Our vision is that every community, every neighborhood and every life can be whole and healthy, and we are excited to partner with our communities to offer the COVID-19 vaccine in the coming weeks and months. We need your support with staffing new ambulatory vaccine clinics across our system as we increasingly provide this vaccine to members of our community.

Associates in both clinical and administrative roles may provide help in our vaccine clinics. These roles, qualifications and training requirements include the following:

Clinical roles

• Documenter: This is a clinical role (MA, LPN or RN) that will help with the documentation of each vaccine.
• Vaccinator: This is a clinical role (EMT, MA, LPN or RN) that has been trained to administer vaccines.
• Reconstitutor/drawer: This is a clinical role (EMT, MA, LPN or RN) that has experience with drawing up medications.

• Check in/check out: This is an administrative role that will help check in and register patients upon arrival. They will also help schedule second doses at time of check out.
• Observer: This role can be either administrative or clinical. This individual will monitor patients for any adverse reactions after they have received the vaccine.
• Screener: This role can be either administrative or clinical. This individual will will greet patients and screen all visitors for symptoms and temperature. They may also assist in activities such as wayfinding.

• For general vaccine questions, contact your local incident command.
• For questions about compensation for working vaccine clinic shifts, contact your direct supervisor.

Associates participating in Centura’s Annual Increase Program (AIP) for their 401K account will see a one percent increase in their savings effective Feb. 1, 2021.

Participants in their first year of the AIP received a letter from Fidelity Investments in early January informing them of the annual increase. For associates who became part of this program in a previous year, confirmation statements will be mailed by Fidelity effective February 1 to remind them that their deferral percentage has increased by 1%.

Associates included in Centura’s AIP are:

• Those who have not been auto enrolled in the program during the past 6 months
• Those who have not opted out of the Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) 401k Plan
• Those whose deferrals (pretax and/or Roth combined) are between 1% - 9%
• Those who have not opted out of AIP or set up a different AIP timetable

Click here to view the Epic tip sheet on these updates to the Blood Products Adult Order Set. Click here to view the Epic tip sheet on the Chronic Anemia Management Order Set.

As part of our shared efforts to achieve zero preventable harm, Centura Health’s laboratory team launched a Blood Stewardship Campaign in November 2020. The goal of this campaign is to eliminate harm by educating caregivers on best practices for blood transfusions, including minimizing transfusions and adhering to lower laboratory thresholds in non-actively bleeding patients. These best practices, also known as restrictive transfusion practices, improve patient outcomes, including reduced morbidity and mortality and shorter lengths of stay.

To support this campaign, several changes are going live in Epic on Feb. 2, 2021. The Epic changes include:

• A new Order Set for Chronic Anemia that provides quick access to anemia management orders.
• Transfusion Order Set changes that are restructured to discourage ordering more than one unit of blood at a time unless indicated.
• RBC Best Practice Alert (BPA) changes that include removal of the indication “Hemoglobin 7-10 with disease that could cause tissue hypoxia” and addition of best practice indication “Hemoglobin <8 with symptomatic anemia (i.e. dyspnea or syncope).”

Jeff is on a mission to serve, respect and help those around him.

Centura Health, the region’s leading health care system, proudly welcomes Jeff Carrier as Chief Executive Officer for St. Catherine Hospital in Garden City and Bob Wilson Memorial Hospital in Ulysses. Jeff officially joined Centura’s healing ministry on Jan. 11.

Jeff is on a mission to serve, respect and help those around him. He is passionate about meeting the needs of the communities Centura serves throughout Kansas, achieving excellent patient outcomes and developing innovative ways to extend Centura’s Mission across southwest Kansas.

As CEO of St. Catherine and Bob Wilson Memorial hospitals, Jeff will cultivate strong, trusting relationships between the hospitals’ Boards of Trustees, caregivers, providers and volunteers to impact the health and wholeness of every life, every neighbor and every community across southwest Kansas.

Prior to joining Centura, Jeff served as Chief Clinical Officer for Freeman Health System in Joplin, Mo., and was responsible for the overall operations of patient care and nursing services for the three-hospital system. Prior to Freeman Health, Jeff served in clinical roles with Ascension, Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth and Olathe Medical Center. Early in his health care career, Jeff was a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and served at Troop Medical Clinic & Winn Army Hospital.

Jeff grew up in Wichita and graduated high school in Emporia. He received his Bachelor of Nursing from MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe and his Master of Science in Management from Baker University in Baldwin City. Jeff is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE), Certified Healthcare Financial Professional (CHFP), Certified Specialist Physician Practice Management (CSPPM) and Nurse Executive-Board Certified (NE-BC).

As a Kansas native with a long history of service, hard work and devotion to his community, Jeff brings unparalleled experience and perspective to the role of CEO for Bob Wilson and St. Catherine hospitals. Jeff’s leadership will empower our hospitals’ caregivers to continue to deliver world-class quality health care to our communities in southwest Kansas for many years to come.