Newsbriefs

Call for abstracts: New Nursing Leadership Award

YNHHS has created a new Nursing Leadership Award to be presented at the May 11 Joseph A. Zaccagnino Patient Safety and Quality Conference. Abstracts may be submitted on behalf of a YNHHS nursing collaborative.

The winning poster will:

• Support YNHHS’ vision, mission and values
• Demonstrate a positive impact on patient care or the patient experience, supported by nursing interventions
• Embrace the essence of quality or performance improvement, with a focus on patient-centered care, in any YNHHS patient-care setting

Abstracts are due March 10. Guidelines and a submission form are available on the Performance Management page of the YNHHS intranet.

National Nutrition Month demos in March

Culinary and Clinical Nutrition team members will hold recipe demonstrations on Wednesdays during March, National Nutrition Month. Demos will be 11:30 am - 1 pm March 8, 15, 22 and 29 in the East Pavilion Cafeteria at the York Street Campus and the Saint Raphael Campus cafeteria. March 8 is Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) Day. YNHH employees and covered dependents enrolled in Yale New Haven Health System’s health plans are eligible for unlimited nutrition counseling visits without co-pays as part of preventive care benefits. For more information, call the Nutrition Clinic, 203-688-2422 (YSC) or 203-789-3266 (SRC).

Events scheduled for Patient Safety Week

Employees are invited to kick off National Patient Safety Week March 12 - 18 by joining Morning Safety Report at 8 am Monday, March 13, 55 Park St. auditorium (with a web link for off-sites and Livestreaming to the Saint Raphael Campus Cronin Auditorium). This year will feature a “virtual” event with a safety week tool kit available via the YNHH intranet. The tool kit will include information on topics such as falls, hand hygiene, pressure ulcer prevention, central line care, car seat safety, YNHH’s safety coaches and other topics, along with a quality and safety “Jeopardy” game. Safety Week events are co-sponsored by the hospital’s Nursing Shared Governance Quality and Safety Council and Quality Improvement Support Services.

Employees invited to donate baby items for families in need

For the fourth consecutive year, Yale New Haven’s Mutual Respect Committee is presenting the Bundle of Joy event to benefit the Primary Care Centers, March 13 - May 19. The committee invites employees throughout the hospital to team up with co-workers to create a “bundle” of new baby items to be donated to families in need at YNHH’s PCC. This year, employees may also donate packages of diapers to be given to  the New Haven Diaper Bank and distributed to area families. Suggested (new only, please) baby items include: Diapers (sizes newborn and up), one-piece sleepers (sizes 6 months - 24 months), fitted crib sheets, baby toiletries, bibs and burp cloths, towels and wash cloths, baby wipes and layette sets. Please drop off baby items or diapers to: York Street Campus, Human Resources department, Dana Clinic Building, room 114, or call 203-688-3553, or Saint Raphael Campus, Volunteer Services, room M138, or call 203-789-3481.

Flexible spending accounts deadlines: March 15, 31

March 15 is the deadline to incur healthcare flexible spending account (FSA) expenses and have them applied to any 2016 FSA balance employees might have remaining. March 31 is the deadline for filing all 2016 FSA healthcare and dependent daycare claims. If you have questions about 2016 FSA balances, contact the hospital’s FSA claims administrator, Crosby Benefit Systems, 1-866-918-9711. FSA claim forms are available on the Crosby website and on HRConnect.

Lecture on IBS diet April 6

YNHH’s Nutrition Clinic will hold a lecture on a diet for managing symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, noon - 12:30 pm Thursday, April 6, NP 4101A. Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist Ellen Liskov will discuss the FODMAP diet, which reduces or eliminates foods high in Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols. About 50 percent of people who follow the diet report significant improvement in IBS symptoms. The event will include a low-FODMAP snack; attendees may also bring their own (healthy) lunch. The lecture is free, but registration is required by March 31. Contact [email protected] to register.