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10th Annual Crystal Ball Just Around the Corner!

Mercy & Unity Hospitals Foundation's Crystal Ball will be held on Saturday, Apr. 2. at the Northland Inn in Brooklyn Park. The Crystal Ball is the premiere fundraising event for the hospitals each year. This year's Ball, Diamonds, Denim and Dancing, will be an exciting night of dinner, live music, special presentations and live and silent auctions. Dancing returns after a several year absence.

In 2011, the Mercy & Unity Hospitals Foundation has stepped forward to support two innovative, first-of-their-kind programs in the north metro that will help our caregivers provide safe, efficient and state-of-the-art patient care: a hybrid cardiovascular operating suite at Mercy Hospital and an acute inpatient rehabilitation unit at Unity Hospital.

Individual tickets to Crystal Ball are $150, and include an $80 tax-deductible donation. To purchase tickets, please call the Foundation office at 763-236-3966.

Tickets to “Crash the Ball,” the post-party dance event, are $25 and can be purchased online at https://donate.allina.com/SSLPage.aspx?pid=388.

Sponsorship and donation opportunities are also available.



Please visit our website for more information. http://www.allinaunity.org/ahs/unity.nsf/page/Foundation_events


Mercy Hospital Receives Level Two Trauma Verification

Mercy Hospital's trauma center has been verified as a Level Two Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons. The accreditation paves the way for Mercy's official state designation as a Level Two Trauma Center in January.

"This has been nearly a seven year journey. Many people have contributed to this success, and it has been a true team effort," said Tom O’Connor, president of Mercy Hospital.

"The Level Two accreditation means that the emergency department and other areas of Mercy are capable of caring for complex trauma patients. We are a better hospital for our communities because of the increased level of services we can now provide to the north metro area," O'Connor said.

Trauma designation at each level requires that a hospital have certain resources in the building or on call. The designation helps Emergency Medical Services providers to select a hospital that is appropriate for each patient’s needs. There are four level ones, with Level One facilities caring for the most acute and critical patients. Mercy will be the fifth level two in the state and one of two in the seven-county region. Unity Hospital achieved Level Three status in 2009.

Trauma is the third leading cause of death in Minnesota. For more information on the state's trauma system, see health.state.mn.us/traumasystem.



Unity Hospital Joint Replacement Center Now Open

Unity Hospital has brought a new standard of care to the north metro for patients needing knee or hip replacement surgery. The Joint Replacement Center, which opened in January is an intensive physical rehabilitation program designed to improve each patient’s recovery and help them return to a lifestyle they enjoy.

The new Center features several unique components, including:

1. a multidisciplinary team approach.  A physician steering committee and a clinical action group have been formed to regularly discuss best practice for each patient’s care delivery and protocols, and to work through challenges.

2. a dedicated patient unit: Renovations have been made to create a space for group rehabilitation.  All total joint replacement patients will attend group therapy in the morning and afternoon each day.

3. Robust patient education:  Patient pre-operative orthopedic classes have been enhanced to set patient expectations for surgery and rehabilitation.

4. Personal coach: Patients are encouraged to select a loved one as a coach to support and motivate them with their therapy.

Studies have shown that these program elements result in a shorter hospital stay, improved ability after discharge, and fewer complications. Unity’s Center is the second in Allina, a similar program is being planned at Mercy Hospital. If you are living with joint pain and are considering knee or hip replacement surgery, visit the Joint Replacement Center online, or call 763-236-2800.


Melberg Thompson Joins Foundation Staff

The Mercy & Unity Hospital Foundation (MUHF) is pleased to welcome Andrea Melberg Thompson to Mercy and Unity Hospital. Andrea joined our staff in 2010 as a senior development associate. She comes to MUHF from Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare. During her five years at Gillette, Andrea raised significant financial support from individuals, corporations and organizations in with big ideas and great successes in local and corporate sponsorships, event planning, and volunteer management.  Prior to Gillette, Andrea was with the American Red Cross in marketing and communications, and  was with KSTP-Channel 5 for over five years as an assignment editor.  Andrea is a cum laude graduate in 1997 from St. Cloud State University and her husband and young children make their home in Brooklyn Park.
 
Andrea has assumed a big role with MUHF as the coordinator for the Crystal Ball gala, the community (employee) giving campaign, donor-sponsored events, and cause-related marketing initiatives. 


Patient Experience Initiative Underway at Unity Hospital

At Unity Hospital we are dedicated to making sure all patients have a positive experience in our care. We survey patients to learn how we can improve these experiences. Based on survey data, we've identified three focus areas to improve for 2011: Pain Management, Communication with Physicians, and Environment of the Hospital. 
 
The focus of the Pain Management initiative is the voice of the patient and how their pain was successfully managed while in the hospital. By using the white, erasable careboard in the patient’s room, caregivers can communicate the pain management needs of the patient.  Comprehensive education modules are provided to all caregivers about the importance of pain management.  In addition, enhancements have been made to the electronic medical record system, and awareness brought to non-medicinal forms of pain management.
 
The goal of the Physician Communication initiative is to improve communication between patients and physicians. We are focusing on the “3 C’s”: careboards, cards, and chairs.  Physicians are encouraged to write their name on a patient’s white erasable careboard and to give their business card to patients.  Physicians are also encouraged to sit down when in the patient’s room.  This promotes two-way dialogue between the patient and his or her physician. 
 
The goal of the newest initiative, Environment of the Hospital, is to improve the overall environment of our facility.   Its focus is on cleanliness, improving or making the most out of hospital spaces, and being “clutter-free.”  Unity environmental services staff are undergoing a specialized customer service training to help achieve this goal. In addition, multiple construction projects are underway which will update and improve the aesthetic of our hospital campus.



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