Auxiliary Donates $50,000 To Capital Campaign - Harrington ...

H A R R I N G T O N
Harrington
HEALTHCARE SYSTEM
Total Local Care
Volume 57 News for the Extended Harrington Family October 2012
M O O R E N O T E S
We have been engaging in
team building activities with
members of our Medical Staff, Senior Leadership
and Management Team, and encouraging all of
those who have worked on the exercises to
promote team building among all employees at
Harrington HealthCare System.
One department has turned those lessons into
action. Central Billing at Harrington Physician
Services rolled out its own team building program
in mid-October. Each month, a member of the
department will lead a team-building activity.
Janet Colleary, Patient Account Manager, was
the first to lead an activity. She brought the group
out to the front of Central Billing’s building at 46
Oakes Avenue in Southbridge and freshened up
and replanted the garden. A number of members
of the Central Billing Office participated. Working
in the picture below are, left to right, Tina Boucher,
Janet, and Chastity Sorenson.
In Janet’s words, “We are doing this so that we
can bond as a team. We have high-intensity jobs.
Doing this gave us a reason to go outside and
work together.”
Congratulations to the entire Central Billing team
at HPS.
Sincerely,
Ed Moore
President & CEO
Rolling Out
Team Building
Exercises
At HPS
Auxiliary Donates $50,000 To
Capital Campaign
The Harrington Auxiliary has generously donated
$50,000 to Harrington HealthCare System’s
fundraising campaign to rebuild the Emergency
Department in Webster.
The donation, proposed by Harrington Auxiliary
President Kathy Vairo, has pushed the sum raised
for the campaign to more than $772,000. Thanks
to a $4 million matching grant from an anonymous
donor, the sum raised totals $1.54 million.
The donation will help support the Strengthening
Our Future Capital Campaign -- an $8.8 million
fund- raising campaign to modernize and renovate
the Emergency Department at the Webster campus.
Pictured, left to right: Harrington CEO Ed Moore,
Development Director Sean Mitchell, Auxiliary President
Kathy Vairo, and Auxiliary First Vice President Betsy Peppel.
Harrington HealthCare at Hubbard’s Emergency Department is the focal point of healthcare in
Webster, Dudley, Oxford, Douglas, Thompson and surrounding communities in South Central
Massachusetts and Northern Connecticut. The Emergency Department in Webster sees more than
12,000 patient visits a year, but has not had a substantial overhaul since it was constructed in 1955.
"Today, our Harrington Hospital Auxilians continue to fulfill the mission of the Auxiliary founders and
have expanded that mission to include financial support of expansion projects so vital to the
future of Harrington HealthCare System," Kathy Vairo said. ■
Harrington Now Offers Additional
Minimally Invasive Surgeries
Harrington HealthCare System has added two new procedures to the list of minimally invasive
surgeries it offers.
Konstantino “Dan” Avradopoulos, M.D., F.A.C.S., a general surgeon and fellowship trained
Surgical Oncologist who recently joined Harrington HealthCare System, performs a variety of
surgical procedures, including minimally invasive colectomies, known as laparoscopic
colectomies, and minimally invasive parathyroidectomies. A parathyroidectomy is the removal of
an abnormal parathyroid gland.
In a laparoscopic colectomy, a surgeon uses a small scope to remove a portion of the colon. This
operation can be done through a much smaller incision compared to an open procedure.
“There is no question that patients recover quicker, have smaller incisions, less pain, and are able
to leave the hospital sooner compared to the conventional open surgical technique,” said Dr.
Avradopoulos, who is part of Harrington Physician Services.
When performing a parathyroidectomy, Dr. Avradopoulos removes abnormal parathyroids by
using a probe that measures radioactivity. This allows for a smaller incision, with minimal
dissection. This procedure is also called a gamma-guided parathyroidectomy.
Dr. Avradopoulos is part of the HPS General Surgery Practice located at 94 South Street in Southbridge.
He also holds office hours at Harrington HealthCare at Hubbard in Webster. Dr. Avradopoulos
is accepting appointments for new patients. For an appointment, please call 508-764-6966. ■
H a r r i n g t o n H e a l t h C a r e S y s t e m • 1 0 0 S o u t h S t r e e t , S o u t h b r i d g e , M A 0 1 5 5 0 • 5 0 8 - 7 6 5 - 9 7 7 1 • w w w . h a r r i n g t o n h o s p i t a l . o r g

News for the Extended Harrington Family
Harrington
Sponsors
Harvest Festival
Harrington HealthCare System and The Publick
House were the two major sponsors of this
year’s Harvest Festival on Oct. 20 and 21 in
Sturbridge. The event, held at The Publick House
and Sturbridge Common, which are across the
street from each other, attracts thousands of
area residents who come to listen to the
entertainment, buy locally made crafts, and
learn about the offerings of the region,
including all Harrington’s medical and service
offerings. Harvest Festival is run by the Chamber
of Commerce of Central Mass South. Pictured:
Julie Caprera offers face painting in the
Harrington tent. ■
W E L C O M E A B O A R D
Denise Ambruson —————— Ultrasound
Shauni Batchelor —————— Receptionist, HPS
Lisa M. Kenton-Bienia —————— ECC
Charlene Carr —————— Ultrasound
Gisela Castro —————— Ophthalmic Assistant, HPS
Nancy Chapdelaine —————— Office Manger, HPS
Vicky Cooper —————— Occupational Therapy
Erica Davis —————— 2 South
Michael Laflamme —————— ECC
Matthew Lombardi —————— Medical Surgical Unit
Heather McElroy —————— Physical Therapy
Hilda A. Miller —————— Psychiatric Emergency Services
Crystal Minga —————— GB Wells Administration
Cole Morin —————— Dietary
Denise Navaroli —————— Admitting
Andrea Paradis —————— Quality & Patient Safety
Virginia Rutcho —————— Volunteer Services
Thomas Simeone —————— Child & Family Services
Danielle St.Onge —————— Physical Therapy
Mary Staley —————— Physical Therapy
Christopher Thibodeau ——————
Public Safety
Helping Others By Contributing
To The Food Pantry
Harrington HealthCare System is teaming up with the St. Vincent DePaul Society’s Food
Pantry in Southbridge. At the Management Team meeting in November, managers will
receive shopping bags to bring back to their departments so that employees can fill them
with canned goods and other items that will go to those in need this holiday season. The
Food Pantry van will come by on Tuesday, December 4, to pick up the donated goods at
the Southbridge, Webster and Charlton campuses. The St. Vincent DePaul Society is a
nationwide group that serves those in need. In Southbridge, it is based in the St. Mary’s
Parish Center, which is part of Blessed John Paul II parish. The local chapter serves an
average of 300 families, or about 750 people, each month. Items especially needed
include crackers, soups, macaroni and cheese, Spaghetti O’s, baked beans, Jelly, canned
fruit, dry cereal (cold) and beef stew. ■
Celebrating October At Klems In Spencer
Harrington celebrated October at
Klems Department Store in Spencer by
offering information on The Cancer
Center at Harrington.
With pink balloons festooning the area,
Klems and Harrington partnered on
October 13 to bring awareness to breast
cancer and women’s health. Employees
sat outside the store with Harrington
promotional items and brochures.
Klems offered a special bag sale in
mid-October. Shoppers who purchased
a pink bag in the store for $5.99 could
fill it with as many Carhartt items as
would fit in the bag. All proceeds from
sales of the bags were donated to The
Cancer Center at Harrington. ■
QUALITY ✔ CORNER
The Cancer Center at Harrington staffed a table outside Klems
Department Store on Oct. 13. At right, Lindsay Domijan; left: Lynn Zollin.
Three Important National Patient Safety Goals
As we noted in the last issue of HealthLines, we are focusing on the six National Patient Safety
Goals for 2012. Here are details on three of those goals. We will review the remaining three
goals in the next issue of our newsletter.
Improve the Accuracy of Patient Identification
Patient identification errors put our patients at risk for harm and error. When providing
care, treatment or services use at least two identifiers to ensure our records are identifying
the correct patient. Ask the patient to state their name and date of birth and compare
that to their armband or, in the outpatient setting, the order sheet. Always label
specimens in the presence of the patient, after proper identification. Process orders one
patient at a time to avoid mix-ups. We are all responsible for correct patient identification.
For blood product transfusion, two licensed staff must verify the type, donor number and
expiration date, patient name and date of birth, and sign name as verification. We utilize
a safety checklist for surgical and invasive procedures, including a final verification process.
A time-out is performed immediately prior to the start of surgery or invasive procedure.
Improve the Effectiveness of Communication
Take spoken orders only in emergency situations. Write down spoken orders and critical
test results first, and then read them back to confirm. Receive and report critical values
and test results in a timely manner to a licensed caregiver for timely action.
Identify Patients at Risk for Suicide
Assess patients at risk through identification of signs and symptoms. Address the patient’s
immediate safety needs. Distribute prevention information such as crisis hotline information
to individuals and their families. ■
H a r r i n g t o n H e a l t h C a r e S y s t e m • 1 0 0 S o u t h S t r e e t , S o u t h b r i d g e , M A 0 1 5 5 0 • 5 0 8 - 7 6 5 - 9 7 7 1 • w w w . h a r r i n g t o n h o s p i t a l . o r g