What’s big, orange, stamped “IMPORTANT” and arrives in the mail?
It may be a product recall alert from PHS.
Families with special needs children have enough to do without worrying about the equipment and supplies they rely on to keep their kids safe at home.
At PHS, we make sure you know as soon as possible about any product recalls or manufacturing defects that may affect your child. There are two kinds of recalls:
Voluntary – a problem is identified though an internal audit and the company issues the recall.
Mandated – an issue has been brought to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and it requires a mandatory recall of a product or item.
Our PHS product recall process
We find out about product recalls in two ways. Manufacturers send PHS recall letters about their products. Plus, several PHS employees from our Pharmacy Department and Regulatory Affairs Office are on the list to receive FDA emails on recalls and safety alerts.
They regularly review the emails—sometimes on a daily basis—for any products provided by PHS. When they spot one, they take immediate action, following FDA recommendations.
If a product supplied by PHS is recalled, either voluntarily or by mandate, we find out which of our patients receive that product from us. Then we let tell them about the recall and what they need to do to replace the product with a new non-recalled item. How quickly we contact a family depends on how many patients are affected and if the patients are in danger.
Watch for the bright orange envelope
Typically, we contact the family with a product alert or letter. We make phone calls if only about 20 people or fewer are affected. The alerts are sent by mail in a bright orange envelope that we hope is hard to miss or ignore.
PHS also informs all internal staff about recalls so that clinicians in the home can keep an eye out for the recalled items and the recall envelope, and then remind families to review the information inside.
You can view electronic versions of Product Alerts on the PHS website 24/7 here.
If you have any questions about recalled products or supplies, as well as any other safety concerns, don’t hesitate to call PHS Customer Service. Have you had any experience with product recalls? Did you ever receive an orange envelope from PHS? Do you know of other good sources for product recall information?
Your child needs nutrition and good calories through his or her enteral feedings—not excess air bubbles. A key part of a feeding system is a Farrell Valve bag, which removes excess bubbles for more reliable feedings. Your child has less bloating and is more comfortable during and after feedings.
Watch PHS Dietitian Janelle Peterson show how to set up, use, clean, and store a Farrell Valve bag:
Of course if you have any questions about any aspect of your child’s feeding system, contact any PHS clinician.
Do you use a Farrell Valve bag in your system? Any tips to share? We welcome your input.
Quick, who makes your home safe and comfortable and is always there with good advice and calm, steady care?
Mom? You’re partly right. As Mother’s Day approaches, PHS is also celebrating National Nurses Week, May 6 – 12 this year.
All this week, PHS is honoring our team of home health care nurses. We’re proud they keep our kids and families safe and comfortable at home. We do our best to ensure they have the latest training, skills, equipment, and supplies to guide parents and other caregivers in taking care of each child. They do their best to also fit in to our families schedules.
According to the American Nurses Association (ANA), nursing is often described as an art and a science, a profession that embraces dedicated people with varied interests and strengths. Nurses have many roles, and serve all of them with passion for the profession and with a strong commitment to patient safety.
PHS couldn’t agree more.
ANA also reminds us that National Nurses Week was selected to run through May 12 because it’s the birthday of FlorenceNightingale.
So Happy Nurses Week to our precious PHS nurses, including these infusion therapy and clinical specialist nurses pictured below. Missing in this photo collage are the newest members of our PHS family, and that’s our Private Duty Nurses. We can’t leave them out of this very special celebration and wanted to thank them for all they do in taking care of the child!
PHS nurses are the best in town!
“Being a nurse isn’t about grades. It’s about being who we are. No book can teach you how to cry with a patient. No book can teach you how to tell a family member that their parents have died or are dying. No professors can teach you how to find dignity in giving someone a bed bath. A nurse is Not about the pills, the IVs, and the charting. It’s about being able to LOVE people when they are at their WEAKEST moments and being able to forgive them for all their wrongs and make a difference in their lives today. No one can make you a nurse…YOU JUST ARE.” ~Anonymous
And Happy Mother’s Day to our very precious moms. We appreciate you!
If your child uses a feeding tube, you know it helps conveniently provide necessary nutrition and sometimes medications. But not when it’s clogged. Clogged feeding tubes interrupt important feedings and can cause frustration and discomfort. To keep lines clear, PHS and many of our families use the Clog Zapper .
Clog Zapper is convenient and easy to use. In this video, PHS Dietician Janelle Peterson, RD, LD, CNSD, takes you step-by-step through using the product to keep your child on track and avoid replacing feeding tubes.
Always looking to inspire and inform our families, PHS also uses Facebook. The PHS Facebook page allows PHS to interact with patients, families, physicians, and community organizations.
PHS carefully monitors its Facebook page, so it’s a great place to ask a question or leave a comment. PHS also updates the Facebook page at least once a day with news, events, and inspirational status updates related to PHS kids and families. Recent posts include:
New presentations with links back to PHS and other relevant websites
Interaction with other PHS fans to share ideas, converse, plus get and give support
Of all social media right now, Facebook is the most widely used tool, and fits PHS families as an effective way to communicate. Check out this Facebook information:
More than 500 million active users
Average user connected to 80 community pages, groups, and events
More than 200 million people actively using it on their mobile devices
Protect your kids in the car with proper car seat and seat belt use. From quick grocery store jaunts to family road trip vacations, here’s the latest on new laws and guidelines to keep kids safe in your vehicles.
1. Use the right car seat the right way: It’s the law in every state because it’s the best way to reduce the risk of injuries. Several state agencies offer free clinics to check and properly install car seats of all types.
General car seat and seat belt use guidelines by stage:
Newborn to at least age 2
Seat: Rear-facing or a convertible seat
This is a new guideline from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Place the seat in the reclined position. Keep the belt snug, at or below your baby’s shoulders. Never put this seat in front of an airbag.
Ages 2 – 4
Seat: Forward-facing with harness
Place this seat facing forward and upright. Move the straps to the slots. Keep the belt snug at or above your child’s shoulders.
Ages 4 – 8 and shorter than 4’ 9”
Seat: Fastened into child safety seat or booster seat
Keep kids in a booster seat based on their height, not age
When your child outgrows a combination seat, go to a booster seat, used wit the lap and shoulder seat belt. If your vehicle only has lap belts, use a tethered harness or install shoulder seat belts.
Age 8+ or 4’ 9” or taller (whichever comes first)
Seat belt only
Kids are ready for seat belts only when they can sit with their back against the seat, knees bent (not slouching) and feet on the floor.
Medically-fragile kids
Some children may need harness adjusters, padding or other adaptation to properly fit in their car seat, booster or seat belt. Ask your PHS caregiver about options to fit your passengers.
2. Buckle up every time: Minnesota’s seat belt law is a primary offense. That means the driver and every single passenger must be in a seat belt or the proper car seat. The tickets are $25 – $100+, but your safety is more important.
3. Until age 13, kids sit in the back seat: They won’t like it, but it’s safer.
4. Buckle up yourself: Keep yourself safe for your kids, and set the right example for all your passengers.
PHS doesn’t just take care of children and families. We also proudly help care for a very special place where families can grieve and build hope. It’s Faith’s Lodge, a very special retreat center for parents and families who face a child’s serious illness or death.
Just a few weeks ago, PHS Sharing Care volunteers spent a day at Faith’s Lodge in Danbury, Wisconsin. We share our time each year, and this year, we helped with spring cleaning, inside and out, and prepared and froze healthy meals.
Watch PHS cook, clean, and chop down trees
As spring dawns, PHS is thankful for our partnership with Faith’s Lodge, where our patients and families can also renew their spirits alongside people who empathize with their experiences. Thanks for renewing us, too!
Some PHS patients have little or no mobility and that means parents and caregivers may have to do some significant lifting, handling, and carrying. Physical demands for those caring for medically-fragile children can also include stooping, kneeling, crouching, pushing and pulling.
Here’s a reminder: be sure to use proper lifting techniques when helping a patient bathe, get in and out of bed, up and down stairs, or in any situation when lift equipment is unavailable or unnecessary.
Improper lifting can lead to serious back injuries to caregivers—and maybe patients, too—if they are dropped or slip in the process of being moved.
Back injury statistics
More than one million workers suffer back injuries each year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Back injuries account for one of every five workplace injuries or illnesses.
Size up the load and check overall conditions. Don’t attempt the lift by yourself if the load appears to be too heavy or awkward. Check that there is enough space for movement, and that the footing is good. “Good housekeeping” ensures that you won’t trip or stumble over an obstacle.
Make certain that your balance is good. Feet should be shoulder width apart, with one foot beside and the other foot behind the object that is to be lifted.
Bend the knees; don’t stoop. Keep the back straight, but not vertical. (There is a difference. Tucking in the chin straightens the back.)
Grip the load with the palms of your hands and your fingers. The palm grip is much more secure. Tuck in the chin again to make certain your back is straight before starting to lift.
Use your body weight to start the load moving; then lift by pushing up with the legs. This makes full use of the strongest set of muscles.
Keep the arms and elbows close to the body while lifting.
Carry the load close to the body. Don’t twist your body while carrying the load. To change direction, shift your foot position and turn your whole body.
Watch where you are going!
To lower the object, bend the knees. Don’t stoop. To deposit the load on a bench or shelf, place it on the edge and push it into position. Make sure your hands and feet are clear when placing the load.
Watch this video on safe lifting techniques from The Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers Inc. for further demonstration. The video is about 5:00 minutes in length.
Safe lifting and carrying dos and don’ts
Do:
Tuck in the chin to keep the back as straight as possible while lifting.
Lift with the strong leg muscles.
Ask for help with the heavy, awkward items.
When possible, use mechanical equipment to move heavy items.
Don’t :
Use your back muscles to do lifting.
Try to lift an item that is too heavy of awkward.
Twist your body while carrying an object.
Attempt team lifting without proper coordination.
Is mobility an issue for your pediatric patient? How do you manage the physical demands of caring for a medically-fragile child? Do you have any advice or tips to share? We’d love to hear from you.
Fresh air, new friends, crafts, and of course campfire skits: Even medically-fragile kids can be happy campers at summer camps designed for their specific needs.
PHS encourages families to consider summer camp for their kids. Counselors, staff members, cooks, guides, therapists, and 24-hour on-call health care professionals bring unique training, expertise, and enthusiasm for working with medically-fragile kids. Most of all, kids learn they’re not at all alone. And who can resist learning new camp songs?!
Check out this information about summer camps for medically-fragile kids in the Twin Cities and surrounding areas.
If you don’t see a camp that fits the need of you or your child and you are a PHS patient, please contact Social Worker Monica Handlos at 651-789-9215 or email her at mlhandlos@pediatrichomeservice.com. You may also contact United Way First Call for Help for additional camps at 651-291-0211 or 1-800-543-7709.
Super Kids Camp in Loretto (just west of Minneapolis)
July 11 – 16, 2011
Applications due: May 20, 2011.
AuSM Summer Camps for children and young adults with autism. Camp brochures are mailed to current AuSM members, and only current AuSM members are eligible for camp. Sessions include:
Camp Hand in Hand near Brainerd
June 18 – 23 for boys 9 – 16
July 3 – 8 for boys 14 – 21
July 31 – Aug 5 for boys 9 – 11 and girls 9 – 21
Wahode Day Camps in Eagan
Week 1: June 27 – July 1 for ages 8 – 14
Week 2: July 18 – 22 for ages 6 – 12
Week 3: Aug 9 – 12 for ages 8 – 14
Camp Discovery for ages 10-21 with Asperger Syndrome, near Maple Lake
June 25 – July 1 for ages 10 – 21
July 3 – 8 for boys 10 – 21
Discovery Extreme Adventure: July 8 – 11 for ages 10 – 21
Camp Needle Pointfor children ages 5 – 16 with diabetes. Sessions at Camp St. Croix in Hudson, Wisc., include:
Residential Camp July 18 – 22 for ages 14 – 15, July 25 – 29 for ages 16 – 17, August 8 – 12 for ages 8 – 11, August 15 – 19 ages 11 – 13
Day Camp August 1 – 5 for ages 6 – 7
Family Camp October 21 – 23
Applications are available now and due in early May. Family Camp applications are available in August and due early October.
Kamp Kacefor school-age children in all stages of cancer treatment
June 26 – July 1
Camp M.A.S.H Make. Arthritis. Stop. Hurting. Camp for children ages 9-17 who have arthritis or a related illness. Camp located at the Easter Seal Center for Camping and Recreation, one mile north of the Wisconsin Dells.
August 6- 11
Registration is now open.
Reserve your child spot with a $25.00 deposit by May 1st.
Courage Center has many camp sessions for many interests. They also offer camps for independent and active adults Ages 18 and family camps.
Literacy, for campers who are struggling readers
June 19 – 24
ages 12 – 18
For Campers with physical disabilities or visual impairments:
Youth session: July 18 – 23, ages 7 – 12
Teen session: July 18 – 23, Ages 13 – 17
For campers with communication disorders:
July 31 – Aug 6
ages 7 – 14
Leadership for teens with physical disabilities or sensory impairments:
July 31 – Aug 6
ages 13 – 17
Hemophilia:
July 10 – 16
This session is co-sponsored by the Hemophilia Foundation of Minnesota and Dakotas. It is geared for children who have hemophilia and other related bleeding disorders.
Oncology/Blood Disorder session:
July 25 – 29, ages 7 – 17
This session is co-sponsored by Children’s Hospitals and Clinics-Minneapolis and The Miracles of Mitch Foundation. It is geared for children who have or had leukemia or other blood disorders, brain tumors and other forms of cancer.
Application deadline is May 20.
Have your kids attended summer camp? Which sessions can you recommend? We’d like to hear about it. If you have photos of your happy campers, we’d love to see those, too.
Check out Charles Dias, a PHS kid, starting this year’s Juvenile Arthritis March (JAM). You’ll see he sounded an empty air horn so he ends up yelling ‘GO’ into the microphone instead!
This wasn’t just another Saturday at the Mall of America. Groups dressed as doctors, Thing 1 and Thing 2 (Dr. Seuss characters), a team in camouflage “hunting” for a cure, and Charlie’s Angels, walked the mall, cheering each other on, collecting candy while enjoying music.
This was the annual JAM, held Saturday, March 5. This year’s event was a huge success, with more participants and funds raised than ever before. All funds go the Arthritis Foundation of the Upper Midwest, targeting research for juvenile arthritis. Charles was one of the top three fundraisers.
PHS’s Sharing Care volunteers, Lisa, Nick, Michael, Karen, Dana, Janelle and her three sons, were proud to join the march to support the Arthritis Foundation of the Upper Midwest. Charlie’s Angels were one of the most motivating teams on the route, loudly cheering on all the walkers. The event culminated with a performance by the Minnesota music group, Koo Koo Kanga Roo.
