1. No category

THE REPORTER
December 15, 2006
Georgia
Regional
Hospital
at
Savannah
www.garegionalsavannah.com
GRH-S
Decking the Halls
THE CHRISTMAS TREE WAS LIT in the annual tree lighting ceremony early this December.
Serendipity
he holiday season kicks off at GRH-S with its 3rd
annual Tree Lighting Ceremony. Clients and staff
enjoyed the warm late afternoon weather on
December 5 as they sang Christmas Carols. Music
was lead by Angela Powell, a former GRH-S Activity
Therapist, who is now a music teacher at Windsor Forrest
Elementary School. Ms. Powell was joined by several
students in holiday attire who assisted in leading the
singing.
T
Dr. Li, RHA acted as the guest speaker and did the honors
of flipping the switch to light the tree this year, which was
on the gazebo. The tree had been hoisted up the previous
Friday, with the help of the firefighters and ladder truck of
Station Two from the Savannah Fire Department. The event
was followed up with Christmas tree shaped refreshments.
Thanks are extended to Mariah Hay for coordinating the event,
Dr. Li for acting as guest of honor and staff who brought
clients. Special thanks go to Angela Powell and her students
for leading carols, Savannah Fire Dept for lifting our tree and
to Maintenance for all the hard work to help make the event
possible.
Features
Santa Bringing a Cell?
The Gift of Life
Stars and Superstars
Quality Connection
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 7
2
December 15, 2006
The Reporter
NEWS
Free Flu
Shots
Holiday Humor
I stopped believing in Santa Claus when my
mother took me to see him in a department store,
and he asked for my autograph. Shirley Temple
EDITORIAL
The three stages of a man’s life:
1. He believes in Santa Claus
2. He doesn’t believe in Santa Claus
3. He is Santa Claus
Little things such as clothing and grooming can make a
big difference to our clients. It can impact self-esteem
and behavior, either helping or hindering treatment and
recovery. When Steve Johnson, Director of Psychology,
noted that all the clients were well groomed and well
dressed last month at Lee Marsh’s Treatment Mall, he
wanted to compliment the staff who got them ready on a
job well done. He wrote the following e-mail to Unit 5
Nurse Manager LaTanya Thompson commending the
staff;
Dear LaTanya,
I gave a lecture to Lee Marsh’s group at Serendipity
today. I noticed that all were groomed and well
dressed. I am certain that your staff assisted them.
Ms. Miller gave me these names: Sheryl Lexus,
Eloweese Coleman, Moses Adenyl, and Curtis Carter.
Please compliment them on jobs well done.
Respectfully,
Steve A. Johnson, Ph.D.
Infection Control
Linda Rowland
The flu season is just around the corner! Every year, hundreds
of people become very ill with influenza and miss many valuable
days at work. You can protect yourself, your family and our
GRH-S consumers by getting your flu vaccine.
If you do come down with the flu, please stay at home. We
need you here, but we need for you to be well. One person
entering a health care unit with influenza can potentially
infect the entire population housed there as well as the health
care staff! All persons are encouraged to protect themselves
from the flu by getting the flu vaccination and by practicing
good hand washing techniques.
Health officials have stated that holiday gatherings and travel
often help spread the flu, and recommend that anyone with
fever or other flu like symptoms limit contact with others.
Frequent hand washing can help reduce the risk of becoming
infected with influenza and other respiratory viruses that
circulate this time of year.
In a recent press article, Dr. Stuart Brown, director of the Division
of Public Health, stated “The appearance of flu this time of
year is to be expected. In our surveillance activities (in Georgia)
we have begun to see an increase in reports of influenza–likeillness from providers and I’ll expect we’ll see even more heading
into December.”
Influenza is a respiratory illness characterized by high fever of
102 degrees or greater, muscle aches, headache, sore throat
and a dry cough. This can last from a few days to over a week.
Approximately 36,000 people die from influenza each year and
more than 200,000 are hospitalized as a result of influenza in
the United States. These figures were quoted in an article
released November 20, 2006 by the Georgia Department of
Human Resources, Division of Public Health.
DON’T be a statistic! Get your flu shot. The flu vaccine is
given here at GRH-S at no charge to all employees. Please see
the Employee Health Nurse for your immunization. For
additional information, please call 356-2575.
ON CAMPUS
www.garegionalsavannah.com
GRH-S
January 2007
Employee of the Quarter –
nominations must be turned in to
an EMS Member by December 15
at 2:00pm. Winner will be
announced at General Staff
Meeting in January.
EMS Update
EMS
Colleen Hartman
Your EMS Team is working hard
on finalizing the 2007 Calendar of
Events. We will be having a
variety of events. We will have
fun events, service projects and
fundraisers. In order for us to
fund the fun events, we must raise
enough funds to cover the costs
by having profitable fundraisers.
Some events will be for staff and
some events will be for staff and
our clients. Here is a sneak peek
of the 2007 Calendar of Events:
Phone Recycle Fundraiser – Any
cell phones that you no longer
use, whether in working condition
or not, can be recycled. Please
contact your friends, family,
neighbors to collect old cell
phones and put in designated
boxes located in Unit #4, Unit #5,
Unit #6 and Building #1.
Enjoy the City Fundraiser – A
book full of Coupons for casual
dining, fast food, entertainment,
recreation retail services and travel
for ONLY $15.
February 2007
Mardis Gras Parade – this is a fun
event for clients and staff alike.
Work areas can create a unit to
participate in the parade.
Examples that were used in the
past include: a Kazoo Band
performed by miscellaneous staff
and Maintenance walked in the
parade portraying the television
Free Tax Filing Day – those of us
that need help, help will be
available!
T-shirt Sale Fundraiser – a variety
of colors as well as adding long
sleeve t-shirts is being planned for
this month.
March 2007
Theme Basket Raffle – start
putting on your thinking caps to
come up with an idea for your
department’s basket.
Yard Sale Fundraiser – Just in time
for Spring Cleaning. One person’s
junk is another person’s treasures!
Some of the other events in the
works include, but not limited to:
Ice Cream Social, Low Country
Boil, Employee Appreciation Day,
Talent Show, Jewelry Sale, Food
Drive and Holiday Party.
If you have any suggestions,
please contact Colleen Hartman
by e-mail or interoffice mail.
EMS
Did you know that improperly
disposing old cell phones can
contaminate our soil and drinking
water? Old cell phones contain
toxic materials such as arsenic,
lead and zinc. You can give old
technology new life and protect
our landfills by recycling your old
phone!
The Employee Morale and
Service Team is sponsoring a cell
phone collection, beginning now
and going through January, 2007.
Regardless of the phones
condition, we will accept your
phone and make sure that it is
properly disposed of. You will be
helping the environment and
helping raise money for the
Georgia Regional Hospital
Foundation. The Foundation
supports you and you can
3
show “Tim the Tool Man.” Clients
enjoy watching the parade as well
as catching candy and Mardis
Gras necklaces.
Santa Bringing You a Cell?
Linda Rowland
December 15, 2006
support the foundation with your
donation!
A drop off box will be located just
inside the entry of Building One.
All donations are appreciated and
a tax receipt will be issued upon
request.
Please contact Colleen Hartman at
356-2025 or Linda Rowland at 3562575 for more information.
Life Lesson #3
(Part 3 of 5)
Editorial
In the days when an ice cream
sundae cost much less, a 10-yearold boy entered a hotel coffee
shop and sat at a table. A waitress
put a glass of water in front of
him. “How much is an ice cream
sundae?” he asked. “Fifty cents,”
replied the waitress. The little boy
pulled is hand out of his pocket
and studied the coins in it. “Well,
how much is a plain dish of ice
cream?” he inquired. By now more
people were waiting for a table
and the waitress was growing
impatient. “Thirty-five cents,”
she brusquely replied. The little
boy again counted his coins. “I’ll
have the plain ice cream,” he said.
The waitress brought the ice
cream, put the bill on the table and
walked away. The boy finished
the ice cream, paid the cashier
and left. When the waitress
came back, she began to cry as
she wiped down the table. There,
placed neatly beside the empty
dish, were two nickels and five
pennies. You see, he couldn’t
have the sundae, because he had
to have enough left to leave her a
tip.
4
December 15, 2006
Unit 5
WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY
The Reporter
NEWS
The entire staff on unit #5 would like to extend a special thanks to Lee Marsh, Treatment Mall
Coordinator and Phyllis Lloyd, HSTL for the superb job you did preparing a Thanksgiving
meal for the patients on unit #5 on 11-8-06. Unit 5-day area was transformed into a festival
dining experience. Patients sat at covered tables and they were served a meal fit for a king.
Staff present on the unit graciously served the patients, and everyone ate until they were
stuffed like the turkey that was prepared. The food was superb and the patients really
enjoyed this special event. Again, thank you for a job well done. As this year quickly comes
to a close, we would like to extend a special word of thanks to Ms. Marsh for the day
treatment program and all the fun-filled activities she has planned on unit #5. Your presence
on the unit has made a huge difference in our patients’ behavior. THANK YOU for all you
have done for the patients and staff on unit #5.
Leona S. Miller, RN
Give the Best
Gift Ever. . .
The Gift of Life
Unit 6
Blood Drive
Far too many times Mental Health workers are overlooked in the health care field. I would like
to take this opportunity to acknowledge a team of professionals that exemplify the dedication
and caring it requires to serve the most neglected portion of our population.
Bonnie Watson
The staff of Unit 6 works diligently in providing world class care to the consumers they
serve, whether the census is 34 or 64 the consistently maintain non-judgmental professional
care to all consumers. To quote Denise Kearse, R.N., “They are all our patients”. I’m very
proud to be a member of this team.
Regina Kashian, R.N.
Acute Care
Unit 6
EMS Team
Ham & Turkey Raffle
Congratulations to the winners:
Ham: Rochelle McMoore - Acute Care Unit
Turkey: Lee Marsh - Patient Education
Turkey: Melissa Hutton - Business Office
Serendipity
Special thanks are extended to the Savannah Fire Department, Angela Powell and her
students, and Maintinence for going above and beyond to make our annual tree lighting a
successfull one!
The American Red Cross will
be conducting a community
blood drive again on
Wednesday, December 20,
from 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m.
and has asked the hospital to
be the community site and use
of the gym for this drive. The
blood supplies for this area
will be drastically down in
December and your help is
desperately needed. Mark
your calendars and please
consider donating blood on
December 20th. You’ll be
giving someone the best
Christmas present ever ... the
gift of life!
RECOGNITION
WELCOME & CONGRATULATIONS!
www.garegionalsavannah.com
GRH-S
December 15, 2006
5
Stars and Superstars
Unit 6
Welcome New Employees
Reatte Bowers
Ebony Famble
Willie Rhodes
Jimmy Schuman
Savonya Wright
Karen Green
Stephen Neilson
The following staff were mentioned by clients on the October 2006
Patient Satisfaction Survey as “most helpful” to them. These surveys
were completed by clients who were being discharged from Unit 6.
STARS are staff that were mentioned by at least one to four clients.
SUPERSTARS are staff who were mentioned by more than four clients.
Thanks and congratulations to all of you.
Acute Care
Acute Care
Recovery Care
Maintenance
Dobson House
Recovery Care
23 Hour
Stars:
Congratulation on Your Promotion
Whilhelmenia Taylor
Medical Records
Congratulations on Your Retirement
Jeff Andres
Steve Matthews
Maintenance
Maintenance
Faithful Service Awards
20 Years
Kathleen Brown
Denise Kearse
Leona Mileer
Linda Rowland
A publication of the
Georgia Regional Hospital
at Savannah
1915 Eisenhower Drive
Savannah, GA 31406
Recovery Care
Acute Care
Recovery Care
Nursing Administration
Conyers, James
Cooks-Jackson, Mary
Copeland, Larry Nathaniel
Doyle, LaToya
Gorini, Helen Mary
Green, Soloman
Nixon, Sean
Hash, Lonnie
Orear, Gary
Heyward, Eddie
Pellicano, Dr. Edward
Howell, Carmen
Perchal, Dr. Frank
Hunt, Travis
Pinkney, Leona
Hunter, Tobias
Ryles, Larose
Hurt, Brenda
Small, Helene
Jones, Kelly
Smith, Fannie
Keane, Holly
Snider, Misha
Lang, Vickie
Lloyd, Wallace
Super Stars
Martinez, Dr. Manuel Bland, Kevin
Mike, Sylvia
Gordon, Sarah
Moultrie, Nancy
Hunter, Kimberly
Murchison, Shirley
Johnson, Cynthia
Nixon, Dee
Kelly, Reginald
GRH-S R EPORTER
Editor
Asst. Editor
Mariah Hay
Joyce Fraser
Regional Hospital Administrator
Charles Li, MD
Division of Mental Health
Developmental Disabilities
and Addictive Diseases
Distributed the 15th of each
month for employees of GRH-S
Reporter Phone; 912.356.2103
THIS MONTH
6
December 15, 2006
GRH-S
www.garegionalsavannah.com
State Takes New Direction in Treating
Co-ocurring Disorders
DHR
Atlanta – Because 50-75% of
people with severe mental
illnesses also have a substance
abuse problem, Georgia’s
behavioral health care system
now requires every core service
provider to have expertise in
offering treatment for both
illnesses. Before, people who
were diagnosed with having both
conditions, known as cooccurring disorders, had to go to
different places to get treatment
in keeping with what had been a
national practice.
With the federal Substance
Abuse and Mental Health
Services
Administration
identifying integrated treatment
as a successful approach, Georgia
is now making it easier for people
to get treatment for co-occurring
disorders no matter what door
they enter.
“Since 2001, we have been
preparing to go in this new
direction,” said Gwen Skinner,
Director for the Division of Mental
Health,
Developmental
Disabilities and Addictive
Diseases. “Over the last several
years, we have trained more than
1,200 clinicians to identify and
treat both disorders and to provide
consumers with an integrated
plan. Our on-going and yearly
training for co-occurring disorders
is considered one of the best
trainings in the country and is
FINDING A NEW
DIRECTION. With
the federal Substance
Abuse and Mental
Health Services
Administration
identifying integrated
treatment as a
successful approach,
Georgia is now making
it easier for people to
get treatment for cooccurring disorders no
matter what door they
enter.
provided at no cost to our
service providers.”
MHDDAD also supports a
statewide 12-step self-help
program for people with cooccurring disorders called
“Double Trouble.” While the
12-step model has helped many
people with addiction, the
traditional 12-step programs
have often been ineffective in
supporting the needs of those
with both addiction problems
and mental illness.
Those suffering from cooccurring disorders have
greater problems with
medication compliance and
failure to respond to treatment
than those with just substance
abuse or mental illness.
Roughly 50% of individuals
with severe mental illness are
affected by substance abuse;
and 37% of alcohol abusers and
53% of drug abusers also have
at least one serious mental
illness.
Congratulations
Congratulations
Bree Watson and dance
partner Decho Kraev take 5th
place in the World
Championships
for
Professional
Rhythm
Ballroom
Dancing.
Attending the Ohio Star
Ball in Columbus, Ohio on
November 17, Bree and
Decho competed against
thirty other professional
dance couples to make it
into the final round. The
competition will be
televised
for
five
consecutive weeks on PBS
at 8:00 p.m. beginning
Wednesday, January 31,
2007, and each Wednesday
evening in February at 8:00
p.m. The duo are also
currently ranked 5th in the
National Professional
American
Rhythm
Championships, which they
achieved in September in
Miami, Florida. They have
been dancing together for
approximately three years.
(Bree is the daughter of
Bonnie
Watson,
Administrative Assistant
for the RHA and COO.)
Congratulations Bree and
Decho!
The Reporter
GRH-S
December 15, 2006
7
JCAHO Quality Connection
Each of us has a significant role
in any survey process. We are all
caregivers regardless of our
specific job title or function and
in conjunction with our facility
mission, quality service is our
goal.
JCAHO
Beginning January 2007, we can
anticipate JCAHO returning to
GRH-Savannah any time between
January 2007 and December 2007.
Our last triennial survey was July
6-9, 2004. We hope it is around
this same timeframe in 2007 that
they will return for our survey.
This time however, their visit will
be unannounced. Therefore we
must always be prepared for
surveyors to visit our facility.
When the surveyors arrive they
will be spending most of their time
observing and talking with staff
about the care and services we
provide. This will be an
opportunity for each of us to
demonstrate to the surveyors how
well we work together, to care for
consumers and their families.
Sometimes when we are asked
questions, we become nervous.
Just remember how hard you work
every day, doing what you do best
– your job. So when you are asked
a question, take a minute and
think about your answer. Think
about what you do to promote
safety, to reduce infection, how
you promote care, communicate
with others, and you will be able
to answer any question. And
don’t forget to look around. The
answer may be posted on the wall,
such as in the case of our fire
prevention plan, R-A C-E. our
performance improvement model,
FOCUS-PDCA, which is on the
back of your name badge.
As part of our on-going
preparation, you will receive
information to prepare you for the
2007 survey. Sometimes staff will
visit your area and ask you
specific questions about your
job, your role in the event of a
fire, consumer rights, etc. You will
also get information in written
form. Read this information,
discuss the information with coworkers, and become familiar with
the information.
Right Work, Right Way
DHR
Last month was the
due
date
for
submitting employees
for excellance in the
work place. The
nominations on the
right were the
nominations recieved
by Human Resources
for Georgia Regional
Hospital at Savannah.
Congratulations are
extended to the
nominees.
Dale Bond, Program Associate, Medical Records
Sheila Boyette, Registered Nurse, Special Care
Tina Butler, Executive Secretary, Clinical Services
Dawn Nelson-Everett, Operation Manager Analysis, Monitoring & Evaluation
Alexander Fields, Sergeant, Facility Police
Joyce Fraser, Program Associate, Serendipity
Anne Marie Grant, Program Assistant, DD Community Services
Marcia Hutton, Operations Analyst, Medical Records
Laila Jackson, Executive Secretary, Nursing Administration
Franchon Jernigan, Personnel Technician 2, Human Resources
Derrick Larry, Storekeeper, Food Service
Sandy Pullman, Lab Associate, Lab
Lori Riddle, Personnel Transactions Manager, Human Resources
Note: This reflects information provided to the Human Resources Department
by Nominators.
Don’t be Late!!!
Staff Ed.
Attention, Attention, Attention!
Beginning January 2007
employees arriving 15 (or more)
minutes late for class will be
required to reschedule training for
another date. Since many of the
classes
have
training
requirements for participants to
complete all modules sequentially,
it has become necessary to set
standards for attendance and
adhere to them. Remember that all
classes begin at 8a.m. unless
otherwise specified. Please make
every effort to adhere to this
requirement.
8 December
15, 2006
GRH-S
The Reporter
Spotlight On Human Resources
Human Resource Department
Contact Information
For HR questions, please see
below for the contact person:
912-356-2022 (Phone)
912-356-2740 (Fax)
Dana Holmes, Personnel
Technician 2—Employee
Benefits, Deferred
Compensation, Workers
Compensation, Leaves of
Absences, Faithful Service
Awards, and Retirement
Chon Jernigan, Personnel
Technician 2 and Selena
Shepard-Gaylor, Personnel
Technician 1—Recruitment/
Selection, New Hire
Processing, ID Badges, and
Employee Exit/Clearance
Process
Lakia Maxwell, Personnel
Technician 2—Payroll/
Transactions, DHR Debit
Cards, Payroll/Transactions
Reports, Employee SelfServe, and Verifications of
Employment
Lori Riddle, Personnel
Transactions Manager—
Payroll/Transactions, Accrued
Leave Issues, Unemployment,
DHR Debit Cards, Manager
Self-Serve, Verifications of
Employment and Wages,
Garnishments/Bankruptcy,
and Direct Deposit
Jamekia Powers, Personnel
Officer—HR Operations/
Management, DHR Policies
and Procedures, Allocations/
Reallocations, Advance Hire,
Salary Adjustments,
Grievance Process, and
Employee Discipline
HR
Jamekia T. Powers
Dana Holmes
From all
of us,
to all
of you!
Update on Peach State Reserves
401K and 457
As Peach State Reserves
transitions to a new record-keeper
(CitiStreet), PSR will not accept
any New Enrollments or
Reenrollments until December 27,
2006. Deferral change amounts
and revocations are still being
accepted.
SHPS Debit Card Usage at
Grocery and Discount Stores
Effective January 1, 2007, the
SHPS debit card can no longer be
used at “non-health related”
retailers such as: Kroger, WalMart, Target, etc. The IRS is
having problems differentiating
debit card transactions at these
retailers because pharmacy
counter point-of-sale machines
use the same Merchant Category
Code as the store itself. SHPS
cards may only be used at standalone pharmacies such as:
Walgreen, CVS, Rite-Aid etc.
Employees may also pay for items
with their own money and file a
request for reimbursement. If you
have any questions regarding this
new requirement, please contact
SHPS Customer Service Center at
1-800-893-0763
Update on Procedures for
Reporting Workers
Compensation
Please remember all injuries are to
be reported to your supervisor
immediately. The injured worker
may report the claim to DOAS,
although it is preferred that a
supervisor report the claim. When
reporting a claim to DOAS, please
ask the representative to transfer
your call to Amerisys once you
have submitted the claim
-HR
information. All injuries occurring
after 5:00pm should still be
reported to DOAS however, you
will receive a recording with
Amerisys. At the discretion of
the supervisor, if the injured
worker requires immediate
medical attention, please advise
the worker to proceed to the
nearest emergency care facility.
Otherwise a follow-up call will
need to be placed with Amerisys
the next day regarding treatment
for the injured worker.
Job announcements are
available online at:
www.garegionalsavannah.com.
You can also find a copy of all
announcements in the HR
Department. Applicants are
encouraged to start submitting
resumes or applications to our eaddress:
grhs_hr@dhr.state.ga.us.
Eventually, we will no longer
accept paper applications or
resumes (exact date and more
information will be provided
soon).
Effective Hiring Process and Job
Announcements
Effective October 1, 2006, we
adopted the Effective Hiring
Process used by the DHR State
Office. You may have already
noticed some of the changes and
additions to our hiring process.
Here is a brief list of changes you
will see: phone screens before
applicants are invited to face-toface interviews, immediate
feedback about the applicant’s
status after a face-to-face
interview, and a move toward
more electronic processes. We
will keep you updated as we
continue to implement this
process.
Employment Verifications
Employment verifications require
a written request. Verbal
verifications of employment
cannot be given. Requests are
processed within 72 business
hours.
FREE Computer Classes
The Live Oak Public Library
System offers a variety of
computer classes to the public.
The following courses would be
very beneficial for employees who
are beginners: Introduction to the
Internet, Windows, and E-mail.
The public library system also
offers introductory, intermediate
and advanced courses in
Microsoft Word, Excel and
HUMAN RESOURCES
www.garegionalsavannah.com
PowerPoint.
For more
information, please visit their
website
at:
http://
www.liveoakpl.org/Classes.htm
or call the main branch at 912-6523600. The St. Joseph/Candler
African-American
Health
Information & Resource Center
(AAHIRC) offers various
computer courses at their midtown location. For additional
information, please call (912) 4476605.
WHAT’SNEWWITHTHETEAM
GEORGIA CONNECTION
WEBSITE?
NOMINATE ONE OF YOUR COWORKERS FOR THE “SMART
GOVERNMENT SAVES AND
SERVES” SPOTLIGHT Please visit
the Team Georgia Connection
website from any computer at
www.team.georgia.gov for
instructions on how to nominate
your co-worker.
Other Employment
(Reference: DHR HR/Personnel
Policy
#1203—Other
Employment)
Employees are required to submit
the Request For Approval of
Other Employment form to their
supervisor prior to beginning
other employment. You should
not begin other employment until
you have received written
approval from your supervisor,
and an authorized official or
designee. In addition, employees
are required to notify their
supervisor of any changes in
GRH-S
previously approved other
employment. Employees of
GRHS are required to request
approval of other employment on
an annual basis. All forms must
be completed and submitted to
your supervisor no later than
January 31, 2007.
W-2 Forms
W-2 Forms will be issued to
employees on January 31, 2007.
Holiday Information
Full-time employees who are
scheduled to work on a holiday
will be given equal time off on
another day. To be eligible for a
paid holiday, you would need to
be in pay status either the day
before or the day after the holiday.
Being in pay status means you
would need to be at work or on
approved paid leave.
Employee Self-Service
Please remember to keep a record
of your password and answers to
your security questions for
Employee Self Service. You can
visit to access Employee SelfService from your work or home
computer. If you require any
assistance or training, please
contact Lakia Maxwell at 912-3562022 to make an appointment.
Personal Leave
Please remember that you will
need to use your remaining
Personal Leave elections no later
than December 31, 2006. Personal
Leave may be used for any reason
upon receiving supervisory
approval of the leave request.
Any Personal Leave converted
that has not been used by
December 31, 2006, will be LOST.
Personal Leave can be used
beginning January 1 of each year
through December 31.
Annual Leave Payout Checks
Employees eligible to earn leave
will be paid all available annual
leave after their employment
ends with the hospital (unless
you transfer to another State
Agency who accepts your leave
balances). The annual leave
payout check is usually issued
the next pay-period following
your last day of work. However,
this is not always possible. As
soon as the annual leave payout
is available, it will be issued to
the individual as indicated on the
clearance form.
Transfer to Other State Agency
If you submit a resignation,
please be sure to let us know if
you are accepting a position with
another State Agency or a
Community Service Board
(Department of Corrections,
Gateway, Pineland, etc.). This
information is needed to ensure
the transfer of employee benefits
and the correct service date.
Clearance Process
When your employment ends
with Georgia Regional Hospital
at Savannah, you must complete
the clearance process. The
necessary forms are available in
the
Human
Resource
Management Department. You
must complete this process
before you are issued your final
paycheck and/or the annual
leave payout check. Both your
final paycheck, and the annual
leave payout check will be a
paper check (final paychecks
and annual leave payout checks
are not electronically deposited
to your account).
December 15, 2006
9
Direct Bank Deposit
Direct Deposit and the DHR Debit
Master Card are the only methods
of receiving your paycheck. Please
remember that if you change your
direct bank deposit information,
you need to visit Human
Resources immediately to
complete
the
necessary
paperwork. It takes approximately
30 days to complete the change;
therefore, you will receive a paper
check for approximately 2 pay
periods. The paper checks can be
picked up from the Human
Resources
Management
Department on pay day.
Please submit your questions and/
or topic suggestions!!
Please submit questions and
suggestions via e-mail or interoffice
mail to Dana Holmes in the Human
Resource
Management
Department before the 20th of the
each month. We will discuss the
suggested topic or answer your
question in the next issue of the
Reporter (no names will be used).
10 December
15, 2006
Random Drug Testing
RANDOM
DRUG
TESTING
helps us
insure the
best possible
care to our
clients.
A random selection of specific
positions in jobs subject to Board
Directed Random Testing are
made. This random selection is
testing after receiving notification
Failing to remain readily available
for testing
Failing to provide adequate urine
for drug testing without a valid
medical reason (i.e., a medical
statement must be received which
indicates that the applicant/
employee is under treatment for a
condition which supports the
inability to produce urine sample).
When the testing laboratory and
Medical Review Officer determine
that the sample has been
adulterated or substituted.
Employees who refuse drug
testing will be IMMEDIATELY
separated from employment.
Applicants who refuse testing will
have the offer of employment
IMMEDIATELY withdrawn.
Applicants or employees who
refuse testing are not eligible for
future employment with DHR for
a period of two (2) years.
HR
Board Directed Random Drug
Testing
DHR Policy #1302 outlines
several drug testing programs
that are administered by DHR.
Random Drug Testing (Board
Directed Random) is one of those
programs. DHR employees in the
following jobs are subject to DHR
Board Directed Random Drug
Testing: Jobs which provide for
the care and treatment of patients,
clients, or customers under
circumstances in which an act of
negligence, other lapse of
judgment or act of misconduct
would jeopardize the safety of a
patient, client or customer; and
Jobs assigned to any substance
abuse treatment program within
DHR.
The Reporter
GRH-S
provided to us from the Georgia
Merit System, through the DHR
State Office.
Employees in selected positions
on the testing date are required to
report for drug testing
IMMEDIATELY upon receiving
the directive to report. The
employee reports to the
authorized collection site with a
picture ID and appropriate form.
Employees cannot be given
advance notice of testing, and
cannot be sent before the testing
date.
Applicants/employees
are
considered to have refused drug
testing under the following
circumstances:
Expressly refuse to submit to
testing
Engaging in conduct that clearly
obstructs the testing process
Failing to immediately report for
Employees who test positive for
an illegal drug(s) will be
IMMEDIATELY separated from
employment. Applicants who test
positive for an illegal drug(s) will
have the offer of employment
IMMEDIATELY withdrawn.
Applicants and employees who
test positive for an illegal drug(s)
are not eligible for future
employment with DHR for two (2)
years. Note: Applicants and
employees who are “new hires”
and test positive for an illegal
drug(s) are disqualified from State
employment for a period of two
years.
Reference: DHR HR/Personnel
Policy #1302
http://www2.state.ga.us/
departments/dhr/ohrmd/Policies/
1302.pdf
A Thanksgiving
Feast
Unit 4
The Secure Unit’s clients and staff
celebrate Thanksgiving with a
Thanksgiving dinner, held on the
Unit on Nov. 21st. Clients and
staff join together in decorating
and preparing for this event. All
unit’s disciplines participated in
preparing various dishes, turkey,
dressing, ham, fried chicken,
macaroni &cheese, potato salad,
greens, sweet corn, candied yams,
gumbo, rice, sweet potato pies,
pecan pies, pumpkin pies & peach
cobbler. A great time was had by
all.
Special thanks to Joyce Morris
and Jimmie Bartley of Activity
Therapy and Annette Fields and
Sharon Judson of the Secure unit
for planning and preparations of
this event!
COMING UP
www.garegionalsavannah.com
Get in the
Spirit of the
Holidays!
Wrap Day will be held in
Serendipity starting at 9 am. We
are encouraging wrappers to bring
scissors and tape (if possible) and
we can always use wrapping paper
and boxes if you are willing to
donate some.
11
Happy Birthday
January!
Jan. 1
Joseph Cooper
John Ingram
John Rechtzigel
Serendipity
Everyone enjoys feeling
remembered, especially around
the holidays. Sometimes we get
so caught up in our own lives, we
can forget the very people who
need us most-our clients. It
doesn’t take much to help make
this holiday season special for
someone else, especially when
everyone pitches in. This year we
are in need of boxes, wrapping
paper, and some special people
willing to donate an hour or two
of their time to help wrap the gifts
and stuff the stockings our
clients will receive on Christmas
morning.
December 15, 2006
GRH-S
Jan. 27
Jan. 15
Jan. 28
Jan. 16
Anthony Campfield
Jeanette Washington
Thomas Sweetenburg
Jan. 2
Maggie Eldridge
Jan. 17
Jan. 4
Beatrice McCall
Louise Johnson
Jeffery Andres
Lakia Maxwell
Jan. 29
David Bedford
Colleen Hartman
Walter Livingston
Dora Grant
Lorenzo Hurt
Jan. 18
Jan. 5
Cynthia Johnson
Alma Jones
Robert Weaver
Tameka Mitchell
Jan. 6
Kathryn McDermott
Lamar Stephens
Jan. 19
Lawrence Edge
Reginald Kelly
Amber Luxford
Kenneth Smart
Janice Franklin
Jan. 7
Martell Merritt
Maria Wieners
Jan. 9
Diandreia Glover
Jan. 31
Jan. 22
Erol Reid
Abdul El-Amin
Jan. 10
Melvin Nesbitt
Jannie Pope
Jan. 23
Jacquline Stanley
Jan. 25
Helene Small
Linda Stelianos
Jan. 13
Holly Keane
Jan. 14
Albertha Tolbert
Jan. 26
Barbara Munro
IF YOU DO NOT WANT YOUR BIRTHDAY
INCLUDED IN THE REPORTER PLEASE NOTIFY
EDITOR TWO MONTHS PRIOR TO PUBLISHING.
THANK YOU.
Michael Emerson
Dorothy Lloyd
John Smith
MARK YOUR
CALENDER!
Today is the last day
to order your Alee
Temple celebration
holiday pictures.
Did Santa bring
you a new phone?
Orderforms are available at the tront desk
in Building One.
Donate your old cell
phone to help raise money
for our foundation! Drop
box is located at the front
desk, Bldg 1.
Only $15
Enjoy the City
Get out and Enjoy the
City! (or just save
money on everything
from oil changes to
lunch at all your favorite spots) This book is
full of cupons for
casual dining, fast
food, entertainment,
recreation,retail services, travel and more....
Sponsored by the EMS Team. Proceeds Benefit the GRH-S Foundation.
Georgia Regional Hospital
at Savannah
1915 Eisenhower Drive
Savannah, GA 31406
December 15, 2006
THE
R EPORTER
www.garegionalsavannah.com