By: Ann Tracy Mueller

When an Iowa hospital was looking for a way to connect with moms, it called upon some real moms to help, created a website with some glitz and gave it a name that could work for a primetime soap opera.

The Real Moms of Eastern Iowa blog, therealmomsofeasterniowa.com, is one way St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids, Iowa is sharing information about the trials and tribulations of parenting. The stories come not from the mouths of babes but from the keyboards of their moms. The hospital worked with MedTouch, a health care web strategy and online solutions provider, to develop the site.

The blog “follows the day-to-day experiences of five Eastern Iowa women and covers anything and everything relating to motherhood,” says a PR Web press release.

“Every mom, whether she is a first-timer or not, has questions at one point or another,” says Laura Rainey, marketing communications director at St. Luke’s. “This is a place where women can follow the stories of our five featured moms, as well as ask questions, get advice and share their own experiences. It’s a great way for the community to interact and learn.”

The hospital is promoting the blog with billboards, a direct mail campaign, a Facebook page, and other promotional materials featuring the moms.

In one week, the blog gathered these numbers:

2,643 unique visitors

12,376 total page views

705 YouTube video views

More than 100 comments and 56 percent of the blog visits from the Facebook page

One-third of traffic from mobile devices

In addition to the mommy posts, St. Luke’s uses the blog to highlight its birth and neo-intensive care services, linking to the hospital website for medical advice and information.

Here are the five moms and their pint-sized subjects.

Reprinted with permission from Regan’s Healthcare Communication News: http://www.healthcarecommunication.com/Main/Articles/8512.aspx

I hate traffic.

Since I live in the Washington, DC area, I spend a lot of my week sitting in it (DC’s been named the worst traffic in the country, even over L.A.!). How do I deal?  Simple – I adopt a Zen-like attitude when sitting behind the wheel. Plus, I realize I now have plenty of time to enhance my professional development – through podcasts.

Podcasts are free audio programs that I can download to my iPod or phone, and allow me to stay current with social media, healthcare marketing and national trends. Anybody that has a commute or is looking for an alternative to listening to music can easily download hundreds of podcasts covering a variety of topics.

I happen to use iTunes, but you can get them directly from websites or subscribe to them via RSS. Whatever way, there’s one thing I do know – they’re a great way to learn. And be entertained. And they’re far better than listening to the radio.

Here’s my current playlist:

Marketing/Communications related podcasts:

• The Arrogant Healthcare Marketing Bastards podcast – this is Interval’s (Chris Bevolo’s) weekly podcast. Even though it’s about healthcare, it has a lot of solid marketing advice for any industry. The shows run about 30-40 minutes long and the banter is always entertaining and informative.
• For Immediate Release: this is Shel Holtz’s communications podcast. It’s a robust, and extremely informative program. Sometimes, FIR can get very deep into a topic and requires some intense concentration. But it’s Shel Holtz – what’s not to love? This is definitely worth listening to regularly as it’s the best communications podcast out there.
• Marketing Edge – this is done by my friend, Albert Maruggi. It’s intermittent and sometimes his audio quality is not the best. But the content and interviews are always informative. Who said that all podcasts must be polished anyway? This podcast always offers great interviews, solid marketing tips and relevant topics.
• Marketing over Coffee is a very in-depth podcast about online marketing. The hosts, John Wall and Christopher Penn, are very thorough, very geeky and often offer tips that you can’t find anywhere else. The topics are not healthcare related, but are relevant nonetheless. This is a weekly podcast.
• Internet Marketing: Insider Tips and Advice for Online Marketing. This British podcast can sometime be a little basic, but they are short and definitely worth a listen. I find the topics are geared more towards companies that are solely online in their marketing, but I’ve picked up a number of good things listening in.
• The Social Hour: This isn’t marketing per se, but it’s about social media. From the TWiT network, the hosts, Amber MacArthur and Sarah Lane really have a handle on new social media trends. They have great interviews with founders of social media sites, and they really know their stuff. This podcast is focused on new trends and technology in social media. It tends to run 90 minutes long (so, about two commutes long).

Other “fun” podcasts (because you can’t always work):

• Coverville: a musical podcast of covers that my friend, Brian Ibbott does. It’s a musical show that features covers of songs, often presented thematically. It’s a fun and a nice distraction (particularly when you want to listen to some music).
• Stuff You Should Know: an interesting 30 minute podcast on a variety of topics (the last few podcasts covered spies, the number zero, coral reefs and pickpockets). I listen to these as a sort of “podcast brain-candy” – and the hosts’ banter is very entertaining.
• WYNC’s Radiolab – my friend, Meredith Gould, suggested I give this a listen a few months ago, and I am hooked. You have to love a podcast that describes itself as: “Where sound illuminates ideas, and the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and human experience. Big questions are investigated, tinkered with, and encouraged to grow.”

Many of these podcasts are published on a regular basis, so make sure you keep updating and refreshing them. You don’t have to subscribe initially – feel free to download a few samples and give them a listen. Listen to them in the car, or at the gym, or even while cooking dinner or painting walls.

Life’s too short not to learn while you’re stuck in traffic.

A version of this post originally appeared on Chris Boyer’s Blog. Chris Boyer is Director of Digital Communications and Marketing for Inova Health System, a six-hospital nonprofit health system serving the Northern Virginia and Washington, DC metro area.

Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers. It accounts for nearly half of all cancers in the United States. More than 2 million cases of basal and squamous cell skin cancer are found in this country each year. Melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, will account for more than 75,000 cases of skin cancer in 2012.

School administrators and educators have a great opportunity to use this month to create awareness for staff members and families in their community. There are tons of great free resources online designed to reach people of all ages.

Don’t Fry Day: The National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention has created an awareness campaign and has designated the Friday before Memorial Day (May 25, 2012) as National Don’t Fry Day.

They encourage non-profit organizations, local, state, and federal governments, public health professionals, and educators who promote the importance of skin cancer prevention and sun-safety behaviors to use the Don’t Fry Day logo and materials, available for download on their resource page:

http://www.skincancerprevention.org/node/282?q=programs/dont-fry-day/resources

They also have a page dedicated solely to kid-friendly educational materials for teachers and schools: http://www.skincancerprevention.org/resources/teachers-and-schools

The following video is a PSA provided by the David Cornfield Melanoma Fund, which is written for teens and adults. Also on their page you’ll find printable pages for recording the location of moles on one’s body, steps for checking your skin, and a quick reference sheet, “The ABCDEs of Melanoma Detection.”

Other great resources and effective public service announcements/educational videos can be found on the Mollie’s Fund Melanoma Awareness & Education Page. This site even offers a downloadable app with educational and instruction tools.

The American Cancer Society is another great resource for skin cancer facts and prevention tips: http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/CancerCauses/SunandUVExposure/skin-cancer-facts

It is hard to believe, but the end of the school year is already upon us. Summer break provides an ideal opportunity to gather and update your Guide to Emergency Preparedness™ directories. As the school year wraps up, develop a plan for collecting guides back from staff members on the final day of classes. Inventory what you have and see what updates are needed. At any step along the way I can provide you with pricing and/or an editable version of the text in your guide. Getting a head start on this early in the summer will ensure that they guides are fully up-to-date and ready to distribute/review with returning and new staff members at the start of the 2012-2013 school year.

After much anticipation, the Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) went live last month, a first-of-its-kind national alert system in the U.S. that allows the public to receive major emergency alert notifications on their mobile phones without having to sign up or pay for them.

CMAS is the interface to the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) service that wireless phone carriers will roll out in the U.S. this year. The system was developed through a partnership between the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the FCC and wireless phone carriers to increase public safety nationwide, according to FEMA.

Through the CMAS system, authorized public safety authorities will be able to use FEMA’s Open Platform for Emergency Networks (IPAWS-OPEN) to send geographically specific emergency alert notifications similar to text messages to the public.

Alerts can be a maximum of 90 characters, and in most cases, will only contain basic information such as the type of emergency, when the alert will expire and a recommended course of action. Cellphone carriers will sell mobile phones with the capability to receive CMAS notifications, said Rick Wimberly, president of Galain Solutions Inc., and blogger for Emergency Management magazine, Government Technology’s sister publication. Carriers like AT&T have already provided a list of models that can receive CMAS notifications.

Free Service

Individuals will not be charged to receive the messages, and alerting authorities will not pay wireless phone carriers for sending out the notifications, according to FEMA. The alerts will be sent to mobile phones via broadcast technology to avoid the delay that typically happens during an emergency when wireless voice and data services are “highly congested.”

Three types of messages will be sent to mobile phones: imminent threats, Amber alerts and presidential messages, but according to FEMA, most alerts will be issued by the National Weather Service.

Imminent threats include tornado, tsunami, hurricane, flood and other types of severe weather warnings, all of which will come from the National Weather Service, Wimberly said. For other imminent threats — hazardous materials incidents, for example — alerts may be issued by state and local officials, who must complete a four-step authorization process.

Wimberly said that for officials to get permission to send out the alerts, they must:

1. Identify to FEMA what solution (software) their agency will use to send out the alerts;

2. Apply for a memorandum of agreement with FEMA;

3. Once FEMA gives permission to use the solution, the application will go back to the state where the agency is located. From there, the state will review the application and decide whether that local alerting authority is of a legitimate public safety agency, then the state makes the final decision for approval; and

4. The individuals who will actually be activating the approved solution will then go through a training session.

Agencies Get on Board

Almost 20 agencies have received approval from FEMA to send out CMAS alerts, including the San Diego County Office of Emergency Services and the Maryland Emergency Management Agency. As of Tuesday, April 10, another 16 agencies were waiting for approval, according to FEMA. The full list can be seen on the agency’s website.

Besides winning FEMA approval, government agencies will need to prepare the public before they start sending CMAS messages, Wimberly said. Because citizens don’t need to opt in, they may have concerns when they begin receiving the alerts.

“The public will be really pleased with this service, however, it’s also my opinion that there will be a certain amount of misunderstanding and there will be questions that will come up by the public,” Wimberly said.

It’ll be important for state and local agencies to educate the public about the new system to keep concerns or problems to a minimum, he said. For instance, some individuals may want to call 911 when they receive an alert — something they obviously should avoid.

Because the alerts will be brief, they may not provide all the information that citizens need about an emergency situation. The alerts will, however, let citizens know that there is a major situation occurring and that they need to pay attention.

“The biggest thing that needs to be worked out is the educational piece of it,” he said.

A version of this article first appeared on: http://www.emergencymgmt.com/disaster/National-Emergency-Alert-System-Goes-Live.html

For additional information about IPAWS please visit the FEMA page:

http://www.fema.gov/emergency/ipaws/info_materials.shtm

We offer both standard and custom versions of the HICS and NIMS charts. The laminate we use allows for the use of Sharpieâ markers, ensuring that the information is not smudged or mistakenly wiped off, and can be cleaned using an alcohol wipe. Other features of our posters include:

- Provides adequate room for names and contact information for all standard positions
- Allows plenty of room for margin notes
- Allows it to be adhered to any surface, as needed
- Provides a matte finish so the chart is easily visible in all lighting conditions
- Ensures the finish is smudge-proof, yet allows for updating using alcohol wipes
- Portable and easy to store
- Allows for customization of the chart, as needed

Whether you need a standard Organizational Chart, something custom for your organization or any type of poster, we can meet your needs. Our full time, professional design team can help create any poster or chart that would fit your needs, and our wide format printer allows us to print posters of almost any size. Our standard printing size is 36” x 48”.

At most school districts, the word “security” is synonymous with “surveillance.” It has always been and still is the most popular security technology used in schools. In fact, school video security continues to expand faster than the overall security market.

Placing video surveillance solutions in these nine locations will ensure your district’s technology investment has the greatest impact….

A typical urban school system, such as Miami-Dade, can easily have thousands of cameras installed throughout the district. Some of these systems are very sophisticated, leveraging advanced surveillance capabilities and utilizing a broad range of technologies. These include vandal resistant outdoor dome cameras, outdoor pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras, vandal resistant PTZ IP indoor dome cameras plus high resolution monitors to support their continuous 24/7 operation.

1. Parking Lots: K-12 installations now typically use IP/digital video. The network infrastructure is usually available, and schools have fewer restrictions on bandwidth use than corporate campuses. Administrators also find it simple to zoom-in on images, track particular scenes and enhance features with IP. From high up on the rooftop of a school building, they can zoom in and get a clear image of a license plate way across the parking lot. Plus, they can cover an entire campus from fewer locations.

2. Loading and Unloading Zones: When it comes to security at schools, as compared to higher education facilities, access controls are more defined and in place, according to Mark S. Bennett, a certified security consultant with more than 25 years of experience in the security industry. “Most schools today have clear access rules and procedures for identifying parents and visitors.”

Bennett recommends breaking down different areas and locations within facilities and applying security procedures and technologies, including security video, as specific solutions. For instance, at schools, there are threats from kidnapping, especially in the lower grades. So, surveillance along the pick-up/drop-off line is essential to providing an audit trail.

3. Hallways and Corridors: Most districts mix PTZ cameras along with fixed position cameras. It is highly recommended that they be encased in domes to avoid being vandalized. Where 360 degrees of viewing are preferred, such as in the central junction of four corridors, the PTZ cameras are placed. Individual hallways use fixed position cameras, which cost less. Monitoring where students gather helps to mitigate drug and gang activities.

4. Campus Entrances and Main Offices: Schools should also place video cameras to monitor entrances as well as at main offices and where IDs are checked. Bennett points out that new school designs typically create a vestibule where doors inside are locked and cameras placed there can provide a deterrent as well as an audit trail to determine if procedures are followed.

5. Cafeterias and Restroom Entrances: Place PTZ cameras with discreet domes in corners.

6. Restrooms: A similar approach makes sense by placing cameras outside the entrances to restrooms. The design respects privacy but could provide appropriate information if there is an incident inside a restroom. For example, schools often find threats written on restroom walls.

7. Labs and Shops: Security video can also manage safety issues such as in the automotive, welding and shop areas, and chemistry labs.

Computer labs where theft is a problem is another location that is appropriate for video surveillance.

8. Gymnasiums: There is also value in installing cameras in gymnasiums where there is the potential for fights.

9. Outdoors: A school implementation typically employs high-speed, high-resolution, PTZ cameras encased in weather-resistant domes. Each camera can follow a pre-programmed guard tour, moving continuously from one pre-set position to another. Operators can zoom in on objects or areas at will.

Outdoor day/night cameras will switch automatically between a color mode for daytime and a more light sensitive monochrome for nighttime, providing 24-hour coverage in all light conditions. These two-in-one cameras not only cut in half the number of cameras needed, but also the number of domes required for the system. They also reduce the costs of other hardware and installation labor as well as future maintenance expenditures. By being able to produce clear images in low light conditions, school districts save the expense of installing additional lighting.

Consider a Networked System
Officials at larger districts, those with more than 75 buildings, will want to study the feasibility of networking their entire system, either via Ethernet or fiber optics. Their security consultant will be of great help in providing input. Onsite Ethernet hubs can be established in each building to create a district-wide network connected through the Internet. With fiber optics, cables can be connected from hundreds of remote sites to a central monitoring station.

Smaller districts will want to consider setting up a small-scale digital system that consists of multiple cameras, a multiplexer (which controls viewing and recording), and several monitors and recorders in each building. Such a system is relatively inexpensive. It can be duplicated in all buildings, allowing standardized training and eliminating any problems with compatibility.

Installer Must Have Experience
The system must be implemented by an installer with considerable experience in school security, using good design practices. Otherwise, there could be many call-backs. Schools need an integrator that can help them with pre- and post-sales support, troubleshooting, integration assistance, onsite training, firmware updates, system design and service/repair/replacement coordination.

Article reprinted with permission from Campus Safety Magazine (http://www.campussafetymagazine.com/). To sign up for their eNewsletter, visit www.CampusSafetyMagazine.com/Enews/SignUp.

There are numerous areas to secure in today’s medical facilities. Outside doors, of course, must offer protection against unauthorized access by patients, visitors, employees and outsiders. Similarly, doors to wards, rooms and offices must be safeguarded. But that is only the beginning of the story. There is also a growing need to restrict access to medicine storage cabinets, medicine carts, computers, medical records systems, ambulances and even parking lots.

Failure to monitor these areas can lead to equipment or prescription drug theft, employee assaults, mistakes with patient medications, confidential patient information being compromised or even ambulances entering the facility without permission.

The sheer number of doors and cabinets within a medical facility makes this a complex issue. What is required is a means of controlling access at any and all of these points despite thousands of employees that have different job duties, restricted areas and work hours. Fortunately, with today’s access control systems, this can best be achieved via the establishment of an integrated system, one that can run off a medical facility’s existing IT network.

Access Control Systems — Simplified, Less Expensive

Although video surveillance camera systems have been IP-based for many years — meaning they are connected directly into existing IT networks using standard cabling — the access control industry initially lagged behind in transitioning to this technology.

In fact, until recently video surveillance and access control systems were installed completely independently and custom software often had to be created to allow communication and integration between systems or even with an IT network.

“Until a few years ago, security cameras and access control systems were completely separate and often proprietary,” states Charles Crenshaw, CEO of ISONAS Security Systems, a provider of IP-at-the-door reader-controllers. “This meant incompatible installations, separate management software and multiple maintenance contracts.”

Fortunately, today’s access control systems are increasingly IP-based. By piggybacking on the existing network and its cabling, facility managers and security personnel can quickly and easily install door access readers to a common network switch with standard cables.

If the network switch has a built-in power over Ethernet (PoE) feature — a common feature — it can even supply power to door access readers through the CAT-5 cabling, with no need to tap into building power. Comprehensive access control management software is then used to manage an unlimited number of readers from a single, Web-enabled interface.

“IP-based access control systems reduce installation costs. That, combined with the continuing reduction in the cost of door access readers means the ‘cost per door’ has dropped significantly over the past 5 years,” says Crenshaw. “It is also much more scalable, so it’s very easy to start in one area and expand into other areas as needs expand or funding becomes available.”

Securing Doors

In 2010, Moundview Memorial Hospital & Clinics in Wisconsin decided to upgrade its physical security infrastructure with a new, IP-based access control system. Moundview Memorial provides 24-hour emergency care, clinic, inpatient care, outpatient services, diagnostic testing, surgical procedures and senior services.

According to Jim Franckowiak, Moundview Memorial’s Director of Information Technology (IT), the previous attempt at access control involved a series of keys that were shared by individuals who need to enter important operational locations within the hospital.

“We routinely found ourselves having to track down keys and replace not only keys but locks as well if the keys were lost or if an employee left and forgot to turn their keys in,” explains Franckowiak.

His criteria in selecting an upgraded system included ease of installation, complete access control functionality including the ability to remotely lock down a controlled area if necessary, and the ability to manage the system via a Web browser using a computer, tablet or Smartphone. He found these features in the IP-based system offered by ISONAS Security Systems.

“Having Web access to the system I can access remotely, or from my iPad, is very convenient since it allows me to provide access to any door in the system no matter where I am at the moment,” said Franckowiak.

The system was initially deployed in a medical supplies storage area and later expanded to additional departments including the pharmacy, the IT server room, the emergency treatment facilities, and the mail room.

Installation of the hardware was done by in-house maintenance personnel that installed the low voltage CAT-5 cabling, the ISONAS PowerNet reader-controllers and the other door hardware such as locks and sensors. The IT department configured the management software.

Today, the system provides administrators at Moundview Memorial with accountability that was not previously available since the system automatically logs the identity of each person entering a door or accessing a facility along with the time of entry.

“Superior physical security applied to the security realities of today’s healthcare facilities environment is what we were after,” says Franckowiak. ”And that’s what we got.”

Medication Security

Every year in American hospitals approximately 400,000 patients become ill or injured as a result of a medication error. In as many as 7,000 of these cases the final outcome is death. With liability costs averaging more than $600,000 per incident, many hospitals are addressing shortcomings in their medication dispensing process.

At Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, an area of concern was its medication storage. Nurses had to make repeated trips to a medication cart located in the hallway to pick up medications. With 20 or more cart doors and an unreliable, antiquated manual lock system, personnel struggled to maintain security.

Under the direction of Sinai Hospital patient care director Bonnie Hartley Faust, MS, MBA, RN, Sinai Hospital selected and installed 400 NetLock Medication Cabinets from Cygnus Inc. pre-integrated with a security access lock system from ISONAS.  Each cabinet can be accessed with an employee badge, thus eliminating the need to remember a code or carry a key.

Using management software, reports are used to track who entered each cabinet and when. Any cabinet can be individually assigned access privileges for that location. For example, nurses and pharmacy staff can be allowed access to a defined list of cabinets and floors limited by specific hours. In addition, pharmacy personnel who stock cabinets can be assigned access at pre-defined time periods.

Securing Other Areas

Door access readers can now also be installed inside a fleet of ambulances that are either run by, or partnered with a hospital. In doing so, the access system’s management software can be updated to grant access to the EMTs that operate ambulances. Wireless technology can be used to automatically update the ambulances when they are parked in front of the hospital.

Parking lots is another application that may be of interest to a medical facility.  Installing a centralized access control system and long-range readers at parking facilities reduces parking conflicts and makes it easier for the hospital personnel to enter the lots.

Not all of these areas, though, would necessarily come under the same person’s direct control, says Crenshaw. For that reason, the access control system’s management software has the ability to give administrators control over different portions of the system. For example, in-room cabinets might be monitored by a nursing department, the data center by the IT staff, and building entrances and parking access by the security group.

Article reprinted with permission from Campus Safety Magazine (http://www.campussafetymagazine.com/). To sign up for their eNewsletter, visit www.CampusSafetyMagazine.com/Enews/SignUp.

Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers. It accounts for nearly half of all cancers in the United States. More than 2 million cases of basal and squamous cell skin cancer are found in this country each year. Melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, will account for more than 75,000 cases of skin cancer in 2012.

 Don’t Fry Day: The National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention has created an awareness campaign and has designated the Friday before Memorial Day (May 25, 2012) as National Don’t Fry Day.

They encourage non-profit organizations, local, state, and federal governments, public health professionals, and educators who promote the importance of skin cancer prevention and sun-safety behaviors to use the Don’t Fry Day logo and materials, available for download on their resource page:

http://www.skincancerprevention.org/node/282?q=programs/dont-fry-day/resources

Other great resources and effective public service announcements/educational videos can be found and shared through sites like the Mollie’s Fund Melanoma Awareness & Education Page and the David Cornfield Melanoma Fund. Mollie’s Fund page offers a downloadable app with educational and instruction tools, as well as many other resources, while the David Cornfield Melanoma Fund site offers printable pages for recording the location of moles on one’s body, steps for checking your skin, and a quick reference sheet, “The ABCDEs of Melanoma Detection.”

The American Cancer Society is another great resource for skin cancer facts and prevention tips: http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/CancerCauses/SunandUVExposure/skin-cancer-facts

Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers. It accounts for nearly half of all cancers in the United States. More than 2 million cases of basal and squamous cell skin cancer are found in this country each year. Melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, will account for more than 75,000 cases of skin cancer in 2012.

Many healthcare facilities/systems use this month to create awareness and educate staff members, patients and the community. When pulling together information for your facility you’ll find amazing, free resources online.

Don’t Fry Day: The National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention has created an awareness campaign and has designated the Friday before Memorial Day (May 25, 2012) as National Don’t Fry Day.

They encourage non-profit organizations, local, state, and federal governments, public health professionals, and educators who promote the importance of skin cancer prevention and sun-safety behaviors to use the Don’t Fry Day logo and materials, available for download on their resource page:

http://www.skincancerprevention.org/node/282?q=programs/dont-fry-day/resources

Other great resources and effective public service announcements/educational videos can be found and shared through sites like the Mollie’s Fund Melanoma Awareness & Education Page and the David Cornfield Melanoma Fund. Mollie’s Fund page offers a downloadable app with educational and instruction tools, as well as many other resources, while the David Cornfield Melanoma Fund site offers printable pages for recording the location of moles on one’s body, steps for checking your skin, and a quick reference sheet, “The ABCDEs of Melanoma Detection.”

The American Cancer Society is another great resource for skin cancer facts and prevention tips: http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/CancerCauses/SunandUVExposure/skin-cancer-facts