Author: electricpulp

Teaming up at Turbine

Several departments are coming together under one roof this fall at 1400 Turbine Drive in Rapid City, which means more opportunities for caregivers to collaborate and connect. Facilities Management & Construction bought the 137,000-square-foot building in August, allowing Monument Health to discontinue leases at National American University (NAU) on U.S. 16 and two buildings on Concourse Drive.

“We’re excited to have additional caregivers join us here at Turbine, and we look forward to getting to know some new faces,” said Jason Nesbit, Director of Patient Financial Services (PFS) which has been at the Turbine building since May of 2017. “These changes will mean less travel for caregivers as we collaborate with trusted partners such as Information Technology, Human Resources, and Learning & Development.”

Human Resources, Clinical Documentation Improvement (CDI) and Operational Performance Management (OPM) caregivers moved from the NAU building on Friday, Nov. 22. Human Resources will be located on the first floor of the building. Information Technology (IT) caregivers will move from their Concourse Drive buildings on Dec. 13. The second floor will include Patient Access, Revenue Integrity, PFS, IT, OPM and CDI. Monument Health will have one tenant in the building, ASI (Advanced Services, Inc.), which will move in sometime in January.

Sara Vawter, Administrative Assistant for IT, said her department is excited to have the majority of their caregivers in one location. “Right now we’re spread throughout our organization, so this will be a huge opportunity for us to grow as a team,” she said. “The move will allow our teams to collaborate more conveniently and problem solve from multiple directions, which ultimately benefits our caregivers and patients.” Caregivers with IT Infrastructure and Security will move to the building in February, followed by the Device Support Services team, which will complete IT’s full transition to Turbine.

Judy Blair, Human Resources Consultant for Learning & Organizational Development, is excited to gain a training room and larger breakout rooms. “I’m excited about having more Monument Health caregivers in one location to connect with,” she said.

According to Sarah Cook, Performance Engineer with OPM, “The best thing about moving to Turbine is that there will be so many great teams all under one roof!”

Laura Rehor, Director of Benefits & Well-Being, said Human Resources caregivers will be available from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at their new building. “We look forward to continuing to support our caregivers throughout the system no matter our location,” Laura said.

It’s not easy moving an entire department to a new building and getting readjusted. Thank you to the caregivers who have moved or will move offices to Turbine Drive. We’re looking forward to seeing how you make your new environment a great place to work.

Military veterans group creates culture of service and support

According to Sonya Randazzo, Scheduler in Surgical Services at Rapid City Hospital, the best thing you can do for a military veteran who is a patient or fellow caregiver is to be compassionate and listen to their story. “Listen to what they have to say,” she said. “Let them tell their veteran story. It’s important to them.”

Sonya served in the U.S. Army from 2008-2012 as an Operating Room Specialist (Surgical Technologist). She is now chair of Monument Health’s Military Veterans Group, a fairly new organization that has an important to-do list. Right now, they’re working with Information Technology caregivers on a process of identifying veteran patients in our hospitals. The hope is that when these patients are in our care, a member of the Military Veterans Group can make time to visit them, thank them for their service and assure them they’re in good hands.

Michael Morford, Human Resources Business Partner and one of the founding members of the group, said members of the group would also like to outline a process for paying proper military customs and courtesies to veteran patients who pass away in our hospitals.

In addition to the initiatives geared toward veteran patients, the other purpose of the Military Veterans Group is to make sure veteran caregivers and providers feel a sense of appreciation and belonging. Michael, a retired First Sergeant of the U.S. Air Force, said his interest in starting the group materialized when he realized how many military veterans were working at Monument Health but had not identified themselves as veterans.

Sonya said the group creates another opportunity for its members to serve. “Even though you are no longer in the military, the need to serve is still there.” She added that it’s also nice for members to be able to hear one another’s stories of service and to help other veterans in our community. The group has been involved in placing American flags on graves at the Black Hills National Cemetery for Memorial Day as well as passing out special badge holders for veterans at Monument Health.

Currently, 250 caregivers and providers are self-identified veterans. Monument Health considers a military veteran to be anyone who has ever served in the military, in any branch, for any period of time. “We are proud of our many veteran caregivers and are thankful for their service to our country and for their continued service in support of our patients,” he said. Michael encourages all leaders to help in identifying all veteran caregivers within Monument Health. Questions regarding the group or how to be added can be directed to Michael.

“We have an amazing group of veterans who are passionate not only about their job but in helping other veterans,” Sonya said. Thank you to all veterans and their families. Your sacrifices and service are appreciated throughout Monument Health.

Radiologic Technologists combine love for technology with heart for patients  

On Nov. 8, 1895 – 124 years ago this week – German physics professor Wilhelm Rontgen stumbled upon what he called “X-radiation.” His discovery of what we now know as X-rays won him the first Nobel Prize in Physics. It’s likely that not even Rontgen could have imagined what X-rays and the field of medical imaging as a whole would look like today.

Medical imaging – the process of creating an image of the interior body to help diagnose and treat illness – encompasses radiography, nuclear medicine, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and more, procedures which are largely performed by radiologic technologists (RT). Lowell Husman, RT at Rapid City Hospital, entered X-ray school in 1971 when technologists worked with hand-processed images that took over an hour to develop. Now, everything is electronic, and it’s only a matter of seconds before providers can view images.

“When I started, there was X-ray, and there was a very basic understanding of nuclear medicine,” he said. “There was no ultrasound, no CT scan, no MRI. The abilities of and quality of medical imaging have increased phenomenally. Now, 99 people can electronically access the same set of images at one time and have a conference call to discuss it.”

Nan Bradeen, Supervisor of Medical Imaging Services at Custer Hospital, said most RTs get into the field because of the progressive technology and the rate of change. “Most RTs want the ability to do more. They don’t want to be stagnant; they want to keep evolving.” Nan joined the field because she loves physics and technology; but she also wanted the opportunity to work with patients directly. “We have to provide a lot of education to patients, create an environment where they can ask questions during the test, and be sure to really listen to the patient,” Nan said.

Lowell said RTs have a unique opportunity to positively impact the patient’s mindset. “Not a single patient wants to come here. They’re afraid of the results, the cost, having pain, and so forth. But we can at least give them a good experience, make them feel comfortable and let them know they’re being well taken care of.”

Nan noted that Monument Health’s vision – It Starts With Heart – really resonates with her, as she and other RTs have always kept this front-of-mind. “That’s kind of what we inherently do.”

Monument Health employs over 160 imaging technologists throughout the markets. Wendy Meadows-Anderson, Director of Medical Imaging Services, said our entire team is extremely dedicated to providing the best possible patient care, and we’re excited to celebrate our achievements during National Radiologic Technology Week.

It is a great time to thank all of our techs in X-ray, Cat Scan, Sonography, MRI, Interventional Radiology, Nuclear Medicine, Bone Densitometry, Quality management, Mammography and PET. As well as our Support Specialists, Tech Assistants, PACS team, Radiologists and specialized medical imaging nursing team for all they do.

Practitioner works alongside physician who delivered her

One summer day about 14 years ago, Family Medicine Physician Chuck Lewis, D.O., was on his boat in the middle of Lake Oahe, frantically searching for his keys so he could drive the boat ashore. A storm was coming, and according to Dr. Lewis, “Storms on Lake Oahe are horrendous. You don’t want to be on the water.” Thankfully, a resort manager was able to help him get to safety, but Dr. Lewis will forever be giving Nurse Practitioner Stephanie Davis a hard time for adding to his gray hair that day.

Stephanie, who now works with Dr. Lewis at Monument Health Medical Clinic in Sturgis, was (and still is) his daughter’s best friend. She was on the boat earlier that day – and somehow accidentally took his boat keys when she left, stranding him on the lake. “It only took me two years to be able to smile about it,” he said jokingly. The two share many memories, as their families lived very close-by, and Stephanie’s father (also a physician) practiced alongside Dr. Lewis for years.

But the earliest memory Dr. Lewis has of Stephanie is the day he delivered her in 1985, when it was common for family medicine doctors to provide prenatal and obstetrics care. It’s coming full circle now, as Stephanie works at the clinic herself, providing urgent care services. Stephanie joined the clinic last year after receiving her nurse practitioner degree from South Dakota State University. Prior to that, she spent eight years in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at Rapid City Hospital.

Stephanie said her father and Dr. Lewis definitely influenced her career interest in health care. The close-knit culture between providers and caregivers that she saw growing up is what drew her back to Sturgis. “Being from Sturgis, I’m familiar with a lot of the people here, so it’s been very welcoming,” said Stephanie. “[Dr. Lewis] has been such a good resource. It’s fun to have that personal relationship as well as the professional.”

Dr. Lewis started working in Sturgis in 1984, and the comradery among his fellow providers and caregivers is something he doesn’t take for granted. “I think it’s the greatest place. Everyone is friends, everyone gets along. That’s pretty rare. Everyone likes to have fun, but we’re also very serious about the medicine and doing the best job we possibly can.”

The man who brought Stephanie into the world – and coached her childhood basketball and softball teams – is now her mentor and coach in health care. Not many people can say that. Thank you to the caregivers and physicians for mentoring our young people and being the kind of people they want to work alongside when they grow up.

Coloring outside the lines and reinventing rural hospital pharmacy

When Dana Darger, Director of Pharmacy, was 8 years old, he spent six months at a Denver hospital due to asthma complications. At that time, allergists and pulmonologists didn’t really exist, so he was treated by a dermatologist. “The asthma drugs available at that time were just awful,” he said. The experience sparked Dana’s interest in new, better medications, and before long he befriended the pharmacist at the drug store just blocks from his childhood home in Sioux Falls. He worked at the drug store throughout high school, and the rest was history.

After attending South Dakota State University for his degree in pharmacy, Dana worked for 22 years in Pierre before joining Monument Health. While he loved living near the Missouri River and now in the Black Hills, it’s pretty clear that Dana’s true happy place is with his colleagues at Rapid City Hospital, where for 17 years he has made it easier for patients at all Monument Health locations to receive high-quality pharmacy services.

“We are reinventing the way rural hospital pharmacy can be done, and we’re doing it extremely well,” he said. “When I walked in here 17 years ago, we were short six pharmacists. We had no one in Custer, Lead-Deadwood or Spearfish. Now we can take care of a patient in any one of our facilities from any location.” Monument Health now has pharmacists in Rapid City, Spearfish and Sturgis. Custer patients are cared for remotely, and a Lead-Deadwood pharmacy technician is supervised by a Spearfish pharmacist through a telepharmacy model approved through the South Dakota Board of Pharmacy.

Dana said both Monument Health and the Board of Pharmacy have always been supportive of his ideas and have allowed him to “color outside the lines.” He also credits his colleagues with helping fill the gaps between his big ideas and making them a reality. “I’m a dreamer. I know where we’re at and where we want to be. Sometimes those gaps are small and sometimes they’re caverns. My team can tell me if my dream isn’t going to work, but they can also help me make it a reality. We have an amazing crew here.”

Tiffany Clendenen, Pharmacy Manager in Spearfish who has been with Monument Health for 18 years, said the pharmacy team is a very cohesive group in which all locations have equal input. She appreciates Dana’s “out of the box” ideas. “Unknowingly, he challenges my black and white tendencies and allows me to look at different perspectives,” she said. His motto to “just do the right thing” allows his team to always put patients first.

Dana said while retirement time might be nearing, he’s not yet ready to leave his Monument Health family. “I don’t ever get up in the morning and not want to go to work. I get to go to work at a job I absolutely love. I have the best job in the world here.”

National Pharmacy Week is a great time to recognize how integral our pharmacy caregivers are to our team. Thanks to all of them for ensuring our patients receive the best possible outcomes.