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To Medical Center employees:
The tragic events of Sept. 11 have made us acutely aware of the vital roles we play as health care providers and public servants. Some reservists and other military personnel have been or are expected to be called to active duty.

The Medical Center (Hospital Authority) military leave policy provides 15 paid days of military leave without requiring use of PTO for training or other duties, plus an additional 30 paid days (without requiring use of PTO) for employees who are called to active duty.  Please refer the Medical Center Human Resources Policy #22 <http://www.musc.edu/medcenter/policy/HumanResources/Policy22-MilitaryLeave.htm> for additional details or call the Medical Center Office of Human Resources at 792-7908.

I would like to extend my gratitude to the many members of the MUSC family who have helped to make a positive difference in this crisis.

Thank you very much.

W. Stuart Smith
Vice President for Clinical Operations and
Executive Director, MUSC Medical Center

IOP encourages tolerance, reasonableness toward others

At the Sept. 18 communications meeting, Joan Herbert, administrator, Institute of Psychiatry (IOP), urged tolerance of those in our community whose ethnic background is Middle Eastern, and outlined services available at MUSC to help individuals cope.

In the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on U.S. civilians and landmarks, Herbert indicated that hurtful comments had been made to some members of the MUSC community who are of Middle Eastern descent. “It’s a tendency of human nature, especially in situations of great fear and anxiety, to clump people together and behave in a way that’s not warranted,” she said.

Herbert urged the management team to do its part to offset that tendency by setting a strong example. “The people who did this in the United States are not here at MUSC,” she said. “It’s one of the strongest assets of the university that we have the diversity that we do. It’s important to demonstrate what tolerance looks like, to demonstrate what reasonableness looks like.”

Several resources are directly available to the MUSC community to help provide support, namely:

  • Pastoral Care Services—Pastoral Care is committed to providing care that respects the religious and spiritual values of any particular patient, family member or staff person. A chaplain is in-house 24-hours-a-day, seven days-a-week. The availability of Pastoral Care Services is indicative of the rapidly growing awareness that illness, trauma and health have spiritual, emotional, and socio-cultural as well as physical components. Pastoral Care is available for staff services such as in-services on death and dying; advance directives; grief; caring for self while caring for others; confidential counseling for staff with personal, relational, family or job-related concerns; and memorial services. For more information call 792-9464 or page #18089 for 24-hour access to a chaplain.
  • Employee Assistance Program—The MUSC Employee Assistance Program offers free, confidential, professional counseling and consultation services for: Drug and alcohol dependency; Depression, anxiety, grief, stress; Relationship issues, divorce, single parenting, elder care; Weight management; Financial and legal issues; Workplace stress; Supervision issues; and Documentation procedures. Employees receive brief therapy or referrals to the appropriate professional resource. An emphasis on prevention and education helps employees take control. For more information, call 792-2848.
  • The National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center (NCVC)—The center, established as a division of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in 1974, is devoted to achieving a better understanding of the impact of criminal victimization on adults, children and their families. For nearly two decades the NCVC has conducted important scientific research projects on different aspects of criminal victimization and child abuse. In more recent years, research efforts have expanded to include an examination of the mental health impact of natural disasters and urban violence. NCVC offers a website with specific information and resources to help professionals in the mental health industry and individuals traumatized by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The address is <http://www.musc.edu/cvc/>.
The NCVC indicates that the mechanisms of natural recovery from traumatic events are strong and that the psychological outcome of our community as a whole will be resilience, not psychopathology. For most, fear, anxiety, re-experiencing, urges to avoid, and hyper-arousal symptoms, if present, will gradually decrease over time. The center encourages individuals to use natural supports and to talk with those they are comfortable with – friends, family, co-workers – at their own pace.

The following is from an article called “Coping with Terrorism,” from the American Psychological Association:

Terrorism threatens a society by instilling fear and helplessness in its citizens. It seeks to hold a society or government hostage by fear of destruction and harm. 

When terrorist acts occur, people generally look for ways to cope with the acute stress and trauma. Terrorism evokes a fundamental fear of helplessness. The violent actions are random, unprovoked, and intentional, and often are targeted at defenseless citizens. Trying to cope with the irrational information that is beyond normal comprehension can set off a chain of psychological events culminating in feelings of fear, helplessness, vulnerability, and grief.

Xenophobia—fear or hatred of strangers or foreigners—can be heightened under a terrorist threat and can become a social and psychological danger. The fear generated by terrorism can be exacerbated by a population’s diversity if there is distrust between groups, categories and classification of citizens. People need to recognize that diversity in a population is often an opportunity for unity and strength. There are members of our diverse society who have experienced past terrorist incidents. The knowledge and experience they have gained from surviving and coping with these incidents can make them a valuable resource on how to cope and how to offer assistance to others.

The NCVC recommends that if you are having trouble coping as a result of the terrorist attacks, consider seeking help from a psychologist or other mental health professional. There are many ways to feel traumatized by terrorist incidents. Psychologists and other licensed mental health professionals are trained to help people cope and take positive steps toward managing their feelings and behaviors.

Calls are handled by a switchboard operator through a central access line, which can be reached by dialing 792-9888 or 1-800-922-5250 from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday.

For more information about IOP services, call 792-9888.

Campaign promotes MUSC’s Heart and Vascular Center 
As part of its continued efforts to market specific services offered by MUSC’s Heart and Vascular Center, Marketing Services is poised to launch a global campaign that will help make known the broad range of services available through the center.

Chris Murray, director of Business Development and Marketing Services, and Lynne Barber, manager of Marketing Communications, presented details of the plan to the Management Team and aired a preview of a television commercial soon to be released. Barber gave an overview of recent marketing campaigns to promote diagnostic procedures such as cardiac scoring, on-line heart health assessment and treatments available for congestive heart disease. “According to consumer data,” Barber said, “MUSC’s overall brand equity is high.” She said the MUSC Heart and Vascular Center leads in top of mind awareness and image for the primary market area.

The MUSC Heart and Vascular Center features the most comprehensive heart and vascular center in the state, a commitment to excellence, a team approach, latest technologies, outreach sites, emergency services, nationally known expertise and excellent customer service. “Given the center’s many, many strengths, it is extremely positive to market this service,” Barber said.

New system makes oxygen tanks more user friendly 
MUSC will soon replace oxygen tanks used in patient care with a portable oxygen delivery system that is easier to use, according to Jo Anne Sandefur, education coordinator of Respiratory Care, who described the new system to the Management Team.

One of the primary benefits of the new system, which will be supplied by Medicyl-E-Lite, is the regulator comes built in and, therefore, does not require replacement or a key. Furthermore, the tanks are lighter-weight and safer. A flow restrictor is a standard part of the tank to limit the gas emitted in the event the tank is knocked over or broken in some fashion. Sandefur said no tool is required to turn the tank on or off.

 The tanks rent for only 4 cents more per tank than the old cylinders. Clinical staff will not have to change the regulators on the cylinders, thus saving time and effort. Further, it will result in a reduction in error rates caused when full tanks are inadvertently returned as used. “Overall, it will increase cost efficiency,” she said.