• An evening of inspiration
  With the arrival of the fall season, a crowded social calendar of fundraising dinners and galas also descends upon Boston residents. During this season of chicken dinners, silent auctions and lengthy presentations, there is one event that always delivers a healthy dose of inspiration —the Kenneth B. Schwartz Center dinner.

• Torchiana selected to lead MGPO
  David F. Torchiana, MD, chief of MGH Cardiac Surgery, has been selected as the new chairman and chief executive officer of the Massachusetts General Physicians Organization (MGPO) effective Jan. 1, 2003. Torchiana will succeed Peter L. Slavin, MD, who is assuming the role of MGH president at the beginning of the year.

• Handy hygiene message: "Don't forget, disinfect"
  As part of the MGH Hand Hygiene Program, posters have been distributed throughout the hospital this week to remind MGHers to practice good hand hygiene both before and after patient contact. By using Cal Stat – the waterless hand disinfectant available on all inpatient units and outpatient practices – employees and staff can reduce the risk of spreading infections.

• Program gets a helping hand from residents
  Improving hand hygiene practice is an important priority at the MGH. It directly helps patients because it reduces the incidence of nosocomial or hospital-acquired infections.While the MGH Hand Hygiene Program has been in effect for a couple of years to help educate and inform MGHers about proper hand hygiene, there still is more work to be done to further reduce infections. A group of house officers on the Bigelow Teaching Service recently joined together to help with the effort.

• Celebrating medical nursing as a specialty
  The nursing profession is a complex field that offers many career options. The broad range of nursing specialties encompasses every component of the medical spectrum. However, medical nursing – the very foundation of nursing – sometimes is overlooked as a highly specialized form of the profession. Medical nurses work in the general medical units and the medical intensive care units and often care for the sickest patients with a variety of complex medical problems.

• Helping women stay well
  The second annual MGH Women's Wellness Fair was held Oct. 10 under the Bulfinch Tent for employees, patients and visitors. The fair provided information about various women's health issues – including menopause, nutrition, cardiac health and women's cancer prevention.

• Memorial service for young patients
  Family, friends and caregivers of young patients who have died at the hospital, gathered in the O'Keeffe Auditorium for the 11th annual Pediatric Memorial Service Nov. 3. The program is designed to honor the memories of the children and to provide comfort and support to the families and staff who loved them.

• Recognizing Ramadan
  MGHers of the Muslim faith were on hand Oct. 31 to help educate the MGH community about the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. At an information table in the Main Corridor (below), Firdosh Pathan, RPh, of the MGH Pharmacy, and other MGHers offered information about Ramadan, which is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar.

• What's Happening

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