Our partners at Medical City Plano in The North Texas Division have shared education regarding Sepsis. 

Please ensure you are familiar with Sepsis protocols and implement in patient care.

Sepsis

Sepsis-1

Thank you for ALL YOU DO and your continued DEDICATION to patient care!

It’s hard to imagine but today marks the 20th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people — more than 400 were police officers, firefighters and first responders. September 11, 2001 — 9/11— stands as the deadliest foreign attack in the United States.

Many of us can remember exactly where we were when that first plane hit the twin towers. Some of us have very personal memories of family or friends impacted by the attacks. One thing that stands out for me is how our communities across the country came together in a display of profound patriotism. We faced uncertainty and stood in the face of adversity, and ultimately came out more resilient. The same could be said for how we’ve pulled together these past 18 months in the ongoing fight against COVID-19, which as we know, continues.

As September 11, 2001, becomes more of a memory, history is still being made each day by all of us. By the way we live our lives. By the way we conduct ourselves in difficult times. By how willing we are to put the needs of others before our own. I could not be more proud of how our organization shows up and does this each and every single day as we live out our mission- “At HCA Healthcare and HealthTrust Workforce Solutions, we are committed to the care and improvement of human life”.

On this 20th anniversary, we take a moment to pause and reflect as we forever honor the memory of those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.

Recently, the Colorado State Board of Health issued a new state-wide public health order that will require healthcare providers working in Ambulatory Surgery Centers to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination effective September 30, 2021, and healthcare providers in a hospital setting to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination effective November 1, 2021.

WHO IS IMPACTED?

The state order applies to all "healthcare workers", defined as, but not limited to: nurses, nursing assistants, physicians, technicians, therapists, phlebotomists, pharmacists, students and trainees, contractual staff not employed by the healthcare facility and persons not directly involved in patient care, but who could be exposed to infectious agents that can be transmitted in the healthcare setting (e.g., clerical, dietary, environmental services, laundry, security, engineering and facilities management, administrative, billing, and volunteer personnel).

If your clinicians received their vaccination, please make sure you can access proof of vaccination, usually the COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card (issued by the Department of Health and Human Services, CDC or WHO Yellow Card). Acceptable forms of proof include the original card, a photo or paper copy, or a digital copy on their phone or other electronic device. In the coming days, we will follow up with details about how to provide proof of vaccination.

If your clinicians have not completed a full series of one of the three types of vaccines (a full series plus 14 days), or do not have documented medical or religious reasons for opting out by the required dates, they will not be compliant to continue work, which will result in a disruption of service.

If your clinicians have not received a COVID-19 vaccination and have provided documentation for a medical or religious exemption, they will be required to wear a mask while working. In the coming days, we will follow up with details about how to provide proof of exemption.

All facilities in Colorado are covered under the PHO mandating COVID-19 vaccination. All providers and colleagues working in patient care facilities are required to adhere to the mandate and receive the COVID-19 vaccine by the dates mentioned above unless there is a valid, documented medical or religious reason for opting out.

We want to thank everyone who is already vaccinated for doing his or her part to end this pandemic. We appreciate each of you and are grateful for the care you provide to our patients each day.

As news outlets share more information on Hurricane Ida’s devastation, I want to make you aware of HCA Healthcare’s response and continued efforts to protect our patients, impacted colleagues, and facilities, even as the storm hit during a significant COVID surge.

The major Category 4 hurricane struck the greater New Orleans area yesterday, causing extensive damage across southeastern Louisiana. Three of our hospitals and many of our colleagues’ homes were in the storm’s path. We are incredibly grateful for the resilient frontline caregivers and support teams who tirelessly serve to ensure uninterrupted care and the safety of our patients and colleagues.

Prior to landfall, we activated our emergency operations team to help prepare our hospitals and ensure they had enough staff, medications, supplies, food, water, and generator power to continue operating and caring for patients — both during and after the storm. Human resources contacted all colleagues in the storm’s path through HCA Alert to create open lines of communication. As of this morning, our hospital teams reported limited water damage and no other significant destruction. Our facilities are on generator power and water boil notices; however, there has been no impact to patient care and our ERs remain open currently.

Throughout the next couple of days, our teams will continue to assess resource needs for our facilities, our colleagues, and nearby health systems in need of support. For colleagues, our HCA Healthcare Hope Fund is standing by to take applications for emergency and recovery assistance. If you are able, please consider donating to the Hope Fund to support impacted colleagues. The recovery efforts will likely take months and we will do our part to assist those in need.

Each day, I am inspired by the many ways our HCA Healthcare family bands together to support our patients and each other — especially during times of crisis. Our colleagues in southeast Louisiana are exemplifying our mission during this natural disaster. A special thank you to them, and to all of you, for your unwavering commitment to the care and improvement of human life.

Sincerely,
Sam Hazen, Chief Executive Officer

OR documentation...Please make sure when a patient transfers to the OR the following is completed:

• Consent – signed, dated, and timed
• H&P – signed, dated, and timed
• H&P update (if H&P older than 24 hours) – signed, dated, and timed.

Thank you for your dedication to patient safety!

Our partners in The West Florida Division have shared some education on the expectations of timelines for dosing and parameters for Nimodipine.   

Nimodipine

Thank you for all you DO!

A non fit-tested N95 is a certified N95 mask approved by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) that does not require a formal fit test, but does require a seal check. 

A seal check is performed by the user each time the mask is put on. It will help determine if the mask is properly positioned on your face or if it needs to be readjusted. 

How to perform a seal check:

• Put on the mask and adjust to fit securely
• Do either a positive pressure seal check and/or negative pressure seal check
• Positive pressure seal check: Exhale gently into the face mask. The face fit is considered acceptable when air can be built up inside of the face mask without air leaking out of the sides of the mask. 
• Negative pressure check: Inhale gently so that the face mask collapses your breath for ten seconds. If the face mask remains slighlty collapsed and no outside air enters into the mask, the face fit is considered acceptable. 

Non Fit-Tested N95

Thank you for your DEDICATION to patient safety!

As we indicated in last week’s communication following Denver Mayor Michael Hancock’s announcement regarding a vaccine mandate for healthcare workers in the City and County of Denver, we are sharing additional information regarding our process to operationalize the Mayor’s Public Health Order (PHO).

All HealthONE non-hospital facilities in Denver are covered under the PHO mandating COVID-19 vaccination. All providers and colleagues working in patient care facilities are required to adhere to the mandate and receive the COVID-19 vaccine by September 30, 2021, unless there is a valid, documented medical or religious reason for opting out.

For many of you who received both of your COVID-19 vaccines at a HealthONE facility, your information may already be recorded in the system. Please click here to confirm that your vaccination decision has been accurately recorded.

For those who have not received the COVID-19 vaccine, those seeking an exemption for medical or religious reasons, or those who have not yet provided proof of vaccination here, additional action is required:

1. If you have not been vaccinated:
   • Please do so as soon as possible. As a HealthONE provider/colleague, you can visit Employee Health at any HealthONE hospital to receive your vaccine.
   • You must get your second dose by September 16, 2021, due to the 14-day waiting period to be considered “fully vaccinated.”
   • Those who intend to be fully vaccinated by September 30, 2021, but miss the deadline, will be asked to work in an alternate HealthONE location until fully vaccinated.
   • Those who do not intend to be vaccinated will be asked to work at another HealthONE location unless/until the order is lifted.
2. If you have a valid, documented medical or religious reason for opting out:
   • Please click here or see attached paperwork that should be completed and returned to GenMailHr@HCAHealthcare.com
   • You will receive an approval/denial within 7 days
   • If the exemption is approved, you will be required to wear an N95 mask at the work location
3. If you received one or both vaccines from a site outside of HealthONE, please verify that information prior to September 16, 2021, using one of the following procedures:

• If you have a 3-4 ID, you can enter your vaccine information using our HCA Healthcare COVID-19 immunization link.
• If you do not have a 3-4 ID or do not wish to enter your information into HCA Healthcare’s immunization system, please send documentation of vaccination to GenMailHr@HCAHealthcare.com

We want to thank everyone who is already vaccinated for doing his or her part to end this pandemic. We appreciate each of you and are grateful for the care you provide to our patients each day.

We know that our nurses spend a considerable amount of time and energy caring for patients; however, it is important that you spend time on yourself. Make sure you are aware of your mental health as well. Providing quality, compassionate care can sometimes lead to fatigue and stress, which can lead to burnout.

If you are feeling burnt out, you don't have to muddle through. It is time to break up with burnout! Nurse Care counselors are available to help you beat burnout. Interested in speaking with a Nurse Care Counselor? Call Nurse Care at 800.480.1234. 

Note: Nurse Care Counselors are available 24/7. Also, sessions are free, unlimited and entirely confidential. 

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic last year when visitation at hospitals was restricted, the caring staff Presbyterian Saint Luke's Hospital (PSL), which is based in Denver, Colorado, sought to find an incredible way to honor the patients, who had passed away, especially those who did not have family by their side. "We knew that we did not want anyone to die alone," said Laura-Anne Cleveland, an associate chief nursing officer at PSL. "That is always our commitment, but more so when they [patients] couldn’t have visitors at their bedside." So, to help colleagues find peace after a patient passes away, medical staff now gathers in a circle to read a special message created by an unknown ER nurse.

To see the full story on ABC 7 Denver, click here.