Occupational therapy: Living life to its fullest |
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Think of the tasks you need to do each day: brush your teeth, make breakfast, pay bills, do laundry. Life becomes difficult if injury, illness, or other limitations make those tasks difficult or impossible.
Occupational therapists can help people of all ages who struggle with activities of daily life. April is Occupational Therapy Month, so it’s a great time to learn more about how practitioners can help you focus on the things you need and want to do – your goals, activities, and independence.
“OT is much more than just rehabilitation. It is the remaking and reordering of one's life through the doing of purposeful and meaningful activity. By engaging my patients in meaningful and purposeful ‘doing,’ they come to heal the ‘undoing’ of illness, disease, and injury,” said Steve Cabler, occupational therapist at Community HealthCare System in St. Marys.
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Thank you to our excellent occupational therapy team! |
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Occupational Therapists
- Stephen Cabler, OTRL
- Jill Nolte, OTR
- Deb Dellere, OTR
- Cheryl Holthaus, OTR
- Laura Ranieri, OTR
- Rikki Seeberger, OTR
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Occupational Therapy Assistants
- Ellen Haverkamp, COTA
- Emmy Jones, OTA
- Allison Rottinghaus, OTA
- Alexis Vandonge, COTA
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Safeguard healthcare workers
by supporting SB 286
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The majority of frontline healthcare workers have experienced some form of violence in our careers, whether verbal, physical, or both. As a board member of the Kansas Organization for Nursing Leaders (KONL), I support the president of KONL sending a letter to Governor Laura Kelly's office in regards to SB 286, which addresses violence toward hospital staff in the workplace. Nursing leaders in the Health Innovations Network of Kansas (HINK) are also writing to Governor Kelly, and the Kansas Hospital Association has advocated for its passage.
Signing this bill into law would take Kansas one step closer to making it clear to the public that violence is not tolerated in hospitals by raising the level of offense associated with a violent act in a hospital. If passed, Senate Bill 286 will show support to our healthcare workers at a time when we need support.
I am proud to be part of KONL, which supports nurses and healthcare workers across the state. To learn more about SB 286, visit the Kansas Legislature web page dedicated to the bill, which includes a summary and history of its path through the legislative session.
-- Mindy Olberding, chief nursing officer
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CHCS adds pain management
to outpatient specialty clinic
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Starting April 18 and followed by the third Monday of every month, Dr. Jacob Kneeman of Kansas Pain Management, based in Overland Park, Kansas, will provide services for patients who suffer from both acute and chronic pain.
Living with chronic pain can be both mentally and physically exhausting. Merica Surdez, CHCS chief of provider and clinic operations, said pain management can be a challenging specialty for patients to receive timely referrals and evaluations.
“Bringing Dr. Kneeman locally to Onaga will help patients and providers achieve more convenient, faster consultation and pain relief,” she said.
For the next six months, consultations will be conducted via telemedicine at the Onaga Clinic. Patients can schedule an appointment and check in at the Onaga Specialty Clinic as usual, then nurses will connect them to Dr. Kneeman, who can provide an initial consultation, order appropriate imaging, refer to physical therapy, and discuss initial steps toward other procedures with patients. After September, CHCS hopes to offer in-person appointments and procedures in Onaga.
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Properly disposing of Protected Health Information, or PHI, is crucial in any organization. CHCS takes many precautions to protect all patient information during storage AND disposal.
Examples of proper disposal methods may include, but are not limited to:
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For PHI in paper records, shredding, burning, pulping, or pulverizing the records is required so that PHI is rendered essentially unreadable, indecipherable, and otherwise cannot be reconstructed. CHCS has shredding receptacles in multiple locations throughout each facility. Please never discard any paperwork containing PHI in the trash.
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For PHI on electronic media, our IT department takes care of clearing (using software or hardware products to overwrite media with non-sensitive data), purging (degaussing or exposing the media to a strong magnetic field in order to disrupt the recorded magnetic domains), or destroying the media (disintegration, pulverization, melting, incinerating, or shredding).
If you have questions about how to dispose of PHI, please ask your manager or contact Alycea Lakin at extension 5029.
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Reminder: RSVP for Associate Recognition |
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RSVP for the Associate Recognition banquet on May 11 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.! Click the green button or scan the QR code to access the survey. RSVPs close at 8:30 a.m. on May 4.
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April is Donate Life Month
Another person is added to the transplant waiting list every 9 minutes, and 17 people die each day waiting for an organ transplant.
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Fitness Center punch cards are on sale!
Our Fitness Centers are celebrating spring with a sale in April: Buy two punch cards, get one free! Cards are $30 + tax and have 10 punches. They expire one year from the purchase date.
Still need to use your CHCS Wellness Benefit? Talk to the Fitness Center about how to do that!
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Run for the Roses
The K-State Gardens will host the first-ever RUN FOR THE ROSES 1K walk/5K run (certified) on April 30, 2022, from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m.
Runners will start and finish in the beautiful K-State Gardens, take a lap on the track inside the historic World War I football field, and cruise by campus landmarks. "Purple Thumb" horticulturists will guide 1k walkers on a tour of the gardens.
This is a great activity for Walk Kansas participants or anyone looking for a fun workout!
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Reminder: Play WorkWell 'Bingo'
The first WorkWell quarterly activity is a game of Bingo, but you play only for yourself! The "Bingo card" below contains a number of research-based activities that can help participants embrace compassion and kindness (one of our Core Values!) for themselves and others, both at work and in life.
The card includes instructions on how to participate (see page 2, and don't worry--it's easy!) Associates have until June 3 to complete the activity. (There will be prizes!) Click the card to download/print and get going today.
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Make plans to give blood!
Save the date for the next CHCS blood drive on Friday, May 20, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Our goal is to reach 25 donors!
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Important reminders
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The Kansas Initiative for Stroke Survival (KISS) is promoting the 2nd Annual Stroke Awareness Video Contest. View the rules. Entries are due April 30. If you enter, be sure to share your video with us for the E-Connection! Questions? Contact Mindy Olberding, CNO.
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Coffee Shop Special
April 18-22
White chocolate raspberry latte
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16 oz., $4
- Hot, cold, or frappe
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CHCS menu: Onaga and Eastridge |
St. Marys menus are available each morning through the Activities chronicle.
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Gus, the officially unofficial Business Office mascot, wishes everyone a Happy Easter! |
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Thank you to Erin Lacey for the photo of our friend Gus! |
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Did you miss your Connection?
Important information is relayed every week in the E-Connection. If you miss it in your email, an archive is available on our website. Visit the For Associates page, then click E-Connection Archive.
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Send items for the E-Connection or for sharing with our broader social media audience to sarahhancock@chcsks.org. Please send items by close of business on Tuesdays when possible. Ideas are welcome!
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