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Currents To Medical Center Employees: At the Nov. 30 communications meeting Joan Herbert, administrator, Institute of Psychiatry and tactical plan coordinator, updated the management team on progress being made with the two year tactical plan. The plan focuses on five core areas including financial performance, provider of choice (patient satisfaction), employer of choice (staff satisfaction), quality and safety, and information management. A “champion” has been assigned to spearhead  work groups involved in each of the core initiatives. Ms. Herbert emphasized the management team is being relied upon to widely share tactical plan information and to involve employees. She pointed out that Michael Irving, manager, Patient Care Systems, has been instrumental in designing a creative Intranet website (www.musc.edu/medcenter/tactical-plan/) to enable Medical Center employees to keep abreast of the tactical plan work progress and to identify individuals involved in the work groups. Employees are encouraged to share ideas and suggestions with the various work group members from their respective areas or with the champions. Managers have also been asked to post summary sheets within their respective areas to keep everyone abreast of tactical plan progress and to generate interest. Progress regarding the patient satisfaction and financial performance, key elements of the tactical plan, will also be periodically disseminated through pay check stub messages.  On another matter, I previously indicated that Medical Center town hall meetings would be scheduled in December. However, it appears that January town hall meetings will be more convenient. Details will be announced later. Finally, the Medical Center Intranet now includes an online store featuring affordable clothing, uniforms and other promotional items customized with the Medical Center logo or the clinical service logo of your choice. This will be available for a trial period the next two months for convenience of employees.  Proceeds will benefit our organization.  Thank you very much. W. Stuart Smith Vice President of Clinical Operations and Executive Director, MUSC Medical Center Human Resources updates employees Helena Bastian, director of Medical Center Office of Human Resources, announced that effective Jan. 1, 2005, MUSC will begin withholding employee insurance premiums on a current basis for both MUSC and MUHA employees. At the present time, insurance premiums are withheld and paid one month in advance. In order to transition from advanced to current withholding of premiums, MUSC/MUHA will not withhold premiums this month (December), except for newly hired employees or employees who have had an insurance status change.  “This onetime windfall in employees’ paychecks should not be expected in future years,” Bastian said. Diversity Training All members of MUHA management team are expected to attend a diversity training session.  Training is scheduled  in room 125 of the Strom Thurmond Building on Friday Dec. 3 from 1 to 3 p.m.; Tuesday, Feb. 22 from 10 a.m. to noon; and Tuesday, April 5 from 1 to 3 p.m. Double Bonus Referral Campaign A three-month registered nurse recruitment campaign is in effect beginning Nov. 28 and will run through Feb. 15. A double referral bonus of $2,000 is being offered for RNs hired for selected units.  The selected units are: Neuro Science ICU; 7-East Neurology/Neurosurgery; PC ICU; 7A Pediatric Medical Surgical Unit; and the Progressive Cardiovascular Care Unit. Current employee referral program rules, regulations and payout timers apply. Contact Human Resources, 792-9097, for  more details. Hospital Construction Update Introducing his hospital construction update, Chris Malanuk, director of strategic planning and project director for new hospital construction, reminded those gathered for the hospital communications meeting that an architectural model of the new hospital is on display on the first floor of the North Tower.  Demolition trucks are in and doing some actual site clearance at the Wellness Center, Malanuk said. “We have a lot of work to do before we can actually close the portion of Doughty Street leased from the Veterans Administration. The old McClennan Banks facility has already been demolished. And the utility connection that is a direct piping system to the central energy plant —that entire area is being cleared, including the energy plant area..” Malanuk took the audience through some of the major demolition sites with photos taken Tuesday morning.  Two curb cuts for the Veterans Administration have been put in, one at the south exit of the County Parking Garage and another at the north side that connects to Bee Street, giving them a functional drive to Bee Street.  “Another thing going on is excavation of Charleston Center Drive to install a duct bank, a three-foot by three-foot block of cement with conduits in it for teledata systems and electrical. That has to be installed and when we do we will widen it,” he said. “It will be three lanes wide and accommodate bi-directional traffic, which is consistent with the long-range plan.” He said the goal is to have bi-directional traffic all around the building, a step in the project that has to be done early. A 96-inch steel-cased pipe will be installed under Bee Street, sliding it under the street without disrupting traffic. It will serve as a conduit for utility connections.  Wellness Center demolition is scheduled to be completed by Dec. 21, he said. “We are doing a lot of work in preparation to the closing of Alpha Street and Bravo Street, exit from the County Parking Garage and Doughty Street. This includes utility work, storm drains, electrical conduits, and continuation of the duct bank. It’s unbelievable how many utilities are under the street at this intersection. We’ve negotiated to take control of that entire intersection for 30 days. We plan for this to close just before the holidays.”