Earn While You Learn Is Opening the Door to Meaningful Careers

In her new Vision and Voice blog post, Wendy Horton, Medical Center CEO, gives an update on the Earn While You Learn (EWYL) program, which helps individuals start careers in healthcare with on-the-job training and no requirement for a degree or experience. The program aims to help the Medical Center become better staffed, more diverse, and better equipped to care for high volumes of patients. In recent weeks, a team from UVA Health traveled to local Boys and Girls Clubs to meet with over 150 youth and introduced the EWYL program as a gateway for young people to begin a career in healthcare after high school. If you have a suggestion about who in the local community should hear about the EWYL program next, leave a note in the BeHeard suggestion box (hint: scroll to the bottom of the page). If you or someone you know is interested in this program, you can find more details on this information sheet. For questions about the program, email the program coordinator, Beth Mehring, at bethmehring@virginia.edu. Read more.

COVID-19

Current Patient Census (as of 1:50 p.m. July 29)

Workforce Impact (as of 4:30 a.m. July 27)
UVA Health team members affected and on leave

(Information source: UVA Health Data Portal)
COVID-19 Dashboard | COVID-19 Resources

Operations

New Update: Community Health Integration

If you are interested in staying abreast of the integration activities at UVA Community Health, check out the July 2022 edition of Integration Updates. Topics include the transition of UVA Pediatric Specialties in Winchester and Richmond to UVA Community Health Medical Group, preparations for the Nov. 1 Epic go-live at UVA Haymarket and UVA Prince William Medical Centers, and planning for migrating UVA Community Health’s provider onboarding to the Symplr Cactus system now used by the Academic Medicine Division.

One Lane Closure May Delay Traffic on Jefferson Park Avenue 

Saturday, July 30 | 6 a.m.-noon | A crane will block one lane of JPA next to the Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center to deliver materials. While two-way traffic and a pedestrian detour will be maintained, lane shifts will occur during this period and may cause minor delays.

Happenings

Last Chance to Learn and Win: MRI Safety Week

On Connect, you’ll find the final activity for MRI Safety Week, the goal of which is to increase awareness and understanding of MRI safety. Learn more and check out today’s crossword puzzle. 

Donate Blood in August and You Could Win Free Gas for a Year!

Monday, Aug. 1; Monday, Aug. 8; Wednesday, Aug. 31 | 10 a.m.-4 p.m. | Quayle Learning Center, Battle Building, First Floor | The American Red Cross, UVA Health’s primary supplier of blood products, is facing a severe blood shortage. You can help by donating blood. Swag alert: The American Red Cross is thanking all who donate in August by giving them a $10 e-gift card to a merchant of choice. Additionally, donors will be automatically entered for a chance to win gas for a year (a $6,000 value)! There will be three lucky winners. Terms apply. Appointments required. Sign up by emailing giveblood@virginia.edu. Learn more.

Mindful Leadership Training

Wednesdays, Aug. 3-Sept. 21 | 4-4:45 p.m. | Current and aspiring leaders are invited to join a series of eight 45-minute virtual sessions and learn to lead others more effectively through developing skills in self-awareness and self-regulation. Sessions will explore how mindfulness influences our well-being, team culture, performance, and UVA leadership competencies. Note: This program is held in eM Life, a mindfulness platform to which Hoos Well provides free access for enrollees on the UVA Health Plan or UPG Anthem Health Plan. Learn more.

Appreciation

Sweet, Sweet Stewardship: X-ray Project Reduces Costs While Maintaining Quality Care 

Casey Sweet, an advanced practice provider in Cardiothoracic Surgery, recently led a project to reduce unnecessary daily chest X-rays on 4 West and Thoracic Cardiovascular ICU. Between May and June, chest X-rays for cardiac and vascular patients were reduced by 45% with no change to hospital length of stay, ICU length of stay, ventilator hours, reintubation rates, or mortality rates, which indicates the reduced frequency has no harm to patients while reducing unneeded procedures and saving money. The average number of chest X-rays has dropped to 5.8 for an average 10-day hospital stay. The project saved an average of $2,716​ per patient for a total cost savings of $203,700 for the unit in two months when adjusted for patient census. If the new X-ray frequency is put into place, the total estimated cost savings per year will be $1.2 million! “A part of providing efficient care to patients is withholding care that does not serve them,” said Casey. “This early analysis shows the elimination of daily chest X-rays does just that.” Great work! Thank you to Casey and the team for embarking on this stewardship project!

PREVIOUS UPDATES

Wednesday, July 27, 2022

U.S. News Recognizes High Performing Specialties and Procedures

Each year at this time, U.S. News & World Report (USNWR) releases its “Best Hospitals” guide with national and regional rankings across hospitals, specialties, and procedures and conditions. The 2022-2023 results were released, and UVA Medical Center remains No. 2 in the Virginia “Best Hospital” rankings and maintains six high performing clinical specialties as well as being ranked high performing in 14 out of 20 eligible common adult clinical conditions and procedures. New programs recognized in this year’s high-performance rankings include Diabetes and Endocrinology, Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery, and Ovarian Cancer Surgery.

We are exceptionally proud of all of our team members, including the teams that have contributed to this year’s USNWR rankings. Read more from K. Craig Kent, MD, Chief Executive Officer, UVA Health, Executive Vice President for Health Affairs, University of Virginia; and Wendy Horton, PharmD, MBA, Chief Executive Officer, Medical Center, on Connect.

COVID-19

Current Patient Census (as of 1:06 p.m. July 27)

Workforce Impact (as of 4:30 a.m. July 27)
UVA Health team members affected and on leave

(Information source: UVA Health Data Portal)
COVID-19 Dashboard | COVID-19 Resources

Patient Care

Pharmacy Introduces New Controlled Substance Delivery Model

In an ongoing effort to minimize the need for nursing to come to the inpatient pharmacy window, Pharmacy has begun proactively managing the delivery of all controlled substance medications to the inpatient units. Pharmacy successfully piloted many of these processes on pediatric units. The next steps in the process for adult and pediatric inpatient units are:

• Controlled substance medications | These are being loaded into unit Pyxis machines when possible. Once loaded, the medication’s Pyxis machine name will be displayed in the dispense location on the medication administration record (MAR). If a controlled medication is not loaded in your Pyxis machine, send a medication message to request the next dose. Allow 2 hours prior to the due time for non-STAT medications to be loaded in the Pyxis machine.
• Medications or controlled substance medications that cannot be stored in Pyxis | Please be available for receipt of these medications via Rover Dispense Tracking. This follows the current Dispense Tracking and Rover standard work, which can be found using this link.
• Controlled substance infusions | After a medication message is received, these will be delivered to all inpatient units via Rover Dispense Tracking.
• Patient-supplied controlled substance medications | Send a medication message to request a patient-supplied controlled substance medication prior to needing each dose. Once loaded in Pyxis, these will be accessed by searching the Pyxis pocket named *Patient Specific NF Controlled Substance EACH.

For further information, contact Tyler Goins (tg6dj@virginia.edu) or James Terenyi (tbg2vk@virginia.edu).

Operations

One Lane Closure May Delay Traffic on Jefferson Park Avenue

Saturday, July 30 | 6 a.m.-noon | A crane will block one lane of JPA next to the Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center while delivering materials. Although two-way traffic and a pedestrian detour will be maintained, lane shifts will occur during this period and may cause minor delays.

Leadership

Noted Cancer Researcher to Chair UVA’s Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics

The University of Virginia School of Medicine has recruited award-winning cancer researcher and educator Anja Katrin Bielinsky, PhD, to lead its Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics. She succeeds Professor David Auble, who has served as interim chair since March of 2021. Bielinsky will join UVA on Nov. 15. Read more on Connect.

Blake Herring to Oversee Patient Care at UVA Cancer Center

UVA Health has named Blake Herring, MSN, RN, OCN, NE-BC, as administrator of UVA Cancer Center, where he will oversee patient-care operations. An experienced manager of cancer-care programs at academic health systems, Herring is currently administrative director of cancer services at Stanford Health Care in Palo Alto, California. In this role, Herring manages patient-care operations and more than 330 staff members, which recently has included leading the cancer center’s COVID-19 task force. Herring will join UVA Cancer Center on Oct. 3. Read more on Connect.

Human Resources

Coming Soon: 2022 Annual Retraining

Launches Wednesday, Aug. 3 | Deadline: Friday, Sept. 30 | UVA Health team members who were hired on or before April 3, 2022, will be assigned and enrolled in the 2022 UVA Health Annual Retraining Learning Program in Workday Learning. The program includes the required digital courses:

• 2022 UVA Health Annual Retraining
• 2022 UVA Health Virginia State Employee Safety, Disaster, and Terrorism Awareness Retraining
• DEI and Cultural Competence Compliance

Please note that the deadline for completion will not be extended for this retraining. Questions? Email AskHR@virginia.edu with the subject line, “Annual Retraining.”
Learn more.

Happenings

Learn and Win: MRI Safety Week

The goal for MRI Safety Week 2022 (July 24-30) is to increase awareness and understanding of MRI safety by providing daily fun activities in addition to sharing a story that illustrates the importance of MRI safety. Check Connect daily this week.

Now Open: 2022-23 Jefferson Trust Annual Grant Submissions

Deadline for Letter of Intent: Thursday, Sept. 15 | The Jefferson Trust funds ideas and fosters innovation. Its annual grant cycle is now open for the 2022-23 academic year and is open to all University of Virginia students, faculty, and staff. If you need funding for an innovative idea or want to radically expand an existing program or project, consider applying. Learn more.

Donate Blood in August and You Could Win Free Gas for a Year!

Monday, Aug. 1; Monday, Aug. 8; Wednesday, Aug. 31 | 10 a.m.-4 p.m. | Quayle Learning Center, Battle Building, First Floor | The American Red Cross, UVA Health’s primary supplier of blood products, is facing a severe blood shortage. You can help by donating blood. Swag alert: The American Red Cross is thanking all who donate in August by giving them a $10 e-gift card to a merchant of choice. Additionally, donors will be automatically entered for a chance to win gas for a year (a $6,000 value)! There will be three lucky winners. Terms apply. Appointments required. Sign up by emailing giveblood@virginia.edu. Learn more.

Apply for a Nursing Degree Scholarship

Deadline: Monday, Aug. 8 | Medical Center team members pursuing a nursing degree — including but not limited to ADN, BSN, MSN, DNP, and more — can apply for funds to pay for tuition and other education-related expenses in 2022 and 2023. You do not have to be an RN to apply. Scholarship recipients will be announced in September. Help spread the word by printing this flier to hang in your area, and learn more on the PNSO website.

Appreciation

Congrats to UVA Dialysis Team Members!

Vasc-Alert,  a remote-monitoring service, has awarded four UVA dialysis facilities — in Farmville, Page, Staunton, and Zion Crossroads — with its Centers of Excellence award. Our dialysis centers subscribe to Vasc-Alert, which uses an algorithm to non-invasively identify patients whose access is at risk of immediate failure so that their care teams can refer them for appropriate intervention. The four UVA Health dialysis centers are among 64 recipients from across the United States ranked in the top 25% of all Vasc-Alert subscribers for the lowest amount of fistula to catheter conversions. This is a remarkable accomplishment that makes a significant difference in quality of life. Loss of a functioning vascular access is one of the greatest risks a dialysis patient faces resulting in hospitalizations, missed treatments, and avoidable use of invasive temporary catheters. Please join us in congratulating our dialysis colleagues on this outstanding accolade!

Monday, July 25, 2022

UVA Health Now Offering Monkeypox Evaluations

UVA Health is now scheduling monkeypox evaluations by referral in the new COVID and Special Pathogens Clinic at 1222 Jefferson Park Ave. (former Employee Health offices). As a safety precaution, the space being used for monkeypox appointments has a separate and dedicated entry/exit to the outside of the building, adjacent to the 11^th Street Garage.  

For suspected cases, providers should contact Hospital Epidemiology at pic 9204. If deemed appropriate, arrangements will be made for the patient to be scheduled for evaluation and/or testing at the COVID and Special Pathogens Clinic. A provider referral will be required to access clinic services; walk-in care will not be provided. Additional details about monkeypox evaluations will be coming soon.

Information about monkeypox can be found in a newly created chapter of the Infection Prevention and Control manual Organisms of Interest. This site includes links to these recently created and approved documents:

• Monkeypox Information Sheet for Healthcare Providers
• Monkeypox Testing Guidelines
• Monkeypox Public Health Testing Form
• Monkeypox EVS Cleaning Guidelines

COVID-19

Current Patient Census (as of 1:21 p.m. July 25)

Workforce Impact (as of 4:30 a.m. July 25)
UVA Health team members affected and on leave

(Information source: UVA Health Data Portal)
COVID-19 Dashboard | COVID-19 Resources

Patient Care

IV Iodinated Contrast Update: Supply Risks Continue, Good Stewardship Is Crucial 

UVA Health is continuing all efforts to conserve limited supplies of IV iodinated contrast while providing imaging and procedural services to as many patients as possible. Our contrast supply levels are healthy but remain at risk. The overall market shortage has continued, and our daily burn rate has risen to 99% of our pre-shortage use due to high patient volumes. For these reasons, continued diligence and stewardship on the part of all technical staff, trainees, Advanced Practice Providers, and faculty are crucial. Careful management of iodinated contrast continues to be necessary, including the practice of ordering CT scans with “Radiologist to recommend contrast.”

Operations

In Basket Message Purge Begins This Week

The Epic team is removing all In Basket messages older than six months, except for billable encounter messages and messages in the Patient Reminder folder. Team members should use this tip sheet to “save” a message from being removed.

Human Resources

Reminder: Performance Evaluations Due on Friday, July 29

Classified staff (School of Medicine/Claude Moore Health Sciences Library) manager evaluations are due on Friday of this week. Managers must hold their 1:1s and complete the Acknowledgement step by this date. Fiscal year 2023 classified staff goal setting is due to managers on Sunday, July 31. Resources and additional details about the fiscal year 2022 performance process can be found on the UVA Health Performance website. 

Happenings

Donate Blood in August and You Could Win Free Gas for a Year!

Monday, Aug. 1; Monday, Aug. 8; Wednesday, Aug. 31 | 10 a.m.-4 p.m. | Quayle Learning Center, Battle Building, First Floor | The American Red Cross, UVA Health’s primary supplier of blood products, is facing a severe blood shortage. You can help by donating blood. Swag alert: The American Red Cross is thanking all who present to give in August with a $10 e-gift card to a merchant of choice. Additionally, donors are automatically entered for a chance to win gas for a year (a $6,000 value)! There will be three lucky winners. Terms apply. Appointments required. Sign up by emailing giveblood@virginia.edu. Learn more.

Appreciation

It’s MRI Safety Week. Participants Can Win Prizes!

This year, MRI Safety Week 2022 is recognized July 24-30. MRI Safety Week was established in the early 2000s following a tragic MRI incident in which a young boy was killed at a New York Hospital. The goal for the week is to increase awareness and understanding of MRI Safety by providing daily fun activities in addition to sharing an MRI safety story that will help everyone better understand the importance of MRI safety and how everyone plays a part. Thank you to our team members who ensure imaging safety is a priority at UVA Health. Read more daily on Connect.

Friday, July 22, 2022

Integration Intel: All of UVA Health Will Soon Share the Same Epic System

One of the most compelling benefits of integrating UVA Community Health into the broader UVA Health enterprise is having all hospitals and patient care facilities sharing medical records on the same Epic system. In a new interview, Robin Parkin, Chief Information and Technology Officer for UVA Health, discusses these benefits and outlines the schedule for migrating UVA Community Health facilities onto the Academic Medicine Division’s Epic platform. Read more on Connect.

COVID-19

Current Patient Census (as of 1:20 p.m. July 22)

Workforce Impact (as of 4:30 a.m. July 22)
UVA Health team members affected and on leave

(Information source: UVA Health Data Portal)
COVID-19 Dashboard | COVID-19 Resources

Operations

Annual Garage Maintenance Will Impact Team Member Parking

8 p.m. Friday, July 22, to 6 p.m. Sunday, July 24 │ The South Garage on Crispell Drive will be closed for annual maintenance. Team members must park in the 11th Street Garage.

Planned Power Outage This Weekend; ERC Pharmacy Will Be Closed Overnight

9 p.m. Saturday, July 23, to 5 a.m. Sunday, July 24 | Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center and Education Resource Center | Only emergency power will be available during this outage, which has been planned for a time when direct patient care will not be impacted. However, the all-hours Outpatient Pharmacy at ERC will temporarily be closed to the public. Pharmacy staff will continue to support the Emergency Department remotely, and normal operations will resume when power is restored. Pharmacy staff may be reached at 434.924.2390 or UVAPharmacy@virginia.edu.

In Basket Purge Begins Next Week

The Epic team will be removing all In Basket messages older than six months, except for billable encounter messages and messages in the Patient Reminder folder. Team members should use this tip sheet to “save” a message from being removed.

Happenings

Sign Up to Donate Blood

Monday, July 25 | 10 a.m.-4 p.m. | Quayle Learning Center, Battle Building, First Floor | The American Red Cross, UVA Health’s primary supplier of blood products, is facing a severe blood shortage. You can help by donating blood. Appointments required. Swag alert: Give in July to automatically be entered for a chance to win an exclusive Shark Week merchandise package. Sign up by emailing giveblood@virginia.edu. Learn more.

Reaching Peak Performance and Managing Perfectionism by Tapping Your Inner Resilience

Tuesday, July 26 | 3:30-4:30 p.m. | Register | Do you ever feel that the perception of what is expected of you is more important than your inner ability to master the skills needed to perform at your best? Join FEAP and Hoos Well to discover how you can respond to pressure in ways that will make you more agile and able to manage challenges flexibly and creatively.

Mindful Leadership Training

Wednesdays, Aug. 3-Sept. 21 | 4-4:45 p.m. | Current and aspiring leaders are invited to join a series of eight 45-minute virtual sessions and learn to lead others more effectively through developing skills in self-awareness and self-regulation. Sessions will explore how mindfulness influences our well-being, team culture, performance, and UVA leadership competencies. Note: This program is held in eM Life, a mindfulness platform to which Hoos Well provides free access for enrollees on the UVA Health Plan or UPG Anthem Health Plan. Learn more.

Nursing Degree Scholarship Applications

Deadline: Monday, Aug. 8 | Medical Center team members pursuing a nursing degree — including but not limited to ADN, BSN, MSN, DNP, and more — can apply for funds to pay for tuition and other education-related expenses in 2022 and 2023. You do not have to be an RN to apply. Scholarship recipients will be announced in September. Help spread the word by printing this flier to hang in your area, and learn more on the PNSO website.

Understanding and Fostering College-Age Students’ Mental Well-Being: Strategies for Faculty, Staff, and Parents

Join this Hoos Well reward-eligible webinar to find out what you can do to support college students.

• Tuesday, Aug. 9 | 3:30-4:30 p.m. | Zoom | Register
• Monday, Aug. 22 | noon-1 p.m. | Zoom | Register

Save the Date: Annual Nursing and Healthcare Education Fair

Wednesday, Oct. 5 | 5-8 p.m. | Virtual and Medical Center Dining Conference Rooms 1 and 2 | Admissions Counselors will be available to discuss healthcare programs, including pharmacy tech, radiology, certified nursing assistant, and nursing programs of all levels. Open to any UVA team member interested in going to school for a different role within healthcare. Learn more.

Appreciation

Shout Out to Our Researchers!

While many at UVA Health deliver care to our patients or educate students about the delivery of such care, our colleagues conducting research shape the medicine we deliver tomorrow —- and how we deliver it. Recent examples include:

• Chronic Pain | We have assembled an expert team to develop a new way to relieve chronic pain. (Pictured: Jeff Elias, MD; Mark Quigg, MD; Patrick Finan, PhD; Chang-Chia “Jeff” Liu, PhD)
• Male/Female Lifespan Differences | A recent study revealed how the loss of the male sex chromosome as many men age causes the heart muscle to scar and can lead to deadly heart failure, explaining the difference in the lifespans of men and women. (Kenneth Walsh, PhD)
• COVID-19 Prevention | New findings show how nasal sprays will be essential to thwart COVID-19 variants. (Jie Sun, PhD)
• Coronary Artery Disease Risk Factors | An important new resource provides a better look at how genes in specific cells contribute to the risk of coronary artery disease, a leading cause of death worldwide. (Clint Miller, PhD)
• Blood Sugar Monitoring | The potential of off-the-shelf blood sugar monitors to benefit dialysis patients was the focus of a first of its kind study. (Meaghan Stumpf, MD)
• Brain Tumor Treatments | An important immunotherapy discovery has opened the door to better treatments for deadly brain tumors. (Daniel “Trey” Lee, MD)

This is a minute sampling of the research that occurs here daily. (More can be found in the UVA Health Newsroom.) We’re grateful to these team members and to all who expand our knowledge of medical science. Thank you, researchers!

Wednesday, July 20, 2022

What You Need to Know: Monkeypox Preparedness

As the media and healthcare community begin to share more information about the state of monkeypox in our country, preparedness at UVA Health has naturally been part of recent discussions with our teams. Our Hospital Epidemiology, Infection Prevention and Control clinical and operational teams are actively working across UVA Health to develop and provide guidance to protect our team members, our patients, and our community. Below are answers to a few common questions.

How many monkeypox cases have been reported in Virginia? | The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is currently reporting 45 monkeypox and orthopox cases in the state with only one reported in central Virginia as of July 18.

What plans are in place at UVA Health?

• In early May, we assembled a team from across UVA Health to develop plans to care for patients who may have monkeypox.
• As part of our planning, we are following all recommendations from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and are working closely with VDH.
• If a patient who may have monkeypox is identified and needs to be admitted, they will be placed in isolation and all appropriate isolation protocols will be followed.
• We will make extensive use of our telehealth program to:
  • Facilitate ongoing care of patients not admitted to the hospital.
  • Enable communications between patients, team members, and the patient’s family.
  • Reduce the number of team members who would need to enter the patient’s room by helping those providing direct patient care communicate with other team members.

What resources are available to care teams? | Clinical guidance and resources for patient care teams are available in the Infection Prevention and Control Manual.

COVID-19

Current Patient Census (as of 2:06 p.m. July 20)

Workforce Impact (as of 4:30 a.m. July 20)
UVA Health team members affected and on leave

(Information source: UVA Health Data Portal)
COVID-19 Dashboard | COVID-19 Resources

Operations

Sign-Up Link Now Available for New Volanté AMS Badge Pay System

Team members can use this link to enroll in the new Volanté AMS badge pay system that can be used at the Medical Center to make purchases from the cafeteria, Higher Grounds, and gift shop. With a Volanté account, team members automatically receive a 10% discount at the register. Volante allows team members to fund their badge using either a payroll deduction or a funded declining balance (from a debit or credit card). Read more on Connect.

Annual Garage Maintenance Will Affect Team Member Parking This Weekend

8 p.m. Friday, July 22, to 6 p.m. Sunday, July 24 │ The South Garage on Crispell Drive will be closed for annual maintenance. Team members must park in the 11th Street Garage.

Construction to Impact Emmet Ivy Garage Users Through Monday, Sept. 5

Vehicular and pedestrian traffic at Emmet Ivy Garage will shift in multiple phases. The Emmet Ivy Garage will remain accessible at all times. Please allow additional travel time. Construction alerts detailing the weekly impact can be found on the Facilities Management website. A more detailed email from Parking & Transportation will be sent to commuter permit holders each week.

Leadership

Resiliency in Healthcare Is a Team Sport

In her new Vision and Voice blog post, Wendy Horton, Medical Center CEO, shares her biggest takeaways from Dr. Taryn Marie Stejskal’s message of resiliency at a recent conference. Read more.

Wendy Horton Provides Update to Local Radio Audience

In a recent segment on WINA radio with host Jay James, UVA Medical Center CEO Wendy Horton gives updates on COVID variants; UVA Children’s rankings; Mission, Vision, and Values; and her recent Virginia Business Women in Leadership Award. Listen now. 

Happenings

Physicians, NPs, and PAs: Get an Updated Headshot

McKim Hall | Ground Floor | Room G045 | Physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants needing an updated headshot for their pages on uvahealth.com are invited to stop by to get their photo taken. No appointment is needed. The shoot should take 10 minutes or less. Please bring a white coat if you have one; if not, one will be provided. Walk-in dates are as follows:

• Thursday, July 21 | 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, July 26 | 7:30-10:30 a.m.
• Thursday, Aug. 4 | 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
• Friday, Aug. 12 | Noon-3 p.m. 
• Tuesday, Aug. 16  | 7:30-10:30 a.m.
• Monday, Aug. 22 | 9 a.m.-Noon
• Wednesday, Aug. 31 | 8:30-11:30 a.m.

Now Open: Nursing Degree Scholarship Applications

Deadline: Monday, Aug. 8 | Medical Center team members pursuing a nursing degree — including but not limited to ADN, BSN, MSN, DNP, and more — can apply for funds to pay for tuition and other education-related expenses in 2022 and 2023. You do not have to be an RN to apply. Scholarship recipients will be announced in September. Help spread the word by printing this flier to hang in your area, and learn more on the PNSO website.

Appreciation

“Out of This World”

This year’s Nursing Excellence Awards recently honored 13 nurses and their interprofessional colleagues for their compassion, expertise, exemplary patient care, and teamwork. “The nominations that have been written are just absolutely out of this world," said Kathy Baker, PhD, RN, Chief Nursing Officer, at the awards ceremony, which was held virtually and in person. "The winners are really the best of the best. … Thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything that you stand for, everything that you are, and everything you've done this past year." Congratulations to the honorees and the countless nominees! Learn more and see a replay of the awards ceremony on Connect.

Monday, July 18, 2022

Bed Allocation Update: Unit Moves Begin Tomorrow

UVA Health is evolving its bed-allocation plan to address changes in our current patient population. The goals are to maximize UVA Health’s available beds while also serving the needs of our patients and healthcare teams. After completing a review of the census data, the decision has been made to address changes in critical care populations and to transition the care of long-term acute care patients from the UVA Transitional Care Hospital (TCH) to UVA Medical Center, which will create efficiencies and enhance UVA Health’s ability to optimize care for this patient population. Planned moves include:

• July 19 — 4 South MICU will move to 3 North (temporary) and 3 West MICU
• Aug. 9  — 4 West TCVPO and 4 North TCVPO will move to 4 South
• Aug. 23 — 3 North MICU will move to 4 West ICU unit vacated by TCVPO
• Aug. 25 — TCH patients will move to 3 North (readmitted to UVA Medical Center)

Clinical and operational leaders will complete a thorough assessment of the space at TCH in relation to the needs of the organization. Updates will be provided as plans for TCH are finished (expected after the first of the year). Please speak with your manager if you have questions about a specific move.

COVID-19

Current Patient Census (as of 1:05 p.m. July 18)

Workforce Impact (as of 4:30 a.m. July 18)
UVA Health team members affected and on leave

(Information source: UVA Health Data Portal)
COVID-19 Dashboard | COVID-19 Resources

Operations

Recommended: Wear a Mask on Buses and Other Confined Spaces

While mask-wearing has not been a requirement on UVA buses since April, UVA Health encourages the use of three-ply masks while riding buses and when in other enclosed, confined spaces in alignment with CDC recommendations. (Riders are encouraged to open windows, weather permitting). Team members may also consider using N95 or KN95 masks for a higher degree of protection.

Do You Use Badge Pay? Sign Up for New Funding System Tomorrow

Effective Tuesday, July 19 | Team members who use their badge to make purchases from the cafeteria, Higher Grounds, and gift shop must enroll in a new system called Volanté AMS.  The new system is replacing the current badge-pay process of pre-funding badge-pay from payroll. With a Volanté account, team members will have the option to fund their badge using either a payroll deduction or a funded declining balance (from a debit or credit card). Bonus: Using this service automatically provides a 10% reduction in your purchase at the register. Read more on Connect.

Annual Garage Maintenance Will Impact Team Member Parking

8 p.m. Friday, July 22, to 6 p.m. Sunday, July 24 │ The South Garage on Crispell Drive will be closed for annual maintenance. Team members must park in the 11th Street Garage.

Human Resources

Due Soon: Classified Staff Manager Evaluations

Classified staff (School of Medicine, Claude Moore Health Sciences Library) manager evaluations are due on Friday, July 29. Managers should complete their 1:1s and the Acknowledgement step by this date. FY23 classified staff goal setting is due to managers on Sunday, July 31. Resources and additional details about the FY22 performance process can be found on the UVA Health Performance website.

Happenings

ROSE Program: Drop-Off or Pick Up Reusable Office Supplies

Tuesday, July 19 | 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. | Medical Center Dining Conference Rooms 1 and 2 The Reusable Office Supply Exchange (ROSE) Program is a free service that collects new or gently used office supplies. The ROSE Supply Closet is available monthly for dropping off office supplies or taking what you need. The inventory includes a variety of supplies, like envelopes, staplers, and desk lamps. Read more on Connect.

Meet and Greet: Black Faculty and Staff Employee Resource Group

Tuesday, July 19 | 10:30-11:30 a.m. | Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center Rooftop Garden | Learn about the Black Faculty and Staff Employee Resource Group (BFS-ERG), which is open to all team members, and how to become a part of the BFS-ERG’s events and activities. No RSVP required. Refreshments provided.

Physicians, NPs, and PAs: Get an Updated Headshot

McKim Hall | Ground Floor | Room G045 | Physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants needing an updated headshot for their pages on uvahealth.com are invited to stop by to get their photo taken. No appointment is needed. The shoot should take 10 minutes or less. Please bring a white coat if you have one; if not, one will be provided. Walk-in dates are as follows:

• Thursday, July 21 | 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, July 26 | 7:30-10:30 a.m.
• Thursday, Aug. 4 | 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
• Friday, Aug. 12 | Noon-3 p.m.
• Tuesday, Aug. 16  | 7:30-10:30 a.m.
• Monday, Aug. 22 | 9 a.m.-Noon
• Wednesday, Aug. 31 | 8:30-11:30 a.m.

Sign Up to Donate Blood

Monday, July 25 | 10 a.m.-4 p.m. | Quayle Learning Center, Battle Building, First Floor | The American Red Cross, UVA Health’s primary supplier of blood products, is facing a severe blood shortage. You can help by donating blood. Appointments required. Swag alert: Give in July to automatically be entered for a chance to win an exclusive Shark Week merchandise package. Sign up by emailing giveblood@virginia.edu. Learn more.

Appreciation

Turning Passion Into Practice, Stephanie McNerney Is Helping Improve Care for Foster Kids

Launched in January, the Village Care Program (VCP) is a new multidisciplinary program at UVA Children’s designed to meet the complex medical and mental health needs of kids in foster care, group homes, or other unique living situations. It was made possible thanks to one nurse practitioner who saw a need, took the initiative and turned her passion into practice. Stephanie McNerney, MSN, PNP, RN (pictured with her family), shares more on Connect about the program, the dedicated team of colleagues who helped make it a reality, and her strong personal ties to the cause. Thank you to Stephanie and all involved in helping to create this program to care for some of the youngest and most vulnerable members of our community!

PREVIOUS UPDATES

Friday, July 15, 2022

Hiring Event Tomorrow at UVA Orthopedic Center Ivy Road

Saturday, July 16 | 10 a.m.-1 p.m. | 2280 Ivy Road | UVA Orthopedic Center Ivy Road is looking to hire 20 registered nurses before Sept. 1. To help accomplish this, UVA Health will host a family-friendly career event which will include food and Kona Ice trucks, door prizes, and games while job seekers learn more about the new facility and careers. Tell your friends, family, and neighbors! Questions? Contact Charles Bodden at nag3wc@virginia.edu or Iris Welsch at imw2x@uvahealth.org.

Reminder: Medical Center Offering a $2,000 Referral Bonus | The first 200 UVA Health team members who refer a job candidate hired into a position at UVA Medical Center will receive a $2,000 bonus. Individuals who manage team members, work for UVA HR, and/or participate in the interview or selection process are not eligible for this incentive. Positions eligible for referral bonuses are subject to change and will be updated periodically as UVA Medical Center staffing needs change. For detailed requirements and more information, visit the UVA HR referral webpage.

COVID-19

Current Patient Census (as of 1:35 p.m. July 15)

Workforce Impact (as of 4:30 a.m. July 15)
UVA Health team members affected and on leave

(Information source: UVA Health Data Portal)
COVID-19 Dashboard | COVID-19 Resources

Ambulatory

One Team | United on Access: Transforming Our Outpatient Access Model

This extensive, multi-year project is designed to revolutionize the outpatient experience for patients and providers by improving pre-visit procedures, resolving patient scheduling and issues in one call, establishing efficient and predictable schedules that reduce manual management of Epic templates, and more. Thousands of providers and clinic teams will be involved in this work, which will occur in a series of waves involving up to 10 specialties in each wave. As each wave rolls out, specialty-specific workgroups will tailor their workflows and processes to align with the new UVA Health-wide access and scheduling operating model. Learn more on Connect and on the One Team | United on Access website. 

Zion Crossroads Primary Care Temporarily Closing; Pharmacy and Other On-Site Services Will Remain Open

Effective Sunday, July 31 | Recent turnover and recruitment challenges have impacted UVA Health’s ability to provide Primary Care at Zion Crossroads. Until we are able to recruit and hire primary care providers to sustain this practice, UVA Primary Care Zion Crossroads will close. All remaining services and specialty care, including but not limited to Pharmacy, Cardiology, Dermatology, Endocrinology, Nephrology, and Neurology, will continue to be provided at this location. All patients are receiving notice about this clinic closure for scheduled appointments and future needs. Continued care for UVA Primary Care Zion Crossroads patients will also be available at UVA Medical Associates of Louisa and UVA Primary Care Riverside. Efforts to recruit providers for this clinic are ongoing. More information will be shared as it becomes available. Questions? Please contact Renee Viette at rv2n@uvahealth.org.

Big Changes for the COVID Clinic: New Name and Location, No Longer Offering Testing

Reopening: Monday, July 18 | The COVID Clinic moved out of the West Complex today and will open on Monday, July 18, under a new name (COVID and Special Pathogens Clinic) and at a new location (1222 Jefferson Park Ave. in the ground-floor space formerly occupied by Employee Health). COVID-19 testing will no longer be performed at the clinic. Instead, it will offer the preventative therapy EVUSHELD as well as monoclonal antibody treatments, antiviral therapies, and post-COVID provider evaluations. To access clinic services, team members and patients will need a provider referral; walk-in care will not be provided. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Read more about this ground-breaking clinic on Connect. 

Employee Health is providing team-member testing for COVID-19 at its new location on Brandon Avenue. Details.

Operations

Annual Maintenance Will Modify Parking Garage Availability

Weekends of July 15 and 22 | Parking options for team members and patients will be modified during coming weekends as follows:

• 8 p.m. Friday, July 15, to 6 p.m. Sunday, July 17 │ 11th Street Garage closed. Patients will be directed to park in the Lee Street Garage, and team members must park in the South Garage on Crispell Drive.
• 8 p.m. Friday, July 22, to 6 p.m. Sunday, July 24 │ South Garage on Crispell Drive closed. Team members must park in the 11th Street Garage.

Planned Outage Will Impact Emergency Lighting and Power 

Sunday, July 17 | 8-8:30 a.m., 12:05-12:35 p.m. | Medical Center, West Tower | Replacement of electrical components will require two 30-minute outages that impact emergency lighting and red emergency power outlets. Questions? Contact Nina Green, Associate Director, Health System Physical Plant (434.242.0797, nlg2n@virginia.edu) or Shane Anderson, Director of Emergency Management (434.760.1271, ShaneAnderson@virginia.edu).

Postponed: One Lane Closure May Delay Traffic on Jefferson Park Avenue 

New Date: Saturday, July 30 | 6 a.m.-noon | A crane will block one lane of JPA next to the Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center to deliver materials. While two-way traffic and a pedestrian detour will be maintained, lane shifts will occur during this period and may cause minor delays. (This work was originally scheduled for Saturday, July 23. Please note this new change of date.)

Coming Next Week: Badge Pay Users Must Enroll in New Funding System

Effective Tuesday, July 19 | Team members who use their badge to make purchases from the cafeteria, Higher Grounds, and gift shop must enroll in a new system called Volanté AMS. The new system is replacing the current badge-pay process of pre-funding badge-pay from payroll. With a Volanté account, team members will have the option to fund their badge using either a payroll deduction or a funded declining balance (from a debit or credit card). Bonus: Using this service automatically provides a 10% reduction in your purchase at the register. Read more on Connect.

Important Reminders: Please Follow Email Best Practices 

• ACAC Data Breach May Cause Phishing Risks | UVA Health team members who belong to ACAC fitness centers may have recently received a notification email from the Virginia Department of Health about a data breach (due to the ACAC discount program for Commonwealth employees). Using your UVA Health email for non-clinical/operational activities or services puts the health system at risk. For personal services, memberships, contact information, and discounts, team members should use a personal email address. If email addresses are exposed during a data breach, it can result in team members falling victim to several types of attacks, including phishing and credential stuffing. Learn more. Reminder: Suspect emails can be forwarded to MCCSecurity@hscmail.mcc.virginia.edu for investigation and verification.
• Use of Reply-All Function | Team members are reminded not to use the “reply all” option in responding to email messages sent to a large group of recipients. The functioning of our email system was recently challenged when several individuals hit the “reply all” button to respond to a message sent to 2,600 recipients.

Happenings

ROSE Program: Drop-Off or Pick Up Reusable Office Supplies

Tuesday, July 19 | 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. | Medical Center Dining Conference Rooms 1 and 2 | The Reusable Office Supply Exchange (ROSE) Program is a free service that collects new or gently used office supplies. The ROSE Supply Closet will be available monthly for dropping off office supplies or taking what you need. It includes a variety of supplies, like envelopes, staplers, and desk lamps. Read more on Connect. 

Appreciation

Hoos Building Bridges

The University of Virginia’s Hoos Building Bridges Awards celebrate cross-disciplinary partnerships and projects among UVA employees and honor recipients for their leadership, collegiality, and efforts in establishing strong relationships that help get things done across Grounds. This year, of the 11 individuals and two teams honored, five individuals and one team hail from UVA Health. Congratulations to Kayla Calvo, Diane Farineau, Beth Jaeger-Landis, Kathleen Rea, Abby Self, and the ​​UVA Cancer Center’s Colorectal Cancer Screening Team. Read more on Connect.

Wednesday, July 13, 2022

COVID Clinic Will Have New Name and Location, No Longer Offer Testing

Reopening: Monday, July 18 | The COVID Clinic will close in its current West Complex location on Thursday, July 14, in preparation for a move and the start of a new phase of its mission. On Monday, July 18, the clinic will reopen under a new name (COVID and Special Pathogens Clinic) and at a new location (1222 Jefferson Park Ave.). It will be housed in the ground-floor space formerly occupied by Employee Health. After its move, the clinic will no longer perform testing for COVID-19 and instead offer the preventative therapy EVUSHELD as well as monoclonal antibody treatments,  antiviral therapies, and post-COVID provider evaluations. Team members and patients will need a provider referral to access clinic services; walk-in care will not be provided. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Read more about this ground-breaking clinic on Connect.

Employee Health is providing team-member testing for COVID-19 at its new location on Brandon Avenue. Details.

COVID-19

Current Patient Census (as of 1:05 p.m. July 13)

Workforce Impact (as of 4:30 a.m. July 13)
UVA Health team members affected and on leave

(Information source: UVA Health Data Portal)
COVID-19 Dashboard | COVID-19 Resources

Ambulatory

Zion Crossroads Primary Care Practice Temporarily Closing

Effective Sunday, July 31 | Recent turnover and recruitment challenges have impacted UVA Health’s ability to provide Primary Care at Zion Crossroads. Until we are able to recruit and hire primary care providers to sustain this practice, UVA Primary Care Zion Crossroads will close. Please note: All remaining services and specialty care,  including but not limited to Cardiology, Dermatology, Endocrinology, Nephrology, and Neurology, will continue to be provided at this location. All patients are receiving notice about this clinic closure for scheduled appointments and future needs. Continued care for UVA Primary Care Zion Crossroads patients will also be available at UVA Primary Care Pantops, UVA Medical Associates of Louisa, and UVA Primary Care Riverside. Efforts to recruit providers for this clinic are ongoing. More information will be shared as it becomes available. Questions? Please contact Renee Viette at rv2n@uvahealth.org.

Operations

Bed Allocation Update: Upcoming Unit Moves

UVA Health is evolving its bed-allocation plan to address changes in our current patient population. The goals are to maximize UVA Health’s available beds while also serving the needs of our patients and healthcare teams. After completing a review of the census data, the decision has been made to address changes in critical care populations and to transition the care of long-term acute care patients from the UVA Transitional Care Hospital (TCH) to UVA Medical Center, which will create efficiencies and enhance UVA Health’s ability to optimize care for this patient population. Planned moves include:

• July 19  — 4 South MICU will move to 3 North (temporary) and 3 West MICU
• Aug. 9  — 4 West TCVPO and 4 North TCVPO will move to 4 South
• Aug. 23 — 3 North MICU will move to 4 West ICU unit vacated by TCVPO
• Aug. 25 — TCH patients will move to 3 North (readmitted to UVA Medical Center)

Clinical and operational leaders will complete a thorough assessment of the space at TCH in relationship to the needs of the organization. Updates will be provided as plans for TCH are finished (expected after the first of the year). Please speak with your manager if you have questions about a specific move.

Team Member Notice: Email Migration Project

UVA Health Information and Technology (HIT) is migrating team member email software from Microsoft Outlook to Microsoft 365 (M365), which will enhance collaboration capabilities and provide a consistent email product for all UVA Health entities, including UVA Community Health. The following will be migrated to M365 in a phased approach by the end of the calendar year:

• Team member email accounts
• Shared group email accounts
• Meeting/Resource room calendars

When it is time for your email account to be migrated to M365, you will receive an email from HIT (email@uvahealth.org) that includes instructions and timelines one week before your scheduled migration date. An email reminder will be sent the weekday before the migration (i.e., if your migration is scheduled for a Monday, you will receive your email reminder the Friday before). Notification emails will contain a subject line starting with “Microsoft 365 Migration.” Please be on the lookout for your notification in the coming weeks and months.

Planned Downtime: Replacement of Core Lab Hematology Instrument and Middleware

Thursday, July 14 | 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. | During replacement of hematology instruments, the Core Lab will transfer all stat, inpatient, and Battle Building routine samples to the Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center Lab for testing, a change that could delay results reporting by 15-20 minutes. Between 2-3 p.m., there will be a migration to a new middleware product necessary for the new instrumentation. During this time, instruments will be operational, but will not have interface capability — results will have to be entered manually. To minimize manual results entry, only stat testing will be performed during this time. Questions? Please contact Randy Vandevander, Senior Manager, Core Laboratory, at 434.982.0475 or rgv5e@virginia.edu.

Garage Maintenance Will Impact Team Member Parking

Weekends in July | Parking options for team members and patients will be modified during coming weekends as follows:

• 8 p.m. Friday, July 15, to 6 p.m. Sunday, July 17 │ 11th Street Garage closed. Patients will be directed to park in the Lee Street Garage, and team members must park in the South Garage on Crispell Drive.
• 8 p.m. Friday, July 22, to 6 p.m. Sunday, July 24 │ South Garage on Crispell Drive closed. Team members must park in the 11th Street Garage.

Planned Outage Will Impact Emergency Power

Sunday, July 17 | 8-8:30 a.m., 12:05-12:35 p.m. | Medical Center, West Tower |Replacement of electrical components will require two 30-minute outages that impact emergency lighting and red emergency power outlets. Questions? Contact Nina Green, Associate Director, Health System Physical Plant (434.242.0797, nlg2n@virginia.edu) or Shane Anderson, Director of Emergency Management (434.760.1271, ShaneAnderson@virginia.edu).

Human Resources

Now Hiring: UVA Orthopedic Center Ivy Road

Saturday, July 16 | 10 a.m.-1 p.m. | 2280 Ivy Road | UVA Orthopedic Center Ivy Road is looking to hire 20 registered nurses before Sept. 1. To help accomplish this, UVA Health will host a family-friendly career event which will include food and Kona Ice trucks, door prizes, and games while job seekers learn more about the new facility and careers. Tell your friends, family, and neighbors! Questions? Contact Charles Bodden at nag3wc@virginia.edu or Irish Welsch at imw2x@uvahealth.org.

• Reminder: Medical Center Offering a $2,000 Referral Bonus | The first 200 UVA Health team members who refer a job candidate hired into a position at UVA Medical Center will receive a $2,000 bonus. Individuals who manage team members, work for UVA HR, and/or participate in the interview or selection process are not eligible for this incentive. Positions eligible for referral bonuses are subject to change and will be updated periodically as UVA Medical Center staffing needs change. For detailed requirements and more information, visit the UVA HR referral webpage.

Leadership

UVA Health Is Helping Our Refugee Community Find Work

In her new Vision and Voice blog post, Wendy Horton, Medical Center CEO, discusses how UVA Health is connecting refugees in our area to open positions throughout our organization — and it's a win-win for all involved. Read more.

Happenings

Reaching Peak Performance and Managing Perfectionism by Tapping Your Inner Resilience

Do you ever feel that the perception of what is expected of you is more important than your inner ability to master the skills needed to perform at your best? Join FEAP and Hoos Well to discover how you can respond to pressure in ways that will make you more agile and able to manage challenges flexibly and creatively.

• Thursday, July 14 | noon-1 p.m. | Register
• Tuesday, July 26 | 3:30-4:30 p.m. | Register

Your Help Needed: Sign Up Now to Donate Blood

Friday, July 15; Monday, July 18; and Monday, July 25 | 10 a.m.-4 p.m. | Quayle Learning Center, Battle Building, First Floor | The American Red Cross, UVA Health’s primary supplier of blood products, is facing a severe blood shortage. You can help by donating blood. Appointments required. Swag alert: Give in July to automatically be entered for a chance to win an exclusive Shark Week merchandise package. Sign up by emailing giveblood@virginia.edu. Learn more.

Free Healthy Streets/Healthy People Community Event

Saturday, July 16 | 9 a.m.-1 p.m. | Booker T. Washington Park | 1001 Preston Ave. |Come out to this free event to promote healthier communities — including personal well-being and environmental health. Activities will include music, a gentle walk/run with prizes, field day events for the kids, and gardening sessions (with free potted herbs and vegetables that can be taken home). Training will also be available on several topics, including CPR, Stop the Bleed — which teaches bystanders how to help during a bleeding emergency — and the use of naloxone to treat opioid overdoses. Read more on Connect.

Appreciation

Good Catches: A Roundup of Team Members Saving the Day

A Good Catch is an event where a team member goes above and beyond to ensure patient safety by identifying and addressing something that could significantly impact a patient. Recent Good Catch Award recipients include Tami Bourne (photo: left), an administrative assistant who helped a hyperverbal patient on 5 West; Shannon James (photo: middle), a transplant financial coordinator who called a patient to discuss a financial issue and realized something was wrong with their responses; and Dustin Money (photo: right), an ECMO specialist who identified high methemoglobin on a patient who was experiencing significant hemolysis and helped trace it back to G6PD deficiency. Other top contenders for the Good Catch Award last quarter include Katie Ryan, Mark Heberling, Chelsea Lopez, Stephen Tyler Johnson, Debbie Berry, Anna Borszich, Evona Tollison, Mietla Kelsie, and Bobbie Meadows. Thank you all for your amazing work in caring for our patients every day. Read more on Connect.

Monday, July 11, 2022

Infant Formula Update: Supplies Improving; Safe  Substitution Chart Available

The national formula shortage situation is improving with increased production and supply of many formulas and FDA allowance of acceptable imported formula. Families receiving formulas from Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) programs can contact their local WIC office for acceptable substitutions. The Formula Substitution Chart (in English and Spanish) is a helpful shopping resource of formula substitutions and store brands. Be sure never to dilute formula and follow the instructions on the can or the instructions provided by your healthcare provider.

COVID-19

Current Patient Census (as of 2:51 p.m. July 11)

Workforce Impact (as of 4:30 a.m. July 11)
UVA Health team members affected and on leave

(Information source: UVA Health Data Portal)
COVID-19 Dashboard | COVID-19 Resources

Patient Care

Monthly Epic Update: Changes Go Live Tuesday, July 12

This month’s Epic updates will impact inpatient LIPs, nurses, and therapy services. Details about the latest changes can be found in the Epic Update Bundle. Questions? Contact the Help Desk at 434.924.5334.

Human Resources

Due Soon: Medical Center Performance Review Acknowledgements

Medical Center team members should complete their Acknowledgement step by Friday, July 15. Classified staff manager evaluations are due on Friday, July 29. Managers should hold their 1:1s and complete the Acknowledgement step by this date. Resources and additional details about the fiscal year 2022 performance process can be found on the UVA Health Performance website. 

Now Hiring: UVA Orthopedic Center Ivy Road

Saturday, July 16 | 10 a.m.-1 p.m. | 2280 Ivy Road | UVA Orthopedic Center Ivy Road is looking to hire 20 registered nurses before Sept. 1. To help accomplish this, UVA Health will host a family-friendly career event which will include food and Kona ice trucks, door prizes, and games while job seekers learn more about the new facility and careers. Tell your friends, family, and neighbors! Questions? Contact Charles Bodden at nag3wc@virginia.edu or Irish Welsch at imw2x@uvahealth.org.

• Reminder: Medical Center Offering a $2,000 Referral Bonus | The first 200 UVA Health team members who refer a job candidate hired into a position at UVA Medical Center will receive a $2,000 bonus. Individuals who manage team members, work for UVA HR, and/or participate in the interview or selection process are not eligible for this incentive. Positions eligible for referral bonuses are subject to change and will be updated periodically as UVA Medical Center staffing needs change. For detailed requirements and more information, visit the UVA HR referral webpage.

Happenings

Emotional Emancipation Circle for Community Healers

Every other Tuesday, July 12-Oct. 4 | 5-6 p.m. | Virtual | Register (scroll down to Group Support) | Population Health is now offering these highly interactive, culturally intentional wellness groups for our Black healthcare providers, therapists, and chaplains. Facilitated by Arminda Perch, MBA, MSW, and Julia Dumas Wilks, MA, MAT. Download the flyer. For more information, contact Arminda Perch at 434.297.5839 or ap5yb@virginia.edu.

Reaching Peak Performance and Managing Perfectionism by Tapping Your Inner Resilience

Do you ever feel that the perception of what is expected of you is more important than your inner ability to master the skills needed to perform at your best? Join FEAP and Hoos Well to discover how you can respond to pressure in ways that will make you more agile and able to manage challenges flexibly and creatively. 

• Thursday, July 14 | noon-1 p.m. | Register
• Tuesday, July 26 | 3:30-4:30 p.m. | Register

Your Help Needed: Sign Up Now to Donate Blood

Friday, July 15; Monday, July 18; and Monday, July 25 | 10 a.m.-4 p.m. | Quayle Learning Center, Battle Building, First Floor | The American Red Cross, UVA Health’s primary supplier of blood products, is facing a severe blood shortage. You can help by donating blood. Appointments required. Swag alert: Give in July to automatically be entered for a chance to win an exclusive Shark Week merchandise package. Sign up by emailing giveblood@virginia.edu. Learn more.

Physicians, NPs, and PAs: Get an Updated Headshot

McKim Hall | Ground Floor | Room G045 | Physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants needing an updated headshot for their pages on uvahealth.com are invited to stop by to get their photo taken. No appointment is needed. The shoot should take 10 minutes or less. Please bring a white coat if you have one; if not, one will be provided. Walk-in dates are as follows:

• Friday, July 15 | 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
• Thursday, July 21 | 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, July 26 | 7:30-10:30 a.m.

Meet and Greet: Black Faculty and Staff Employee Resource Group

Tuesday, July 19 | 10:30-11:30 a.m. | Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center Rooftop Garden | Learn about the Black Faculty and Staff Employee Resource Group (BFS-ERG), which is open to all team members, and how to become a part of the BFS-ERG’s events and activities. No RSVP required. Refreshments provided.

Appreciation

CRNA Team Confronts Hygiene Challenges

Certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) are advanced practice nurses who work in hospital operating rooms — administering anesthesia, comforting patients before and after surgery, and helping to manage their pain. Lindsey Sites, CRNA Director, and Michael Miller, a PhD-candidate CRNA, recently worked with Infection Control and Anesthesia leadership to identify how the CRNA team could help solve the problem of low hand hygiene rates. Sites and Miller found that Seattle Children’s Hospital had embarked on similar work in the early 2000s. Using Seattle’s published findings as a guide, they developed a plan to designate a dedicated clean and dirty space, in addition to visual reminders and consistent sanitizer locations. Over the course of a recent two-day pilot, the hand-washing compliance rate in the control room remained low, while that in the experimental room jumped up to 86%. Great job, team! You can read more about Sites and her work on Connect.

Friday, July 8, 2022

A Bright Future Ahead: One-Year Anniversary | UVA Community Health Integration

In a new video message, UVA Health CEO K. Craig Kent, MD, discusses what lies ahead as the people and facilities of UVA Community Health become fully integrated into the broader UVA Health enterprise. As Dr. Kent says, “There's a mutually beneficial relationship forming between our community hospitals, clinics, and practitioners and our specialists in Charlottesville.”
 
As Dr. Kent observes, last year’s acquisition of UVA Community Health is giving patients in Culpeper and Northern Virginia easier access to UVA Health's exceptional clinical services, including the advanced technology, leading-edge research, and clinical trials available in Charlottesville. Coming changes include the use of unified UVA Health branding in all service areas, expansion of our clinical service offerings in Culpeper and Northern Virginia, and adoption of integrated systems throughout UVA Health, including using the same instance of Epic for medical records and Oracle HCM for human resources. Watch now.

COVID-19

Current Patient Census (as of 12:51 p.m. July 8)

Workforce Impact (as of 4:30 a.m. July 8)
UVA Health team members affected and on leave

COVID Prevention Update: Evusheld News

Repeat Doses of Evusheld (tixagevimab-cilgavimab) Are
Now Available at UVA Health | On June 29, the FDA revised the Evusheld Fact Sheet for Healthcare Providers to recommend repeat dosing every six months for patients who require ongoing protection. Patients can receive a repeat dose of 300 mg of tixagevimab and 300 mg of cilgavimab every 6 months, counting from their most recent full or partial dose. Providers can learn more about scheduling repeat doses by contacting the patient’s administration location at the Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center, the solid organ transplant clinics, Battle Building, or COVID Clinic.
 
COVID Clinic Is Now Accepting Evusheld Referrals | The UVA COVID Clinic is now a patient treatment location for Evusheld. Evusheld is a monoclonal antibody drug administered by intramuscular injection for pre-exposure prophylaxis. Currently available under FDA emergency use authorization, Evusheld can be administered to adults and children 12 years and older and at least 40 kg (approx. 88 pounds) who are moderately to severely immunocompromised and may not mount an adequate immune response to the COVID-19 vaccination or for whom COVID-19 vaccination is not recommended due to a history of severe adverse reaction. (See additional information below.) The referral process is described on this tip sheet. Patients referred to COVID Clinic for Evusheld will be scheduled separately from those with suspected or known COVID-19 infection who require testing or treatment.

Medical conditions or treatments that may result in moderate to severe immune compromise and an inadequate immune response to COVID-19 vaccination include but are not limited to:

• Active treatment for solid tumor and hematologic malignancies
• Receipt of solid-organ transplant and taking immunosuppressive therapy
• Receipt of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T-cell or hematopoietic stem cell transplant (within two years of transplantation or taking immunosuppression therapy)
• Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (e.g., DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)
• Advanced or untreated HIV infection (people with HIV and CD4 cell counts)

Operations

Project Nightingale Will Speed Epic Training for New Inpatient Nurses

Go-Live: Monday, July 11 | The Epic training team will launch the first phase of Project Nightingale, an improvement initiative designed to significantly reduce the time newly hired inpatient nurses spend in Epic training, specifically the Core 100/200 and Student Nurse classes. The changes will shift some training from the classroom to computer-based learning modules. Project Nightingale will roll out in multiple phases and ultimately be made available to all nursing groups within UVA Health. Read more on Connect.

Monthly Epic Update: Changes Go Live Tuesday, July 12

This month’s Epic updates will impact inpatient LIPs, nurses, and therapy services. Details about the latest changes can be found in the Epic Update Bundle. Questions? Contact the Help Desk at 434.924.5334.

Coming Soon: Badge Pay Will Transition to a New System

Effective Tuesday, July 19 | Team members can use their badge to purchase food and beverages from the cafeteria and Higher Grounds and items from the gift shop. The current badge-pay process of pre-funding your badge from payroll will end soon and will transition to a new system called Volanté AMS. With a Volanté account, team members will have the option to fund their badge using either a payroll deduction or a funded declining balance (from a debit or credit card). More details to come in the near future.

Additional Information: New Workday Worktags

Team members must now use Workday Worktags instead of Project Task Award Organizations (PTAOs) to request services from printing and copying or the mailroom, paying parking fees, making purchases from the UVA Bookstore, and more. These instructions will tell you how to provide a worktag. If you need additional information, please contact your unit’s core finance team or use this listing of Foundation Data Model (FDM) leads. For technical issues with the FDM Validator tool itself, consult AskFinance@virginia.edu.

Facilities

Annual Garage Maintenance Will Impact Team Member Parking

Weekends in July | Parking options for team members and patients will be modified during coming weekends as follows:

• 8 p.m. Friday, July 8, to 4 p.m. Sunday, July 10 |  Lee Street Garage closed. Patients will be directed to park in the 11th Street Garage, and team members must park in the South Garage on Crispell Drive.
• 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, July 9 | McLeod Nursing Garage closed. Team members will be directed to park in the South Garage on Crispell Drive.
• 8 p.m. Friday, July 15, to 6 p.m. Sunday, July 17 │ 11th Street Garage closed. Patients will be directed to park in the Lee Street Garage, and team members must park in the South Garage on Crispell Drive.
• 8 p.m. Friday, July 22, to 6 p.m. Sunday, July 24 │ South Garage on Crispell Drive closed. Team members must park in the 11th Street Garage.

Planned Power Outage This Weekend; ERC Pharmacy Will Be Closed Overnight

9 p.m. Saturday, July 9, to 5 a.m. Sunday, July 10 | Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center and Education Resource Center | Only emergency power will be available during this outage, which has been planned for a time when direct patient care will not be impacted. However, the all-hours Outpatient Pharmacy at ERC will temporarily be closed to the public. Pharmacy staff will continue to support the Emergency Department remotely, and normal operations will resume when power is restored. Pharmacy staff may be reached at 434.924.2390 or UVAPharmacy@virginia.edu.

Planned Emergency Power Outage

Sunday, July 17 | 8-8:30 a.m., 12:05-12:35 p.m. | Medical Center, West Tower |Replacement of electrical components will require two 30-minute outages that impact emergency lighting and red emergency power outlets. Questions? Contact Nina Green, Associate Director, Health System Physical Plant (434.242.0797, nlg2n@virginia.edu) or Shane Anderson, Director of Emergency Management (434.760.1271, ShaneAnderson@virginia.edu).

Human Resources

Now Hiring: UVA Orthopedic Center Ivy Road

Saturday, July 16 | 10 a.m.-1 p.m. | 2280 Ivy Road | UVA Orthopedic Center Ivy Road is looking to hire 20 registered nurses before Sept. 1. To help accomplish this, UVA Health will host a family-friendly career event, which will include food and Kona Ice trucks, door prizes, and games while job seekers learn more about the new facility and careers. Tell your friends, relatives, and neighbors! Questions? Contact Charles Bodden at nag3wc@virginia.edu or Irish Welsch at imw2x@uvahealth.org.

• Reminder: Medical Center Offering a $2,000 Referral Bonus | The first 200 UVA Health team members who refer a job candidate hired into a position at UVA Medical Center will receive a $2,000 bonus. Individuals who manage team members, work for UVA HR, and/or participate in the interview or selection process are not eligible for this incentive. Positions eligible for referral bonuses are subject to change and will be updated periodically as UVA Medical Center staffing needs change. For detailed requirements and more information, visit the UVA HR referral webpage.

Appreciation

Shoutout to the Stroke Team!

UVA Health’s stroke program was recently recertified as a Comprehensive Stroke Center (CSC), the highest level of certification available from The Joint Commission and American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. Just 12% of hospitals nationwide have earned this certification from The Joint Commission and UVA Health is one of four Joint Commission-certified CSCs in Virginia. According to The Joint Commission, achieving CSC certification means UVA Health is dedicated to raising the bar for our organization’s performance — evaluating and evolving the care our patients receive at every touch point in the stroke care continuum.

Please join us in congratulating the CSC core team (Dr. Sherita Chapman and Dr. Min Park, pictured; and Keri Johnson, Mary Jobson-Oliver, and Victoria Benoit), our Neuroscience service line administrator Susan Jackiewicz, and all the departments involved in providing exceptional stroke care to our patients in the community. Being a CSC takes a village and the UVA stroke center is dedicated to improving health outcomes and reducing health disparities to the patients whom we have the privilege to serve.

Wednesday, July 6, 2022

Big Change Impacts PTAO Users 

Workday Worktags recently replaced the Project Task Award Organizations (PTAOs) that many team members have been accustomed to providing to UVA departments when requesting services from printing and copying or the mailroom, paying parking fees, making purchases from the UVA Bookstore, and more. To obtain the Worktag for your area, please contact your unit’s core finance team or use this listing of Foundation Data Model (FDM) leads.In a related change, team members must use the FDM Validator to generate a printable PDF of the FDM QR code/barcode and attach the full printed page to outgoing mail. Mail Services is not able to assist with area FDM worktags. For technical issues with the FDM Validator tool itself, consult AskFinance@virginia.edu.

COVID-19

Current Patient Census (as of 2:20 p.m. July 6)

Workforce Impact (as of 4:30 a.m. July 6)
UVA Health team members affected and on leave

(Information source: UVA Health Data Portal)
COVID-19 Dashboard | COVID-19 Resources

Leadership

Wendy Horton Listed Among Virginia Women Who ‘Set the Standard for Leadership’ 

The July issue of Virginia Business magazine features its annual Virginia Business Women in Leadership Awards. Wendy Horton, Medical Center CEO, was honored in the Large Business category. Read more.  

Why Do We Light the South Tower?

The South Tower of UVA Health Medical Center is a symbolic beacon of hope for many in our community. In her new Vision and Voice blog post, Wendy Horton, Medical Center CEO, explains how the tradition of illuminating the tower in color began and how it continues to represent our commitment to providing exceptional care to and inspiring hope in people throughout the Commonwealth and beyond. Read more.

Operations

Do You Interact With Patients Who Are Deaf or Hearing Impaired? Please Use a Communicator Face Mask

Team members who interact with deaf or hearing-impaired patients are encouraged to wear a communicator face mask, which has a clear plastic piece to show your mouth. Communicator masks are free and can be ordered by emailing GStoreroomOrders@hscmail.mcc.virginia.edu.

Why Are Ruppel Drive and the M10 Lot Closed?

To allow for the expansion of the McIntire School of Commerce, Cobb Hall will be partially demolished and a new five-story classroom building, Shumway Hall, is being constructed. There will be major utility work performed under Ruppel Drive, which is contributing to the need for its current closure. At the end of the project, Ruppel Drive will be converted to a pedestrian corridor and green space. This project started in June and is expected to go until Fall 2025. 

Planned Power Outage This Weekend; ERC Pharmacy Will Be Closed Overnight

9 p.m. Saturday, July 9, to 5 a.m. Sunday, July 10 | Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center and Education Resource Center | Only emergency power will be available during this outage, which has been planned for a time when direct patient care will not be impacted. However, the all-hours Outpatient Pharmacy at ERC will temporarily be closed to the public. Pharmacy staff will continue to support the Emergency Department remotely, and normal operations will resume when power is restored. Pharmacy staff may be reached at 434.924.2390 or UVAPharmacy@virginia.edu.

Project Nightingale Will Speed Epic Training for New Inpatient Nurses 

Go-Live: Monday, July 11 | The Epic training team will launch the first phase of Project Nightingale, an improvement initiative designed to significantly reduce the time newly hired inpatient nurses spend in Epic training, specifically the Core 100/200 and Student Nurse classes. The changes will shift some training from the classroom to computer-based learning modules. Project Nightingale will roll out in multiple phases, and ultimately be made available to all nursing groups within UVA Health. Read more on Connect.

Human Resources

Due This Week: Medical Center Performance Evaluations

Medical Center managers must hold their 1:1s with direct reports and complete the Acknowledgement step by Friday, July 8. Team members must complete their Acknowledgement step by Friday, July 15. Resources and additional details about the FY22 performance process, including the timeline for classified staff, can be found on the UVA Health Performance website. 

Happenings

Your Help Needed: Sign Up Now to Donate Blood

Thursday, July 7, and Friday, July 8 | 10 a.m.-4 p.m. | Quayle Learning Center, Battle Building, First Floor | The American Red Cross, UVA Health’s primary supplier of blood products, is facing a severe blood shortage. You can help by donating blood. Appointments required. Swag alert: Give in July to automatically be entered for a chance to win an exclusive Shark Week merchandise package. Donate before July 10 to receive a Red Cross tote bag (limited quantity). Sign up by emailing giveblood@virginia.edu. Learn more.

The Color of Medicine: Part II

Saturday, July 9 | noon-2 p.m. | Zoom | The White Feather Historical & Educational Project of Trinity Episcopal Church and Coming to the Table will present a discussion on the importance of cultural diversity on modern medicine. RSVP to whitefeatherproject@yahoo.com.

Appreciation

Congratulations to Our Residents Arriving and Departing

The Brodie Medical Education Fund Committee annually recognizes up to five graduating residents from across all UVA medical and surgical residency programs with the Anne L. Brodie Resident Clinician Award. This year’s inspirational honorees are the following:

• Erin Baldwin, MD, Internal Medicine
• Zach Chancellor, MD, Surgery
• Sean Dougherty, MD, Internal Medicine
• Eleanor Ginn, MD, Family Medicine
• Nicholas LoSchiavo, MD, Pediatrics

Read more about each of the awardees on Connect. 

As we congratulate the Anne L. Brodie Resident Clinician Awardees on their honors and next adventures, we also welcome new residents to UVA Health. We’re glad you’re here, and we look forward to working with you!

Friday, July 1, 2022

Important Milestone: 1st Anniversary of Acquiring
UVA Community Health

July 1 marks a significant milestone for UVA Health: the one-year anniversary of welcoming UVA Community Health into our enterprise. The acquisition was an unprecedented step for UVA Health and included medical centers in Prince William, Haymarket, and Culpeper, the UVA Community Health Medical Group, and dozens of primary and specialty clinics.

The acquisition supports leadership’s vision of expanding UVA Health into an integrated health system that provides world-class care to patients across the Commonwealth. During the past year, steady progress has been made in migrating UVA Community Health systems and processes from their previous owner, Novant Health. In the months ahead, our transition work will continue under the project name, “One Team | United on Integration,” and will include adopting a common instance of Epic within all of our hospitals and clinics, onboarding providers through a standardized, system-wide process, and optimizing areas such as strategy, legal services, payor contracting, ambulatory services, IT, finance, and clinical operations. Read more on Connect.

COVID-19

Current Patient Census (as of 12:21 p.m. July 1)

Workforce Impact (as of 4:30 a.m. July 1)
UVA Health team members affected and on leave

(Information source: UVA Health Data Portal)
COVID-19 Dashboard | COVID-19 Resources

Patient Care

Sharing a Vision: Best-In-Class Ambulatory Services

All team members are invited to be part of a new vision that is shaping the future of Ambulatory Services: At UVA Health, we consistently strive to provide a best-in-class, highly satisfying experience for patients, providers, and clinic teams at every step of the outpatient journey. Many of you will have a hand in fulfilling this vision; others will benefit from it as patients. To learn more, please refer to the Thursday, June 30, leadership email from the Office of the Chief Ambulatory Operations Officer, or read it on Connect.

Operations

Last Call: Members Needed for New BEE Award Committee

Deadline: Friday, July 1 | If you are a patient-facing team member who is interested in joining the new BEE Award Committee, please complete this survey by July 1. BEE is an acronym for "Being Excellent Everyday." This program recognizes excellence among the clinical support team members who work alongside our nursing teams delivering expert, compassionate care. Read more.

Independence Day Holiday | Monday, July 4

• Clinics Closed | All UVA Health clinics will be closed.
• Parking and Transportation Modifications | The University Transit Service bus and Health System Transit shuttle service will not operate on July 4. The Medical Center Courtesy Shuttle will operate on the weekend schedule, running every 60 minutes from 7:20 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. UtoCar will operate normally. Please note: University Transit Bus and Health System Transit shuttle will operate normally on Tuesday, July 5. On July 4, parking is available for team members in the South Garage on Crispell Drive and the 11th Street Garage (level D and above only).
• UVA Health Update on Hiatus | The UVA Health Update will not be sent on Monday, July 4. The Update will resume on Wednesday, July 6.

Project Nightingale Will Speed Epic Training for New Inpatient Nurses

Go-Live: Monday, July 11 | The Epic training team will launch the first phase of Project Nightingale, an improvement initiative designed to significantly reduce the time newly hired inpatient nurses spend in Epic training, specifically the Core 100/200 and Student Nurse classes. The changes will shift some training from the classroom to computer-based learning modules. Project Nightingale will roll out in multiple phases, and ultimately be made available to all nursing groups within UVA Health. Read more on Connect.

Annual Garage Maintenance Will Impact Team Member Parking

Weekends in July | Parking options for team members and patients will be modified during coming weekends as follows:

• 8 p.m. Friday, July 8, to 4 p.m. Sunday, July 10 | Lee Street Garage closed. Patients will be directed to park in the 11th Street Garage, and team members must park in the South Garage on Crispell Drive.
• 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, July 9 | McLeod Nursing Garage closed. Team members will be directed to park in the South Garage on Crispell Drive.
• 8 p.m. Friday, July 15, to 6 p.m. Sunday, July 17 | 11th Street Garage closed. Patients will be directed to park in the Lee Street Garage, and team members must park in the South Garage on Crispell Drive.
• 8 p.m. Friday, July 22, to 6 p.m. Sunday, July 24 | South Garage on Crispell Drive closed. Team members must park in the 11th Street Garage.

Human Resources

Now Hiring: UVA Orthopedic Center Ivy Road

Saturday, July 16 | 10 a.m.-1 p.m. | 2280 Ivy Road | UVA Orthopedic Center Ivy Road is looking to hire 20 registered nurses before Sept. 1. To help accomplish this, UVA Health will host a family-friendly career event, which will include food and Kona Ice trucks, door prizes, and games while job seekers learn more about the new facility and careers. Tell your friends, relatives, and neighbors! Questions? Contact Charles Bodden at nag3wc@virginia.edu or Irish Welsch at imw2x@uvahealth.org.

Reminder: Medical Center Offering a $2,000 Referral Bonus

The first 200 UVA Health team members who refer a job candidate hired into a position at UVA Medical Center will receive a $2,000 bonus. Individuals who manage team members, work for UVA HR, and/or participate in the interview or selection process are not eligible for this incentive. Positions eligible for referral bonuses are subject to change and will be updated periodically as UVA Medical Center staffing needs change. For detailed requirements and more information, visit the UVA HR referral webpage.

Happenings

Happy Independence Day!

No matter how you ring in July 4th this year, we hope you and your family have a safe, fun holiday weekend. Nearby events:

• Independence Day Celebration and Naturalization Ceremony | Monticello | Be present as dozens of new citizens achieve their dream of becoming an American.
• Happy Birthday, America | Carter Mountain Orchard | Live music, food trucks, and a bird’s-eye view of the Fourth of July fireworks.
• Patriotism in the Park | McIntire Park | A free fireworks show for the whole family, with food, local band performances, bouncy houses, and more.
• Independence Day Parades | Scottsville and Crozet will both host their annual parades, followed by a July 4th celebration with fireworks and more.

Juneteenth: The Heroes of Homecoming

Wednesday, July 6 | 6 p.m. | Zoom | This panel will celebrate Independence day by discussing the contributions of African Americans to the U.S. military. Panelists include Dr. Shelley Murphy, Descendant Project Researcher, Division for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at the University of Virginia; Emmanuel Dabney, Historian and Interpretive Ranger at Petersburg National Battlefield; and Zann Nelson, historian, columnist, and President of History Quest.

July: Five Opportunities to Save Lives by Donating Blood

Thursday, July 7; Friday, July 8; Friday, July 15; Monday, July 18; and Monday, July 25 | 10 a.m.-4 p.m. | Quayle Learning Center, Battle Building, First Floor | The American Red Cross, UVA Health’s primary supplier of blood products, is facing a severe blood shortage. You can help by donating blood. Appointments required. Swag alert: Give in July to automatically be entered for a chance to win an exclusive Shark Week merchandise package. Donate before July 10 to receive a Red Cross tote bag (limited quantity). Sign up by emailing giveblood@virginia.edu. Learn more.

The Color of Medicine: Part II

Saturday, July 9 | noon-2 p.m. | Zoom | The White Feather Historical & Educational Project of Trinity Episcopal Church and Coming to the Table will present a discussion on the importance of cultural diversity on modern medicine. RSVP to whitefeatherproject@yahoo.com.

Appreciation

A Shoutout to Breakthroughs!

From stroke care to COVID therapies and beyond, UVA is continuously researching and educating, hoping to discover improvements in medicine. We regularly get to celebrate this work when results are published or new treatments hit the market. Here are two examples of ways the UVA community is making an impact on healthcare.

• Natasha Ironside, MD, is a UVA Health researcher who is focused on improving stroke care. She and her colleagues are using artificial intelligence (AI) to measure the extent of brain bleeds and swelling, the second-leading cause of strokes. They discovered that AI assessments of CT scans are as good as or better than those performed by clinicians and can reduce a 25-minute human analysis to just 30 seconds.
• Jay Purdy, MD, PhD, is a University of Virginia graduate who was part of the team at Pfizer that developed the lifesaving drug Paxlovid. Compared to the news of Pfizer’s successful vaccine partnership with BioNTech earlier in the crisis, Paxlovid, to which the FDA granted emergency authorization in December, is more quietly saving the lives of infected people at risk of serious complications. In trials, the drug demonstrated an 89% success rate in reducing hospitalization or death in patients at high risk. Read more.

Archive of previous UVA Health Updates

• March 30-July 31, 2020
• Aug. 3-Sept. 30, 2020
• Oct. 1-Dec. 31, 2020
• Jan. 1-March 31, 2021
• April 1-30, 2021
• May 1-31, 2021
• June 1-30, 2021
• July 1-31, 2021
• Aug. 1-31, 2021
• Sept. 1-30, 2021
• Oct. 1-29, 2021
• Nov. 1-30, 2021
• Dec. 1-31, 2021
• Jan. 1-31, 2022
• Feb. 1-28, 2022
• March 2-30, 2022
• April 1-29, 2022
• May 1-30, 2022
• June 1-30, 2022