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Currents I am pleased to announce that Marilyn Schaffner, R.N., MSN, clinical director, Digestive Disease Center, Medicine and Oncology, will assume the position of interim administrator, Clinical Services, upon the departure of Pam Cipriano,  Ph.D., R.N., FAAN, in November. Ms. Schaffner will ensure a smooth transition and continued strong leadership in this critical position. Ms. Schaffner joined MUSC in 1995 as the clinical director for the Digestive Disease Center and has assumed additional responsibilities since that time. Prior to joining MUSC she held key positions at Duke University Medical Center and St. John's Hospital in Springfield, Ill. Ms. Schaffner received her masters in Nursing Administration from Duke University and is a certified gastroenterology registered nurse. She holds leadership roles in a number of professional organizations and has authored and contributed to many professional publications.  She has twice been selected for the MUSC Nursing Award for Excellence and she has received numerous awards and distinctions.  Please join me in welcoming Ms. Schaffner to this important role. W. Stuart Smith Vice President for Clinical Operations and Executive Director, MUSC Medical Center   Sept. 19 Communications meeting highlights  JCAHO Preparation Much of the Sept. 19 communications meeting was devoted to discussion for preparation for the JCAHO survey which is scheduled for the week of Nov. 6.  Stuart Smith urged that we not be caught off guard by overlooking any infection control and environment of care “no-brainers.” We cannot afford to be penalized due to inattention to details. Highlights from various presentations made at the Sept. 19 communications meeting are outlined below. Juvenile Diabetes Walk for the Cure Rebecca Estafano, Special Events Coordinator for the LowCountry Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, shared information about the upcoming 2000 Walk to Cure Diabetes. Employees and their families are encouraged to participate in this event. The walk will be held on Saturday, Nov. 18, at Cypress Gardens. Registration begins at 8 a.m. with the walk beginning at 9 a.m. Anyone interested in additional information or in forming a department team should contact Jill Midgett, manager, Diagnostic Microbiology and Immunology, at 792-2987.  This is the annual fund-raiser for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation which raises money that goes directly to research to find a cure for diabetes. Diabetes cost $105 billion each year . . . one out of every seven dollars spent on health care in the United States. One out of every four Medicare dollars is spent on diabetes and its complications. The Juvenile Diabetes Foundation is a nationally recognized charity giving 84 cents of every dollar to research. Jane Cooper, a volunteer with the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and the parent of a son who was diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes at the age of six, shared her family story of how diabetes has changed their lives. Cooper expressed her deep gratitude for the physicians, nurses, and other care givers at MUSC for the compassionate treatment her son and family received.  Parking Update Melinda Anderson, director, Parking Management, informed the management team that the new employee parking lot on Lockwood Boulevard will open on Oct. 2. Registration through the Parking Management Office is required. The lot is located on Lockwood Drive between the corner of Spring Street and the Radisson Hotel. This will be a gated facility which will be serviced by the MUSC bus service. The rate will be $35 a month. Questions concerning the lot can be directed to the Office of Parking Management at 792-3665.  As a result of the addition of the Lockwood Lot, there will be a change in the traffic flow at the Harborview Office Towers (HOT) beginning Oct. 2. The traffic flow will now be one-way around HOT. The buses will enter off of Hagood Drive and will travel through to the Lockwood Lot and then to Lockwood Boulevard. This access to the Lockwood Lot is for the MUSC bus service and police only and should not be used as a thoroughfare.  Reregistration for a number of lots is taking place this month. Notices have been sent to employees whose decals need to be renewed. The Office of Parking Management has extended hours from now through Sept. 29. The office will be open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Their usual hours of operation (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) will resume on Oct. 2. Anderson clarified the reduced parking fees for inpatients and their families. Unlike the outpatient parking stamp service which enables free parking for clinic appointments, the inpatient “parking stamp service” is not free parking, but at a reduced fee. As an inpatient or a family member of an inpatient, you can receive a discounted parking rate of  $2 a day. Upon exiting at the gate, the patient or family member should inform the attendant to receive the discount. A pamphlet is being created to explain this service. Managers are asked to disseminate this information to their employees and stations where parking tickets are stamped. If you have any questions regarding this issue, you can contact the Office of Parking Management at 792-3665. The Morrison Street parking lot will be closing effective Friday, Sept. 29, with the opening of the Lockwood Lot on Monday, Oct. 2.  Medical Device/Equipment Failure Reporting  Stan Trojanowski, manager, Biomedical Engineering, presented the updated Medical Center policy on medical device/equipment failure reporting. The major revision of this policy is the new combined “Medical Device Failure/Occurrence Report” form. This new form now notifies both the Biomedical Engineering Department and the Risk Management Department, eliminating the need for two separate forms.  Trojanowski reviewed the policy (Medical Center Policy A-48) highlighting the purpose, scope and procedures to follow when an equipment failure occurs. A draft copy of the policy was distributed.  The final version will be accessible through the Medical Center Policy Manual and the intranet web site once the approval process has been completed. Anyone who has questions concerning this revised policy should contact Stan Trojanowski at 792-3988. Infection Control “No-Brainers” — Clean vs. Dirty Jodell Johnson, coordinator, Infection Control, presented a slide show emphasizing the “wrongs and rights” of infection control.  Some of the key points made include: —dirty: any soiled item; any item used on a patient is considered dirty (contaminated) —clean: no presence of visible dust, soil, or foreign material; can be cleaned with soap and water —disinfect: a process (chemical) used that kills nearly all disease producing microorganisms. Objects must be cleaned prior to being disinfected. —sterile: absence of any microorganisms (outside of package should be clean and intact) —know what is dirty (contaminated) —know what is clean —know what is sterile —keep the first three conditions separate —remedy contamination immediately! —have designated separate clean and dirty areas —a sink used for hand washing cannot be used for cleaning or decontamination of dirty patient care equipment or emptying of patient body fluids —consider areas under sink and within “splash zone” as “potentially dirty” areas —clean linen CANNOT  be stored under sinks —items used on patients CANNOT be stored under sinks   For storage rooms, the following should be observed: determine whether it's a dirty or clean area beware of rooms on east and west wings of main hospital at linen chutes–no hampers with dirty linen stored there unless it is a dedicated dirty area; if it has a door that stays closed, it can be a clean area; and if it has no door or one that is not kept closed, consider area as potentially dirty no outside shipping cartons, supplies in outside shipping cartons must be unpacked ASAP never place or store any patient care items on floor bottom shelves must be at least six inches from the floor to allow for cleaning underneath bottom shelves must be impervious to water if clean (sterile) items are stored there You may use “dirty” utility rooms for: —uncleaned item/equipment storage —cleaned equipment (such as BS commode) may be stored if covered by plastic/impervious covering to the floor and labeled as clean —items not used directly on patients (trash bags, needle boxes, laundry bags, cleaning solutions in closed containers) Johnson or any Infection Control representative is available to check out an area upon request by calling ext. 2-4308. Environment of Care Tips (More “No-Brainers”) Mary Allen, coordinator, Environment of Care, outlined the regulations regarding the use of refrigerators and freezers; med gases; and the material safety data sheets (MSDS). You can contact Allen at 792-5176 for more detailed information regarding these and other Environment of Care issues. Patient foods that are kept in refrigerators must be labeled with the patient's name and date. The food must be kept covered and should be removed after three (3) days. Items in freezers must be labeled and kept current. The freezers should be clean and must have a working thermometer. Patient foods must be kept separate from staff food and the shelves need to be labeled as being for patients only. All refrigerators  and freezers containing patient food, medication or specimens must have a thermometer. A log must be posted which reflects that the refrigerator or freezer was checked each day of use and that the temperature remained in the acceptable range. Action (intervention) must be noted if the temperature was not found to be within the posted range. Allen emphasized that during an emergency, individuals who are authorized to shut off medical gases/oxygen valves are respiratory therapy and maintenance personnel when instructed by the area manager. Any nurse/physician/staff who has authority to start individual wall oxygen for an individual patient may discontinue it during an emergency. There should be a hard copy of the material safety data sheet (MSDS) in each unit and employees need to know how to access the MSDS through the computer. (It can be accessed by logging on to the MUSC Home Page, click on Administration, click on Risk Management/OSHA, then click on the MSDS.) Anyone needing additional information regarding the MSDS safety issues, should contact the Safety Office at 792-3604 or call the Help Desk at 792-4119. Every employee is expected to know the five (5) steps to take in case of a fire. They are: Remove the patient; Close the door; Pull the fire alarm; Call 792-3333; Fight the fire. Also, in the event of an actual fire, relocation of patients may be necessary.  Staff need to know where to move patients.  Remember to move horizontally to a safer area and don't forget to remove items from halls during a fire drill or actual emergency. TB Testing Reminder Don't forget—every Tuesday and Thursday from 2 - 3 p.m. through October the TB satellite desk will be open in the lobby of the Children's Hospital.  Any nursing staff willing to volunteer to place intradermal TB skin tests are asked to call Jodell Johnson (792-4308).