October 8, 1998

Laurie Zone-Smith, manager of Special Projects in Clinical Services, reminded everyone of the need for influenza immunizations. The flu season is almost upon us and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that health care workers receive flu vaccines.

Flu vaccines are offered by WorkMed Carolina in the lobby of the Children’s Hospital every Tuesday and Thursday from 1 to 3 p.m. or you may go directly to the WorkMed Carolina office at 158 Rutledge Avenue anytime between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. At each location you will be asked to sign a log indicating your employer/department information and a consent form. These vaccines will be available through December or as long as the vaccine supply is available. Students should report to Student Health at 49 Bee Street to receive vaccines. If you have any questions, please call WorkMed Carolina at 792-2991 or Student Health at 792-3664.

The CDC predicts that the flu season will arrive early this year. I encourage everyone to take advantage of this opportunity to protect yourself and others.

W. Stuart Smith, Interim Vice President for Clinical Operations Interim CEO, MUSC Medical Center

Think First for Kids!

• Carol Dobos, Ph.D., R.N., director, Children’s Services, introduced a national injury prevention program Think First for Kids. The implementation and evaluation of the Think First for Kids program in area schools is being supported by the Healthy SC Initiative. The MUSC Children’s Hospital is the lead organization that supports the Trident Area Safe Kids Coalition and is now collaborating with the Think First for Kids program. All MUSC employees are asked to share this injury prevention information with others and are encouraged to do volunteer work to support injury prevention programs. Injury prevention resource material was distributed and can be obtained by calling Dobos at 792-9848.
• Amy Ethridge, Trident Area SAFE KIDS Coalition coordinator, reported that injury is the leading cause of death and injury to children ages 14 and under. Estimates indicate that 90 percent of all childhood injuries could be prevented by following basic safety rules. The Trident Area SAFE KIDS Coalition has joined efforts with Think First for Kids to get injury prevention education into the classroom. The classroom provides educators with an opportunity to teach children safety skills in an environment that is fun and exciting. The curriculum offered to the schools for kindergarten through third grade includes tools such as videos, posters, and worksheets.
• Bonnie Muntz-Pope, R.N., CNRN, Department of Neurosurgery, is the coordinator of the SC Lowcountry Think First program which is located at MUSC. Muntz-Pope showed an animated video on safety tips which will be viewed nationally. She explained how Think First was founded by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons to prevent brain and spinal cord injuries.
• Marie L. Lobo, Ph.D., R.N., associate professor, College of Nursing, serves as the principle investigator for the “Community Based Intervention: Prevention of Neurological Injuries in Young Children: Think First for Kids” grant. Lobo reported on the collaboration efforts between the program and the various local entities involved such as the schools, the different MUSC departments, and community organizations. She also outlined the curriculum being used by the schools. The program aims to assess the number of children wearing bicycle helmets in a specified community during the first three months of the project and includes a follow-up evaluation six months to a year later to assess again the number of children wearing helmets. The program will also evaluate the children’s knowledge of safety and injury prevention and will evaluate the children’s retention of all the material at the end of a six week course. Lobo hopes the program can be expanded in the future to include private schools, higher grade levels, and even adults. If anyone would like to help in any way, you can call Think First administrative offices at 876-1225.
• Deborah Couillard, BSN, R.N., trauma nurse coordinator, introduced Traumaroo! Traumaroo is the children’s safety program of the American Trauma Society. Traumaroo uses an animated kangaroo character named Troo to teach important safety habits to young children from kindergarten to fourth grade age levels. The program covers several different safety areas. One is Bicycle Safety Troo and another is Playground Safety Troo. The program has a segment called Staying Friends which teaches children how to control their anger when a friend reacts inappropriately. The program also includes a very graphic slide presentation geared for middle and high school students that demonstrates the consequences of unsafe behavior such as not using a seat belt, not wearing a bike helmet, and drinking and driving.

Year 2000 Problem

• Tom Keating, administrator, Children’s Healthcare System, along with John Franklin, director, Support Services, and Dave Northrup, director, Healthcare Computing Services, gave an update on where the Medical Center is in getting computers and equipment compliant with Year 2000 requirements.
• Keating reported on the problems and solutions needed. He explained that the Y2K is being addressed by all levels of the Medical University. There is a University Y2K Task Force with specific Y2K working groups and a University Policy which states departmental responsibilities including assessment, readiness, contingency plans and budgeting for Y2K corrective actions.
• Keating outlined the high risk areas and the priority issues for the Medical Center. These include:
• All Information Systems For example: Keane, CERNER, OACIS, IDX, GEAC, AT&T
• Biomedical Engineering equipment For example: linear accelerators, fluoroscopic radiographic unit, defibrillators, ventilators, CT scanners
• Plant Operations For example: elevators, emergency management systems, fire alarms, trouble call systems, tube systems
• External Systems For example: water and electrical utilities, payors and fiscal intermediaries, traffic and transportation control, overnight delivery and postal systems, among many others
• Keating emphasized this is a world-wide problem and affects almost all aspects of conducting business. He stated the Medical Center is working hard on Y2K problems and is doing everything possible to make this a smooth transition into the next century.
• Franklin reported on the status of the medical equipment stating that with over 6600 devices, 80 percent were already compliant. Biomedical Engineering is working with vendors to ensure compliance. Franklin asked the management team to please let him or his staff know of any device or system they may have concerns about. Contact the Biomedical Engineering help line at 792-7924 or e-mail either Franklin, Stan Trojanowski, or Dan Altman. Y2K response forms which were passed out at the meeting should be returned to either John, Stan or Dan.
• Northrup briefly advised that CCIT is looking at the computer/network systems and working on bringing all the systems up to compliance including the rollout of Windows ‘95. Northrup estimates that 60 percent of the Medical Center’s information systems are currently compliant. He warned there will be some downtimes early next year in order to conduct some testing. Northrup explained that only Pentium-level PC’s will be supported as part of the Windows ‘95 rollout and Y2K compliance. He said this will have a considerable budget impact on some areas. At this time CCIT is planning a July 1999 time frame to complete the Windows ‘95 conversion, but be aware that time frame may be extended. More details will be given in the future.

Parking Information--Follow-Up to Sept. 24 Currents

• Through responses we’ve received to the recent parking presentation at the Communications meeting Parking Management has learned that there is a perception among some employees that MUSC guarantees parking at least somewhere to all of its employees.
• While we would like to be able to park all of our employees in the MUSC parking system and have made great strides in that direction over the years, MUSC has never been able to provide parking for all its employees and has never intended that anyone should consider parking as a condition of employment.
• Any employee who has gained a space in the reserved parking system is guaranteed that a space will be available to him or her in their designated location on demand. Employees who do not have a reserved parking assignment are offered parking in the Hagood Commuter Parking System (Fishburne Street, Spring Street, and Morrison Drive locations) on a purely space-available basis. While parking in the commuter parking lots works well and supports many employees, this parking should be considered an option—not a guarantee. Employees should explore and develop other parking options in case they need them.
• The Office of Parking Management is doing everything possible to ease the present space crunch, and plans are underway for both short-term relief and long-term solution. In the interim, Parking Management’s advice for employees who do not have a reserved parking assignment is as follows:
• 1) Waiting Lists: Be sure to place your name on all the waiting lists for reserved parking locations including the Harborview Tower parking garage. Employees sometimes do not sign up for this location reasoning that if they have to ride the bus any way they might as well park free in the commuter lot as to pay $18 a month to park in Harborview. The important difference is that a space in the Harborview Tower Garage is a guaranteed parking assignment.
• 2)Hagood Hangtag: Register for the Hagood Commuter Parking System and obtain a Hagood Commuter Parking System hangtag, but be prepared with a fall-back parking option. Usually a space can be found in the Fishburne Street location, but certain days of the week are more crowded than others, and employees arriving mid or late morning are the most likely to find the lot full.
• 3)Fall-back parking options: We do not recommend it for evening or night shifts, but there is a privately-operated parking lot on Cannon Street just east of President Street. We understand that they offer daily and monthly rates not too much higher than ours, and many MUSC employees park there. This location could be used as a back up on an as-needed basis. Another fall-back location is the County Parking Garage near CMH and VA. Employees would have to pay the posted daily rate; but if used only occasionally as a backup, parking in this location might work.
• 4)Parking Management has a short listing of private parking locations in the vicinity of the campus. (For the benefit of its employees MUSC parking rates are kept as low as possible, $18 and $25, so rates will be higher in the private sector, ranging from $30 to $100 a month.) We will be happy to fax a copy of the listing upon request. Please call 792-3665.

1998 ANNUAL ENROLLMENT— Oct. 1-31

• Changes may be made at these locations:
• Medical Center Benefits Office: 109 Children’s Hospital 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. M-F
• University Benefits Office: 105 Harborview Office Tower 8:30-5 M, T, F and 8:30-7:30 W,TH q The Benefits Fair on Oct. 22-23—Administration Building Room 107 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• All changes must be completed on a notice of election form (NOE) by Oct. 31. Absolutely no changes will be allowed over the phone.
• The Annual Enrollment Fair will be held on Oct. 22-23 in Room 107 Administration Building from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. The vendors that will participate are: The State Health Plan, The State Options Plan, HealthSource, HMO Blue, Companion, Long Term Care, MoneyPlu$, MUSC Pharmacy, SC Retirement System and the SC Deferred Compensation Plan (401K). Take advantage of the 401k plan! The 401k is available to all employees - even temporary staff.
• Plan changes made during this enrollment period are effective January 1, 1999. You cannot add or drop your coverage and/or your dependants’ coverage until the next open enrollment period in October 1999 except for changes made within 31 days of a special eligibility situation.
• MoneyPlu$ changes and spending account enrollment and re-enrollment must be done each year during the annual enrollment period (Oct. 1-31, 1998).
• During Annual Enrollment you can change health plan carriers only. Absolutely no other health or dental changes are allowed.
• Those currently enrolled in the Dependent Life program can increase their coverage one level during the annual enrollment period without providing medical evidence of good health. A new $20,000/$10,000 level of coverage is available for 1999.
• Effective Jan. 1, 1999, the maximum insurance amount for Optional Life will increase one level for each salary bracket and new coverage levels will be added for higher salary brackets. Those currently enrolled in Optional Life insurance may increase their coverage one level without providing medical evidence of good health. During the annual enrollment period, employees already at the maximum level for their salary bracket may move to the new maximum for their salary bracket without providing medical evidence of good health.
• MoneyPlu$—You MUST enroll or re-enroll in your MoneyPlu$ spending accounts (the Day Care Spending Account and/or the Out-of-Pocket Medical Spending Account) during the enrollment period. The Medical Spending Account is available to eligible subscribers that have or will have occupied a permanent benefits eligible.
• During Annual Enrollment you cannot add or drop a dependent from your health coverage unless you add or drop the dependent within 31 days of a special eligibility situation (marriage, birth, adoption or placement) or during the next open enrollment period (October 1999). If you are enrolled in the State Dental Plan, you may not add any dependents to your coverage or drop your coverage and/or your dependents’ coverage during annual enrollment. Your next opportunity to enroll yourself and/or your dependents or to drop your coverage and/or your dependents’ coverage is during the October 1999 open enrollment period or within 31 days of a special eligibility situation.
• Effective Jan. 1, 1999, all dependents covered under dependent life insurance will have the same level of coverage based on the premium paid.