Don't Miss a Beat Employee Newsletter - November 1, 2022

BWFH partners with ESAC to support community members in their homes

For many elderly community members, remaining independent at home is a top priority. But for many, things they oftentimes cannot afford to fix exist in and around their homes that present trip hazards. A trip and fall can easily lead to a hospital stay or a move to a long-term care facility. Through a partnership with ESAC Boston, Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital is focused on finding creative ways to help the elderly safely stay in their homes and prevent that visit to the hospital. Read more.

Joint Commission Preparedness Tip: No equipment should be placed in front of medical gas shut-off valves

Are you prepared to speak with a Joint Commission surveyor during our anticipated accreditation survey? For help preparing, visit the Continuous Readiness page on Vitals (employee intranet).

In the news! The new Breast Imaging and Diagnostic Center at BWFH featured on Boston25

Known for its patient-centered approach to breast cancer detection, prevention, patient and staff education, research and treatment, the Breast Imaging and Diagnostic Center at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital is one of the leading centers for breast health care in the country. In order to continue providing the highest quality of care possible, the center recently relocated from its home in Belkin House to a state-of-the-art facility on the fifth floor of the main hospital. In an interview with Boston25, BWFH’s Chief of Radiology Dylan C. Kwait, MD, recently talked about the new center. Check it out!

Nutrition Clinic welcomes new coordinator

The Nutrition Clinic at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital is pleased to welcome Stefanie O’Connor, MS, RD, LDN, to the role of Nutrition Clinic Coordinator. Read more.

Patient/Family Relations Specialist receives I CARE Award

Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital’s I CARE Award recognizes staff members from all areas of the hospital who go above and beyond their regular job responsibilities to make BWFH a great place to work and receive care. Patient/Family Relations Specialist Maritza Velez was a recent recipient of an I CARE Award. Read more.

Read the latest edition of the Hospital Medicine Unit newsletter

Hospital Medicine Unit is a newsletter for Brigham Family hospitalists. In the latest edition, read about new faces in the department, upcoming events and other accomplishments. Check it out!

Mass General Brigham ranks among healthcare’s “Most Wired”

Mass General Brigham has earned a 2022 Digital Health Most Wired recognition as a certified level 8 by the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives. The Digital Health Most Wired program conducts an annual survey to assess how effectively healthcare organizations apply core and advanced technologies into their clinical and business programs to improve health and care in their communities. Read more.

Open Enrollment has begun

It’s time to review, choose and enroll in your 2023 benefits! Open Enrollment continues through November 14. Take the time to review the materials you have received so that you can take full advantage of the benefit offerings available to you in 2023.

Are your benefits up to date?

Open Enrollment is the only time each year when you can make changes to your medical, dental, vision and life insurance benefits, unless you have a qualified change in status (such as getting married or having a child). Now is the time to ensure your coverage is what you and your family will need in 2023.

Open Enrollment is also the perfect time to review your beneficiary information for your life insurance and retirement plans to make sure it is current.

New for 2023: Voluntary Benefits and Discount program

The Mass General Brigham Voluntary Benefits and Discount program offers you access to benefits that supplement your core health plan coverage. This includes hospital indemnity, critical illness and accident insurance. The Voluntary Benefits and Discount program also provides access to identity theft protection, home, legal, auto and pet insurance, as well as discounts for goods and services, including computers, theme parks, entertainment and travel.

Find information about all Mass General Brigham benefit offerings, including medical plans, dental and vision coverage, life and disability insurance and the new voluntary benefits and discount program on Ask My HR.

You can also join an Open Enrollment webinar to learn about your 2023 benefits:

• Thursday, November 3, 7 am
• Tuesday, November 8, 3:30 pm
• Wednesday, November 9, 2 pm
• Friday, November 11, 12 noon 

The HR Support Center is here to help with your Open Enrollment questions. Submit an online request or call 1-833-Ask-MyHR (1-833-275-6947).

New Code of Conduct policy for patients, families, visitors and research participants

Mass General Brigham is pleased to share our new enterprise-wide Patient/Family/Visitor/Research Participant Code of Conduct policy, which was developed to help maintain a safe, inclusive and caring environment for all community members across Mass General Brigham. Please visit The Pulse to view a short video summarizing the policy. A Patient Gateway message about the new Code of Conduct will be sent to patients next week.

The Code of Conduct’s main points include:

• Commitment to a safe, inclusive, non-discriminatory workplace for all employees
• Intolerance of physical or verbal assault, threats, unwanted communications and other inappropriate acts and language, including discriminatory requests or demands for either a specific type of workforce member or to not be served or cared for by a specific type of workforce member based on the workforce member’s characteristics/identities (such as race, gender identity, language/accent, etc.)
• Use of the SAFER (speak up, support, assess, address, focus on values, explain, reinforce, report) Model approach for responding as a team to patients whose behavior violates the code and when it is safe to do so
• Instances in which behavior might not fall within the code or when response will need to be escalated up the chain of command due to patient incapacitation or continued refusal to follow expectations

Please review the summary and full policy. Additional resources can be found in the policy appendix, including a SAFER tip sheet and Code of Conduct handout/flyer.

Flu vaccination - deadlines, where to get the shot and how to document

Keep track of these important deadlines

Vaccinations must be completed, and documentation must be received in Occupational Health, by November 14 (see documentation section below for more information). Flu vaccination is a condition of employment. Employees who remain non-compliant will be terminated on December 13.

Find out where you can get your flu vaccine

Flu shot clinics will take place onsite at BWFH on the following dates and times:

• Wednesday, November 2, 6:30 am to 2:30 pm, Chapel area
• Tuesday, November 8, 11 am to 5 pm, Chapel area
• Thursday, November 10, 11 am to 3 pm, Chapel area

All clinics are walk-in only—no appointment required. Please be sure to bring your BWFH ID badge, wear a shirt with loose-fitting sleeves and observe physical distancing guidelines while in line.

You can also get your flu shot from a retail pharmacy (there is no co-pay if you have a Mass General Brigham health plan or you can use this voucher at CVS if you do not have a Mass General Brigham health plan). You can also get your flu shot from your Mass General Brigham primary care provider, from some Mass General Brigham specialty providers or from non-Mass General Brigham providers (depending upon the reason for your visit to the provider and your insurance, there may be a co-pay for the visit).

Ensure that your vaccination is documented appropriately

If you attend a flu vaccination clinic provided by Occupational Health or are vaccinated by a peer-to-peer vaccinator, your vaccination will automatically be updated in PeopleSoft.

If you obtained your flu vaccine from a retail pharmacy or non-Mass General Brigham provider, you will need to submit proof of vaccination to Occupational Health to have your vaccination record updated in PeopleSoft.

If you were vaccinated by a Mass General Brigham provider and want documentation of your flu vaccination to be sent from Epic to the Occupational Health electronic medical record, you must go to your PeopleSoft Vaccination page and select Add Record; then click inside the circle (button) to provide consent below the following entry: “If you received your flu shot from a Mass General Brigham provider and give consent for your Epic flu shot record to be shared with Occupational Health, please check this button...”

Learn more about the Mass General Brigham Flu Vaccination Program on The Pulse.

Feeling stressed by day-to-day challenges or recent troubling events? The EAP is here to support you

We know that our employees and their family members are feeling stressed by so many challenges—at work and at home. In addition, recent troubling events in the U.S. and around the world can exacerbate that stress and worry. We want you to know that the Mass General Brigham Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is available to offer you and your family help and support.

In response to these day-to-day challenges and troubling events, you are encouraged to contact the Mass General Brigham EAP. Please call 1-866-724-4327 to access to free, confidential support and resources.

Dia de los Muertos: Visit the Ofrenda in BWFH’s Chapel

Dia de los Muertos takes place on November 1 and 2. To mark the occasion, Spiritual Care Services has put together an ofrenda, or offering, in the Chapel on the third floor. The ofrenda is a traditional practice of Dia de los Muertos, which serves as a welcome to the spirits of loved ones who have passed as they visit Earth for a short while. They typically include fragrant marigolds, papel picado, candles, water and favorite foods and items of the deceased.

Thanks to the many who have already contributed to the ofrenda by submitting photos of their late loved ones. We are still collecting photos which can be delivered to the Chapel or emailed to Chaplain Justine Worden. The photos will then be printed and placed on the ofrenda.

Spiritual Care Services is available for consultation or support by calling the Spiritual Care Office at 617-983-4856, by paging the on-call Chaplain at ext. 61797 or by emailing our Spiritual Care Coordinator Tara Deonauth. Please enter a Spiritual Care Consult in Epic if you are caring for a patient who would like spiritual support.

Visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Moving Wall at Assembly Row

From November 10 to 14, the Mass General Brigham Great Lawn on the Assembly Row campus will play host to “The Moving Wall,” a portable, half-sized replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall in Washington, DC, which has travelled across the country for more than 40 years.

Members of the public can visit the wall and make rubbings of names. Volunteers will be onsite to assist visitors 24 hours a day and parking at Assembly Row is free for the first three hours. If you would like to volunteer for a shift in staffing the wall, please complete this sign-up form. For more information, visit themovingwall.org.

Discounted Boston College football tickets available

Boston College football is offering Mass General Brigham employees $10 tickets to the Eagles’ game against Duke on Friday, November 4, at 7 pm at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill. Mass General Brigham Sports Medicine is the Official Provider of Care to Boston College athletic teams.

Police and Security Department collecting Toys for Tots - through December 23

Please help us support children in need this holiday season. Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital’s Police and Security Department will be accepting toys through Friday, December 23. Drop off a new, unwrapped, non-violent toy at the 1st or 3rd floor Information Desk. All toys will be donated to the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves Toys for Tots program. For more information, please call 617-983-7677.

Veterans Day Tribute: Honoring All Who Served - November 10

Mass General Brigham recognizes the important contributions that our veterans make to our nation and to our community. In honor of Veterans Day, we will be hosting our annual Veterans Day Tribute: Honoring All Who Served at Assembly Row in Somerville and virtually via livestream on Thursday, November 10, at 8:30 am to thank and recognize our employees who are active, reserve, honorably discharged and retired service members. All members of our community—including employees with family members who are currently serving in active duty—are invited to take part in this special program.

BWFH Volunteer Opportunity: Community Servings - November 14

Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital’s Community Health and Wellness Department is seeking volunteers to help prepare meals for critically ill individuals and their families in our community. Join us on Monday, November 14, from 4 to 7 pm at Community Servings (179 Amory Street in Jamaica Plain) to peel, chop and package meals for Community Servings’ clients. Volunteers must be 13 years or older, vaccinated against COVID-19 (please have proof of vaccination when you arrive) and register in advance. For more information or to register, contact Katie Plante.  

Mass General Brigham Town Hall: COVID-19 and Other Respiratory Viruses - November 17

Join Paul Biddinger, MD, Mass General Brigham Chief Preparedness and Continuity Officer, and Erica Shenoy, MD, PhD, Associate Chief of the Massachusetts General Hospital Infection Control Unit and Medical Director for the Mass General Special Pathogens Unit, on Thursday, November 17, from 3 to 4 pm for an update on the outlook for COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses as we head into the fall and winter. Topics to be covered include COVID-19, influenza and other respiratory viruses that are impacting our patients and workforce, vaccination and updates on our planning for potential surges. The Town Hall will be led by Rose Sheehan, Chief Human Resources Officer. Click “Join” on this calendar item to add the Town Hall to your Outlook calendar. Click here to join the Town Hall livestream on November 17 at 3 pm.

Great American Smokeout Information Table - November 17

Every year, on the third Thursday of November, smokers and non-smokers alike are encouraged to take part in the Great American Smokeout. The Great American Smokeout challenges smokers to stop smoking cigarettes for 24 hours with the hope that this decision will continue on forever. At Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital, we’d like you to quit! Stop by the information table outside the cafeteria on Thursday, November 17, between 11:30 am and 1:30 pm. You can find information about the health risks associated with smoking, resources to help you or someone you know quit smoking, details on our Lung Cancer Screening Program and more. And don’t forget to enter our raffle to win a prize!