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Q: My biggest question is why does this organization always cater to nursing? It seems like everything is always about making nursing happy, and it doesn’t care about the other departments or services that help this orga-nization be successful. It is frustrating to see that nursing gets recognized for a lot of things. When other departments do well or exceed expectations, it goes unnoticed. It is no wonder that a lot of the employees do not feel it is a great place to work. I wish that there was more togetherness and not so many silos.

A: Allen Hospital caters to patients and their families. It takes all associates to provide excellent care and an exceptional patient-fam-ily experience. Allen Hospital employs 498 nurses - 34 percent of our associates. With that many associates in one group, I under-stand why you may think nursing gets addition-al recognition. However, it is clinical associ-ates including nurses who work directly with patients and families. That constant contact makes them more visible and recognized by those we serve. In 2013 and 2014, 33 percent of Care Counts All Stars were nurses. Thirty-four percent of Care Counts Ambassadors were nurses. By that measure, nurses received only their share of recognition. The larger point is this. Every associate is important to providing the best outcome for every patient every time. Some of us work in front-line jobs. Many of us work behind the scenes. As an organization, we want to recognize all associates and depart-ments for outstanding work. Please make sure your director or vice president knows about it so they can share your accomplishments with the rest of us. Mary Hagen, CNE

Birthdays & Hire Dates CARE Counts Classifieds EAPworks Health Beat Menus Phone Book

We answer questions as quickly as possi-ble, but it can take several weeks. If your question is more urgent, please contact the appropriate department, or call the Marketing & Communication o�ce at 319-235-3868, and we will help get you your answer sooner.

We will be saying goodbye to the Peminic System on January 5 and wel-coming a new Events (variance) and Feedback (complaint) System. All employees need access to this system. We will be requiring NetLearning modules and will o�er an open house training day on January 5 to answer questions and provide more details for those who spend more time in the system.

All employees are required to complete NetLearning modules beforeDecember 31, 2014.

Code Strong ReductionSteve Cusher, Safety and Security Manager

Since 2011, the hospital has been tracking CodeStrong events. With the tracking, we monitorwhat time they occur, where they are taking place,and the severity of the Code Strong incident.

Through the 3rd quarter of this year compared tothe 3rd quarter of prior years we have seen a 15%reduction in Code Strongs from 2013 to 2014 and anoverall 38% reduction in Code Strongs from 2012 to2014. This is something that we need to celebrate asan organization.

We all know that we have seen a rise in recentyears of a more violent society. Through oure�orts in de-escalation and our team approach topatient care we are making Allen Hospital a saferplace for our patients and for our fellow coworkers.This takes the e�orts of our front line nursing sta�,security personal, ancillary sta� that respond to Code Strong (i.e. Plant Service, EVS, etc.), and countless others. It is an example of how we put patient care and safety first at Allen. Thank you for all of your hard work in this endeavor.

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Q: It is my understanding thatdiscounts on health insurance pre-miums are based on biometrics and meeting the parameters, not related to OnPoint for Health points. Is that correct?A: That is correct, mostly. Thehealth insurance premium discount is awarded to those who have a BMI below 35 and who do not smoke or use nicotine. However, to earn the discount it is also required to take the HRA, which is on OnPoint for Health.Ashton DeMoss, Employee Health

Q: When do we get the refund onthe insurance premium discount, as-suming we become nicotine-free and/or lose five percent of our weight? Will that be next November during open enrollment, or can we get it sooner?A: For weight loss, it will be next yearat weigh-in time for 2016 open enroll-ment. For nicotine, it is after you test negative for nicotine.Steve Sesterhenn, HR

Q: Is it possible to apply for unem-ployment benefits for reduced work-load hours secondary to low census and not have to use all PTO hours to maintain income?A: You are required to use PTO be-fore the use of unpaid time. Regarding applying for unemployment, you have that option, but in many cases the state will not pay for limited days un-less they extend over a week in length.Steve Sesterhenn, HR

Q: If I ride my bike or moped to work,is there a safe place I can park it?A: We have bike racks at hospitalentrances 2, 3 and 4 to lock your bike.Jim Waterbury, Marketing &Communications

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Q: Is the new tuition reimbursement forAllen College only for RN-BSN, or does it include masters and doctoral programs?

A: The tuition program is for any classestaken at any UnityPoint college, including Allen College.Steve Sesterhenn, HR

Q: A visitor wants to know why G ele-vator in not listed on the Floor Directory.

A: We will add it. Thanks.Jim Waterbury, Marketing &Communications

Q: With the large amount of rentalvehicles for employee travel, has Allen considered purchasing vehicles instead of using Enterprise?

A: Yes. We had a travel car for severalyears, and we used it a lot in 2012 for the Epic rollout. But when we looked at this year’s capital budget, we couldn’t justify the cost of owning a business travel car. Renting saves money for other capital items. Renting wisely saves even more. Renting the smallest car you need saves on fees and gas. Returning Enterprise cars as soon as you are done means a one-day trip won’t be a two-day rental.Renee Rasmussen, CFO

Q: Can employees donate earned timeto anyone?

A: Earned time donations are coordi-nated through Human Resources. Specific requirements qualify someone for earned time donation. Allen has designated an employee to be in financial need due to unusual circumstances such as personal, family, or medical leave of absence. To be eligible to receive an Earned Time dona-tion, an associate would need to have a catastrophic event occur to them or be on leave for at least a period of 30 days. HR verifies that employees meet require-ments and distributes donations to the proper person.Steve Sesterhenn, HR

2015 Great Iowa NursesNominations Are OpenIt’s time to nominate Allen nurses for the 11th Annual 100 Great Nurses recog-nition. Successful nominees are those nurses whose courage, competence and commitment make a di�erence to patients and families. Forty-one UnityPoint Health – Waterloo nurses have been honored to date. With your support, more will be honored again in 2015.

You may submit nominations online or print out forms to submit by mail. Mailed nominations must be postmarked by December 24, 2014. Online nominations must be submitted by December 31, 2014.

CARE CountsDo you see a co-worker, volunteer, or provider that goes above and beyond in living the CARE values of Compassion, Accountability, Respect, and Excellence? Great CARE happens every day at Allen. Take time to nominate someone for a CARE Counts Recognition award. You’ll feel good and so will the person you nominate.

It’s easy!• Use the quick link that’s on page 1 of every Friday Edition on the blue quick

link bar, or

Compassion Recognizing the needs of others & reaching out to comfort & heal.Accountability Taking responsibility for our attitude and actions.Respect Honoring others.Excellence The habit of performing the highest standards of service.

• Go to the Allen intranet homepage and click the‘Submit a CARE Counts Nomination’ icon in thelower left corner. If you don’t see it at first, click onthe F5 key to refresh the homepage. Complete theshort nomination form and submit.

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Front (l to r): Rachel Fettkether, Nursing Administration; Edisa Mijatovic, UMP-ASC; Lisa Townsend, Cafeteria; Mckayla Schmitt, Lab; Sarah Rausch, Case Management

Back (l to r): Abby Swanson, Occupational Health, Kristin Schaefer, Business Devel-opment and Community Outreach; Ralph Gates, Cafeteria; Travis Ihnen, ED

Welcome New Team Members

UnityPoint Clinic 2014 New ProvidersThe New Physician & Provider Culture Retreat, was Bringing It Into Focus, sharing insights on our Service, Quality and Leadership. Many leaders of UnityPoint Clinic shared their knowledge and passion for health-care and the direction of the organization. Topics ranged from the Strategic Vision for UnityPoint Clinic, to an update on the ACO and UnityPoint Health to Patient Centered Medical Home, Referral Management and Patient Excellence. Dr. Dave Williams, Medical Director of Accountable Care and Organized Systems of Care at UnityPoint Health, made a case for service, stressing the importance of the provider's role in pa-tient experience. In Dr. Williams' words, "Providing great care for patients is why we're here. Nothing else matters more than that." And as I consider this, along with all that has been discussed about several key strategic initiatives over the course of the retreat, it's obvious that we are designing and creating our future in a very intentional, purposeful way. To ensure that great patient care is possible for every patient in every com-munity we serve.

Continued growth of our system is, by design, to ensure sustainability of care and to improve access, quality and a�ordability for patients. Referral management is focused on helping aligned providers work together within high-value networks. Our commitment to pro-viding excellent service and coordinated care is what will bring our brand to life for our patients and make us the provider of choice in the communities we serve.

We often hear that this is a time of disruptive change in the health care industry. How we manage that change will set us apart from other organizations. Our strate-gic plan is how we will manage change and design our future. And our providers are embracing change by implementing medical homes, working together to co-ordinate care, engaging patients in their health, focus-ing on quality, and building a value-driven culture. All of this being done with the purpose of providing Best Outcome for Every Patient Every Time.

We are Bringing it into Focus. With a new class of pro-viders to help us design our future. Welcome to Unity-Point Clinic. We're glad you're here.

Go to next page for more from the retreat . . .

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UnityPoint Clinic 2014 New Providers, contd.I want my patients to be assured that I provide a high stan-dard of professional medical care with undivided commit-ment.Ramesh Kumar, M.D.

Healthcare is a shared decision-making process. I am part of a team with my patients.Gwen Fang, M.D.

I provide comprehensive primary care management with an emphasis on healthy lifestyle choices and prevention. I became a physician to help people find the health within their bodies and their lives.Joanne Genewick, D.O.

I want my patients to know they will always receive 100% from me. I am always willing to listen and to address their concerns, day or night. I want them to feel they are being treated with the same attention, concern and compassion as I would want my loved ones treated.Mo Lonergan, PA-C

This is just a glimpse at the people who will be part of the team that will design and create our future. Commit-ted. Focused. Driven by core values. And that is some-thing to be proud of.

and these are THE people who embody our brand in the eyes of our patients. So how does an organization ensure its people are prepared to be brand ambassadors? Through its values. Our values define us and drive everything we do. Patients First. Integrity. Pursuit of Excellence. Partnership. Community Stewardship. When the new provider class was asked to share their thoughts about their work, it was clear that their personal values and our organizational values align:

I will treat each patient with respect and as a unique individ-ual.Rebecca Craig, M.D.

I’m an empathetic physician who truly cares about improv-ing the lives of my patients, and I will work with them to develop treatment plans that meet their specific needs.Jessica McIlrath, D.O.

It is a great privilege and responsibility to be entrusted with caring for someone’s child. This motivates me.Scott Oelberg, D.O.

I treat everyone the way I want to be treated. I will always listen. The patient is my priority.Je� Guse, ARNP

From the retreat... In a room filled with ournewest class of providers — some new to medicine, all new to the organiza-tion — you begin to get a sense of what the future of UnityPoint Clinic looks like. Ultimately, it's our people who are responsible for delivering our brand, and

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Happy Holidays from UnityPoint Health – Waterloo!We want to wish all our associates a wonderful holiday season this year. We have a special meal planned on December 9 to thank you for the hard work you’ve done all year. Visit the café for lunch between 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Dinner will be served 4-6:30 p.m. and there will be a third shift meal served at 11 p.m.-1 a.m. Please remember to wear your UnityPoint Health ID badge (guests and visitors will be charged $14.99). Senior leadership will be serving a delicious meal of sliced turkey, spiral ham and all the fixings (make sure you save room for pie!).

A Coney Island Christmas Weaves Together Nostalgia, Music, and Merriment in a New Seasonal ClassicThe Potter’s House Players are producing A Coney Island Christmas, a brand new play written by Pulit-zer Prize winner Donald Margulies and destined to become a holiday classic for all ages.

The play is based on a short story by Grace Paley. It tells the story of Shirley Abramowitz, a young Jewish girl who, much to her immigrant parents’ exaspera-tion, is cast to play Jesus in the school Christmaspageant. Set in Brooklyn in 1935, the many pageant characters include Santa Claus, the Wise Men, Scrooge, Tiny Tim, Mary, Joseph and the Ghost of Christmas Past. As Shirley, now much older, recounts the memorable story to her great-granddaughter, the play captures a timeless and universal tale of what it means to be an American during the holidays.

This production will intermix live action with video and still photos to help recreate the feel of New York in the 1930s. The play is directed by Greg Holt, costumed by Amy RohrBerg, and scenery painted by Pat More-land. The cast includes Grant Tracey, Rita Waggoner, Leslie Cohn, Norma Edsill, Kari Lindaman, Kenton Engles, Emily Eisenman, Hannah O’Connell, Japhy Holt, Katie Koester, David Randall, Julia Corbett, Layton Ritter, Arlo Hettle, Natalie Lindaman, Holly Corbitt and Benjamin Ritter.

A Coney Island Christmas will be shown at the First Congregational Church, 608 W. 4th Street, in Water-loo (across from the Grout Museum.) It will be general seating and admission is free. Performances are on Saturday, December 13, at 7 pm, and Sunday, December 14 at 2 pm and 7 pm. For more information, call 319-234-8927.

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Spoon it with LuannCreating “Blue Plate Specials” Luann Alemao, a food and nutrition educator and host of “Get Fit” TV will teach fresh and healthy cooking courses. Luann will have a featured guest each lesson to inform and educate with each theme. The class involves active participation in the menu. This hands on experience will be fun, creative and help you learn fresh is best!

DATE: Monday, December 15TIME: 6-8:00 p.m.PLACE: First United Methodist Church (kitchen), 718 Clay St., Cedar FallsCOST: $30 per person

MENU THEME: A Trio of Traditions• Savory Cranberry Sauce with Nut Herbed Pork Medallions• Cardamom Tea• Black Bean Soup• Roasted Carrots with Lemon and Olives• Gingerbread with Lemon Hard Sauce

Registration deadline December 14:• l.alemaoassoc@cfu.net• www.laanda.com• 319-266-8021

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Submit articles to: Robin.Nicholson@unitypoint.orgDeadline for submissions: noon Thursday