inside: - UCLA Health System

VOLUME 2
NUMBER 11
NOV/DEC 2007 UCLA
Hospital
System
Employee
Celebrating Commitment to Excellence
Westwood Emergency Department
Enhancement Project
Carey McCarthy
Carey McCarthy knows
firsthand the value of
teamwork and
volunteerism. Married to a
lieutenant colonel in the
Marine Corps, Carey deeply
appreciates the help and
support of family and friends
as she raises her twin boys —
often as a single parent
during her husband’s many
tours of duty to Afghanistan
and Iraq — and works full time.
interview on page 2
From left: Johanna Bruner, director, Emergency Services; Donna Wellbaum, Medhost
Project clinical coordinator; Tina Riley-Gonzales, administrative nurse; Romeo Herrera,
Administrative Specialist; Dr. Lynne McCullough, Medical Director; and Dr. Marshall
The Emergency Department (ED) is a challenging environment. At the
Westwood ER, the staff cares for the more than 40,000 patients who come
through the doors annually. Patients arrive at any time of the day, needing
care for anything from minor cuts and scrapes to life-threatening trauma.
Johanna Bruner (Jo), Emergency Department director, and Dr. Lynne McCullough,
medical director, felt that while Emergency Department patients receive excellent care,
the ED did not meet our very high UCLA Health System standards for patient
satisfaction and efficiency. To enhance the operation of the ED, Jo and Lynne formed a
cross-functional work team to evaluate the current processes for improvement and to
implement these changes. The work team, chaired by Donna Wellbaum, consists of nurses
Tina Riley-Gonzales, Ann Munnelly and Leigh Wiley; Emergency Department resident
Dr. Andrew Seefeld; registration representatives Helen Contreraz and Hortencia
Rodriguez; and faculty billing representative Romeo Herrera. continued on page 5
inside:
Heart Transplant
Wellness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Rape Treatment
Teamwork . . . . . . . . . . .4 Helping UCSD Nurses . .7
Center Event . . . . . . . . .3 Teen Philanthropist . . . .5
Pen Exchange . . . . . . . .4 Adopt-A-Family . . . . . .6

How long have you been at UCLA?
I started almost 20 years ago as an administrative assistant for the
volunteer office and was promoted to volunteer coordinator for
UCLA Medical Plaza in 1990. With the expansion of my responsi -
bilities to include our newsletter and special-events coordination
and production, I’m now a senior administrative analyst.
What special events do you particularly enjoy organizing?
Actually, I like most of them. Favorite events include
celebrating national volunteer week, recruitment drives, open
houses’ the fall Auxiliary Awards Luncheon and holiday
events. The Auxiliary Awards Luncheon takes months to plan,
and the 250 guests have a great time.
Were you in the healthcare field before coming to UCLA?
Yes, I coordinated the student and medical-explorer programs
at Little Company of Mary Hospital for five years. These
“I love working with volunteers.
It’s great working together with
such caring people who are doing
something out of the goodness
of their hearts to help others. ”
— Carey McCarthy
Carey McCarthy continued from page 1
As a UCLA Hospital System volunteer coordinator, what are
your job duties?
Essentially, I’m in charge of our specialty programs. These
include the UCLA Ambassador, Intern and Music Enrichment
Programs. I also assist with the Pet Animal Connection
Program and oversee three gift shops.
How do these programs enrich the patient experience at UCLA?
Our volunteer ambassadors are stationed in the main lobby of
the hospital and provide high-level customer service, directing
visitors to their destinations, answering questions and assisting
in any way possible. It has been such a success that the
program will also be implemented at 200 UCLA Medical Plaza
and at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center when it opens.
Our Intern Program provides students who can commit to
many volunteer hours an opportunity to work on special
projects for hospital administration or other departments. The
patient-affairs group relies heavily on these interns for phone
audits, patient-service programs and other needs as they arise.
Volunteer harpists and pianists are currently developing
and designing the UCLA Music Enrichment Program, which
promises to be a hit. Right now, we’re trying to determine the
areas where patients will benefit from live music the most.
programs exposed children to the many healthcare-career
options available and helped them to focus on a career
interest. I also enjoyed teaching at community colleges, using
my master’s degree in public health to teach subjects
including medical terminology and careers in the health field.
My mother was a nurse and I was always interested in the
medical field, but not as a clinician.
What do you find particularly rewarding as a volunteer
coordinator?
A special time for me is at the end of the day when volunteers
relay stories to me about what they encountered and
experienced that day. Sometimes the stories are funny and
sometimes they’re sad, but they illustrate that on a daily basis,
the volunteers truly make a difference in the experience of the
patients and the operations of the hospital.
It’s great working together with such caring people who
are doing something out of the goodness of their hearts to
help others. Our volunteers represent diversity in ethnicity,
background and age, and, to me, provide that special human
touch that makes all the difference.
How do you relax?
It’s almost impossible to relax with 7-year-old twin boys,
but we’re all huge sports fans and enjoy playing as well as
watching. The boys burn off their energy with karate, soccer,
baseball and basketball.
✹
2

Celebrating Commitment to Excellence
Ugly Betty Creates Beautiful Day for Patients
Gail Abarbanel (left), founding director
of the Rape Treatment Center (RTC),
joins actors America Ferrera and David
Schwimmer at the center's annual fund
raiser. The RTC is one of the nation's most
advanced and comprehensive centers
of its kind.
free services to sexual-assault victims,
prevention programs in middle and
high schools and colleges, and training
for victim-service providers.”
This year’s event also attracted
numerous elected and government officials,
including California Attorney
General Jerry Brown, California
Treasurer Bill Lockyer and Los Angeles
Police Chief William Bratton.
The RTC is nationally recognized
for its exemplary treatment, prevention
and education programs and
bringing justice and compas sionate
care to victims. Its numerous accomplishments
include:
✹ Giving free, expert treatment to
more than 35,000 rape victims
and their families
America Ferrara, Emmy Awardwinning
star of the ABC
show Ugly Betty, served as
celebrity host at the Rape Treatment
Center’s annual fund-raising brunch on
Sept. 30 at the Greenacres estate in
Beverly Hills. More than 800 celebrities,
community leaders and RTC
supporters joined her at the event,
including co-stars Rebecca Romjin,
Michael Urie and Becky Newton.
“Grey’s Anatomy” star T.R. Knight and
actors Angie Harmon and Henry
Simmons also were on hand. RTC board
member David Schwimmer emceed.
The event highlighted the RTC’s
latest accomplishments, including its
campaign to ensure faster processing of
DNA evidence in rape cases. Presently,
evidence collected during victims’
medical exams is packed in rape kits,
given to police and taken to a crime
lab for analysis. Due to severe staffing
and resource shortages, however, most
rape kits are not processed for up to
six months.
The RTC’s innovative “Fast-Track
Forensics Program” makes it possible
to send certain rape-kit evidence
directly to the California Department
of Justice DNA Lab for analysis within
five days. If a DNA profile is found
from the victim’s body or clothing, it is
searched in the Offender DNA Data -
base, a computerized identifica tion
data bank containing profiles of
900,000 known offenders.
“Our Rape Treatment Center is
dedicated to providing healing and
justice for victims,” says Gail Abarbanel,
founding director. “This event helps
ensure that we can continue to offer
3
✹ Training police, prosecutors,
judges and medical personnel
nationwide
✹ Providing prevention programs in
middle and high schools
✹ Establishing a national campaign
to reduce the incidence of rape on
college campuses
✹ Producing award-winning educa -
tional films and books.
The RTC also created Stuart
House, an internationally recognized
model facility serving child victims, and
the Verna Harrah Clinic, a state-of-theart
medical facility providing emergency
medical and forensic services. Its
www.911rape.org website is considered
the Internet’s most comprehensive
source for rape victims.
✹

Celebrating Teamwork
Heart Patient Sees Lessons
in UCLA Care
The Great Pen
Exchange
Continuing our leader -
ship role in academic
medicine, UCLA is
at the vanguard of adopting
new guidelines for our
relationships with industry.
These guide lines serve
to eliminate inter actions
between anyone associated
with the David Geffen School
of Medicine at UCLA or
UCLA Health System that
may create conflicts of
interest, improper influences
on decision-making or the
appearance of impropriety.
Among the changes:
✹ Gifts from industry cannot
be accepted by individual
faculty, staff or trainees
✹ Meetings with industry
representatives should be
“by appointment only,”
and, with a few exceptions,
should be conducted
outside of a clinical area
✹ All pens, pads, signs or other
materials that bear the
name or logo of a company
or product are prohibited in
facilities of the School of
Medicine or Health System
In an effort to make it
easier for everyone to get rid
of imprinted pens, a pen
exchange is scheduled for
November 29, from 11:30 am
to 1:30 pm in the CHS Café
Med and from 2:30 to 4:30 pm
in the SMUCLA Cafeteria
Bring your pens and
exchange them for ones that
are brand new! ✹
As a teacher of gifted children for
15 years, Mark Rosenberg is
constantly on alert for examples
from the real world that he can turn into
teaching opportunities. As a patient at
UCLA Medical Center, Mr. Rosenberg is
sure he’s found a winner.
Mr. Rosenberg is a heart transplant
candidate. A left ventricular-assist device
helps his ailing heart keep him alive as he
waits in his hospital room for a donor organ
to become available. But he is not interested
in discussing his health. Mr. Rosenberg
grows animated with passion when he talks
about the teamwork he has witnessed
among UCLA physicians and staff and how
their example could be used as a model to
teach children.
Mr. Rosenberg teaches his students that
they live in a society where people of all
racial and cultural backgrounds can pursue
abundant opportunities. He stresses that
cooperation among a diverse group brings
new ideas and new strength to an endeavor.
But in teaching that lesson, “it’s one thing
to say it, it’s another thing to have a real
example.” Here at UCLA, Mr. Rosenberg
believes he has found a fine example.
“Aside from the medical treatment I’ve
received — which I think has been extra -
ordinary — I’m impressed by the extreme
diversity of the staff and their care and
skill,” shares Mr. Rosenberg. He suggests
that in a world where so many examples of
Despite being bedridden while waiting for a heart transplant, Mark Rosenberg (left) keeps busy
exploring new ways to bring real-world examples to his middle school class. Mr. Rosenberg finds the
excellent patient care that he's receiving from Laura Drake, RN and her UCLA colleagues an inspired
example of diversity and teamwork.
behavior divide groups from one another, an
example of people from differing
backgrounds working together toward a
common goal is one to which the public —
and young children in particular — should
be exposed. “I’m heartened by what I see as
a group of people who are extremely diverse
working together with knowledge and skill.”
Laura Drake, RN, of the 4 West Cardiac
Observation Unit, has been part of Mr.
Rosenberg’s care team. Laura is well aware
of the tradition of teamwork and diversity at
UCLA. “I’m very proud of that,” she
declares, “I’ve been on this floor for 18 years
and that’s part of the reason that I’ve stayed
so long — the team is wonderful and we all
work so well together.”
✹
4

westwood emergency continued from page 1 The team is
supported by Katherine Appleget and Doug Gunderson from the
Performance Improvement Team. Every successful change initiative
requires a strong project team, but it also requires strong leadership
and the support of the entire Emergency Department. Johanna
Bruner reflected on this requirement, stating, “I have an incredible
team, and they have done a tremendous job on this project.”
The team implemented a number of positive changes
including:
✹ An ED Greeter to meet/direct patients and work to reduce
patient anxiety in the waiting room
✹ Nurse-initiated protocols to begin patient care as early as
possible
✹ Increased compliance of direct entry into Meditech to
improve ED to lab turnaround times, as well as decrease
transcription errors and clarification call backs
✹ Adjusted hours and staffing of Fast Track to improve service
to lower-acuity patients and improve overall patient flow in
the ED
✹ Collaboration with the UCLA medicine team to facilitate
the patient-admission process
To date, the results have been very encouraging. The
Emergency Department has been able to reduce the time from
patient arrival to in-bed time from 42 minutes to 27 minutes. They
have decreased the time from patient arrival to inpatient admit by
51 minutes, and from patient arrival to discharge by 22 minutes.
But more importantly, they have been able to improve patient
satisfaction. As measured by our peer group rating, they have
doubled our patient-satisfaction percentile in the past quarter.
The desire to improve continues in the Westwood
Emergency Department. They will continue to modify and
enhance the changes that have been implemented. They are also
collaborating with the radiology department on improving service
to the ED patient. Johanna looks forward to continuing the
process, stating, “My staff is always looking for ways to improve
the care our patients receive. It will not end with this project.” ✹
Celebrating
Philanthropy at 16
While older people may choose to raise
funds with a formal gala where
tuxedoed men and their evening-dressattired
partners dance to the music of an orchestra,
Ashley Goodall, 16, of Bakersfield, takes a younger,
more contemporary approach: She puts together a
rock concert.
Ashley, who suffers from a rare condition called
reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome (RSD),
recently donated a check for $2,500 to the UCLA
Pediatric Pain Program at Mattel Children’s Hospital
UCLA.
The funds were raised through a recent concert
organized by the teen’s nonprofit organization, Rock
Out to Knock Out RSD, which she founded a year ago.
The group’s mission includes raising money for research
at UCLA, as well as purchasing durable medical goods
for those who can’t afford them and generating
awareness about the disease.
“Ashley is an amazing young woman who took
her pain condition and turned it into a project that
can help others,” says Dr. Lonnie Zeltzer, director of
the pain program. “Despite having times of severe
pain, Ashley has organized a nonprofit and launched
an annual benefit to help support research in
adolescents with this type of condition. In all the
years that I have practiced pediatric pain medicine,
this is a first. Ashley is wonderful.”
“I didn’t want to just sit around and mope about
having RSD, I wanted to do something about it,” Ashley
says. “So I paired something that I love — concerts — with
something that I hate — RSD — and started my own
foundation.”
✹
UCLA Medical Center Auxiliary
recently held a luncheon to honor
the volunteers who contribute time
to the Medical Center. Last year
more than 4,000 volunteers
served in more than 250 site
locations throughout the Health
System and its affiliated entities.
These top award winners were
honored for their outstanding
service and dedication to the
hospital. Pictured are (left to
right) Lorraine Grant, Vita
Adams, Shirley Graner, Erna
Hart, Kay Handler and Peter
Zech. Each of these volunteers
has given more than 5,000 hours
of service to the hospital.

Celebrating Giving
For many, the holiday season conjures up expectations
of joyous family gatherings, special foods and
wonderful gifts. However, for some — especially those
with a severely ill family member — the holiday season can
be a cruel reminder of personal loss and deprivation, a time
when family budgets, already stretched tight or even
nonexistent, cannot bear the cost of a traditional holiday
meal or a small gift for the children.
Each year during the holiday season, UCLA Medical
Center Auxiliary Adopt-A-Family Program chooses
families of UCLA patients experiencing extraordinary
challenges by providing at least the basic essentials— and
sometimes a few unexpected extras — to make the holidays
a little brighter for the whole family. With the help of
UCLA’s Department of Clinical Social Work, Medical
Center Auxiliary and generous donations from departments
and employees, all the families and participants involved
are able to share in the joy and happiness of what the
holidays are really about— giving.
Nancy Hall, assistant director of the Department of
Clinical Social Work, is one of many individuals asked every
year by the UCLA Medical Center Auxiliary to nominate
patients and families who could benefit from the program.
“We often focus on families struggling with financial
resources, and it’s a time when we need to recognize not only
the ill patient but the neglected siblings and parents who
don’t have the time or resources to make sure the holidays are
like holidays at all. Due to the close relationships social
workers have with patients, we are able to determine which
families might benefit from the program.”
Once nominated by the social work department,
information about the size, location and needs of the families
are turned over to the UCLA Medical Center Auxiliary. It is
then up to the auxiliary’s chairpersons to recruit hospital
departments and individuals to “adopt” the patients’ families.
“It’s an incredible give-give situation, where everyone
feels good about what they can do,” says Murphy Litvack,
co-chair person of the Auxiliary Program. “With the help of
co-chair Rachel Dourec, president Helen Levin and 500
auxiliary members, the holiday season is a bit more
cheerful for our patients and their families.”
Adopted families provide a wish list along with the ages
6

Left: UCLA Auxiliary Board members wrap and pack parcels at the
annual Adopt-a-Family Workshop. Each adopted family receives
items from their wish list along with unexpected surprises.
and clothing sizes of their children. Sponsors then select items
from these lists or purchase other appropriate gifts. Gift
certificates from retail or grocery stores provide families with a
huge boost to help the families get food or household
essentials they might not be able to afford.
Marina Lawson, senior administrative analyst for UCLA
Medical Center Administration, has been a dedicated sponsor
for more than seven years and finds personal joy each holiday
season in gathering money, buying gifts, recruiting volunteers
to wrap the gifts and, finally, delivering them to the families.
Like many of the program’s participants, Marina recognizes
that the help we give goes a long way. “If you’ve ever had the
opportunity to read any of the profiles on the families, it makes
you realize that we have some really poor families with family
members who are very, very sick and have nothing for the
holidays. When you look at the list of what the families are
requesting— something as simple as a sweater— it makes you
sad to think that they have to wait until a holiday to get that
item. One of my most poignant memories was of a 16-yearold
artist who was waiting for a transplant and simply wanted
color drawing pencils and art paper.”
For an opportunity to participate in the Adopt-A-Family
Program, you can adopt a patient and his/her family, or make a
donation of cash or gift cards. Please email Murphy Litvack at
mlitvack@aol.com, or call her at 310-476-1617. Deadline for
adopting the family is November 30 and delivery to patients is
anytime before December 25. In your email, please include the
name and phone number of your contact.
✹
What is the Auxiliary?
Known to many as the “heart” of the hospital, Auxiliary
members are in one way or another connected to the
hospital by a personal experience. New members are
elected or invited by existing members to help carry
out its mission to raise and distribute funds throughout
the hospital. The Auxiliary has donated more than
$10 million to various programs within the hospital
since 1955.
Auxiliary funds help support patient services and
resources such as the Adopt-A-Family Program, People
Animal Connection, ICU Patient Clothing Program,
Pediatric Bereavement Program and UCLA Tiverton House.
In addition, grants for special programs and
equipment such as the Bloodmobile, Critical Care Unit
Ambulance, and Stroke Recovery and Rehabilitation
Program, as well as financial awards for medical and
nursing students and student volunteers, have been
made possible by the generous help of the Auxiliary. ✹
The UCLA Health System
Wellness Initiative has been
awarded the 2007 Bronze
California Fit Business Award
by the California Task Force
on Youth and Workplace
Wellness. This task force was
launched by the State Legislature
in 2002 to address the critical
issues of physical fitness and
nutritional health in California's
schools and workplaces.
A Big Idea From a Small Unit
Counted among the hundreds of thousands of
Southern Californians forced to flee from their
homes during the recent brushfires were our
colleagues from University of California, San Diego. As they
cared for burn victims and others, approximately 20 UCSD
Medical Center nurses either lost their homes or suffered
huge losses due to the fires.
In response, UCLA’s nursing unit 5 North Observation
has decided to forego its annual holiday gift exchange and
use the funds instead to help the UCSD nurses whose
homes were damaged or lost to the fires. If you would like
to help, please contact Mark Flitcraft, RN at x50765. ✹
7

Holiday Cards Bring Warm Wishes to All
Director of Marketing
Pattie Cuen
Editor
June Myers
Contributors
David Barrad
Margaret Cunningham
Tiffani Quach
Photography
Reed Hutchinson
Each year, young patients at Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA donate their drawings to
be chosen for holiday cards. The bright colors, fanciful figures and imaginative settings
illustrate the hope and joy that fills childhood. In addition, a
special Barbie card is offered. Proceeds will support special
programs for hospitalized children.
To order a package of 12 cards for $20, you may place your
order at www.uclahealth.org/mattel
or call x52631 and select option 6.
Copyright © 2007 UCLA Health System.
All rights reserved.
UCLA Health System
Marketing Communications
10920 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1850
Los Angeles, California 90095-6923
www.uclahealth.org
Celebrating Special Care
Breast Cancer Patients Enjoy
a Day of Pampering
The Revlon/UCLA Breast Center was transformed from
a clinic to a gorgeous spa last month when it opened
its doors to 30 invited breast cancer patients for a day of
pampering and beauty.
Patients listened to soothing background music while
enjoying massages, facials and paraffin treatments atop exam
tables draped in pink. Guests were encouraged to perch on
director chairs in the reception area for professional
makeovers. In between treatments, UCLA plastic surgeon Dr.
Andrew Dalio, nutritionist Karen Duval and physical therapist
Cathie Tarte all presented information useful to the guests.
Sherry Goldman, RN, nurse pracitioner at the Revlon/UCLA
Breast Center and breast cancer survivor, opened the day by
telling the women, “We are NOT our breasts, we are women who
go on with our lives once diagnosed with breast cancer. Today is
a celebration of YOU. We want to pamper you, feed you and
educate you.” For a heartwarming glimpse of the special day,
please see the video at: http://streaming.uclahealth.org/spa
All of the participants ranked this experience as one of the
most note worthy in their lives.
✹