Employee Newsletter | November 2018
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IN THIS ISSUE
Welcome, New Employees
Mark Your Calendar
Pass It On
Are Space Heaters Allowed at Work?
5 Trauma-Informed Ways to Work
Caring for an Angry Client
Staff Work Anniversaries
Job Postings
In the News
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We welcome our latest group of new hires to the Greater Seacoast Community Health family. Take some time to see who you might run into and remember to say hello and welcome your new teammates.
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Amelia Maniscalco, MA
Medical Assistant, Portsmouth
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Amanda D'Andrea
Nursing Student, Somersworth
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Ashley Hurteau, CRSW
Criminal Justice Recovery Manager. SOS
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Christy Stuart, LPN
Primary Care Nurse, Portsmouth
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Beth Pearson, LCSW
Project Director/SUD Expansion
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Dorothy Montoya
Child Care Worker, SOS
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Jessica Bacon, CNM
Nurse Midwife, Somersworth
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Krista Vincent, MSW
Behavioral Health Specialist, Portsmouth
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Matthew Huusko
Crisis Recovery Coach, SOS
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Melissa Lemay, RN
Per diem nurse (multiple locations)
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Sarah Whyte, MA
Medical Assistant, Portsmouth
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Shannon Gillan, RN
Nurse Lead, Portsmouth
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Venture Dionne
Crisis Recovery Coach, SOS
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Shannon Lubbe, LPN
Primary Care Nurse, Portsmouth
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Maia Nofal
Medical Student
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Lisa LeBlanc, MA
Medical Assistant & BCCP Coordinator, Portsmouth
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Karen Walton
Enrollment Coordinator & Dental Receptionist, Portsmouth
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BANFF Film Fest Tix on Sale
Now until March 14 @ The Music Hall, Portsmouth
Purchase your tickets to the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival March 13-14 at The Music Hall
here
. They make great holiday gifts for friends and family, and proceeds benefit Families First and Goodwin!
Special Events Committee
2
nd
Mondays, 12:30-1:30 p.m. @ Goodwin
Interested in joining the Special Events Committee to help plan fun events like the Banff Film Festival, Father’s Day 5K and more? The Special Events Committee welcomes new members. Meetings are in the Staples Family Conference Room.
End 68 Hours of Hunger Drive
Now until November 16 @ Goodwin
Goodwin is a drop-point for donations to
End 68 Hours of Hunger - Somersworth
.
We have a donation box in the waiting area next to the Pharmacy for food donations, which will be distributed to children in the Somersworth area to fight food insecurity. Learn more about Ending 68 Hours of Hunger and what foods to donate
here
.
If we collect more donations than the other drop-box sites, we’ll win a pizza party!
Bonus Holiday!
December 24 @ all GSCH sites
All GSCH sites will be closed on Monday, Dec. 24. Please note: We will be open on December 22.
If you are eligible for holiday pay,
it will be auto-populated in your timecard except for Christmas Eve. For this bonus holiday, you will need to use the drop-down menu to select Holiday. If you are unsure if you are eligible for holiday pay, please contact HR. Please note: There is a maximum of 8 hours of holiday pay per holiday. If you work less than 40 hours per week, Holiday pay is pro-rated by your FTE. Earned Time can be used to make up the difference. Flexible work schedules should be coordinated with your supervisor.
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Pass it On
Please refer your clients to these programs
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Elf the Musical
Tix for Patients and Clients
November 28 - December 16
@ The Music Hall, Portsmouth
The Music Hall has chosen our organization to be one of the beneficiaries of their
Give The Gift Of Magic
program. This year's show is
Elf The Musical
, presented by the Ogunquit Playhouse. Families First and Goodwin have each been given a limited number of vouchers to distribute to clients. The ticket vouchers are limited to clients and patients who you would be most likely to use them (keeping factors like access to transportation in mind). If you have patients or clients who would use the tickets, please ask Elizabeth or Lauren for vouchers and then have your clients follow the instructions on the voucher to reserve a ticket for the show of their choice.
Family Programs
Open to: All parents, grandparents, guardians and children
Weekday mornings and some evenings
@ Families First
Contact
: 603-422-8208 ext. 2 or click Calendar button below
Families First offers parenting classes, playgroups, support groups and family programs in Portsmouth and other towns (sometimes including Somersworth). Parenting classes coming up in Portsmouth are: Active Parenting, Does My Preschooler Have ADD?, Improving Kids’ Social Skills, Parenting Your Teen, Raising Your Spirited Child, Grandparents Group, Parenting Can Be Stressful!, the Three Rs of Special Education, Stop the Holiday Madness, and Keeping the Happy in Holidays. Check the full list of classes and groups
here
.
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Follow the links below for complete program listings:
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Are Space Heaters Allowed at Work?
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Yes, they are. BUT, your space heater must comply with our policy (
here
), which is based on OSHA rules. So, before buying a space heater for your workspace, check to make sure it meets all the requirements. (The risk of fire from space heaters is three to four times higher than from central heating
equipment
!)
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TIC Corner
5 Trauma-Informed Ways to Work
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We’ve been talking a lot in this newsletter at staff trainings about becoming a more trauma-informed organization. Being trauma-informed means that we strive to interact with
all
patients and clients (and each other!) in keeping with trauma-informed principles: promoting a sense of safety, offering control through providing choices, encouraging others to use their voice through self-advocacy, establishing trustworthy relationships, and striving for empowerment to promote resilience and recovery. (Details on the principles, from SAMHSA,
are here
).
Here are five simple things you can do to convey these principles to clients and co-workers in your daily work life:
- Introduce yourself by name to clients (and coworkers whom you don’t know). This helps promote collaboration and mutuality by building a partnership and connection.
- Ask before bringing in a third person to train or shadow – and give the client time and space for an honest response. Asking permission helps to promote and honor a client’s choice and empowerment.
- Explain what you will be doing using lay terminology (no alphabet soup acronyms!) during any client interaction (i.e. performing an exam, taking vitals or making an appointment). Having information helps a client to feel more in control and at ease, and it levels off the power differential.
- Remember that health care settings can produce anxiety for some people. For us as staff, the health center is a familiar setting; for clients it may be a source of major anxiety to even pull into the parking lot! Keeping this in mind during your interactions can help promote a sense of emotional and physical safety for clients who may feel ill at ease.
- Ask questions such as Is there anything I can do to make your visit easier? This can lead to more sensitive practices geared to developing a trusting relationship. Having a chance to explain their anxiety about medical or dental visits and what they have found helpful or harmful in the past is empowering and healing for the client. It can also help us as staff navigate more efficiently, sensitively and quickly through an encounter.
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Service Excellence Reminder
Caring for an Angry Patient
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When a client is angry, we as staff can remain professional by ...
- ... staying mentally separated from angry clients: Take a deep breath. Think, "Go to the balcony.” In other words, “I will not be on stage with them, participating in their antics. I won’t take it personally.” You may be the target, but don’t add to the problem.
- ... letting them vent: Ask several open-ended questions, allowing them to vent without interruption. This can also help you get details straight.
- ... apologizing when appropriate: Apologize only when appropriate. Do so in a balanced, professional way. Remember that you are often apologizing on behalf of your organization, rather than for something you did personally.
- ... avoiding arguments: An angry customer will argue to their last breath. Don’t go there.
- ... taking notes: This is a way to stay balanced, protect yourself and invite the individual to stop exaggerating and focus on solutions.
- ... having an emergency exit: Many people will begin to settle down as you work through the above steps. However, a few will be so out of control that things may become dangerous. That's the time for the emergency exit. Leave the situation in a way that maintains the dignity of all involved. For example, you could say: “It seems like we need some help getting this issue resolved. Would you like to wait while I talk to my supervisor, or I can meet with my supervisor and get back to you. Which would you prefer?”
End Note:
Your role with the angry or upset patient is to bring balanced, respectful, relaxed energy into the situation. This will de-escalate the issue and realign the conversation to become more solution-based.
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Funds for Professional Development
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When Lindsay Josephs, a founder and longtime supporter of Families First, passed away in the summer of 2017, her friends and family set up a fund in her memory and designated it to support staff development and trainings for Families First staff.
The fund can be used to pay for short-term professional development opportunities – not for academic courses or for routine trainings such as CPR.
If you work primarily at the Families First location
and have a conference, workshop or other professional development opportunity you would like to pursue, please email
Georgie Clark
and she will run it by the committee that approves allocations from the Josephs Fund. (If the opportunity requires you to take time away from work, you will need your supervisor to approve that separately.)
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Sandy Gelinas 20
Denise Lozier 18
Jodi Carnes 14
Megan Atkins 13
Jannell Levine 12
Sheena Stone 7
Jessica Howcroft 6
Virginia Mayo 4
Casey Wade 4
Rima Sutton 3
Linda Baillargeon 2
John Burns 2
Angela Bushnell 2
Jennifer Gosselin 1
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Job Postings
New Jobs for You and Your Friends
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The button below links to current open positions at GSCH. (You can also always find this link on both Families First and Goodwin websites.) Take a look and see if any are right for you or someone you know. (There are referral benefits in many cases.) Right now we have about 20 openings, including HR Coordinator, Health Care Van Driver and more.
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