More than 180 grant-funded projects are in progress across our health system at any given time, addressing a variety of health and wellness needs. Visit the web page to learn more about how the grants department operates and submit your grant ideas online. The information provided will help guide you through the grants application process—from developing your idea to drafting your proposal. You’ll also find examples of grant-funded programs that range from better meeting the health and wellness needs of the underserved in our community to bringing groundbreaking medication therapies to chronically ill patients—all made possible through various funding partners and the commitment of ProMedica staff and community resources.

Available resources on the grants department’s page on myProMedica include:

   • Online form to submit grant ideas for consideration
   • Outline of pre- and post-award activities in the grants process
   • Directory of recent grant awards with project directors’ contact information
   • Links to online and downloadable grants resources and documents

If you have questions about grants, please contact the grants department at grants@promedica.org.

Did you know that …

   • prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer found in American men, after skin cancer?

   • prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men, after lung cancer?

   • one man in six will get prostate cancer during his lifetime?

   • one man in 36 will die of this disease?

More than 2 million men in the U.S. who have had prostate cancer at some point are still alive today. The death rate for prostate cancer is going down, and the disease is being found earlier, too. To learn more about prostate cancer, visit the ACS web site at http://www.cancer.org/cancer/prostatecancer/index.

The WellScript program balances proper nutrition and physical activity to help individuals control weight; build and maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints; and reduce the risks associated with chronic diseases, such as diabetes, chronic heart failure or obesity.

WellScript is an eight-week, health promotion program that includes individual nutrition counseling with a registered dietitian at three convenient locations—Eastern Community YMCA, Fort Meigs YMCA and West Toledo YMCA. In addition, participants receive equipment orientation and ongoing fitness coach supervision, as well as unlimited use of the facilities at any YMCA/JCC facility across Greater Toledo. The cost of the program is only $80 for the full eight weeks.

According to Margaret Ogilvie, director, quality improvement at Paramount, one of the highlights is that each person walks away with a personal exercise plan that they can continue to follow at home. “Physical activity is such a key component of the WellScript program that we encourage participants to continue to exercise regularly, even beyond their eight weeks of counseling,” she adds.

For more information or to schedule a WellScript appointment, contact Sarah Bucher, health promotion coordinator at the YMCA/JCC, at 419-725-7892. For more information about health and fitness opportunities through ProMedica, call the Fitness Connection in Tecumseh at 517-424-3399 or Wildwood Athletic Club in Toledo at 419-539-0235.

Since its start in April 2008, ProMedica’s Got Ideas? employee improvement program has received 3,200 suggestions from employees system-wide. Of the suggestions evaluated, more than 175 have been implemented, saving more than $625,000 and realizing numerous quality and customer service improvements.

A group of employees from Paramount Health Care, led by Martha Thompson in the provider inquiry department, received the largest award to date—$10,000 in 2008—for their idea to retrieve negative balances from Paramount providers. And, Jim Edge, from The Toledo Hospital’s dietary department, received a $4,000 award in 2009 for his idea to streamline trash disposal and pickup.

In 2009, Got Ideas? was also presented with six national awards by the Employee Involvement Association, including the Executive Leadership Award for our president and chief executive officer, Randy Oostra, DM, FACHE, in recognition of his support for the program. Other organizations across the U.S. have implemented similar programs using Got Ideas? as their blueprint, including the IRS and the U.S. Army.

As we celebrate our past successes, we also look forward to future accomplishments, including implementing new suggestions from employees who submitted winning ideas in 2010. Got Ideas? has awarded more than 40 new suggestions this year. In May 2010, the Got Ideas? Grow Change initiative was launched, giving employees the opportunity to lead the evaluation and implementation of suggestions for improvement at the department level. Since the launch, 59 suggestions have been addressed in departments.

Although not every suggestion can be implemented, your continued submissions to the Got Ideas? program maintain a spirit of continuous improvement at ProMedica. Each and every idea for improvement is valuable. Through the Got Ideas? program, we hope to provide all ProMedica employees with a chance to participate in the growth of our organization, and for the organization to benefit from the increased sharing of ideas between employees and leadership team members.

So, if you are ready to improve our quality of care, service to customers, or identify valuable time and financial savings, put on your thinking cap and go to http://gotideas.promedica.org, or select “Got Ideas” from the “Departments” tab on myProMedica, to submit your suggestion.

While a number of ramp closures, lane restrictions and detours will be necessary, ODOT has carefully planned the roadwork to minimize disruptions and ensure that traffic patterns are maintained as efficiently as possible. For up-to-date information about how the roadwork around TTH/TCH campus may affect travel for patients, visitors, physicians, and employees, please visit www.promedica.org.

Additionally, as you travel through the Toledo area in upcoming months, please remember to drive in accordance with construction zone laws to ensure the safety of construction workers, fellow motorists, pedestrians, and yourself. Click to view a Construction Zone Update map with up-to-date information about the construction.

Walk for the Health of It!

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), inactive people lose muscle fiber at a rate of 3 – 5% every decade after age 30. That’s up to a 15% loss of muscle fiber by age 60! A great way to preserve muscle mass is to walk and keep active. Here are some options to help you get or stay moving:

Visit the AHA Start! web site to develop a walking plan, track your progress and locate walking paths close to your home and work. Click here to get started: http://www.startwalkingnow.org.

Then watch for details about the ProMedica Employee Wellness Program’s exciting, new exercise challenge, From the Big House to the Shoe, which begins Sun., Sept. 19!

Also, consider walking or running to support one of the following great causes. Click on the event for more information or to register:

   • Sat., Sept. 11: 11^th Annual Walk for Diabetes, Fostoria

   • Sat., Sept. 18: 6^th Annual Walk/Run to Break the Silence on Ovarian Cancer, Toledo

   • Sat., Sept. 25: Sarah Burnard Heator Memorial 5K Run, Toledo

   • Sun., Sept. 26: Komen Northwest Ohio Race for the Cure^®, Toledo (Join the ProMedica Health
     System team!)

   • Sat., Oct. 2: http://promedica.olhblogspace.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Fountain.pdf3^rd
     Annual Fountain to Fountain 5K Race, Defiance

We’re Going Grazing … Are You?

Join Bixby Medical Center on Sat., Oct. 16, for Graze to Raise, a 5K walk and taste-testing event that benefits Hickman Cancer Center on the campus of Bixby Medical Center. More than 20 restaurants and food vendors will present delectable specialties along the 5K course that winds its way through the neighborhoods surrounding Bixby.

Registration and the finale will be held under a tent behind Hickman Cancer Center, 777 Kimole Lane, Adrian, Mich., 49221. Registration starts at 9:30 a.m., with a balloon release at 10:10 a.m. to signal the start of the walk. The finale will take place at 12:30 p.m.

Registration is $30 for adults and $10 for students (9 – 17 years). Children 8 and under are free. Participants can also raise pledges from family and friends.

Brochures and registration forms can be found online at www.promedica.org/waystogive/bixbymedicalcenter. Forms are also available at the front entrance of Bixby and Herrick Medical Centers, and Hickman Cancer Center. All funds raised will stay local and directly benefit charity care for patients at Hickman Cancer Center.

For more information, contact the foundation office at Bixby at 517-265-0428.

Remember! Cedar Point Halloweekends Discounts Available

ProMedica employees, volunteers, and their families and friends can enjoy admission to Cedar Point at the best possible discount price during ProMedica Halloweekends Fun Days. Good-Any-Day discount tickets are also available during Halloweekends.

ProMedica Fun Days Admission Prices—Fri. – Sun., Sept. 17 – 19, and Fri. – Sun., Sept. 24 – 26

Juniors/Seniors $16.99 Each (Age 3 and Older; Under 48” Tall or Age 62 and Older)

Adults $25 Each—$20.99 Savings!

Good-Any-Day Admission Prices—Any Day the Park Is Open, Now – Sun., Oct. 31

Juniors/Seniors $16.99 Each (Age 3 and Older; Under 48” Tall or Age 62 and Older)

Adults $36 Each—$9.99 Savings!

Log in to myProMedica (http://my.promedica.org) and click the “Employee Discounts” link on the “HR & Payroll Services” department page to purchase Fun Days and Good-Any-Day tickets online or download a printable Fun Days coupon.

Celebrate Diversity!

Wed., Sept. 15 – Fri., Oct. 15, marks Hispanic Heritage Month. These dates are set aside to celebrate the contributions and achievements of the different cultures within the Hispanic community. Sept. 15 was selected because it marks Independence Day in Central America, and Sept. 16 is Independence Day in Mexico. Although the word Hispanic is widely used, many members of the Hispanic population use the term “Latino” to identify their ethnic background.

Religious and Cultural Holidays—Please be aware of these dates when scheduling meetings, appointments or surgeries and talk with patients about their medication schedule.

The end of Ramadan, called Eid al-Fitr, is when the new moon is sighted on or near Wed., Sept. 8, and ends on Thurs., Sept 9. Ramadan is the holiest holiday of the Islamic year and fasting from food, drink and smoking occurs from dawn to sundown.

Sundown on Wed., Sept. 8, marks the beginning of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New

Year. Rosh Hashanah is celebrated with prayers and religious services, and ends with Yom Kippur.

Yom Kippur begins at sundown on Fri., Sept. 17, and continues until sundown on Sat., Sept. 18. It is the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. According to Jewish laws, no work is performed and fasting from food and drink occurs on this date.

CRM: Customer Relationship Management or Customers Really Matter

Reflections from Lynn Sinclair, Director of Customer Satisfaction Services, ProMedica

Customer relationship management is a term you find in business textbooks and trade journals … But, what does it mean to us in health care? CRM, as it’s commonly referred to, embraces the value of cultivating and nurturing existing customer relationships by consistently providing these customers with a high level of service in order to gain their long-term customer loyalty.

This means we should keep in mind that the faces of the patients we see each day, the customers whose voices we hear on the other end of the phone, and the visitors we pass in our hallways and elevators are the reason we’re employed. In turn, we need to show them that customers really matter to us and we appreciate their loyalty by doing the right things right for them, consistently, with purpose, day in and day out.

When we do, we not only elicit favorable responses from existing customers, we also model behaviors that might encourage new customers to give us a chance to show them how much we care.

ProMedica received northwest Ohio’s 2010 Diamante (Diamond) Award earlier this month. This annual award is given to a corporation or community agency that provides exemplary dedication and service to the Latino community in northwest Ohio.  ProMedica received the award for providing broad-based and culturally diverse services and activities to the community for several years. Awards were also presented to individuals who provided outstanding leadership in support of the northwest Ohio Latino community.

To celebrate the profound and lasting influence that Latinos have on American history, values and culture, the Diamante Awards were established in 1989 by IMAGE of northwest Ohio, a Latino advocacy group. Today, the awards program represents a unique collaboration between Owens Community College, Bowling Green State University, Lourdes College and The University of Toledo, which collaborate on grant applications and raise scholarship funds to aid students within the Latino community.

FH Takes First Place at Pizza Palooza

Chef Denny Siebert and Carla Dunsmoor, director, dietary services, accept the Pizza Palooza first-place trophy from Alan Sattler, president, FH.

Flower Hospital (FH) took first place in the corporate pizza bake-off at the Sylvania Area Chamber of Commerce and Sylvania Area Joint Recreation District’s Northwest Ohio Pizza Palooza at Centennial Terrace on July 23 – 24. The FH dietary department created a special pizza for the competition, made with spinach, mint, roasted yellow peppers, calamata olives, and sopresatta. Funds raised from the event benefitted the Chamber of Commerce and Joint Recreation District. Click to download a copy of the FH Pizza Palooza Prize-winning Recipe.

TCH River Dragons Place at Dragon Boat Festival

This year’s annual Toledo Dragon Boat Festival kicked off early Saturday morning, July 24. The festivities centered around a three-heat race, involving more than 40 teams from the Toledo area. All participating teams contribute to Partners in Education, an organization that supplements the Toledo Public School system, supporting various programs and activities for area students.

Since the festival’s onset in 2001, Toledo Children’s Hospital (TCH) has sponsored a 22-person team to “paddle it out” on the waterfront, completing a 440-meter sprint down the Maumee River. This year’s team, led by Captain Chris Cavaliere and Steersman Richard Munk, MD, consisted of 25 employees, family members and friends, including TCH President Kevin Webb, PhD. Both Dr. Munk and paddler Marjorie Bauer could boast participating for all nine years!

The TCH River Dragons placed 3^rd in Division C overall, with some of the best times the team has ever recorded—2:16, 2:06 and 2:01 in the final heat. The TCH team is proud to represent ProMedica and Toledo Children’s Hospital in the community, and welcomes new paddlers every year. The team was awarded this year’s Legendary Team award for participating all nine years. This award and all previous awards are displayed in the “boat room” on the 5^th floor, pediatrics, of TCH.

September 2010: AHA Workforce Observances

ProMedica strives to recognize employees, physicians and volunteers throughout the year. The time and talent you give to your profession helps to advance our Mission to improve the health of individuals and families in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan.

Please take a moment to share special thanks with your coworkers in the following professions, which are celebrating American Hospital Association (AHA)-designated workforce observances during the month of September:

Sept. 12 – 18: Assisted Living Week

Health Care Environmental Services and Housekeeping Week

Nephrology Nurses Week

Sept. 15: Neonatal Nurses Day

Sept. 19 – 25: Rehabilitation Awareness Celebration

Surgical Technology Week

ProMedica sincerely appreciates the contributions of these employees to our Mission and Values to serve patients and their families, as well as the community! View the 2010 AHA Workforce Observances calendar for a complete list of workforce observances, designated by the AHA for 2010.

   • United Way of Greater Toledo Campaign—Leadership Launch: Mon., Sept. 13; Employee
     Launch: Mon., Sept. 20
   • Lenawee United Way Campaign—Mon., Sept. 13 – Fri., Oct. 1
   • United Way of Fostoria Campaign—Launch Mon., Oct. 4
   • United Ways of Defiance/Paulding Counties—Mon., Oct. 4 – Fri., Oct. 15

Watch your ProMedica e-mail inbox and myProMedica (http://my.promedica.org) for more about how you can rise to the challenge.

Anthony Comerota, MD

Ralph Whalen, MD

American men and women in the armed forces risk their lives fighting for our country every day. This summer, Jobst Vascular Center (JVC) vascular surgeons Anthony Comerota, MD, and Ralph Whalen, MD, had an opportunity to support our troops. Dr. Comerota and Dr. Whalen each spent two weeks volunteering at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, a Level I-trauma U.S. Army Medical Command (MEDCOM) post, in Southern Germany. Landstuhl serves as the primary medical treatment center for casualties of United States operations within Europe, Southwest Asia and the Middle East.

The surgeons were stationed at Landstuhl through a program offered by the International American Red Cross, which continuously provides volunteer opportunities for vascular surgeons from all over the United States. The program provides air transportation to Frankfurt, Germany, and lodging for volunteers.

Landstuhl is often the first stop for American casualties leaving the ongoing conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan. Nearly a dozen wounded soldiers are stabilized on the battlefield and transferred to the facility. Performing repairs and reconstruction procedures require a specialized set of skills that are unique to vascular surgeons, such as Dr. Comerota and Dr. Whalen.

“The military has a severe shortage of vascular surgeons. For those of us fortunate enough to have a background that enables us to apply our skill to those who need it most, it is always gratifying,” says Dr. Comerota.

Dr. Comerota spent two weeks in August at Landstuhl and would like to return in the future. During Dr. Whalen’s two-week stay, he treated three – four patients a day and assisted with abdominal closures.

“The goal of the two-week experience as a vascular surgeon at Landstuhl is to provide vascular support for the wounded warriors who arrive from combat,” says Dr. Whalen.

[Overseas.jpg] Dr. Whalen, far right, and the director of the Intensive Care Unit at Landstuhl reunite with a former American soldier at an event for wounded warriors supported by the United Service Organization (USO). Celebrities, including Cher and Chuck Norris, have attended previous USO celebrity entertainment tours to lift morale and express the gratitude and support of the American people.

Both vascular surgeons strongly recommend this experience to their colleagues because surgical volunteers are providing efficient, high-quality health care that is needed overseas.

“The young men and women who are involved in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts have serious wounds. Proper repair of major vascular injury will have important consequences for these young men and women for the rest of their lives,” says Dr. Comerota.

The ProMedica Employee Wellness Program challenges you to log the equivalent of 374,000 steps of exercise (the distance from Michigan to Ohio State) in 10 weeks, using the AHA MyStart! online tracking tool. Walking, running, bicycling, aerobics, golf, and more, all count toward your steps.

Invite a friend or family member to participate with you to help you stay motivated. If you’re both successful, you’ll get an extra chance to win a grand prize. What are you waiting for? Get moving! Regular exercise is a great way to be heart-healthy and fit, plus reduce stress.

To get started and see the selection of fabulous prizes you could win, click to go to the “Healthy Challenge” page at http://my.promedica.org/employeewellness. If you have questions or need technical help, e-mail employee.wellness@promedica.org or call ProMedica Total Wellness at 419-291-5826.

Do you know that the leading cause of death in the U.S. is heart disease? One of the major risk factors for heart disease is high cholesterol. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, adults 20 years of age and older should have their blood cholesterol measured at least every five years. Click to read more about how you can take the first step to live a healthier, longer life in the ProMedica Employee Wellness Program’s Know Your Numbers for Better Health handout or to view more information from the NHLBI’s National Cholesterol Education Program.

Plain meat, fish, rice, fruits, and vegetables do not contain gluten, so people on a gluten-free diet can freely eat these foods. But, anyone can enjoy these delicious recipes! Thank you to everyone who entered the ProMedica Employee Wellness Program’s Healthy Recipe Contest in August, and congratulations to the following winners in the Gluten-free category:

   • First Place, Julie Yapragigur, Surgery, Bay Park Community Hospital—Garbanzo Bean Mint
     Chocolate Cake

   • Second Place, Cathy Doney, Pediatric Pulmonary/Cystic Fibrosis, Toledo Children’s Hospital,
     Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash

   • Honorable Mention, Lisa Ramm, Quality Improvement, Paramount Health Care, Vegan Mac &
     Cheese

Try these recipes and share your favorite recipe in these upcoming categories by clicking to go to the “Recipe Contest” page at http://my.promedica.org/employeewellness—September: Soup; October: Pumpkin/Squash; and November: Tailgate.

Each month, ProMedica dietitians system-wide select award winners. Entries are due by the 15^th!