Hartford HealthCare has been se-lected as the first member of the newly formed Memorial Sloan-Ket-tering (MSK) Cancer Alliance.

A worldwide leader in cancer treat-ment and the world’s oldest and largest private cancer center, MSK is located in New York City.

This alliance will bring the world’s most-advanced cancer care to Con-necticut and provide MSK with ac-cess to HHC’s expert physicians and high quality network of hospitals.

This distinctive partnership is de-signed to rapidly move innovative, evidence-based cancer care into the community setting and enable bi-directional learning between the organizations.

“We are honored that MSK has se-lected HHC for this first-of-its-kind partnership,” said Elliot Joseph, president and CEO of HHC. “And we are thrilled to extend access to such outstanding cancer care to our patients and communities.”

HHC was selected by MSK because of our dedication to delivering high quality, consistent care across the state. Through this alliance, we will bring world-class standards of care to our entire network and will be the model on which the MSK Cancer Alliance will grow.

HHC will now form the Hart-ford HealthCare Cancer Institute, which will include cancer facilities throughout our network.

We will conduct a national search to recruit a physician-in-chief to lead the institute, which will bring together multidisciplinary care

teams to provide the various types of care cancer patients require.

Over the decades, MSK has proven that effective clinical re-search improves standards of care for cancer patients.

Through our new re-lationship, MSK will give HHC patients access to cutting-edge clinical trials that offer the newest therapies.

“Good cancer care is not just treating cancer — it’s treat-ing your cancer,” said Craig Thompson, president and CEO of MSK. “Likewise, our part-nership was designed to adapt and respond to the particular needs of Hartford HealthCare, its clini-cians, and its patients—and, to-gether, Memorial Sloan-Kettering and HHC can evolve with the ever-changing practice of oncology.”

The benefits for HHC and our pa-tients and communities include:

• Further development of our inte-grated cancer network in concert with MSK’s leading-edge standards and protocols.

• Access to MSK world-class treat-ment guidelines and practices.

• Seamless HHC patient access to MSK clinical trials here at home.

• Seamless coordination of the

care of HHC patients at MSK in New York for procedures and treat-ments not offered by HHC locally (such as bone marrow transplants).

• Increased participation by HHC researchers in MSK research.

Memorial Sloan-Kettering will fur-ther its mission to prevent, con-trol and ultimately cure cancer by improving the quality of can-cer care outside its walls, expand-ing its research capabilities, and fostering the adoption of new and evolving standards of care into the community.

Over the next several months, we will be putting standards of care into place. MSK will assist us in strengthening our clinical and re-search programs and will share educational and other resources with us.

RxTraA publication for the staff of Hartford Hospital September 17, 2013 Vol. 69 No. 34

HHC Joins Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Alliance; Will Form HHC Cancer Institute

(From left) Dr. Andrew Salner, director of the Helen & Harry Gray Cancer Center; Dr. José Baselga, physician-in-chief, Memorial Hospital; Craig Thompson, pres-ident and CEO of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; and Elliot Joseph, president and CEO of Hart-ford HealthCare, gathered in Hartford to mark the es-tablishment of the MSK Cancer Alliance.

We’re listening... Tell us what you think! .......................................

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Compliance Questions or

Concerns?If you need to obtain information

about compliance issues or raise

concerns regarding internal and

regulatory practices

or policies, please contact your

supervisor or call the ComplianceLine,

a confidential and toll-free service, at

1-855-HHC-OCAP or online at

HHC.OCAPComplianceLine.com

Surgical technologists are entrust-ed with the lives and well-being of patients and provide a critical ser-vice during surgical procedures.

These integral members of the sur-gical team are responsible for the application of sterile and aseptic technique in the operating room, ensuring that equipment functions

properly and facilitating safe and effective conduct during invasive surgical procedures.

They strive to prevent life-threat-ening surgical site infections and maximize patient safety.

Thank you to our surgical technologists!

We honor all those in environmen-tal services who prevent infec-tion, maintain sustainable build-ings, lend a helping hand and work tirelessly to ensure that our health care facilities are among the best in the world.

We depend on the critical and often unrecognized role of environmen-tal services in quality outcomes.

We celebrate, appreciate and rec-ognize all the professionals work-ing in health care environmen-tal services for the extraordinary teamwork and leadership required to care for the complex health care environment.

Now through this Friday, Sept. 20, we will conduct a “Pulse” survey as a follow-up to the system-wide em-ployee satisfaction survey conduct-ed in March 2012.

The survey will ask you to respond to 28 questions to help us assess employees’ commitment and our progress based on your earlier feedback.

In particular, we’d like your input about our progress with balancing work and personal life, and devel-oping and improving communica-tions across different levels of the organization.

As in the past, we will keep your an-swers confidential.

We’ve once again hired Morehead Associates Inc., now part of Press Ganey, to conduct the survey and compile the results.

Here’s a link to the survey: https://moreheadsurvey.net/wix/p2687918193.aspx

Please Take The Pulse Survey!

Surgical Technologist Week: Vital Members of the OR Team

Environmental Services Week: Taking Pride In What We Do

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HH Team Finishes Strong in Dragon Boat RacesHartford Hospital employees finished in 8th place overall during this year’s Dragon Boat Races held August 17 at River-front Park in Hartford.

Twenty Hartford Hospital em-ployees took part in three sepa-rate races in this year’s event.

They finished with the hos-pital’s fastest time during the qualifying race, at 2 minutes and 29 seconds.

This allowed Hartford Hospital a coveted position in the finals to race in the top division with other elite contenders.

Hartford Hospital has been par-ticipating in the Dragon Boat Races for 11 years.

This year’s United Way pledge drive runs through October 18.

Your department coordinator will be visiting you soon to ask for your pledge. But, you don’t have to wait! You can pledge now online ... click the “eWay” link from the United Way In-tranet page (http://intranet.har-thosp.org/unitedway.htm).

We will be offering incentives for first time donors, and for do-nors who increase their pledge from last year … We’ll announce those soon.

If your work area does not have a coordinator, and if you would like to be one, please contact Sue Klein at 860-545-1126.

It takes only $1/week to make a difference in your community. Please consider pledging today!

Make Your Pledge Now!

Minority Organ Donor Awareness Table Registers 28 New Donors

August was National Minority Donor Awareness Month, which is de-signed to increase awareness of the need for more organ, eye, and tissue donors, especially among minorities.

Pictured left to right, Vicie Brooks, community liaison nurse; Raissa John-son, Department of Surgery, and Jami Tyska, organ procurment coordina-tor for Lifechoice Donor Services, staffed a “donation awareness table” in the HH lobby on Aug. 14 and signed up 28 new donors that day.

Happening at Hartford Hospital

Questions or comments about RxTra? Contact editor Annie Emanuelli at annie.emanuelli@hhchealth.org or 860-972-2199

Employees’ Council Meeting - Newington

All staff members who work in Newington are welcome to attend the Employees’ Council open monthly meetings on that

campus. The next meeting is Wednes-day, Sept. 18 at 2 p.m. in Seminar Room 1. The Employees Council helps staff members with work-related issues, and plans employee activities. Feel free to contact the EC anytime at 860-545-3904, or at employee.council@hhchealth.org. You can also check the EC page on the Intranet.

Sign Up for Cafeteria Meal Deduction ProgramFood & Nutrition Services will be in the HH Cafeteria on Thursday, Sept. 19 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to explain and en-roll employees in the Cafeteria Meal De-duction Program. This program autho-rizes Food & Nutrition to deduct your meal charges through payroll deduc-tion. Only the actual amount that you have used will be deducted from your paycheck the following week. Charges incurred over your authorized amount will be paid at the register at the time of purchase. This program is available to full and part time Hartford Hospital pay-roll employees only and is for purchas-es from the Hartford Hospital Cafeteria, Newington Cafeteria or IOL Cafeteria.

Fair Trade African Gifts Vendor in HH CafeteriaThere will be a ven-dor of fair trade Af-rican gifts in the Hartford Hospital cafeteria on Thurs-day, Sept. 19 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. They will be selling musical instruments, scarves, candles, carvings, and wooden boxes. Proceeds will benefit the United Way campaign.

‘Books Are Fun’ Book Fair in Newington

Come enjoy the Books Are Fun book fair held on the Newington cam-pus, 5th Floor connec-tor, on Thursday, Sept. 19 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. With over 250 great titles at unbelievable prices, you are sure to

find something for everyone on your list! Product categories include: Children’s Story Books, Cookbooks, General Inter-est Books, New York Times Best Sellers, Stationery & Scrapbooking, Music Col-lections, Gifts for all ages, Early Learn-ing Products, and Children’s Educational Products.

Red Cross Blood DriveBlood donations for the summer are running be-low anticipat-ed levels. As a re-sult the Red Cross has once again is-sued an Emergen-cy Need for Blood Donations. On Fri-day, Sept. 20 from 7 a.m.-12:30 p.m., there will be a Red Cross Blood Drive in the ERC. Please call 1-800-RED CROSS to schedule an appointment.

Shop Pampered Chef Before Friday

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month! Shop at The Pampered Chef now through Friday, Sept. 20, and 20% of the proceeds will benefit Hartford Hospital’s Comprehensive Prostate Cancer Pro-gram Fund. Go to www.pamperedchef.biz/karenkurrle (search for “prostate” under Party), Questions? E-mail Carrie Collin at carrie.collin@hhchealth.org.

TIME SENSITIVE: Auxiliary Special Funding Requests Due Sept. 26The Hartford Hospital Auxiliary is ac-cepting requests for special project fund-ing. Please complete and submit an appli-cation form by Thursday, Sept. 26, with written documentation on the cost, to Carol Garlick at Carol.Garlick@hhchealth.org. Successful requests will not exceed $50,000; address needs that have a di-rect and tangible impact on our patients and those close to them, not involve the funding of staff positions, show how the project will be able to be sustained, if nec-essary, after the funding runs out, and re-spond to all questions and include the re-quired signatures.

Grand Opening: South Windsor Family Health CenterThere will be a grand opening celebra-tion at the South Windsor Family Health Center on Saturday, Sept. 28 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m, with a ribbon cutting at 11 a.m. The Health Center is at 1559 Sul-livan Ave. in South Windsor. The event will feature New England’s Joe Andruzzi, MD SpeedMeet, mobile mammography van, fun for the kids, tours, fire truck, police safety education and Hartford Hospital services open house. For more information, contact Evi Schaffer at eve-line.schaffer-shekhman@hhchealth.org.

R E M E M B E R : HealthStream Tests Must Be Completed By Sept. 30

The 2013 Manda-tory HealthStream Assignments are available online. All employees must

complete this training no later than Monday, Sept. 30. There are conse-quences for non-completion of required training.