Pulse Employee Newsletter - February 23, 2021

More News

Employee Applause Event – Saturday, February 27 from 12 noon – 1 pm

Members of the Rewards and Recognition Committee will be rounding throughout the hospital to hand out a special treat on Saturday, February 27 from 12 noon – 1 pm to recognize and thank staff at all levels of the organization for their incredible commitment to taking care of our patients, their families and each other, especially during these trying times. Visit BWFHconnect (intranet) for additional dates and times for Employee Applause events.

New Statement Added to Outbound Email

Starting Thursday, February 25 outbound emails will automatically include the following statement at the bottom: “Please note that this e-mail is not secure (encrypted). If you do not wish to continue communication over unencrypted e-mail, please notify the sender of this message immediately. Continuing to send or respond to e-mail after receiving this message means you understand and accept this risk and wish to continue to communicate over unencrypted email.”

This statement is added to make it clear to patients or subjects who may have requested or initiated unencrypted email that the communication is not secure and continuing such communications is agreement and acceptance of the risk. You will not see the notice as it is added after you hit send. You will, however, see it on any replies back to you. Read more about this change.

Windows 10 Version 1909 Update Coming in March

Beginning in mid-March, Mass General Brigham will be kicking off the automated push of the Windows 10 version 1909 update to all private and mobile computer devices at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital. This update to Windows 10 includes several critical security patches, hotfixes, and user interface improvements, and is required for all MGB devices running Windows 10.

Once the v1909 update is downloaded by the network onto the computer, the user will see a pop-up message indicating the update is ready to install. The user is provided an option to proceed or postpone the upgrade, but after 3 weeks, postponement will no longer be allowed. The update typically requires at least 90 minutes to complete and the computer device is not accessible during the process. Additional details and communications will be sent as we get closer to deployment of the update. View the tip sheet or learn more about Windows updates. For questions or concerns, send an email to the Brigham Health Windows 10 team at bhwindows10support@partners.org.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Launches New, Improved Website

The new EAP website is available to help employees access resources and introduce them to the full array of EAP and Work-Life services. Whether on your desktop or smartphone, the site is easier to navigate and more user-friendly. Browse the EAP Services and For Managers sections to learn more about the EAP and the services it offers, and then check out these new sections:

• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: LGBTQ, Race and Racism, Immigration and Disability
• Workplace Resources
• COVID-19 information and resources
• News

Included within Workplace Resources are mental health and well-being resources and tools for helping you maintain your resiliency – especially during these difficult times – including the Foundations (formerly Evermind) and Headspace mental health apps. Learn more on The Pulse.

Innovation Digital Education Academy (IDEA)

Mass General Brigham’s Innovation Digital Education Academy (IDEA) is a new, year-long program focused on Innovation and Digital Health. Each month, we will host a special session highlighting key individuals and innovations happening within the digital health space.

• March 3, 2021 at 3pm:Digital Health Innovation in the Age of Covid-19 will highlight some of the new infrastructures for digital health, including research, and will feature Shawn Murphy, MD, PhD, Chief Research Information Officer, MGB; Adam Landman, MD, Chief Information Officer; Digital Innovation Officer BH; Lee Schwamm, MD, VP, Virtual Care, MGB.
• March 30, 2021 at 12:30 pm:Equity Access and Inclusion in Digital Health will feature Sandy Aronson; Joe Betancourt, MD; Lee Park, MD; Cheryl Clark, MD; and Jorge Rodriguez, MD, discussing digital health access and impacts particularly from the perspective of patient care.

Reminder About Emergency Response Guidebooks

To prevent confusion among employees, patients, and visitors during emergencies, Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital and Mass General Brigham Hospitals transitioned away from color codes in January 2019 to plain language, which provides a brief description of a situation with specific instructions for staff, patients, and visitors to follow. To assist with the transition from emergency color codes to plain language, Emergency Preparedness updated the hospital’s Emergency Response Guidebooks that are posted in high traffic areas of the hospital, which provide information in plain language that can be used by staff, patients, and visitors during emergencies. More.

Updates to Patient Gateway Make Accessing Health Information Easier Than Ever

Patients now have access to an improved layout and new features on Patient Gateway – our convenient, efficient and secure way for patients to manage their health and communicate with their doctor's office. Shortcuts will bring patients to the features used most – Visits, Messages, Test Results and Medications. A new Health Feed displays the most important information and alerts for a patient’s care, including messages and reminders. The Health Feed can also help with:

• Starting virtual visits
• Reading and replying to messages
• Viewing appointment details
• Completing check-in tasks ahead of time
• Setting up appointments from scheduling tickets

When users log in after the update, they will be able to review a one-time tutorial. This tutorial will only be available once. Users should take advantage of it during their first log-in to learn about all the new features. Users can also access our tipsheets for a visual overview of the new layout. For help, please click Technical Support/FAQs at the bottom of the log in and home page of Patient Gateway or call the Patient Gateway Support Desk at 800-745-9683.

BWFHconnect Now Available in More than 80 Languages

Content on BWFHconnect (intranet) can now be translated into more than 80 languages using the Google Translate feature. The Google Translate drop down menu appears at the top of each BWFHconnect page, and users can select their preferred language to have the text on the page translated. Please note, this feature works only in Google Chrome, Firefox and Safari browsers.

COVID-19 Updates

COVID-19 Surveillance and Monitoring Dashboard

MA Situational Update as of February 21, 2021
35,660 active COVID+ cases
1,150 new daily COVID+ cases
The 7-day percent positivity average is 1.90 percent

BWFH Situational Update as of February 23, 2021:
Admitted COVID+ Patients as of 7am: 15
Admitted COVID PUI Patients as of 7am: 10

BWFH Vaccine Update of February 22, 2021:
65 percent of BWFH based employees have chosen to receive their first dose of vaccine
62 percent of BWFH employees have received their second dose of vaccine

Employee Asymptomatic Testing at BWFH

Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital continues to offer on-site COVID-19 testing for asymptomatic (no signs of illness) staff members free of charge, with results returned to you approximately 24 - 36 hours later. Learn more and schedule a test.

• Starting March 1, the testing schedule will change; testing will be offered every Monday from 6:30 - 9:30 am and Wednesday from 2 – 5 pm. Click here to view the schedule.
• Employees will schedule their appointment through COVID Pass. Please note that additional options are now available when scheduling through COVID Pass. Click here to view instructions on COVID-19 test scheduling through COVID Pass.
• Employees who are not COVID Pass users will be able to schedule their COVID testing appointment at the testing site when the clinic is open; please be aware that the ‘walk-in’ scheduling will take longer and plan accordingly.
• Results will be available in Patient Gateway, and turnaround time for results is between 24 and 36 hours. Click here to view instructions on enrolling in Patient Gateway.
• If you receive a “test not performed” or “invalid” test result, please come to the testing site during open clinic hours to be re-tested as a walk-in.
• Employees will be able to schedule 1 elective COVID test every 7 days through COVID Pass. Please note that a block on COVID Pass will prevent users from accessing the schedule until exactly 6 days past the time of your last elective COVID test.

Return to Work Policy Updated

Occupational Health Services (OHS) continues to work closely with infection control and other leaders to clarify the Return to Work policy to include more explicit information as to when an employee needs to contact OHS. The updated policy includes detailed instructions for symptomatic and asymptomatic employees, across multiple scenarios, regarding when contact with OHS is required and when it is not. The policy is available on The Pulse.

COVID-19 Vaccine: What You Need to Know

• Mass General Brigham does not have any additional vaccine for first doses, see last week’s communication. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts informed us on February 11 that vaccine will no longer be distributed to any Massachusetts hospitals, except as needed for the second dose vaccination. The only sites that will receive additional vaccine are clinics operated by cities and towns, local pharmacies and the state.
• For employees who have not scheduled a first COVID-19 vaccine dose, please visit the state's website for information about how to make an appointment at a state vaccination location. All health care workers are eligible to receive the vaccine and are considered part of the state’s Phase 1 vaccination plan. Visit the COVID-19 Vaccine Finder to search for a vaccination location and view appointment availability before scheduling.
• Information for patients: Patients who are over 65 years of age, residents and staff of affordable senior housing and individuals 16 years of age and older with two or more certain medical conditionsmay now schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment online through the state or by calling 2-1-1.

Reminder: masking, hand hygiene and distancing remain essential after vaccination. Even after you receive your second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, it is essential to continue to adhere to all the interventions we know to be effective: mask wearing, hand hygiene and social distancing. This protects all of us and our patients.

Save the Date

Chamberlain RN-BSN, MSN with 7 Specialty Tracks and DNP
Thursday, February 25
11-11:30 am and 6-6:30 pm
Virtual

Zoom/Teams Tips and Tricks
Thursday, February 25
12 noon to 1 pm
4 North Computer Lab and/or Zoom

De-Escalation Recertification Training
Friday, February 26
3:30 to 7:30 pm
Via Zoom

Digital Health Innovation in the Age of Covid-19 (Innovation Digital Education Academy (IDEA) Symposium)
Wednesday, March 3
3 to 4 pm
Via Zoom

De-Escalation Recert/Initial Training
Friday, March 5
8 am to 12 noon
Via Zoom

BWFH Links

• APP Affair
• BWFH Calendar of Events
• BWFHconnect
• BWFH MD News & Views
• BWFH Nurse
• BWFH Perks
• BWFH Pulse – Email Edition
• BWFH Pulse – Print Edition
• Employment Opportunities
• Last Week in Patient Safety
• Monthly Education Calendar