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 Dear
Friends & Relations,
Welcome to Health Care Partners 1st
Edition bringing you up to date with valuable information and
because I want to brag about us! I can’t help it -- I’m so proud of our
staff and working environment! We’ll profile a different staff member in
each edition and you'll read about our current outcomes and in the bigger
picture what's happening in home health care. Sometimes we'll include a
recipe and suggested reading for learning or fun and to break your daily
monotony.
I hope you’ll always look forward
to our communication. Read it and pass it on to all of your friends and
families. We want it to be attractive to professionals and lay folk alike with favorable appreciation, while
strengthening the relationships we have and enriching the new ones. We
hope we’ll be your first thought when someone you know needs home
care. Stay in touch with me by calling or email. Visit the quick
links section below to some of my favorite websites, forward them on to
your family, friends and associates. We put our heart and soul into our
work and rediscover and renew to improve the lives of our patients and ourselves.
Warmest wishes,
Linda Jones, Owner, Health Care Partners, Inc.
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HCP Update:
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by Julianne Stroud, RN,
Director of Education |
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Health
Care Partners, Inc. is remaining closely up to date with all of the
latest health care changes and information while anticipating more
changes upcoming in the industry relating to technology and Pay for
Performance. Our data is good and due to our committed and relentless
teams to stand by our mission and vision we remain a quality home health
care agency of excellence. Our continuing education and lifelong learning
interests keep each individual staff interested in their chosen path and
stimulated with modern approaches to health care techniques.
We seek out the suggestions/recommendations of associations
such as the National Association for Home Care who are aggressive
advocates for quality services and give sound advice. Currently we are
members of the MI Home Health Association and will join as full members
of NAHC in the near future.
We will have a new organization chart later in 2008 which
includes Sandy Rosenick, RN, Administrator, and Melanie West, Chief
Operating Officer, and myself, Assistant
Administrator. We are still located in Southfield, Michigan,
and cover the tri county areas including Monroe and Washtenaw. We’re
happy to state we are increasing our Telehealth
and Anodyne monitors per quarter and our patients and staff
are happily buying into them to reduce the rate of hospitalization
- and - by being pro-active in self-care, a new self discipline and
respect emerge leaving time for more healthy activities and less time
spent with the blues and confusion. We will be adding Med Partner for Telehealth to remind the patient to take their
medication.
We purchased our new state of the art Electronic Medical
Record Software from McKesson; they are so impressed with our IT department
for their knowledge base and expertise. Our IT Department suggested
improvements to McKesson’s processes and standards implementation which
impressed them even more.
In
January 2008, HCP scored
above or equal to the National Reference score on the following measures:
- Incidence
of Any Emergent Care
- Improvement
in Bathing
- Improvement
in Status of Surgical Wounds
- Improvement
in Ambulation/Locomotion
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HCP Profile:
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Maria Rodriguez, RN, Director of Nursing |
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Name: Maria (Alagon) Rodriguez, currently
resides in Garden City with her husband, Wilson, and their five children.
Born: Bohol, Philippines.
Childhood Dream: To be a nurse and a nun.
Graduated: CEBU State – Provincial Hospital College of Nursing
(BSN).
Awards: 1983 Excellence in Clinical Practice
Award, Bohol, Philippines. 2004
Health Care Partners, Inc. Nurse of the Year.
Joined HCP: 2003. Promoted
in 2006 to Manager of Clinical Nursing and then to Director in 2007.
Greatest demands of role: Juggling the
various clinical issues.
Greatest impact in her life: Is first and
foremost, Anne Meloche, QA Manager. Maria says, “When I started working
at HCP (without home care
experience), Anne was not my field preceptor, but she was my mentor, she
molded me to become a good home care nurse. Next, Linda Jones, whose
heart is as big as the world, I can’t thank her enough for trusting and
believing in me that I can take on this job which I’ve grown to love so
much.”
Greatest invention ever: "The
computer and the cell phone because in the past in order to call the Philippines,
I would have to place many calls to the Operator and be transferred many
times and now I can just call direct".
What makes your heart soar? “Love and
peace; I wish everybody would just love one another so that there will be
no violence in the world".
email Maria:
mrodriguez@healthcarepartnersinc.com
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Article
of the Month:
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by
Jennifer Hayes, Director of Patient
Services |
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Heart Health
My Father, like many young men during World War II, joined
the Royal Air Force to become a pilot. He flew many
successful missions until one evening while flying over France
his plane was attacked by two German fighter planes. The plane
caught fire and with just moments to spare he used his parachute to
save his life. After hiding for two days he was caught by Nazi
soldiers and brought to a jail where he was interrogated and beaten. He
lived in several POW prisons for
a year and a half until the end of the war when he was freed. He was
only eighteen years old when the war ended and he was released from
prison. HE HAD SURVIVED!
Forty
years later, a terrible habit he picked up while in those prison camps
would come back to haunt him……..What was it? Smoking.
My
Father died from heart disease in 1992. Unfortunately, it is the
nation's leading killer of both men and women. Approximately
500,000 Americans die each year from heart disease. In general,
more people (men and women) die from heart disease than cancer, stroke,
lung disease or accidents.
Now for the good news..........many risk factors
can be reduced or eliminated through simple lifestyle changes:
*Lower cholesterol levels through dietary
changes. To help cut down on saturated fat in your diet, choose
lean cuts of meat, skim milk, eat plenty of fruits, vegetables and
grains. Look for foods that have been broiled, baked or roasted
instead of fried.
*If you smoke... quit! Smokers are two to six more
times likely to have a heart attack than those who do not smoke.
If you quit, your risk drops dramatically.
*See your health care provider regularly to screen
for and treat high blood pressure.
*Exercise. Physical inactivity is a major risk
factor for heart disease. Schedule time for regular physical activity
30 minutes per day at least 5 days per week.
*Reduce stress. Everyone has some degree of
stress in their lives, but how we cope with the stress is very
important to our heart health. Learn a systematic, drug-free method of
relaxing: meditation, yoga, walking the dog, deep breathing and
learning how to find something that you can enjoy as an escape.
Health Care Partners is committed to improving the
heart health of our patients. For this reason, we are now using
the HomMed Vital Monitoring System.
This device allows us to monitor our patient's vital signs in their
home seven days a week. It greatly reduces unnecessary hospital
and emergency room visits, encourages self management, and improves
communication between patients and medical professionals. For
more information please go to
www.hommed.com
and watch for Med Partner, a medication reminder tool to accompany our monitors,
in the near future.
For more information on heart health please visit
www.americanheart.org.
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Mental Health:
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by
Joanne Corbo Cruz, MSW, LMSW |
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Lying in a Tanning Bed Will Not Take the SADness Away
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The signs and symptoms of S.A.D. (seasonal affective
disorder) are similar to that of Major Depressive Disorder, but the
difference is that MDD is not resolved by phototherapy or when the
season changes. S.A.D. often happens during the darker months from late
fall to end of winter. It is most common in approximately 70% of women
in their 20’s, 30’s and 40’s and in the higher latitude areas of the
planet away from the equator. The secretion of melatonin (a chemical
that aids our sleep/wake cycle) is reduced due to lack of exposure to
light. Evidence shows that applying bright light to the back of a
person’s knees can shift a human’s circadian rhythm. This suggests that
the bloodstream not just the neurons of the visual pathways might help
mediate the biological clock.
Here in Michigan,
we are now moving away from the winter and darker months into brighter
spring weather, however, this does not mean that experiencing SAD
necessarily disappears. Some individuals experience Summer S.A.D., a
seasonal affective disorder which occurs during the summer months! But
for both disorders it is important to rule out other depressive
disorders such as a Major Depressive Disorder, Bipolar Disorder I and
II, Recurrent. Individuals should seek a clinical evaluation from a
professional to help rule out other depressive disorders.
Effective suggestions for both summer and winter S.A.D
that can help prevent relapse.
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Even if it’s cloudy spend some time outdoors everyday. The effect of
daylight is still beneficial. It’s the quantity of exposure time not the
quality that is important.
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Begin using a light box upon the onset of low light in the season, even
BEFORE you feel the onset of SAD.
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Eat a well balanced diet with sufficient vitamins and minerals. This
will help you have more energy when your body is craving starchy and
sweet foods (carbohydrates). Try exercising 3x
per week up to 30 minutes per day. Exercise releases endorphins which
produce energy and an increased sense of well being.
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Seek professional counseling. This will help address any cognitive
distortions related to depression.
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Stay involved in your social circle and regular activities. This is
great support especially for the winter months.
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If any of the SAD symptoms persist, contact your physician immediately.
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If you start to experience thoughts of suicide -- go to your nearest
emergency room!
For more information please visit
www.mayoclinic.com
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Suggested
Reading
A Family Caregiver Speaks
Up, "It Doesn't Have to be
This Hard"
by Suzanne Geffen Mintz,
President of the National
Family Caregivers
Association
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Full of advice for family
caregivers, this one of a
kind book written by a
family caregiver provides
lessons from family
caregivers across the
country, tips for
interacting with the
healthcare system to better
meet the needs of families
dealing with chronic
illness, and a cogent
presentation of how public
policy has a profound effect
on even the most intimate
details of life in
caregiving families. |
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Thank You... |
to all of our referring
physicians, nurses, social
workers and office staff for
providing excellent care to
our patients! The staff at
Health Care Partners
continues to provide quality
care to our patients and
communicates their progress
to all of our referring
physicians!
Health Care Partners tracks
our outcome-based quality
improvement measures on a
monthly basis. Our scores
for the last quarter were
above the national average
on 4 of the 7 measures!
At Health Care Partners, we
care and it shows!!! |
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Quick
Links |
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www.healthcarepartnersinc.com |
www.professionalparentcare.com |
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www.thefamilycaregiver.org |
www.healingdoc.com |
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www.banananose.com |
www.senioroptionsmi.com |
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Contact Us |
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For more helpful information, contact Health Care Partners at
any of
the
following
numbers.
Health
Care
Partners,
Inc.
18000 W.
Nine
Mile Rd.
Suite
400
Southfield,
MI 48075
Phone:
248-358-1186
Fax: 248-784-3919
Don't
forget
to add
us to
your
address
book!
Your comments or suggestions for future
issues
are
always
welcome;
or if
you
would
like
your
name
removed
from
this
email
please
contact
jcortez@healthcarepartnersinc.com
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