Southcoast Health Employee News
Get to Know Our New CEO!
In July 2023, it was announced that David O. McCready (rhymes with Brady) would join Southcoast Health as president and chief executive officer of Southcoast Hospitals Group on October 1, 2023, and will succeed Rayford Kruger, MD, FACS as our next Southcoast Health System president and chief executive officer effective January 3, 2024.
As a Southcoast employee, you likely saw the announcement and the press release sharing this exciting news, but there is so much More to know about David!
We went straight to the source and chatted with David so that you could quickly learn More about him as a person.
Click here for a Q&A that provides insight into David’s daily life, his priorities and his personal journey, and how his life’s experiences have helped define who he is today.
Please join us in welcoming David to our Southcoast Health family!
Click here to learn more.
Employee Flu Vaccine Clinics Now Open and Also Offering COVID Vaccine!
This year, Southcoast Health’s free employee flu clinics are also offering the updated 2023-2024 COVID vaccines at no cost. This convenient option allows you to save time while protecting our patients, employees, students, volunteers, medical staff, and our communities.
Learn more and view the 2023 Flu Clinic schedule: Flu Season Information for Employees (sharepoint.com)
New Email Signature Template Now Available – Show Your Southcoast Pride!
We are excited to announce a new email signature template to recognize Southcoast’s achievements and to celebrate that we are ALL More than medicine!
With our recent sweep of the Community’s Choice Awards, Newsweek’s 2023 World’s Best Hospitals recognition, and the recent launch of our Enhanced Southcoast Health Model of More, now is the time to let our Southcoast pride show!
Update your e-signature in Outlook with the new template today – just click here for email signature template options and instructions for updating your e-signature in your Outlook account.
You can also visit the Marketing Self-Service Template page on Southcoast Central to find a variety of self-service tools and helpful resources, including PowerPoint and flyer templates.
Thank you for all you do and thank you for being More than medicine!
Celebrating Hispanic American Heritage Month: Meet Dr. George
Please join us in Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month! This week Dr. George, family physician and Deputy CMO of SHN, shares about the importance of her Panamanian roots and how she builds trust speaking in her patients’ native language.
Meet Dr. George! Celebrating Hispanic American Heritage Month | Southcoast Health
The 3 Steps of Service and the Southcoast Way – Congrats to Our Activity #3 Winners!
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Step 3 Teambuilding Activity and congratulations to our winners! Click here for the full list of winners.
We are excited to continue our focus on the final step of the 3 Steps of Service, a friendly closing. Click here for details and to view a video message from Tonya Johnson, SVP & COO of Southcoast Hospitals Group.
Learn more: Knowledge – The Southcoast Health Enhanced Model of More (service-now.com)
Join Us in October for a Career, Education, and Resource Fair
Southcoast Health will be hosting a 3-day Career, Education, & Resource Fair on October 10, 11, and 12. All are welcome to stop by and meet with our educational partners and Southcoast’s HR staff to learn more about various continuing education opportunities.
The Career, Education, and Resource Fairs will be held from 11am-1:30pm at 3 locations:
- Tuesday, October 10th, St. Luke’s Hospital – Mezzanine
- Wednesday, October 11th, Charlton Memorial Hospital – Elizabeth House Conference Room
- Thursday, October 12th, Tobey Hospital – Stillman Library
Click here to learn more about Southcoast’s educational partnerships and tuition & certification reimbursement.
DE&I Lunch and Learn: From Columbus to Indigenous – Why the Movement for Change
Columbus Day has been a national holiday since 1937. However, recent years have seen increasing changes within communities to move from Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day. Why the movement for change?
Join us via Teams on Thursday, October 12 at 12:30pm for an exploration of the origins of Columbus Day, the controversy surrounding the holiday, and the movement for change. This lunch & learn will feature special guest speaker, Silvermoon LaRose.
Learn More and register: Events Detail – Southcoast Central (service-now.com)
Salve Regina Virtual Information Session: Healthcare Administration
Salve Regina is hosting a 30-minute, virtual information session on Monday, October 16 at 12pm with program director, David DeJesus, former Senior Vice President, Human Resources at Southcoast Health.
Learn more about Salve Regina’s M.S. in healthcare administration and companion certificate programs and highlight some of the following benefits:
- online courses designed for your convenience
- seven-week sessions, allowing you to complete two courses in the span of a traditional semester
- faculty are industry professionals, delivering practical, applicable information directly related to your career
- opportunities to network with colleagues from other leading organizations
- exceptional value with financially accessible tuition rates
To learn more and register, click here.
SPG Development Hosts Nursing Skills Day
The SPG Professional Development team just hosted their first Nursing Skills Day on 9/21/23. There are two more sessions being offered to the nurses on 10/31/23 and 11/30/23. By the end of the sessions, 130 Nurses will have completed the course through e-learnings or hybrid (e-learnings/classroom) training.
The goal of Skills Day is to teach Nurses new skills and workflows and help refresh existing skills in the Primary and Specialty Care Centers.
The first Skills Day turned out to be a huge success with the help from the SPG Resource Nurses, Clinical Educators, Safe-Patient Handling Educator, and POCT Lab Specialist. Topics reviewed at Skills Day were vaccine management, Point of Care Testing (POCT), specimen collection, electrocardiograms (EKGs) placement, safe-patient handling, IVs, medication administration, emergency medications, Vivitrol administration, and safe-patient handling.
Additional topics reviewed in the e-learnings were rooming workflow, vital signs, how to complete a thorough and accurate medication review, telephone triage, and the prescription refill.
YMCA Free Onsite Exercise Classes Begin September 6!
Join us for FREE, onsite Zumba, Yoga Fusion, HITT Happens, and Core & More classes and earn 50 Limeade points per class!
Classes will be held in September and October at Charlton Memorial Hospital and the Business Center.
Charlton Memorial Hospital – Elizabeth House Conference Room:
Zumba – Wednesday, 10/4/23, 5-6pm
Yoga Fusion – Thursday, 10/19/23, 12-1pm
South Coast Business Center – Large Conference Room:
HIIT – Wednesday 10/11/23, 5-6pm
Core & More – Wednesday, 10/25/23, 5-6pm
All levels and walk-ins are welcomed (but pre-registration is encouraged)!
Learn more and sign up: Discount Details – Southcoast Central (service-now.com)
Meet Dr. Richard Dowd at Southcoast Health!
Dr. Dowd specializes in Neurosurgery.
He earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry from Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island. He then went on to earn both his Master of Science in Clinical Investigation and his MD from the New York University School of Medicine, in New York City, New York.
Dr. Dowd completed his Residency at the Tufts Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts and a fellowship of Neurosurgical Oncology at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island.
His philosophy of care is believing that care is a partnership between a doctor and patient. He believes that as a doctor, it is his job to help patients understand the problem at hand. Together they review all options and decide on what they feel is the best path to take.
To learn more about Dr. Dowd please visit: https://www.southcoast.org/doctors/richard-dowd/
Epic Hyperdrive Is Here!
The new web-based platform is now live systemwide. Resources are available on the Hyperdrive SharePoint Page to help you prepare for a smooth transition. Specific details and training opportunities are now available.
Please visit the Hyperdrive webpage for additional updates.
Click here to visit the Hyperdrive webpage.
Click here to View this month’s Epic Newsletter for System updates and optimizations.
United Way – Filling the Food Gap
Did you know that September is Hunger Awareness Month and that 1 in 3 people in Southeastern MA are facing food insecurity due to the food gap? With the cost of food on the rise, more residents are looking for assistance from food pantries, while pantries are struggling to keep the shelves stocked. With access to health options is tougher than ever, the food gap is widening.
In response to this, Southcoast Health and the United Way of Greater New Bedford are working together to purchase more fresh produce from Coastal Foodshed in order to keep our community healthy and you can help! September 15th through October 15th, Filling the Food Gap will give you the opportunity to support our community by donating fresh produce that will directly benefit local pantries.
To donate, click here and scan the QR code in the flyer or text “FOODGAP” to 26989.
Join Us at the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Event!
In support of Breast Cancer Awareness month, Southcoast Health is proud to participate in the American Cancer Society’s Annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk.
This year’s walk will take place Sunday, October 15, 2023, at the Bank Newport Skate Center (2 Kennedy Plaza, Providence RI). Registration will begin at 7:30am, with the walk to start at 9am.
Invite your friends, family, and coworkers to join in. Set group and individual fundraising goals and strategize fun ways to reach them!
For more information, please reach out to our Team Leader, Valerie Guerreiro at GuerreiroV@southcoast.org or 508-973-2647.
Don’t Wait for Open Enrollment – Enroll in Everyday Benefits at Any Time!
Welcome to Everyday Benefits – the employee benefit available anytime, Everyday!
Wouldn’t it be great if there were an employee benefit that offered expert advice anytime you needed it and access to solutions to help you with the important things in your life? Now, all benefit-eligible employees can take advantage of Everyday Benefits and enroll in a special offering of benefits at any time of the year – not just during Annual Enrollment!
Everyday Benefits is an employee benefit designed to help you with the things you need all the time, from replacement appliances to car protection. Find trusted guidance from unbiased industry experts and browse a wide, easy-to-navigate marketplace.
Learn more: https://everyday.aon.com/southcoasthealth/home
Two New Capella Nursing Programs Offer New Ways to Advance
Through Southcoast’s partnership with Capella University, we’re always looking for new ways to help you advance in your career!
We’re excited to announce two Capella nursing programs that give you more opportunities to grow as a nurse: the MSN and Post-Master’s Certificate in Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner.
Prepare for the next phase of your career as an advanced-practice nurse practitioner. Deepen your knowledge of reducing risks and managing acute and chronic health conditions for adolescents through adults. Also, learn to exercise ethical clinical judgment to deliver person-centered care and help improve health care outcomes.
Explore this program, including tuitions savings opportunities at Capella.edu/southcoast.
COVID-19 Return to Work Process
The Return to Work online form has been simplified so that any employee, who was out of work because they had tested positive for COVID-19, will be able to attest online to meeting the clinical criteria and able to return to work.
As long as you meet the clinical criteria, you will be able to complete the simple online attestation form and start working again. When this online attestation is completed, your supervisor will be immediately notified via email that you are eligible to return to work.
The Return to Work form, located on the Southcoast Employee Health department homepage, can be easily found by typing, “Return to Work,” in the search bar at the top of Southcoast Central. Please do not email Employee Health for COVID-19 Return to Work clearance unless assistance is needed. The online attestation form must be used for Return to Work clearance. Any questions or concerns on the Return to Work process can be directed to Employee Health at 508-973-5128.
The 3 Steps of Service – The Southcoast Way
In the upcoming month as we focus on smile, a warm and sincere greeting and the first step of the 3 Steps of Service, it is important to keep practicing our commitment to service excellence in our daily routines.
Click here to view a video about this step.
Stay tuned for more information, resources and teambuilding activities supporting the Southcoast Way throughout the summer. Remember to complete the 3 Steps of Service LEARNMore activity by Friday, September 1.
Southcoast Health Employees Donate a Record-Breaking 23,000 Menstrual Hygiene Products across the Region
Southcoast Health employees donated 23,681 menstrual hygiene products, breaking Southcoast’s 2021 donation record of over 18,000 products, as part of their annual Justice Flow Advocacy Project collection drive.
This is thethird year Southcoast’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council and Community Health and Wellness department hosted the drive as part of a partnership with the YWCA of Southeastern Massachusetts, United Neighbors of Fall River and the Women’s Resource Center of Rhode Island. The donations included pads and tampons as well as reusable cups and period underwear.
“Offering access to free feminine hygiene products is one step toward leveling the playing field. A box of tampons can cost upwards of $10 in a retail store. For some, that can be the difference between feeding their families or purchasing the product.” said Beth Welborn, employee experience and wellbeing manager at Southcoast Health.
The products collected from the drive have been distributed to those in need by a variety of local non-profits and service organizations including United Neighbors of Fall River, YWCA of Southeastern Massachusetts, and Women’s Resource Center of Rhode Island. Products will be supplied to local schools to provide free products to students.
Thank you to everyone who participated!
Volunteer Opportunity at United Way Mobile Market – Wareham!
Southcoast Health is proud to sponsor the United Way of Greater New Bedford’s Mobile Market at the Wareham Middle School again this year! The mobile market provides free, locally grown produce to low-income residents throughout the Greater New Bedford community.
Volunteers will assist in set up (beginning at 5pm) and break down of the Mobile Market. Mobile Market operates from 5:30 – 7 pm or until all produce is depleted.
Mobile Market shirts will be provided to volunteers! We recommend wearing comfortable shoes and clothing.
Charlton Memorial Parking Deck Construction
We are grateful for your patience and understanding during this temporary inconvenience as we work to increase our overall parking capacity at Charlton Memorial, benefiting our patients, staff, and neighbors.
- Out of respect for our neighbors, we encourage all employees to not park in our surrounding neighborhoods and please utilize the available parking, and shuttle/public transit service from BCC.
- No employees are allowed to park in the 235 Hanover Street patient parking lots next to and in the front of the main entrance of the building.
Please visit the Southcoast Central landing page for updates and additional information.
Submitting Requests Through Southcoast Central
Southcoast Central is a great tool to connect you with other departments.
Whether you need assistance or are looking for more information, following the tip sheet below you can connect with departments such as DHS for EPIC, Facilities, Human Resources, Marketing & Communications, Financial Services, Patient Experience, Peer Support and Philanthropy.
Click here to view the tip sheet!
Taking Care of You Powered by Limeade 2023
As part of Southcoast Health’s Taking Care of You employee wellbeing program, we hope you have joined our online wellbeing platform, Limeade!
Limeade combines useful tools, educational content, and social support, all to help you feel and be your best. All employees and their spouses are eligible to join this convenient and interactive approach to wellbeing.
Please visit the Southcoast Central Page linked here for more information, including additional wellbeing resources, registration guidance, 2023 levels, incentives and more.
The Southcoast Health Employee Answer Line (SEAL)
The Southcoast Employee Answer Line (SEAL) is available for employees with questions on benefits, payroll, leave of absence, and other general employment-related matters.
It is available Monday to Friday from 7am – 5pm, at 508-973-2600, or you can submit a SEAL Case via the “Submit a Request” portal on Southcoast Central. If leaving a message after hours, your inquiry will be addressed on the next business day.
Click here to submit a SEAL case.
Media Release Form on PeopleSoft
Southcoast employees can now sign a one-time universal media release on PeopleSoft.
The new agreement allows Southcoast Health to use photos, videos or audio clips, submitted to, or taken by the Marketing Communications Department.
All Southcoast Employees are encouraged to acknowledge the agreement with consent or non-consent even if they have filled out a paper form in the past.
To access the form, read the agreement and acknowledge, please refer to the Tip Sheet and look for the icon below in PeopleSoft employee self-service.
Click here to read the announcement.
Have an idea for Southcoast Weekly and/or our social media accounts?
Feel free to send us your ideas, pictures with release forms and stories!
NOTE- All photos used for Southcoast Health published materials require a signed release form.
Do you follow us on social?
Check us out and stay part of the conversation!