PHSers have a hopping good time

March 2nd, 2012 | By: PHS | 0 Comments

February 29th was Leap Day and PHS set out to celebrate!  This special day only rolls around once every four years so we decided to have a little fun with it.

The event started off with a Frogger Tournament that pinned co-worker against co-worker in a rough and tough video game battle. Employees who were eliminated from the tournament were able to watch the action on the projector while we finished the event with a delicious potluck and leap day trivia. You can check out pictures from the event in the slideshow below.

Special Congratulations to our LEAP DAY Frogger and trivia winners:

Frogger Champions:

  • 1st place=  Mat
  • 2nd place = Rick
  • 3rd place = Stephanie

Trivia Winners:

  • 1st place = Amy
  • 3rd and 2nd place tie = Elizabeth & Shaya
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Jivin’ in the PHS Common Grounds Coffee House

February 29th, 2012 | By: PHS | 0 Comments

It’s always nice to be able to take a break from the winter blues and enjoy a nice cup-o-joe, cup-o-tea, or cup-o-hot-chocolate (ok that last one doesn’t work as well, but you get the point) with your co-workers. The PHS HR team took it one step further and treated the PHS employees to a barista for the morning. We were able to escape from the little snow we had outside and get together for some games, treats and warm coffee house quality drinks..

Check out some of the fun we had in the slideshow below.

Has your company sponsored any fun events for the employees? We’re always looking for new ideas and would love to hear yours.

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Sharing Care supports our local hospitals

February 24th, 2012 | By: PHS | 0 Comments

PHS’s Sharing Care Program has been busy helping out our local hospitals lately and we wanted to share the latest with you all to share in on the fun. Through our Sharing Care program, we volunteer and make financial contributions and in-kind donations to charitable initiatives that enhance the lives of special needs children.

Gillette Hospital Play Room

PHS has sponsored the new “4S” Playroom in Gillette Children’s Specialty Hospital where we hope many smiles are shared during challenging times for parents and children alike.

PHS employees Pam, Judy, Mark, Roy, Susan and Tamara in the "4S" playroom

This gift of support represents a triangle of care PHS has expressed with the three major children’s hospitals in the Twin Cities area; Amplatz, Children’s and, now, Gillette. As a capital sponsor, we plan to further extend PHS’s compassion for children who need a boost by volunteering with various Sharing Care events at each of the three beneficiaries.

WCCO’s Dave Lee’s Gutter Bowl 6 benefiting Amplatz Children’s Hospital


Last Friday, February 17, PHS volunteer employees threw down some serious bowling skills at the Brunswick Zone XL Brooklyn Park. Volunteers participated for the 6th year in a row by bowling on one of two teams that PHS had at the event as a Co-Presenting Sponsor. The event, which benefited The University of Minnesota Amplatz Children’s Hospital, was a huge success and PHS is already gearing up for next years event! You can see more photos from the event on the PHS facebook page here.

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John’s Troubleshooting Tip of the Month: Food Pump Series- Part 4 Common Alarms

February 13th, 2012 | By: PHS | 0 Comments

PHS understands how stressful it can be when a piece of equipment isn’t working properly, and we want to help resolve any issues as soon as possible for you. So, once a month, PHS Respiratory Therapist, John Sheahan posts a tip on how to troubleshoot a common error with a piece of equipment.

This month we will finish up on the most common alarms you may receive when using the Infinity Teal and Infinity Orange food pump.

  • Alarm Message: Push Run to Feed
    • Problem: Food Pump paused for more than 2 minutes.
    • What to do:
      • 1. To start feeding: press RUN/PAUSE keypad button two times or
      • 2. To turn Food Pump OFF, hold ON/OFF keypad button
  • Alarm Message: Shut Door
    • Problem: Door is open
    • What to do:
      • 1. Push in latch and close Food Pump door completely.
      • 2. Call PHS at 651-642-1825 if latch is broken see earlier Troubleshooting Tip here.
  • Alarm Message: ER01-ER99 or ERRA-ERRZ
    • Problem: Many factors can cause this alarm message.
    • What to do:
      • 1. Hold ON/OFF keypad button until Food Pump turns OFF.
      • 2. Hold ON/OFF keypad button until Food Pump turns ON.
      • 3. Call PHS if same message reappears in display window.
  • If the volume delivered by the Food Pump in NOT the same as the dose set
    • Reasons: Formula or Breast Milk was NOT correctly measured before placed in feeding bag, or a small amount (12.5 mL) of Formula or Breast Milk in Feeding Bag Tubing is not delivered to child.
    • What to do:
      • 1. Make sure Formula or Breast Milk is correctly measured before placing in Feeding Bag.
      • 2. Be sure to add an extra 30 mL of Formula or Breast Milk into Feeding Bag at the beginning of each feeding.
      • 3. Call PHS in problem continues.

John Sheahan, RRT-NPS, LRTJohn Sheahan, RRT-NPS, LRT is a Licensed Respiratory Therapist at PHS and would love to hear from you if you have a tip that you’ve found helps when working with your equipment, or have an idea for a Troubleshooting Tip post. Share your tip or idea through a comment here or an email to John at jcsheahan@pediatrichomeservice.com.

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PHS celebrates Feeding Tube Awareness Week, February 5-11

February 6th, 2012 | By: PHS | 0 Comments

tube feeding awareness, infusion, feeding pump, infinity teal, infinity orange, g tube, jtube, formulaTube feeding’ is a term that at times may cast a negative light upon an already complex medical situation.  However, what is not commonly known are the benefits a tube feeding can provide a growing child.  By providing nutrition through the use of a feeding tube, a child that may not be able to obtain adequate or any nutrition by mouth would still be able to grow, thrive, and develop.

PHS is excited to be celebrating this awareness week and wanted to share with you some resources that our Dietitians pulled together. The links below have information for adults and kids alike. Do you know of any other resources? We’d love for you to leave us a comment here to keep growing our list of resources.

Resources & Fun Sites for Families:

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Happy One Year to our PDNS department

February 3rd, 2012 | By: PHS | 0 Comments

Just over one year ago PHS launched our newest service, Private Duty Nursing (PDNS). We are excited to look back over the past year at all that has taken place since bringing our first PDNS patient home on January 18th, 2011. Allowing children the opportunity to thrive at home with their family while still receiving the highest quality and safest healthcare available to them is what makes us tick. Adding private duty nursing to our services has allowed PHS to complete the circle of homecare services for any medically-fragile, technology dependent child and their family.

One phone call can take care of so much. A parent can place a supply order, check on the last lab draw results, troubleshoot any concern with equipment or supplies and schedule the next IV nurse visit, all in one call. The same is true for the healthcare professionals that we partner with daily. One phone call to PHS and we will coordinate all services needed to get a child out of the hospital and to the comfort of their home. Including training the family and any caregivers on all equipment. All the while staying in constant communication with the physician to ensure the everyone always has the latest information.

Here are a few fun facts about the first year of Private Duty Nursing at PHS:

  • Number of field nurse assessments (PDNS Shift and PDNS Seizure)? 9,070!!
  • Number of Patients that have been on PDNS service? 37
  • Number of current field nurses? 110
  • Geographically; where is our furthest patient located? Brainerd
  • How many homes have 2 or more patients in the same home? 2

The picture shows our amazing internal PDNS staff that keep the ship moving, and although they are not pictured, the incredible 110 field nurses round out the PDNS department.  It truly takes a team to take care of the child and we happen to think we’ve come up with a winning team.

We want to take a moment to thank each family that has invited PHS staff into your home and allowed us the opportunity to care for your child. Each one is a blessing and we love partnering with you to keep your children safe, happy and healthy at home- just where they belong.

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PHS Respiratory Therapy Scholarship

January 27th, 2012 | By: PHS | 0 Comments

Update 2.22.12: PHS has identified a problem with our email server that may have prevented your students from submitting their applications for our student scholarship awards. To date we have not received any applications from your program. If you could please ask any of your students whom may have already emailed us to resend the information, we would greatly appreciate it. To allow additional time to notify students and for them to resubmit the required items we are extending our deadline to March 23rd, with winners being announced early April.

Again, the email address is: RTscholarship@pediatrichomeservice.com

They may also copy our Respiratory Manager, Derek, at the address below, if they wish: dahustvet@pediatrichomeservice.com

Please accept our most sincere apologies for your added effort.

PHS is excited to announce the first annual PHS Respiratory Therapy Scholarship. The scholarship is designed for students (or recent graduates) enrolled in a Respiratory Therapy Program.

Philanthropy has always been important to everyone at Pediatric Home Service

There will be one grand prize scholarship of $1,000.00 and two second place scholarships of $500.00 each.

To apply for the scholarship please submit the following information via email to RTscholarship@pediatrichomeservice.com by February 29th. Winners will be selected and notified by March 19th.

In your email please include:

  • Name of school you attend(ed) or plan to attend in the upcoming school year
  • Proof of acceptance into an RT program
  • Anticipated graduation date
  • Letter of recommendation from a professor
  • Unofficial transcript
  • Short essay of 2,000 words or less on why you chose RT school, include in that essay:
    • Why you chose to attend RT school
    • Future plans for your career in Respiratory Therapy
    • Any accomplishments/activities in your field to date
  • Please also answer the following questions:
    • Have you already completed your clinical rotations? If not, would you consider PHS?
    • Are you currently a member of the AARC?

For more information on PHS, please watch the following video. We look forward to receiving your application and learning more about the future Respiratory Therapists.

NOTE: If selected as a winner of the PHS RT scholarship you give PHS permission to use your essay and any photos taken when scholarships are awarded.

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Full Bellies and Happy Hearts

January 20th, 2012 | By: PHS | 0 Comments

Sharing Care volunteers spent Wednesday night at the Ronald McDonald House in Minneapolis. We had the pleasure of participating in their Cook for Kids program, where volunteers buy ingredients and prepare dinner for the families staying at the Ronald McDonald House. The facility, which offers 8,500 square feet including:

  • 16 private rooms with bedrooms and showers
  • In-room Internet, TV/DVD players, phone with hospital extensions
  • Full kitchen with snacks, beverages and cooking facilities
  • Laundry facilities
  • Living room and lounge space with a TV
  • A quiet space, computer lab with internet access
  • Exercise facilities
  • Outside patio

It truly is a beautiful facility that offers the guests some of the comforts of home, all located right inside Children’s Hospital.

Clockwise starting in upper left: Sara and Jodi serving; Claudia enjoying some of the feast; the big group: (left to right) Sharon, Sara, Suzie, Janelle, Jodi, Dana, Claudia; and Suzie with her beautiful pancakes.

We had Suzie, Jodi, Sara, Janelle, Sharon, Claudia and Dana all working together to churn out a menu of Breakfast for Dinner ( a big hit the last time around, so we figured if it’s not broken, why fix it) the following:

  • We scrambled 242 eggs
  • Baked 180 slices of bacon
  • Heated up 144 turkey sausage links
  • Flipped 120 pancakes
  • Chopped 6 cantaloupes, 24 bananas and a whole large package of grapes

All-in-all we fed 86 people and had a blast doing it. We also received a ‘thank you card’ from one family immediately following the meal.

You can check out all of the pictures on the PHS facebook page here.

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Infants Remembered in Silence (IRIS) offers scholarship for class

January 19th, 2012 | By: PHS | 0 Comments

PHS learned today about a resource that may of be interest to some of our families. Infants Remembered in Silence (IRIS) is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization that is dedicated to offering support, education and resources to parents, families, friends and professionals on the death of a child in early pregnancy (miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, molar pregnancy, etc) or from stillbirth, premature birth, neo-natal death, birth defects, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), illness, accidents, and all other types of infant & early childhood death.

The information below is directly from IRIS and talks about a class that deals with grief and is recommended to family and caregivers.  There are scholarships available for those who cannot afford the class.  It will be held at the Gainey Center in Owatonna (very nice place).

Although PHS is not directly associated with IRIS, nor have we attended this class, we wanted to share the resource with our families.

___________________________________

When: Friday, April 20, 2012 at 1:00pm until Sunday, April 22, 2012 at 5:00pm

Thanks to a NEW generous donation, We now have $5,000 in SCHOLARSHIPS! If you need assistance to get this training please email us at support@irisremembers.com. Include in your email: an explanation of why you requesting the scholarship, how you plan to use the training, your name, address, email address & phone number.

Infants Remembered In Silence (IRIS) – www.irisRemembers.com – invites you to Help Grieving Families who have a child die. Learning how, why, and the unique techniques that make IRIS programming work. We have been using the techniques that will be tough at this conference for 25 years with breathtaking results! Please Share the news about this Wonderful Event! Visit: www.irisRemembers.org for full brochure and ONLINE Registration!

It’s against the laws of nature for a child to die before their parents. In the past it was considered taboo to see, hold, touch, or talk about your child that had died. Today we know that seeing, holding, touching, and talking about the child is the beginning of healing, the beginning of moving forward, the beginning of lovingly remembering this precious child. IRIS Advocates work directly with parents, granting them permission to cry, to grieve, to ask questions, and assist them in creating memories that will last a lifetime. As an IRIS Advocate Trainee, you will be attending training workshops on:

  • Parents & Grandparents Point of View: what’s requested and needed, Q & A
  • Doula services for grieving parents
  • Preservation of the child’s body
  • Autopsies
  • Keepsakes
  • Dealing with Families: immediate and extended
  • Support Groups – Listening with your heart
  • Self Care for Advocate
  • Legal Requirements and documentation
  • Reality, where do we go from here?
  • Getting advocate services into Hospitals/Funeral home

Who Should Attend?

  • Those who have experienced an infant loss themselves and wish to improve the journey for those who currently grieve the death of a child
  • Health care professionals
  • Funeral directors
  • Others who wish to support grieving families
  • And interested persons from across the United States and around the World

Conference Goals & Objectives:

  • To raise awareness of the overwhelming impact infant loss has on parents, grandparents, family, friends & coworkers.
  • To provide you with the skills and confidence to work with grieving parents and professional staff.
  • To train you in methods appropriate for working with these precious infants/children.
  • To teach you skills to create lasting memories with/without the parents participation.
  • Upon fulfilling the requirements and standards as established by Infants Remembered In Silence you will be qualified as an IRIS Certified Advocate (ICA).

Online Registration Is OPEN! www.irisRemembers.org

Remember, Our blueprint for success is simple:
Small class sizes, one-on-one attention, instructors with “Real-World” experiences in the field with a hands-on approach to learning.

Love the Cause, but Unable to Attend …
You are welcome to participate by making a tax deductable contribution to IRIS a 501(c)3 non-profit.

Joe’Von Thrives at Home

January 13th, 2012 | By: PHS | 0 Comments

Joe’Von is like most kids his age
And that’s what makes him remarkable.
He likes to watch cartoons, play in the yard and pick on his twin sister. In that much, at least, he’s a fairly typical preschooler. You wouldn’t have imagined it, though, had you met him the day he was born.

Joe’Von came into this world at 28 weeks and with short bowel syndrome, which means he didn’t have enough intestinal length to properly absorb nutrients. Doctors believed he’d never eat like the rest of us. In other words, that he wouldn’t be able to sustain himself with food.

Couldn’t eat or even look at pictures of food
Joe’Von’s aversion to eating kept him not only from the kitchen table, but also from being able to watch people eating on television or looking at photos of food in magazines. It also meant TPN and g-tube feeding directly into of his stomach. Long term, that could mean liver failure.

Out of the hospital so he can grow up at home
PHS private-duty nurses, infusion therapists, dietitians and other highly trained in-home caregivers have given Joe’Von the opportunity to thrive where’s he’s most comfortable—at home.

So far, he’s doing great. With PHS nursing care 12 hours a day, six days a week, Joe’Von is slowly being weaned off TPN. He’s learned to walk, run and play, and even dances and does karate. He’s gaining weight and beginning to experiment with food—putting grapes in his mouth, though not yet eating them. It is hoped, however, that he’ll eat on his own someday and grow up like any other kid.

PHS is excited to have just wrapped up our newest TV commercial too, check it out! It’s so important for families to know they have a choice in their homecare company and PHS is always here to help bring your child home and keep them home. Given the choice, kids will always choose to thrive, and PHS makes that possible.

Have you seen the TV commercial air yet? What do you think?

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