We recently asked you to participate in our Associate Engagement Pulse Survey, offering an opportunity to share your story. Across our system, Centura had a 69% participation rate, which includes 12,559 respondents. We are grateful for the incredible input, ideas and recommendations. Your thoughtful feedback will help us on our journey to achieve the aspirations of Centura Health 2025 and discover even better ways to move health forward.

Your direct supervisor will begin sharing results with you soon, and together, you and your team will partner to build action plans that will elevate the Centura Health experience for you and all our incredible people.

We are committed to using the results of these surveys to celebrate our strengths, support you in your mission and advance the way we deliver whole person care. Thank you for all you bring to our shared and meaningful journey. Together, we are Centura Health, and we are truly unstoppable.

Questions?
Please contact your entity’s human resources department or email engagement@centura.org.

Mercy Home Health, which was previously recognized four times as a Top 500 HomeCare Elite agency, has earned the designation a fifth time from Ability and DecisionHealth.

Now in its 14th year, HomeCare Elite identifies the top agencies around the U.S. based on performance measures. This review year, those measures included quality of care, quality improvement, patient experience, best practices implementation and financial management. The 2019 HomeCare Elite also recognizes the Top 100 among providers nationwide. The data for this study is drawn from publicly available information.

Since 2005, Mercy Home Health has also been recognized as a Top 100 agency six times and has placed among the top 25 percent of agencies twice.

"It takes true dedication and tremendous hard work to be named in the top 500 home health agencies in the country,” said Tina Gallegos, director of Mercy Home Health and Hospice of Mercy. “This designation is a direct indicator of the commitment of our staff who work tirelessly to deliver quality, compassionate care to our patients. We are thrilled to share this remarkable achievement with the communities we serve."

Mercy's achievement coincides with sister Centura home health agencies that made the top 25% of all certified home health agencies in the U.S., including Centura Health at Home – Penrose St. Francis Health, Colorado Springs and Centura Health at Home, Denver. Congratulations to our high-performing home health agencies and the caregivers there who make a difference in the lives of community members every day!

For more information, please visit https://abilitynetwork.com/blog/landing/homecare-elite-2019.

An honor for an exceptional RN at LAH just got even bigger. 

Kristi Calbeck, pictured in the center of the photo above earlier this year, won a drawing for a full-tuition scholarship to American Sentinel University. The ICU nurse was chosen after becoming one of 13 winners of the Colorado Health Care Stars program in January. 

The awards are bestowed by the Colorado Hospital Association (CHA) to "stellar professionals going above and beyond." These are passionate, caring people who set a wonderful example - a "superhero" in our organization.

Kristi was nominated by Chris Miller, LAH's Director of Emergency, Critical Care and Women's Services, for “distinguishing herself by her commitment to excellence, her exceptional knowledge base, and her compassionate care."

American Sentinel University is a healthcare-focused online university pairing high-quality degree programs with innovative learning techniques and affordable tuition discounts for employees at CHA member hospitals. They offer accredited RN to BSN, MSN, MBA-Healthcare, and DNP programs in high-demand specializations.

This summer, Colorado and Kansas have observed significant increases in positive COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, and scientific studies suggest that wearing masks or face coverings is an important action in the fight against the coronavirus. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis from the scientific journal The Lancet found that “face mask use could result in a large reduction in risk of infection.”

On July 16, Colorado Governor Jared Polis issued a 30-day statewide mask mandate, hoping to avoid a major spike in coronavirus cases that he has stated has “left the state on the knife’s edge.” In Colorado everyone 11 years and older must wear a mask or other facial covering while in public indoor spaces, including all retail stores.

Wearing a mask keeps respiratory secretions within that barrier and helps protect others if you happen to be sick with COVID-19, even if you have minimal or no symptoms. It's also a helpful reminder not to touch your face. People are best protected when both they and others in the community wear masks.

Types of masks to wear in public

Outside of healthcare settings, you should use a simple mask that can be secured to your face, covers your mouth and nose and prevents respiratory droplets from spreading. It can be a hand-sewn mask with ear loops or head ties, or something as simple as a scarf wrapped around your face. The idea is to create a physical barrier that blocks any droplets you might produce when coughing, sneezing or even talking.

Medical-grade masks, like N95 masks and surgical masks, should be reserved for caregivers in the health care setting. When you're out in public, you don't need to wear the same kinds of masks worn by healthcare providers, who are in close contact with sick patients on a regular basis. 

As a reminder, Centura associates and physicians must wear face coverings while in the public areas of our facilities (entryways, hallways, breakrooms, restrooms, elevators, and cafeterias). And remember that wearing a mask in public is not a substitute for social distancing, frequent hand washing and avoiding touching your face. Wearing a mask is just one part of a larger infection control plan and doesn’t replace these other important recommendations. Working together to take these simple steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we can protect our communities and each other.

 

Are you looking to expand your scope of practice and elevate your career? As a valued caregiver, Centura Health wants to provide you with the opportunity to grow and develop, right here within our vibrant, connected ecosystem.

Applications will soon be open for our next Nurse Residency Programs in the areas of Cath Lab, ED, ICU, Neonatal, Oncology, Perinatal and Perioperative. If you recently became a nurse, our Newly Licensed RN Residency Program (Embark) will equip you with the tools you need to maximize your healing impact.

Our goal is to promote internal talent mobility and offer these residencies to our own skilled, qualified and incredible nurses. The fall cohort program will begin Nov. 2, 2020. Save calendar reminder for application window.

Important dates for the upcoming Nurse Residency Programs:

Fall  2020 cohort dates: 

• Application window: August 10 - August 24, 2020
• Offers extended by: October 16, 2020
• Obtain license by: October 16, 2020
• Program begins: November 2, 2020

On Sunday, August 9, Information Technology (IT) will perform monthly maintenance on the following critical applications and services, which will be unavailable from 11:30 p.m. (2330) until 2 a.m. (0200) MT on Monday, August 10.
 

Critical Applications
Application	Workaround
3M 360 Encompass	There is no workaround for this application.
Alaris Interoperability	Use the Alaris IV Pump Integration Downtime Recovery Checklist.
Ascom Vital Sign Alerts (St. Francis NICU)	Ascom will not provide vital sign alerts to Cisco phones and requires the downtime procedures to be initiated.
Avasure Virtual Telesitters	Avasure Virtual Telesitters will be unavailable. Initiate downtime procedures including in-person sitting coverage.
HUGS	HUGS Infant security system will be unavailable. Onsite security should be notified of downtime and unit doors monitored.
Nurse Call Systems (All)	Nurse Call systems will not send alerts to phones. Nurse Call alerts will alarm at the main console. Downtime procedures should be in place and the nurse call console should be monitored while the system is down.
OBIX	OBIX will be unavailable. Downtime procedures including in-person monitoring should be initiated which may require increased staff.
Point of Care lab tests uploading to Epic	Point of Care lab results will not upload to Epic during the full maintenance window. Epic is scheduled to be available at 1:30 a.m. (01:30) MT, POC lab results at 2 a.m. (02:00) MT. POC tests completed during the downtime will upload to Epic once the downtime is complete.
Pyxis	Pyxis stations must be placed on critical override in order to pull medications.
WellSky Transfusion – Blood Bank	WellSky Transfusion (Blood Bank) will not be available.  Laboratory should refer to downtime blood bank procedures and refer to the APBC for blood bank history.
Computer workstation security updates	Following the installation of workstation updates, you will see a 15-minute countdown and then the workstation will automatically restart.

Offline workstations will automatically be updated and rebooted once connected to the Centura Health network.
We appreciate your patience as we conduct these maintenance activities to keep our incredible people equipped with the latest tools and to ensure you can provide the highest quality, whole-person care.

Questions?
Contact your Clinical Informaticists by Facility.

The Centura Health Foundations have partnered with Walden University for a new scholarship opportunity available to all Centura Health associates. Walden University has generously donated 30, $15,000 scholarships to Centura Health associates who enroll in a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral program and begin classes on or before December 31, 2020 at Walden University. For scholars whose degree program exceeds $15,000, your local Centura Health hospital foundation will provide a 50% matching gift to each scholarship winner (not to exceed $7,500).

With more than 80-degree programs and more than 385 specializations and concentrations, Walden University can offer Centura Health associates a way to build highly transferable skills that can be immediately applied, as well as a pathway for greater career success. To qualify for a scholarship, the degree program you enroll in must meet the hiring needs of Centura Health. With only 30 scholarships available to Centura Health associates this will be a highly competitive application process.

This unique opportunity is powered by philanthropy and would not be possible without the generosity of Walden University and our community of donors, including many associate donors.

To learn more about this incredible opportunity please join us for a virtual Q & A on Thursday, August 6 at 10am MST. You can register for it by clicking You can register for it by clicking here.

You can also visit WaldenU.edu/CenturaHealth-Scholars to learn how to apply, eligibility and requirements, and important deadlines. 

Porter Adventist Hospital names Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nursing Officer
Two executive team members have been hired at Porter Adventist Hospital (PAH). Deborah Spielman has been named Chief Operating Officer, effective September 7, and Lesley Rehak has been named Chief Nursing Officer, effective August 10.
 
As COO, Deborah will support PAH both with operational leadership and service line development and growth. Deborah most recently served as COO at AdventHealth for Children and AdventHealth for Women. With more than 20 years of experience, Deborah has deep expertise in the development of high-quality, cost-effective and integrated programs in Behavioral Health, Cardiac, Neurosciences, Transplant, Orthopedics and Oncology.

“I am ready to serve the unique needs of the Porter team and the surrounding community in providing high quality, mission centered health care,” said Deborah. “For me, it is all about the people and I am looking forward to meeting the entire Porter team, one person at a time.”
 
As CNO, Lesley will serve as a strong advocate and leader for PAH nurses, continuing to develop the nursing and clinical teams that are core to providing clinical excellence and compassionate care. With more than 20 years of nursing experience, Lesley comes to Centura from the Medical Center of Aurora, where she served as Associate CNO and was instrumental in achieving the hospital’s third Magnet designation. Before that, she held leadership nursing positions at Forbes Hospital in Pennsylvania within their critical care and cardiovascular services.

“This role will allow me to support Porter's continued excellence in nursing and patient care that, at its core, treats patients as a whole being,” Lesley said. “This will also provide a voice and perspective into the delivery of care and services for the community that Porter serves.”

Questions or comments?
Please contact Ken Bacon, Group President of the Denver Metro Operating Group, at KenBacon@Centura.org.


Kathy Bishop, Amy Maxe and Eric Vaughn named Systemwide Service Line Administrators
Administrators have been identified for three enterprise-wide service lines. Kathy Bishop, RN, BSN, MBA, NE-BC has been named Administrator for Oncology; Amy Maxe, RN, BSN, MBA has been named Administrator for Neurosciences; and Eric Vaughn, MHA, FACHE has been named Administrator for Heart & Vascular. All three report to Erin Donnelly, Vice President of Enterprise Strategy, and work as dyads with Systemwide Service Line Medical Directors, reporting to Shauna Gulley, MD.

In these roles, Kathy, Amy and Eric will work collaboratively with clinical teams in their respective service lines to provide the highest quality, accessible care to the communities we serve. They will develop and direct service line programming and business development, including identifying gaps and barriers within the current system and working in partnership with caregivers to overcome these barriers and place Centura as the system of choice for their service line. They will play a robust strategic role in ensuring program growth, while at the same time ensuring work processes are designed to produce high quality clinical outcomes as we continue on our journey to become a high reliability organization.
 
Kathy joined Centura Health as Group Director of Oncology for the Greater Colorado and Kansas Operating Group in January 2020. Kathy’s extensive resume includes more than a decade as a frontline caregiver and clinical educator and diverse health care leadership roles, including experience as a service line director at children’s hospitals in Phoenix and Aurora, Colo., as well as two years as Nurse Surveyor for the Joint Commission.

Kathy is on a mission to continually strive to do more, to help more.
 
Amy has been living her mission with Centura Health for more than 17 years, beginning her career as a nurse at St. Anthony Hospital. Amy served in progressive leadership roles at St. Anthony and Littleton Adventist Hospital before being named to her current position as Service Line Director of Neurosciences for the Denver Metro Operating Group, where she has served since 2018.

Amy is on a mission to make connections, partner with providers, and lead innovations to support the delivery of high value neuroscience care for our communities and beyond.
 
Eric has served as Group Director of Heart & Vascular for the Denver Metro Operating Group since August 2019. He brings a wealth of heart and vascular experience spanning nearly three decades of dedicated service line leadership, including roles at not-for-profit and academic health systems as well as two years as Executive System Division Director for Catholic Health Initiative’s Institute for Cardiac and Vascular Health.

Eric is on a mission to serve as Christ served, for it is in serving others that we become free.

Questions or comments?
Please contact Erin Donnelly at ErinDonnelly@centura.org.