2024

June 27, 2024

OUR MISSION:

To Enrich the Health and Lives

of the People We Serve

New Employee Referral Bonus Program

We are excited to announce the implementation of a Referral Bonus program. Employees who refer an applicant to a position that has been approved for a referral bonus, will be eligible to receive a $500 bonus after the individual has been here for 90 days, and is in good standing. The employee will receive another $500 bonus after the individual has been in their role for 6 months and is in good standing. The Referral Bonus policy and form can be found on PowerDMS.

The positions that are eligible for a referral bonus are:

Controller

Nurse Manager Acute

RN Acute

RN Eastridge

C.N.A Eastridge - must be 30 hours a week or more.

Employee News

Chelsea Dillon, RN/MDS Coordinator at SMM attended a virtual training last week to become RAC-CT (Resident Assessment Coordinator-Certified). This certification is the distinguishing characteristic of an expert in resident assessment. Thank you, Chelsea for your achievement and for wanting to further your knowledge in resident assessment.

The resident assessment plays a large part in reimbursement and how we get paid so it's VERY important!

Myrna Shum, Business Office, recently reported a Great Catch in QDC. Myrna was worried about items that had been pulled from the payroll office, sitting out in the hallway. Since there was a WIC class/meeting scheduled for the basement that day, Myrna wanted to make sure items were moved so she reported her concerns in SQSS.

In her report, shoe noted the carpet was wet after being cleaned and a plastic mat was laying on tile floor that could have been very slippery and caused a fall. She also noted a desk extension that could have easily fallen over if someone accidentally bumped into it.

As a result of her SQSS report, the items were moved, and we avoided the possibility of someone being injured.

Thank you to Myrna for your astute observation and commitment to making CHCS a safer place to for our employees and patients!

For her Great Catch Myrna will receive a FREE CHCS T-shirt from the Gift Shop.

Herrman to Retire

Cheryl Herrman is retiring after 30 years with CHCS. Her last day will be Friday, July 5th.

In her 30 years at CHCS, she has worked in many different capacities, and in each role, she has shown dedication to provide the best care for the populations she serves. Cheryl has worked as an EMT with Pottawatomie County EMS when it was a part of CHCS; a laboratory technician/phlebotomist at the St. Marys, Onaga and Holton campuses; a Medical Assistant at the Hoton and Onaga clinics; and currently works at St. Marys Manor in the restorative and transportation departments and supply ordering. She has also served as the Activity Director, C.N.A and is cross-trained in laundry, EVS, and dietary.

A retirement reception is planned for Friday, July 12th, at 2:00pm.

The Importance of a Strong P@$$word#!*

Yes, yes I know, here we go again with the password conversation. But it is the single most important step you can take, not only to protect CHCS but yourself as well. We are all creatures of habit and we loath, dislike and even dread the times we are asked to change our password. I may be dating myself, but I do remember a time when I would never lock my car doors, or my parents would never lock the house doors at night. Unfortunately, those days for the cyber world are long gone and as the threat rises, we need to put more barriers in the way of the criminals to protect ourselves. That’s where the strong password comes in and we are also seeing more companies requiring things like MFA (multi-factor authentication) as well. This will only become more adopted in the years to come.

What do the hackers know? They are just like us, and they think like us. I would venture to guess many of you have a password with a significant date and personal touch with an! at the end of it. Maybe something like Johnny2004!. If you don’t have a password similar to this you are in rare company. With the advent of social media, we gave a big open door to people that want to do us harm. If they can see your personal information, they can already start to piece the puzzle of your password together. Let’s not make it easy for them. If you have a hard time remembering a complex password add a password app to your smart phone to securely store your passwords. Also, you can do a pass phrase that make it much harder to guess for hackers. Something along the line of ShowMethe$$! or Where’stheBeef@. Help us protect CHCS and each other.

Thanks for paying attention,

Dom

Thanks to Emmy, Connor and Evan Crumbaker along with Annie Crumbaker, Allison Pralle, Jolene Wessel, Peyton Crumbaker, Merica Surdez and Jase Stueve for walking in the Frankfort Summerfest parade this past Saturday and repping CHCS!

It's Summer Parade Time!

The annual Havensville Independence Day Celebration is scheduled for Saturday. June 29th.

Sign-up below to walk in the parade at 5pm! Line-up starts at 4:30p.m. at Hwy 63 on the road between the school and the park.

Sign-up here!

St. Marys will hold its annual Red, White and Blue event (see the list of activities below) on Saturday, June 29th. The parade is at 1pm. St. Marys Manor has plans for a float!

Sign-up here to join in!

Centralia is holding its 64th Annual 4th of July celebration on July 4th. (See information below). The parade starts at 10:30a.m. with line-up beginning at 10a.m. by the water tower.

Sign-up here to walk in the parade.

Please use these Google sheets for sign-up!

Remember: Non-exempt (hourly) associates are paid for their time walking and representing CHCS!

Also, don't forget to get the CHCS banner and candy for each parade from Pam. And please send pictures to Pam Holaday!

Measles cases are increasing globally, including in the United States. The majority of measles cases imported into the United States occur in unvaccinated U.S. residents who become infected during international travel. A list of countries with confirmed measles outbreaks can be found on the Global Measles Travel Health Notice (THN). Measles spreads rapidly in communities that are not fully vaccinated and may pose a risk to international travelers in places not included in the THN. CDC recommends all travelers get fully vaccinated against measles before traveling to any international destination.

Upcoming Team Member Birthdays:

Madison Hargrave Home Health: 6/28

Kasandra Boeckman Onaga-Respiratory Therapy: 7/1

Candace Schlegel Onaga-Volunteer: 7/3

Donna Bragg Onaga-Medical Records: 7/4

Kaci Vinsonhaler-Eastridge: 7/4

Amanda Ritchie Onaga-Acute Nursing: 7/4

Sigrid Howard Onaga-Environmental Services: 7/4

Michele Thorne-Eastridge: 7/5

Marie Hatty-St. Marys Manor: 7/5

Andrea Grumblatt-St. Marys Manor: 7/5

Fireworks Safety

Shared from the National Safety Council

Summer is synonymous with barbecues, parades and fireworks. The National Safety Council advises everyone to enjoy fireworks at public displays conducted by professionals, and not to use any fireworks at home. They may be legal but they are not safe.

Every year, thousands of people are injured badly enough to require medical treatment after fireworks-related incidents, with many of the injuries to children and young adults. While the majority of these incidents are due to amateurs attempting to use professional-grade, homemade or other illegal fireworks or explosives, less powerful devices like small firecrackers and sparklers can also cause significant.

Additionally, fireworks start an average of 19,000 fires each year.

Fireworks Safety Tips:

If consumer fireworks are legal to buy where you live and you choose to use them, be sure to follow the following safety tips:

· Never allow young children to handle fireworks

· Older children should use them only under close adult supervision

· Never use fireworks while impaired by drugs or alcohol

· Anyone using fireworks or standing nearby should wear protective eyewear

· Never hold lighted fireworks in your hands

· Never light them indoors

· Only use them away from people, houses and flammable material

· Never point or throw fireworks at another person

· Only light one device at a time and maintain a safe distance after lighting

· Never ignite devices in a container

· Do not try to re-light or handle malfunctioning fireworks

· Soak both spent and unused fireworks in water for a few hours before discarding

· Keep a bucket of water nearby to fully extinguish fireworks that don't go off or in case of fire

· Never use illegal fireworks

Better yet, grab a blanket and a patch of lawn, kick back and let the experts handle the fireworks show.

Sparklers Are Dangerous

Every year, young children can be found along parade routes and at festivals with sparklers in hand, but sparklers are a lot more dangerous than most people think.

Sparklers burn at about 2,000 degrees – hot enough to melt some metals. Sparklers can quickly ignite clothing, and children have received severe burns from dropping sparklers on their feet. According to the National Fire Protection Association, sparklers alone account for more than 25% of emergency room visits for fireworks injuries. For children under 5 years of age, sparklers accounted for nearly half of the total estimated injuries.

Consider using safer alternatives, such as glow sticks, confetti poppers or colored streamers.

Stay safe this July 4^th!

CHCS Menus:

Onaga Breakfast: July 1-5

Onaga Lunch: July 1-5

Eastridge: July 1-5

St. Marys menus are available each morning through the Activities chronicle.

Coffee Shop Special

July 1-5

White Mocha - White Chocolate

$4.25 hot or cold

View the full Coffee Shop Menu

Local Area Events

Check-out all the upcoming local events!

June Onaga Historical Society Activities

June 28: 1:30pm - Crochet with Rheva & "Oceans and Sea Shells" - Activity with Dru Clarke

June 29: 2pm - "Kansas Music History" - Derrick Doty

Candidate Forums to be Held

Did you know Pottawatomie County is going from three County Commissioners to five this fall?

The Pottawatomie County Economic Development Corporation is co-hosting a County Candidate Forum in every district this summer where all candidates are invited to share their vision for Pottawatomie County.

The public is invited to any and all, regardless of the district.

Here's the schedule:

July 1st: Westmoreland (District 5 West) Westmoreland Community Center (201 Main St Westmoreland, KS) from 6-8pm
July 11th: St Marys (District 3) at the Perry Memorial Armory (110 S. 5th St St Marys, KS) from 6-8pm
July 15th Onaga (District 5 East) at Onaga Community Center (100 Union Pacific Dr, Onaga, KS Onaga, KS) from 6-8pm

REGISTRATION is OPEN for the 2024 Run, White & Blue 5K on Thursday, July 4th in Centralia.

The Race starts at 7:30a.m.

American Red Cross CPR Classes:

Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED:

For anyone with little or no medical training can provide first aid, CPR, and use an automated external defibrillator (AED) in a safe, timely, and effective manner.

July 23, 2024 - 5:30pm-7:30 Cost: $45

Blended online (elearning) format. Complete the online portion prior to class. Then complete skills session on class day.

Please bring certificate to class.

Please call or email Lacey Niehues to register or for more information.

Phone: (785)889-5146

Email: laceyniehues@chcsks.org

Credit card payments can be made please call Lacey Niehues. Please make checks payable to the Community Healthcare System in the memo write the name of the class.

Final funny

Did you miss your Connection?

Important information is relayed every week in the E-Connection. If you miss it in your email, an archive is available on our website. Visit the For Associates page, then click E-Connection Archive.

Send items for the E-Connection or for sharing with our broader social media audience to news@chcsks.org. Please send items by close of business on Tuesdays when possible. Ideas are welcome!