nothing lost in translation

Andrew Tang started volunteering and working with Cantonese- and Mandarin-speaking patients at Alta Bates Summit when he was 62 years old. Now, after a decade of helping Summit patients navigate their health care, he is closing the volunteerism chapter of his life. “After all,” quips Andrew, “I’m 72 years old! I want to slow down a little bit.”

Andrew first volunteered through Alta Bates Summit’s Asian Outreach Program, after hearing of the need for Chinese interpreter services at the medical center. He had recently returned home to the Bay Area following a career as a pharmaceutical researcher in Michigan.

“We’re located in what’s considered one of the most linguistically diverse areas in the state of California,” says Christine Smallwood, manager of the diversity program at Alta Bates Summit. She estimates that the hospital accommodates interpretive services for upward of 30 languages.

Andrew and other trained interpreter volunteers make patients feel comfortable with the simple act of conversation in their native or primary language. “Most of the time, we are proactive in asking the patients if they understand everything that they need to know,” he says. “We also ask the nurse if there’s anything the patient needs to know. Sometimes, it’s just saying hello to see that they’re doing alright.” Bilingual volunteers are also able to help patients and their families access language services. On many other occasions Andrew’s assistance was crucial. “We helped families in making some critical decisions in terms of life-sustaining efforts, or committing to long-term nursing homes or hospice,” he says. “Those are some very important decisions the family has to make. Although we were just doing interpretation, our presence, in my judgment, was quite valuable.”

.

Teri Schlesinger, senior telecom analyst. hospital communication meets star trek In a fast-paced hospital environment, members of the medical team — nurses, physicians, and therapists — need to be in constant contact. But cell phones fail in some areas of the hospital, and pagers don’t allow for an instant response. So, one year ago, Alta Bates Summit Medical Center became one of the first hospitals in the East Bay to adopt an innovative technology that allows instant person-to-person communication between staff via a hands-free device that hangs like a pendant around the neck — much like the communication badges used by the characters on Star Trek. The Vocera Communications System ensures that medical center staff can speak to each other anytime, wherever they may be. The caller simply presses one button on the small device and uses a simple voice command to make a call. The person receiving the call can also answer with a voice command, and both people can converse hands-free as they work. Medical center staff now are using the wireless system to transmit 4,000 calls a day. Physicians who use the technology have reduced their time to respond to a page from five minutes to two minutes. “Anything we can do from a technology perspective to make communication easier for the clinician is bound to improve patient care,” says Teri Schlesinger, senior telecommunications analyst at Alta Bates Summit. The system is being used in Acute Care Nursing, the Emergency Department, and Surgery, and will eventually be used by Patient Transportation and other support service departments at Alta Bates Summit. And now, Alta Bates Summit is beginning to link patients into the system as well. As Teri explains, “We’ve designed the system in such a way that patients can actually dial from their bedside telephone and reach their nurse.”

 

Going, Going, Green

Sharon Leaf, Pharm.D., lead pharmacist.

When people flush medications down the sink or toilet, the drugs can end up in water that is released into lakes, rivers, bays, and the ocean. Traces of these drugs have even made their way into our drinking water. To keep our water clean and safe for humans and other living things, Alta Bates Summit piloted a medication “take back” program more than a year ago. “Patients can bring unused, unwanted, and expired medications back to us,” says Sharon Leaf, Pharm.D., lead pharmacist at the hospital’s Peralta Outpatient Pharmacy. “Participants are making a personal contribution that’s really tangible.” A pharmacy disposal company safely incinerates medications so they don’t end up in landfills or the water supply.

More planet-saving news: Alta Bates Summit was the first hospital in California to convert to environmentally friendly IV containers. The new VisIV containers have no polyvinyl chloride, which releases chemicals linked to cancer and birth defects. The VisIV containers also have no plastic overwrap that needs removal, which means less plastic goes to landfills. Alta Bates Summit is also almost 100 percent mercury-free and has reduced the amount of chemicals used in housekeeping. In addition, the hospital has recycled more than 360 tons of paper and cardboard; 420 tons of metal, steel, concrete, office furniture, and construction debris; and 45 tons of green waste.

Don't Toss Those Pills! Drop off your unused medications (no controlled substances) at the location below. (To protect your privacy, use a black marker to mark out your name, address, and phone number on the labels.) Peralta Outpatient Pharmacy 3100 Telegraph Ave., Ground Floor Oakland, (510) 869-8835 Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.