HUB e-Newsletter / Williamson Health News (2024)

Kristie Lloyd Photography.

Outfits by Janet Weidner

of Bizzy Bee Crochet.

Williamson Health and Bone and Joint Institute of Tennessee are partnering with Blood Assurance, the sole provider of blood products for Williamson Health, to host a blood drive on Tuesday, Nov. 26, from noon to 5 p.m.

Though walk-ins are welcome, donors are encouraged to sign up here via the Blood Assurance website for an appointment time. Donations to Blood Assurance go directly to patients of Williamson Health.

Although all donors are encouraged to give, Blood Assurance is seeking an increase in O-negative blood, AB Positive plasma and AB Negative plasma donations this season.

With illnesses on the rise, it is imperative that local healthcare facilities have the resources they need to treat an influx of patients. According to the CDC, flu activity in Tennessee is still at minimal levels but the state has recently experienced an uptick in cases. This increase is expected to continue especially following the upcoming holidays and family gatherings.

The Nov. 26 blood drive will be held in the Blood Assurance mobile unit in the Bone and Joint Institute parking lot, 3000 Edward Curd Lane in Franklin.

Participants will receive a free ‘Fall Means Football’ campfire mug (right) while supplies last!

Also, Blood Assurance will be giving gift cards for select blood type donations now through Dec. 31.

O Negative whole blood donors, AB Positive plasma donors and AB Negative plasma donors will receive a $25 gift card while O Negative double red cell donors will receive a $40 gift card.

Donors will be able to select an e-gift card from a list of over 90 retailers, which will be sent to the email address on the donor’s profile two weeks after the donation date.

You must be at least 17 years old (16 years old with parental consent), weigh 110 pounds or more and be in good health. Donors are asked to drink plenty of fluids — avoiding caffeine — and eat a meal that is rich in iron prior to donating.

A crowd of critters from

Comfort Connections

came looking for love in the

right place on Thursday!

11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Dec. 10

• Bare Butt BBQ
• Chang Noi Thai Lao
• DMC Eatery
• Elliston Place Soda Shope
• Fatty Matty’s
• Grandma’s Kitchen La Pasita
• Nashbowls Acai
• Persian Flame
• Pie Town Tacos
• Smokey Dawggs
• The Spice is Right
• The Steaming Goat

7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Dec. 10

• Fried Green Tomatoes
• Jay Roc’s Smoking Grill
• MGC BBQ & Pizzeria
• Southern Classic Kitchens

November is American Diabetes Month. Nationwide, over 38 million people have diabetes and nearly 98 million have prediabetes. In the last 20 years, the number of Americans with diagnosed diabetes has more than doubled.

“Food is our fuel and the carbohydrates we eat are broken down into glucose, and our cells prefer that for energy,” explained Melanie Parnell, a registered dietitian for Williamson Health. “After eating a meal our pancreas is triggered to release insulin, a hormone that works like a key to the doors of our cells.”

Unfortunately, if someone has diabetes, not enough insulin is being made, which means blood glucose can’t enter their cells. It builds up in the bloodstream and causes high blood glucose or hyperglycemia. Over time, high blood glucose harms the body and can lead todiabetes-related complicationsif not treated.

When a person has type 1 diabetes, their immune system mistakenly treats the beta cells in the pancreas that create insulin as foreign invaders and destroys them. When enough beta cells are destroyed, the pancreas can’t make insulin or makes so little of it that they need to take insulin to live.

In type 2 diabetes, one’s body does not use insulin properly – this is calledinsulin resistance. At first, beta cells make extra insulin to make up for it. Over time, the pancreas can’t make enough insulin to keep blood glucose at normal levels.

Diabetes can lead to severe, and in some cases, life-threatening complications. You can lower your risk of diabetes-related complications like heart, kidney and eye disease, as well as nerve damage by making healthy lifestyle changes, knowing the warning signs, and visiting your health care provider each year.

“The choices we make today are definitely going to impact our health and our diabetes,” said Melanie. “Most people don’t die from high glucose but from complications of diabetes.”

Melanie said sugar is a problem for every American because the sweet stuff is found in so many foods. She encouraged people to look at the amount they are taking in and decide what’s reasonable. Instead of saying you lack self-control, flip the script and discover your motivation.

“Understand your ‘why’ for what motivates you,” she explained. “Maybe you are watching your portions or the frequency of eating certain foods because you’re doing it for your kids, who you want to see graduate and get married.”

If you have type 1 diabetes, you can live a long, healthy life by having a strong support system and managing it with yourdiabetes care team. The treatment plan you develop with your diabetes care team will include insulin, physical activity, and an eating plan to reach your health goals.

Treatment for people with type 2 diabetes will include healthy eating and exercise. However, one’s health care provider may need to also prescribe oral and injectable medications (including insulin) to help them meet their target blood glucose levels.

Diabetes is a personal issue for Melanie, who has a family history of the disease and wants to prevent it for herself – and for others. She and her colleague, Deanna Dillon, offer one-on-one appointments to assess patients’ diets and group classes to help with meal planning, nutrition and lifestyle changes.

“Think about how you use your plate and start by filling half of it with lots of non-starchy vegetables,” said Melanie. “Make a quarter of plate a lean protein like chicken, turkey or fish, and then another quarter could be carbohydrates such as whole grains, beans and fruit.” (The ‘Diabetes Plate’ is explained here and shown below.)

The dietitians educate their patients by matching familiar visuals to portion sizes. A woman’s fist is roughly equal to a cup. A three-ounce serving of lean protein is like a deck or cards or computer mouse. Your thumb from knuckle up is about two tablespoons.

“We have both been here for many years and are very well equipped to help people both with and without diabetes,” said Melanie. “We are very passionate about helping them reduce their risk and finding the right balance.”

Click here to learn more about the nutritional counseling and educational programs offered at Williamson Health. We offer a free Diabetes Support Group that meets the thirdMonday of every month except December. This is a great way for those living with diabetes to learn about keeping their diabetes in control and living a healthy life.

Common symptoms

of diabetes include:

• Urinating often
• Feeling very thirsty
• Feeling very hungry – even though you are eating
• Extreme fatigue
• Blurry vision
• Cuts/bruises slow to heal
• Weight loss – even though you are eating more (type 1)
• Tingling, pain, or numbness in the hands/feet (type 2)

Click here to learn more from the American Diabetes Association.

When Franklin nativeSissie Riley looked out the window of her childhood home she could see the Williamson County Hospital that would eventually employ her for 40 years.

“The joke was whenever my mother had to deliver me, she just walked across the street,” said Sissie. “They called our doctor in from the Franklin Rodeo because back then they didn’t have OBGYNs, it was just your family practitioner.”

Sissie,Senior ManagerTotal Rewards atWilliamson Health Human Resources (HR), retires next month.

Sissie went to work immediately after high school with a local manufacturing company. There she learned the whole range of office operations from bookkeeping and payroll to purchasing and workers compensation. These essential tasks required focus and attention to detail since many office jobs in the early ‘80s were completed without computers.

Those five years of experience proved beneficial when she learned about an inventory control clerk position in the materials management department at Williamson.

“The personnel department was in an old patient room and there sat two people: a director and the person doing the hiring,” said Sissie. "I completed the best typing test I had ever done, somewhere around 95 words per minute,which helped in obtaining the position.”

Typing test aside, Sissie’s first responsibility was sorting the mail, all which the postman dropped off at the hospital administration office.

“Picture this shy little girl who didn’t know what she was doing and trying to figure out where things were!” she laughed.

Shortly after she was hired at our original campus – 1320 W. Main Street (above) – the buzz was circulating about moving the hospital east of I-65, to an enormous property (below) that many people possibly questioned given its remote location. One of the only neighbors in 1986 was Darrell Waltrip’s Honda dealership.

Sissie remembers staff helping to unload trucks and stocking the shelves with countless supplies for the newly named, 144-bed Williamson Medical Center. Sissie revealed she once thought about becoming a nurse, but she eventually turned her attention to an HR career.

“We hardly had any openings back in the 1990s,” she said. “People really wanted to be here for our benefits but of course, the traffic wasn’t near as bad either!” The handful of HR team members were housed near the original employee entrance, so she got to “chit chat” with practically everyone who

worked at the hospital. Eventually HR outgrew that space and relocated to Physicians Plaza and then to its current home in the Lakeview building.

Sissie has experienced a tremendous amount of change throughout her career including the organization’s growing and evolving workforce. She also remembers when HR was called “personnel,” the beginning of Meditech record keeping, printed pay checks and the revolution when computers were introduced.

The increasing sophistication of Human Resources talent, processes and benefits led to Sissie’s desire for additional education.

So, Sissie took advantage of Williamson’s continuing education benefit, abenefitthat helped her obtain associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees. She’s immensely proud of all her academic and professional accomplishments and is grateful to Williamson Health for all the opportunities that led to what she calls a “remarkable career.”

“It’s been most fulfilling to be able to dig into problems that are important to employees, whether it’s about an insurance issue or a family crisis,” she said.

Sissie encourages others to follow a service approach to find success at Williamson Health –caring about the people you work with, being honest and putting others before yourself.

“Over the years people have told me how much they appreciated how well I treated and helped them,and that’s the way I want to be remembered,” she said. “People who haven’t worked here in years still call me! I’m going to miss my friends.”

Sissie and her husband of 42 years will pack up their RV and drive to a Florida Keys park to unwind for a bit after retirement. The Rileys enjoy spending time – especially camping – with their two grown children and their spouses who have blessed them with four grandchildren.

Please join us for a retirement party to thank Sissie Rileyfor her service at Williamson Health.The celebration is planned for noon to 2 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 12in the Main Lobby Conference Room. No RSVP is needed, simply drop by as you have a few minutes!

Williamson Health employees can help bring joy and hope to our Williamson County neighbors in need during the holiday season. Boxes to drop off donated gifts will be on campus until Wednesday, Dec. 4 in these locations:

• Administration
• Hospital Main Lobby
• Bone and Joint Main Lobby

Your unwrapped donations help support the GraceWorks Manger, a free “store-like” shopping experience to help low-income neighbors to provide Christmas gifts for their children. These families are given the dignity of choosing and contributing $5 towards their own gifts within a festive shopping event and have Christmas gifts for their children.

Click here to learn more about the GraceWorks Manger, view its Amazon shopping suggestions or make a cash donation. Here is a suggested shopping list with popular gift needs for different ages:

Every age:

• Board games
• Books
• Stocking stuffers
• Stuffed animals

Newborns:

• Bathtime toys
• Blankets
• Bouncy chair rattles
• Nesting cups
• Playmats
• Teethers
• Unbreakable mirrors

Ages 1-3:

• Balls
• Big blocks
• Dolls
• Educational toys
• Interactive light-up toys
• Play kitchen set
• Stacking rings
• Tea party set
• Sports gear

Ages 4-6:

• Arts and crafts kits
• Blocks
• Dolls
• Flashcards
• Legos or Lincoln Logs
• Ride-along toys
• Sport balls
• Toy cars
• Tricycle

Ages 7-9:

• Craft kits
• Legos and K’nex
• Magnets
• Magnifying glasses
• Outdoor Games
• Remote control cars
• Science kits
• Video games

Ages 10-13 (High Need):

• Advanced coloring books
• Arts and crafts kits
• Backpacks
• Bath bombs
• Hair chalk
• Headphones
• Nail polish
• Nerf games
• Play make-up kits
• Room décor
• Sports equipment

Ages 14-18 (High Need):

• Art supplies
• Backpacks
• Cool sweatshirts
• Ear pods
• Headphones
• Jewelry
• Make-up
• Room décor
• Skateboards
• Speakers
• Sports gear

What are some best practices to minimize pressure injuries (unless medically contraindicated)?

• Choose the correct size of medical device
• Cushion and protect the skin with dressings in high-risks areas
• Inspect the skin under and around the device daily
• Rotate sites of oximetry probes
• Rotate between O2 masks and prongs
• Reposition devices
• Avoid placement of devices over prior pressure injury
• Educate staff about skin breakdown
• Be aware of edema under a device
• And, most importantly, at-risk patients should be turned every two hours.

Williamson Health joined hospitals around the globe on Thursday, Nov. 21 to observe Worldwide Pressure Injury Prevention Day. A pressure injury is localized damage to the skin and underlying soft tissue. It usually happens over a bony prominence or is related to a medical or other device.

Worldwide Pressure Injury Prevention Day recognizes the contributions of hospital personnel to prevent what are also known as bedsores or pressure ulcers. More than 2.5 million U.S. patients develop a pressure injury each year while 60,000 U.S. patients die as a direct result of pressure injuries.Click here to learn more.

The ICU hosted an interactive display in Buchanan’s Café to educate staff during peak lunch hours with the help of Brian Dunaway, RN. He was joined by Allie Broussard of Medline, a Chicago-based medical-surgical product manufacturer. Dunaway associated the worsening stages of pressure ulcers with oranges.

The first fruit had a slightly mushy spot colored purple to show an early blistering. Another orange had some rind scraped away to indicate a ruptured blister and shallow ulcer. Others had holes going deeper into the fruit to illustrate tissue loss and damage to exposed muscle and potentially bone.

Caregivers were reminded that damage from pressure doesn't start at the skin surface. What you see there is often the smallest part of the sore, and this can fool you into thinking you only have a little problem.

Instead, what’s happening below are blood vessels being squeezed between the skin surface and bone. Muscles and tissues near the bone are suffering the greatest damage. Consider every pressure sore seen on the skin, no matter how small, as serious because of the probable damage where you can’t see it!

November is the month when corporate compliance and ethics are spotlighted. Following compliance standards protects all consumers of healthcare services and ultimately enables us to deliver the highest levels of care.

Our Compliance Officer, Phyllis Molyneux, is here to help! She provides leadership and system-wide collaboration to strengthen accountability, manage risk, prevent fraud, and meet federal and state laws.

But her role extends far beyond checking off regulatory boxes. In fact, compliance with laws, regulations and Williamson Health policies is everybody’s responsibility! Phyllis also encourages everyone at Williamson Health to embrace the organization’s values of dignity, access, compassion, quality, cost efficiency, integrity and trust.

“We want to make sure that all of our patients, employees and stakeholders who come through our doors will be respected,” said Phyllis. “We want our entire team to focus on quality of care, clinical expertise and a culture of service.”

Maintaining ethical standards is equally important to our organization. These principles help guide the often-difficult choices in healthcare and ensure they are

made with the best interests of our patients and community.

“Patient safety is key to everything we do and that requires us training our staff on how to assess all risks,” she said. A few examples include assuring patients understand care instructions, feel comfortable reporting concerns and are educated about both infection and fall prevention.

“There’s no day that’s ever the same in healthcare,” said Phyllis, who has been on this career journey for 47 years. “I love having conversations with employees to make them aware of our values, and to embrace patient goodwill and advocacy.”

Did you know that a gift to the Williamson Health Foundation on Giving Tuesday will help fund an important piece of equipment for our OB/NICU?

Williamson Health will be celebrating "GivingTuesday" on Dec. 3, and joining millions around the world participating in the global generosity movement to unleash the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and their world.

All funds raised through this Giving Tuesday campaign –give here – will allow Williamson Health Foundation to purchase a second Transcutaneous Bilirubin (TcB) monitor. The one we currently have is amazing but the demand is high!

Each month, Williamson Health averages about 140 babies who would get frequent heel sticks, but with the TcB we no longer have to do that on every baby. The monitor relieves stress for new parents and frees up time for our phlebotomy team to care for other patients.

Transcutaneous Bilirubin (TcB) is a non-invasive method for measuring bilirubin levels in the skin, and it has several advantages over other methods:

Painless:Unlike an invasive and painful heel prick or venous blood sampling.

Quick: Almost immediate results, which can help with clinical decision-making and earlier discharges.

Reduces need for blood sampling: TcB can reduce the need for blood sampling by 41–73%.

Reduces risk of infection: Minimizing those associated with invasive procedures.

EVS Aide, Full-time, 4 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.

Phlebotomist, Lab, PRN

First Assistant, Main OR, Part-time, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Look Who All Has Been Caught

In The Act!

Have you “caught” a colleague in the act of exceptional performance? All it takes is a minute to let us know! Our Caught in the Act column is a great way to recognize your peers for going above and beyond in service to others.

Look on the Intranet for Quick Links and click over to Caught in the Act.

Or launch the WHub app and click on Employee Recognition.

Renee Rios on the 6th Floor stayed with me to assist for safety with evaluating patients transfers and mobility. Our PT tech was unavailable and Renee made it possible to provide the care the patient needed. Thanks!

Bryan S. “BZ” Zema from ED Patient Access was a lifesaver today in so many ways. Not only did he come in early to help out during a very busy and short-handed situation, but he had an amazing positive attitude. He was patient, kind and trained as necessary while being incredibly helpful. BZ was such a comfort as he applied his knowledge and experience. He was a real hero when we needed the support the most. Thank you!

Samantha Carpenter and Morgan Hawkins of 6th Floor Main are doing such a great job up there. Both of them exude positive attitudes which carry over to an amazing team. We just wanted to recognize them for how they are both such great leaders, are always smiling and staying so positive.

Christine J. Stearns from the Hospitalists department deserves recognition for her kind and exceptional service. I have moved to the Franklin area from California. Believe it or not, I called 22 offices with no luck finding a female doctor who is accepting new patients. (One could but not until April.) This was exhausting and a bit ridiculous. While making these calls I connected with Christine. I explained to her the situation and she went out of her way to help me. I wanted to give her kudos for going above and beyond. No other person offered assistance but Christine; just one person out of 22. Bravo! – From a patient.

Marque Broussard in Surgery spent a great deal of time teaching me how to work the Hana table during a case. He was very thorough with his education. It helped me get a better grip on using the table during an acutal procedure. Thank you, Marque!

Will Goodwin from Surgery interrupted his lunch time to help me and a patient with his PICO wound vac so the patient could go home. I appreciate you putting patients first. Thank you, Will!

Julie Bell of PAT comes to help us a lot, and I could write this 50 times to let her know how much we appreciate her! She is willing to jump in and do anything we ask in our department. She is a jack of all trades and we love her. Thanks, Julie.

Earnest Mosley Jr. in Physical Therapy was so kind, helpful and caring to me. He emboides every attribute a hospital employee should have. – From a patient.

Kelly Choate of the Adult ED always has a great attitude and is willing to help whenever there is a need. He went above and beyond by trying to help a patient find his missing items from his last ED visit. Although we were unsuccessful in locating the items, he still communicated very thoroughly with the patient to let him know they would be returned if found.

Anne E. “Beth” Horn of Rehab/PT came to my rescue with a patient and quickly helped me get him safely to a chair and back to bed. She is a great team player!

Sydney Morton in PT/Rehab Services took it upons herself to use down time during the day to clean the staff office and our break room, even scrubbing the microwaves! Thank you, Sydney.

Maria Buehler of 5th Floor Nursing took wonderful care of her patients on a busy Saturday and was so helpful to me as I was seeing patients for therapy. She brought me linens or whatever else I needed. What a team player!

Robin Scruggs in 5th Floor Nursing took wonderful care of her patients, and even assisted me with one who wasn't assigned to her. She retrieved supplies and linens and made my job easier. She is such a team player!

Kristie L. Skoda on 6 Main went above and beyond by personally checking on the patient when I accidentally called the wrong nurse about a patient on telemetry, not realizing my mistake.

Matthew Vallieu in Security saved the Cash Office from severe water damage. Last week he was performing a zone and while walking by their office he could hear water leaking. Matt opened the door and noticed water on the floor and running onto the computers on the desk. He found water leaking from the ceiling. Matt contacted maintenance and they were able to stop the leak.

Sharon DiRusso from Imaging is always committed to excellent customer and patient satisfaction by never saying "no" when there is a scheduling error or add on. She happened to be covering at the hospital MRI when there was a scheduling error on the BJIT schedule. Sharon said she would be happy to get him in today. The patient drove a long way to see our physicians. Her positive attitude when I work with her is quite contagious as well is her smile! Sharon is awesome.

Employees Eat

for Free on Thanksgiving Day!