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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2008-06-18, Page 10Crossroads 10 Times -Advocate Wednesday, June 18, 2008 Hospital unveils new automated pharmacy system By Scott Nixon TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF EXETER — A new private/public partnership between South Huron Hospital and the pharmacy at Hansen's Independent Grocer has result- ed in an automated pharmacy system designed to increase patient safety and efficiency. The new system, which sees hardware and software installed at both South Huron Hospital and the pharmacy at Hansen's, with a link between the two, was unveiled with an official ribbon cutting and demonstration at both locations last Thursday. "I am so excited," hospital CEO Deb Hunt said, adding that when she first came to South Huron Hospital she was con- cerned about the quality of the safety of patients and she want- ed to improve the hospital's prescriptions system, some- thing hospital operations man- ager and privacy officer Lisa Campbell was also interested in. Barb Steddy of HealthMark said the partnership between the hospital and the Hansen's pharmacy is the first of its kind in Canada. Campbell said the project started with a vision of efficien- cy and patient safety, while Loblaws senior manager Puneet Khanna said it was a collaborative effort which will eliminate errors and reduce wastage. "This is the future," he said. The new automated pharma- cy system replaces the old, manual system that Campbell says relied on many human fac- tors. Under the old system, a patient's Medication Administration Record (MAR) had to be handwritten by the 1 1 Plor New hardware — Hansen's pharmacist Amy Cheverie stands with the new Pacmed machine that holds medication. Ribbon cutting —A new automated pharmacy system linking South Huron Hospital and the pharmacy at Hansen's Independent Grocer was officially unveiled last week.The new system is designed to increase patient safety and efficiency. From left are pharmacist Amy Cheverie, Loblaws director of pharmacy Sanjiv Maindiratta, Hansen's co-owner Michelle Hansen, hospital board mem- ber Ernie Miatello, Hansen's co-owner Mike Hansen, hospital CEO Deb Hunt, Loblaws senior man- ager Puneet Khanna, Loblaws pharmacy vice-president Frank Kwiecien, hospital operations manager and privacy officer Lisa Campbell, Loblaws director Jean Kenney, hospital quality committee mem- ber Olga Davis, HealthMark regional sales representative Barb Steddy and hospital clinical resource nurse Brenda Palsa. (photos/Scott Nixon) nurses. "We relied on the nurses to be perfect," Campbell says. In addition, medication for patients arrived in patient -spe- cific 28 -day supplies, leading to a lot of drug wastage if there was medication left over when the patient was discharged. Under the new system, the MARS are printed out each night and are clear and easy to read. The only MARS hand- written are the ones that come in after 6 p.m. Campbell said medication in the new system is distributed by individual drug, not by individ- ual patients, so waste and cost are reduced. The new system also allows for strong inventory control; under the old system, nurses were relied on to know when to make orders for medication. The new system automatically establishes inventory levels and makes orders. "We took the guess work out of it," Campbell says. Safety has also been improved. Under the old sys- tem, medication was kept on portable carts that didn't lock, leaving the potential of some- one taking medicine that didn't belong to them. The new sys- tem sees medicine locked with fingerprint and pass code secu- rity systems. The hospital went "live" with the new system April 28. The emergency department will go "live" June 24, a day after the new renovated department has its official grand opening. Under the new system, the automated medication dispens- ing system at the hospital "talks" to the drug packager at Hansen's and sends a list of the medicine needed. From the pharmacy end, their prescription entry system "talks" to one of the printers at the hospital. The new system allows the hospital to track and trend its medication use and track any narcotics discrepancies, all of which were done manually in the past. Medication expiry dates will also be tracked automatically. Campbell said the biggest challenge in implementing the new system was the complex amount of networking and interfacing between the com- puters. She said it has been a year since the project started with an analysis to identify risks and potential failures at the hospital. Campbell said the new system has been deemed the "best practice" system for medication distribution. Campbell said the new system is seen in larger hospitals and few rural hospitals have it. She said it has been made possible at South Huron because of the partnership with the Hansen's pharmacy, something Campbell dubs "The P4 Model" — the pri- vate public pharmacy partner- ship. While implementing the new system took a lot of hours and "a ton of work," Campbell said, "it was pretty seamless." Campbell said the nurses love the new system, with Hunt adding, "This is very good for us and for our patients." Book tells tale of adjusting to new country and culture By Scott Nixon TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF EXETER — It's a story that goes back nearly 60 years and one that serves as both a loving tribute and a story of faith, perseverance and new beginnings. Bright's Grove author and former Clinton resident and teacher Jennie Berg stopped in Exeter last week to talk about her book, "Lead On, Oh King Eternal," a story that details Berg's fam- ily's move to Canada from Holland in 1949, four years after the country was liberated. "Times were very devastating in Europe," Berg told the Times -Advocate last week, adding many Europeans wanted to leave and start a new life. Her father, Jan Douma, decided to move to Canada, a move that was difficult for Berg's mother, Renskje (later changed to Rita after moving to Canada), who had to leave behind a large family including her parents and eight brothers and sis- ters. But the couple moved to Canada with their five children in 1949. At eight years old, Berg was the oldest. She says arriving in a new country was exciting for her. The family arrived by boat in Quebec and was initially surprised by two things — the French language and the fact additional sponsors were needed for the children to stay in Canada. After that was sorted out, the family moved to Highgate, near Chatham, where Berg's father would farm and the children would start school despite not speaking English, although Berg said it didn't take long for the kids to pick it up. Berg said the adjustment to a new land and a new language was easier for the children than it was for her parents. She credits a "wonderful" teacher for being a big influence on her life. Berg still vis- its her former teacher, now 93 and liv- ing in a nursing home in Blenheim. Two more sons were born and the family, now numbering nine, moved to Kent Bridge, where Berg's father contin- ued to farm. Tragedy struck the family in July 1954 when Berg's father died of a heart attack at 41. Berg's mother was only 40 years old and was left with seven chil- dren to take care of. Jennie Berg "It was a turning point in our life," Berg says, adding her moth- er had no money and her father had no life insurance. Requests to Holland asking if any- one could come visit Canada to comfort Berg's mother were unsuccessful as nobody could afford the trip. There was temptation to return to Holland, but the family decided to remain in Canada, where Berg's mother raised her family on her widow's pen- sion. "It was a rough go for her to stay," Berg says of her mother. Berg says her mother was determined to have her children well educated and they all finished high school and many of them went on to post -secondary educa- tion, including Berg, who became a teacher. Berg's mother had a stroke in 1979 and died in 1986 at the age of 76. She had 29 grandchildren. Berg eventually married and has two children and five grandchildren. Education is very important in the fami- ly, as both Berg's sons became teachers and both of their wives are teachers. Three years ago Berg retired and she and her husband moved to Bright's Grove. In the mid-1990s, Berg wanted to ded- icate something to her mother and ended up writing "Lead On, Oh King Eternal," a story that shows her moth- er's strength and the family's faith. Despite the tough times the family went through, Berg says her mother taught her to always take the positive out of a negative situation. "Life has always been positive," Berg says. In addition to telling her story through her book, Berg enjoys speaking to groups and is looking to speak to any local groups interested in hearing about her journey. Any profits from her book sales will go to World Vision. To reach Berg about a speaking engagement or for more information about ordering her book, call 1-519- 869-4942.