BWFH Pulse Now Available in 150 Languages
For many residents of Boston’s neighborhoods, language barriers, lack of transportation and a host of other factors often stand between a person and proper healthcare for them and their family. The Community Health and Wellness team focuses their efforts on breaking down those barriers and bringing services to community members, right in their neighborhoods.
Between June 25 and 27, runners anywhere in the world can join the Virtual B.A.A. 10K road race, presented by Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Among the teams participating in this year’s B.A.A. 10K is Team Pink Ribbon Runners, comprised of Brigham Health staff on the breast and plastic surgery teams, many of whom work right here at BWFH!
Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital’s I CARE Award recognizes staff members who go above and beyond their regular job responsibilities to make BWFH a great place to work and receive care. The Sagoff Breast Imaging and Diagnostic Centre’s Patient Coordinator Mary Youngblood was a recent recipient of an I CARE Award. Read more.
The Robert A. Lebow Advocacy Award, given annually since 2019 by the American College of Physicians (ACP), recognizes members’ work in support of their chapter’s Health and Public Policy Committee and their advocacy initiatives. Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital Hospitalist and member of the Massachusetts ACP chapter Shela Sridhar, MD, MPH, was recently announced as a recipient of the honor. Read more.
Spotlight: John Grimaldi, MD, Associate Medical Director, BWH Outpatient Psychiatry; Consulting Psychiatrist, BHW HIV Program
Sadly, many who face mental illness must also cope with internal and external stigma. Simply speaking stigma is defined as “a mark of shame.” For people with a mental health disorder, this means being treated differently socially, in their school/job, in the legal system and even in the medical setting. This can lead to humiliation, reluctance to seek help or follow treatment recommendations and ultimately results in poor overall health status and well-being.
The Mass General Brigham EAP was fortunate to have a conversation with Dr. Grimaldi about metal health stigma. Read the EAP feature article.
If you’d like to submit a photo to This Month in Photos, email bwfhinfo@partners.org. We accept photos from all areas across BWFH, including individual or group celebrations and events. View This Month’s Gallery
All Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital staff have received a personalized invitation and link to complete our Employee Engagement Survey. Everyone who takes the survey is entered to win a prize, and survey results will help shape our path forward. For more information, speak with your manager or visit BWFHconnect. For questions or concerns, please email the survey team at EESurvey@partners.org.
Computers will be available to staff who wish to take the survey this week in the computer lab on the 4th Floor at BWFH on the following dates:
Last week, a safety report was submitted by Pharmacy when staff noticed several OR Omnicells lost connection/went offline and two were unable to restart. Read the complete edition of Last Week In Patient Safety (intranet link).
Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital’s Community Health and Wellness team is out weekly in Boston neighborhoods distributing food, health screenings, COVID-19 prevention information and more. They have identified a critical need for toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant/antiperspirant and body wash/soap. BWFH’s Emerging Leaders Committee is hosting a donation drive to help collect these much-needed items. Click here to learn how you can help.
This spring, all private and mobile computer devices at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital received an automated push of the Windows 10 version 1909 update. This update to Windows 10 includes several critical security patches, hotfixes and user interface improvements, and is required for all Mass General Brigham devices running Windows 10. If you have not already done so, please complete your upgrade as soon as you next see a pop-up message indicating the update is ready to install. The update typically requires at least 90 minutes to complete and the computer device is not accessible during the process. For questions or concerns, email the Brigham Health Windows 10 team at bhwindows10support@partners.org.
Three new six-week yoga programs will soon be offered via ZOOM. Living with Lymphedema is tailored for individuals who have been diagnosed with lymphedema. Healing Hands is tailored for individuals who have a hand, wrist or elbow injury that require adaptations to engage in a yoga practice. Adaptive Chair Yoga is suitable for individuals who are unable to participate in a floor practice. All are taught by Barbara Jackson, an occupational therapist and certified yoga teacher, certified in yoga4cancer, LoveYourBrain, Yoga for Trauma training and reiki attuned. For more information, or to sign up, email bjackson8@partners.org.
Will you lace up your sneakers and join us for the Virtual B.A.A. 10K (June 25-27) presented by Brigham and Women’s Hospital? Start a team, join a team or participate on your own to support any area of Brigham Health. Teams raise money to support cancer research, Alzheimer’s research, the Caregivers Fund, and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion fund to name a few. Simply sign up by May 27 and commit to raising at least $100 to guarantee your shirt and receive it before race day! Register now! Learn more at runbwh.org/10K or email Caroline Duncan at bwhteam@partners.org.
As vaccination coverage increases and the prevalence of COVID-19 in our community decreases, public health guidance around masking for both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals is changing. And while the CDC has provided guidance on activities that are safe for fully vaccinated individuals, they note that their new recommendations apply to non-healthcare settings only. As such, the Mass General Brigham Universal Mask Policy remains in effect for all employees, patients and visitors—regardless of their vaccination status.
Please note that masking rules outside of the healthcare setting are set by state and local authorities.
“This, Not This” Campaign Encourages Employees to Get Vaccinated
Thank you to our Mass General Brigham employees who are continuing to get vaccinated. The vaccines are safe, and they protect you, your family and friends. With our “This, Not This” campaign, we are encouraging all employees to get vaccinated, so we can all be safe for the summer! Employees can be vaccinated at any of our vaccination sites using COVID Pass. For employees unable to use COVID Pass seeking dose 1 (initial vaccination appointments), please call the COVID Call Center to schedule an appointment at 781-960-1567. Employees may take time during their workday to get vaccinated and should coordinate with their manager. New Hampshire employees wishing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine should email Rebecca.Wittman@wdhospital.org and include name, date of birth and preferred phone number.
While the vaccines are safe, and they protect you, your family and friends, many colleagues still have questions. If you need answers, simply look for a colleague wearing a badge that says “Ask Me About the COVID-19 Vaccine.”
Volunteer Opportunity: George Washington Carver Lodge
Wednesday, May 26
11 am to 5 pm
80 Talbot Ave, Dorchester, MA
Active Shooter Preparedness Training
Wednesday, May 26
1 to 1:45 pm
ZOOM
Woods College of Advancing Studies at Boston College: Undergraduate Info Session
Wednesday, May 26
5:30 to 6:30 pm
ZOOM
NRC Patient Experience Survey Service Alert Office Hours
Thursday, May 27
11 to 11:30 am
ZOOM
Mental Health Impacts of Climate Change
Thursday, May 27
12 noon to 1 pm
ZOOM
Employee Service Awards
Thursday, May 27
1 to 2 pm
ZOOM
Faulkner Fit After Work Meet Up
Thursday, May 27
4 to 4:40 pm
Meet in Atrium Lobby
De-Escalation Recertification Training
Friday, May 28
3:30 to 7:30 pm
ZOOM
As part of BWFH’s ongoing commitment to the safety of our staff, patients and visitors, all employees are encouraged to take part in Active Shooter Preparedness Training. Active Shooter Preparedness Training is designed to teach BWFH employees how to prepare and react during a workplace shooting situation.
Please join us for one of the upcoming training sessions via ZOOM:
Please register ahead of time by emailing Stewart Prue your full name, department, role and name of your manager. A link to the ZOOM session will then be sent in advance of the class.
In a collaboration between the Woods College of Advancing Studies at Boston College and Mass General Brigham, Woods offers a wide range of graduate and undergraduate programs. Designed for working adults, Woods College's programs combine flexibility with individualized support and the prestige of a Boston College education, with evening or online options. Employees of Mass General Brigham and affiliates receive an application fee waiver, as well as at a 10 percent tuition discount. The college offers part-time and full-time certificate and degree graduate and undergraduate programs in over 25 areas including Cybersecurity, Psychology, Leadership & Administration, Information Technology and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.
Join us on Tuesday, June 8 at 5:30 pm for an online information session to learn more about flexible graduate degree programs at the Woods College. Speak with faculty and/or admission representatives. Click here to register.
Join us on Thursday, June 10, from 8 am to 3 pm as we spend the day sharing best practices, from national as well as local experts, on various interventions and programs that improve the patient experience in the healthcare setting. The intended audience for this virtual event is administrators and non-clinicians, clinicians and patient and family advisors from around the Mass General Brigham system. Click here to register. For more information, email pxsummit@partners.org.
This event will be held virtually. All are welcome! The Nutrition Obesity Research Center at Harvard (NORCH) is pleased to announce our 22nd Annual Symposium, entitled “Global Food Systems and Sustainable Nutrition in the 21st Century.” We have an outstanding lineup of speakers who are experts in the fields of public health, global food systems, food inequity and sustainable nutrition. Additional event info and speaker information can be found here. Fill out the interest form linked here to be notified when registration opens. Registration for this event is free.
Join us on Thursday, June 17, from 12 noon to 2 pm for a screening of “The BOI Doc,” a film documenting the experience of transgender, gender non-conforming and queer masculine-of-center folx of the African diaspora as they create a new definition of masculinity. The screening will include an introduction and Q&A session with filmmaker Evolve Benton. Click here to watch the trailer of “The BOI Doc.” Space is limited. Please register here and click the “join” button, then “attend.”
Looking for more news from BWFH? Go to News to find articles about health, updates to our programs and services and stories about staff and patients.
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