained in the acronym will prove beneficial for nurses communicating between departments.

Together, with help and organization from the Indiana Hospital Association, these students have furthered their knowledge to help patients and innovate the health care experience. Franciscan Physicians Hospital thanks them for all of their hard work and creative thinking. The future of innovation in nursing will be better with bright students like these!