September 3, 1999

A message from James J. Mongan, MD, president of the MGH
Congress and the White House will soon make crucial decisions about repairing the Balanced Budget Act (BBA) and restoring Medicare cuts that are affecting hospitals' ability to care for patients. The American Hospital Association (AHA) and other organizations have made progress in convincing members of Congress and the Clinton administration that BBA relief is vital. The AHA has asked that hospitals across the country participate in a national campaign, "Hospital Caregivers for BBA Relief," with a goal of delivering one million postcards to Congress. The MGH is making these postcards available to employees and staff to sign and send to Congress with a message that Medicare funding must be restored if the MGH is to ensure that patients will continue to receive the best possible care. Cards will be available Sept. 3, 9 am to 5 pm, in the White basement, next to the stairs across from the Eat Street Cafe. For more information about the BBA, access the AHA website at www.aha.org.

Ovarian Cancer Awareness month
September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness month. According to the Gillette Center for Women's Cancers at the MGH, ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of new cancer cases and leads to more female deaths than any other cancer of the reproductive system. One in 55 women will develop ovarian cancer, and women with a personal history of breast cancer are among those at risk. Information about risk factors, detection and treatment of the disease, as well as teal-colored ribbons symbolizing ovarian cancer awareness, can be obtained from the Gillette Center or the MGH Cancer Resource Room, located on Cox 1. For more information, call Aimee Harris, patient care assistant, at 4-4800.

MGH Revere launches literacy program
The MGH Revere HealthCare Center will launch the "Reach Out and Read Program," a national pediatric literacy program that encourages parents to read to their children at an early age. The program will begin with a celebration Sept. 15 at MGH Revere, 300 Ocean Ave. Revere Mayor Haas will be reading a children's book at 4:30 pm and many members of the MGH Revere staff – including Harwood Egan, MD, of Pediatrics and Roger Pasinski, MD, medical director – will be reading their favorite children's stories. Spanish and Khmer interpreters will be reading as well. There will be art activities, refreshments and prizes. Volunteers are needed to read to children as they wait for their appointments. For more information, call Susan Curley at (781) 485-6052.

New parent support group
The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is forming a new parent support group, "Working and Parenting in the First Year," beginning Sept. 21, 1 to 2 pm, in VBK 401. This six-week group will meet every other Tuesday to address the needs of new parents. Topics will be identified in the first meeting, which will become the focus for subsequent meetings. Pre-registration is required. For more information, contact the EAP at 6-6976.

Volunteer mentors needed
The MGH/Timilty Partnership is seeking volunteers to mentor students from the James P. Timilty Middle School. MGH volunteers will help students develop projects for competition in the school's annual science fair. To learn more about the Science Fair Mentoring Program, visit the Partnership website at timilty.boston.k12.ma.us/mgh, call 4-3210 or send e-mail to timilty@partners.org.

Scientific writing course
The Clinical Research Program (CRP) and the Department of Psychiatry will offer a scientific writing course, Oct. 6, 13 and 20 in the O'Keeffe Auditorium, 4 to 5 pm. This educational series will focus on clarifying the writer's interests, creating an outline, avoiding obsessive perfectionism, writing multiple drafts, learning the peer-review process and much more. For a course description and information, call 6-1669.

Breastfeeding seminar
The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) will be offering the seminar, "Nourishing Your Newborn," Sept. 28, 1 to 2 pm, in VBK 401. The speaker, Germaine Lambergs, RN, an MGH lactation consultant, will gear this seminar toward expectant parents, new parents or employees considering having children. There will be a question and answer session, along with a tour of the lactation room for employees. For more information, call 6-6976.

Partners in Excellence awards nominations for 1999
Nominations for the Partners in Excellence awards, which recognize individuals and teams for exemplary contributions to Partners, are available through departmental supervisors. Nomination forms are due Sept. 22, and may be submitted through in-house mail to the Partners in Excellence Awards, Partners Employee Programs, Human Resources, 185 Charles River Plaza, or by fax to 4-0931. For more information, call 6-2230. Nomination forms also will be available online at http://is.partners.org/hr/employee/pep.html