April 2013

A big thank you to all staff who worked the weekend of April 6 and 7 enabling the Halifax Infirmary Building of the QEII to successfully complete four planned power outages while maintaining patient care and safety.

Congratulations to  Linda Wells, Supervisor, Central Food Service at the Veterans Memorial Building who has achieved C.F.E. “Emerald” status. This is granted to exemplary members of the Canadian Association of Foodservice Professionals in recognition of their continued professional growth and development. It is earned through continued educational accomplishment, professional experience and leadership commitment to both the profession and industry. 

Dr. Stephen Couban has been appointed Division Chief, Hematology at Capital Health. He has been Chief of Service in Hematology for 10 years and was previously Director of the Department’s Medical Teaching Unit (MTU). He has also held a number of other hospital positions including Medical Director of the Medical Day Unit, Medical Director of the Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, Medical Director of the Apheresis Unit and Chair of the Queen Elizabeth II Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Committee. Dr Couban’s academic interests lie in clinical trials in malignant hematology and blood and marrow transplantation and he currently holds a major grant from the Terry Fox Research Institute (TFRI) related to the development of biomarkers and improving the use of biomarkers in patients with myelodysplasia and acute myeloid leukemia. 

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Manohar Bance has been appointed Head of the Division of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery at Capital Health. He is a Professor in the Department of Surgery with cross appointments to the School of Biomedical Engineering, the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, the School of Human Communication Disorders and the Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery. He has built here in Halifax an academic and clinical Neurotology group that since 2002 has attracted and trained numerous subspecialists who have become the clinical leaders in a number of prominent international locations.  

Oncology staff nurse Jennifer Fahie recently wrote a story about her work that was featured on the National Oncology Nursing Day website. She works on the inpatient oncology unit 8A/BMT (Centennial Building of the QEII site). The story lead to an interview on CBC Radio's Information Morning where her passion was evident! She is one of hundreds of other oncology nurses across Capital Health who work in cancer clinics, radiation, chemotherapy administration units, as nursing educators and nursing specialists that help guide practice. 

A number of physicians who lead in the care of our older patients were recognized recently. Dr. Kenneth Rockwood received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his dedication to providing care and for his research in the field of gerontology developing the frailty index and deepening our understanding of treatment needs of elderly patients. Drs. Laurie Mallery and Paige Moorhouse received a Public Sector Leadership Award - gold in the health category - from the Institute of Public Administration of Canada for their work with the PATH program. PATH, which stands for Palliative and Therapeutic Harmonization, is a process that helps older people and their families understand their health status and guide them through the process of making health care decisions that protect their best interests and quality of life.

Susan Rahey, the director of Capital Health's Eplilepsy Program  embraced Purple Day - The Global Day of Epilepsy Awareness, March 26, by hand-dying 14 white lab coats purple for staff to wear. Their table in atrium of the Halifax Infirmary  included pamphlets, tattoos, pins, ribbons, purple pens and even purple treats.

And finally a very grateful patient sends out kudos to the staff in the parking office. Katherine Gagne from Cooks Brook, N.S. was going through a difficult time in February when her husband had double bypass surgery at the QEII. She appreciated all the kind staff members before and after his surgery but wanted to particularily mention the staff in the parking office who were very helpful when her car wouldn't start the night before the surgery. She says credit goes to both the night and morning staff whose support and kind words during her moments of crisis go further than one might imagine.  

Please send your pictures and stories about anyone deserving of KUDOS to capitalnews@cdha.nshealth.ca