October 21, 1998, Vol. 20, No. 39
October 21, 1998, Vol. 20, No. 39
Sections of this page:
Narayan Develops HIV Vaccine for Primates
Hospital extends tuition benefit
National awards go to coverage of School of Nursing program
KUMC students, staff pitch in For 1998 Christmas in October
Narayan Develops HIV Vaccine for Primates
KU Medical Center virologist Bill Narayan, DVM, PhD, has developed a live AIDS virus vaccine that prevents sexually transmitted HIV from developing into AIDS in primates.
Dr. Narayan’s research, published in the current Journal of Virology, moves his work a step closer to developing a treatment that kills HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
Using the new live AIDS vaccine therapeutically is similar to the treatment of rabies, Dr. Narayan explained. Physicians treat a rabid animal bite with a killed rabies virus from a duck embryo. His vaccine is given orally in a single dose.
The live vaccine developed by Dr. Narayan differs from the AIDSVAX being tested in humans. His vaccine is a live virus that has been changed genetically to make it a viral hybrid. Dr. Narayan’s goal is to present research findings to the Food and Drug Administration for approval of testing in humans. The next phase of Dr. Narayan’s research will determine how quickly the immunity to AIDS is developed and how long the immunity lasts.
Students and faculty in Physical Therapy Education hosted an exhibit at Mission Center Mall Oct. 15 and 17 in honor of National Physical Therapy Month. The exhibit offered free blood pressure tests, an exercise readiness questionnaire and other information for planning a personal exercise regimen. Students and faculty also provided health tip brochures and general information on physical therapy. Approximately 200 persons visited the booth during the event.
Establishing a new organization is a massive undertaking and answers aren’t always known when questions are asked. Hospital employees have had Human Resource questions which often involved complex issues. An informational update follows.
** There's good news on page two about Tuition Reimburse-ment
for hospital employees.
** The hospital HR Policies and Procedures are nearly ready for
distribution and communications.
** The questions on “out of pocket” expenses for state
employees covered under a health plan including KUMC are complex.
The issues involve insurance and governmental regulations and
restrictions. "We understand the concern and confusion of
employees as they are signing up for next year's health care
plans. We regret the delay and intend to have information for
employees by Monday, October 26," said Jon Jackson, chief
operating officer.
“Out of pocket” expenses include insurance deductibles
and co-payments. Some health insurance plans do not have
deductibles and a very low co-payment. If you have questions
about your health plan choice, contact the hospital HR
department, ext. 4528, or the University HR department, ext.
5087.
** You must enroll separately for the new Vision Plan in this
year's health plan.
** Each year, people must enroll for the Flex program,which sets
aside dependent care costs and health care costs in a pre-tax
account.
** The open enrollment period for health care insurance ends
October 30.
**The hospital HR department is now in 5021 Delp and the main
number is 4500.
Prepare for holiday
shopping!
Auxiliary bazaar opens with special ceremony
Reserve Oct. 28 and 29 for holiday shopping! That’s when the KUMC Auxiliary Bazaar will get under way. This year’s event is your chance to buy books, plants, a handmade quilt, baked goods, handmade crafts, jewelry, holiday decorations, plants, and wooden clocks. It also will offer the traditional -- and famous -- annual luncheon.
A special ceremony will open this year’s bazaar. The ceremony recognizes the KUMC Auxiliary’s 50th anniversary and begins at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, in the hospital main lobby. The event will include musical entertainment by the Lyric Ensemble, a string quartet composed of Auxiliary members. After the ceremony, the bazaar will officially be open for business 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 28 and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 29.
A $6 ticket will give you a chance to enjoy the famous Auxiliary luncheon Oct. 28 in Delp Cafeteria. This year’s menu features Chicken Valle d’Auge, seasoned rice, lemon glazed carrots, green salad, rolls, desert, coffee and iced tea. The luncheon will have a seating at 11 a.m. and noon. You can buy tickets now in the Main Lobby and Sunflower (Delp Corridor) gift shops.
Around KUMC...
What’s New
Employee, student Flu shot clinic is Oct. 28
The second employee, student and volunteer flu shot clinic will
be 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday Oct. 28, in Delp Cafeteria’s
Prairie Room. Valid staff or student identification is required
to receive the shot. People cannot receive the vaccine before the
flu shot clinic. However, those who can’t attend the clinic
itself can call Occupational Health Clinic after Oct. 28 to
arrange for getting the vaccine. If you have any questions, call
ext. 6512.
LD, ADHD Conference Set
Donald Hagen, executive vice chancellor, the Department of
Student Services, the Department of Human Resources, and the
Office of Equal Opportunity are sponsoring a satellite,
teleconference on legal issues for adolescents and adults with
learning disabilities (LD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD). The conference will be 1 to 3 p.m. Thursday,
Oct. 29, in Wahl West Auditorium. Primary topics are programming
and policy for adolescents and adults with either LD or ADHD.
Call Carol Wagner, ext. 7813, for reservations. People needing
accommodations to fully participate can call LuVina Davis, ext.
5079.
Brandmeyer is Endowment VP
Jim Brandmeyer has been named vice president for medical
development. Brandmeyer is a 1973 graduate of the KU School of
Journalism and Mass Com-munications and earned a master’s
degree in business administration from Rockhurst College in 1990.
He came to KU from UMKC, where he was assistant vice chancellor
for development.
COBRA conference is Nov. 18
The Department of Family Medi-cine and the Graduate Medical
Edu-cation Office will be host to a Nov. 18 conference on COBRA
issues as they relate to faculty, fellows, and residents. It will
be noon to 1 p.m. in Sudler Auditorium. Steve Ruddick, KUMC legal
counsel, will speak about newly revised regulations in Medicare
payment and patient care. All staff physicians, fellows, and
residents are encouraged to attend. Lunch will be provided for
those making a reservation with their department residency
coordinator. For more information call Charlene Plotycia, ext.
1959, or Cathy Hightower, ext. 7226.
June Miller services Oct. 16
June B. Miller, 81, first chairperson of the KUMC Hearing and
Speech Department, died Oct. 12, at her home. During her 1949 to
1983 tenure, Dr. Miller helped lay the foundation for the current
degree program in deaf education, and the graduate programs in
speech-language pathology and audiology offered through the KU
Intercampus Program in Communicative Disorders.
Memorial services were Oct. 16. Interested persons can make
memorial contributions to the June B. Miller Scholarship Fund,
Hearing and Speech Department, University of Kansas Medical
Center, 3901 Rainbow Blvd., Kansas City, KS 66160.
Karen Wambach Publishes article
An article by Karen Wambach, RN, PhD, clinical assistant
professor, entitled “Maternal Fatigue in Breastfeeding
Primiparae During the First Nine Weeks Post Partum,” was
published in the September 1998 issue of the Journal of Human
Lactation.
It’s pumpkin-decorating time!
Call Susan Kurien at ext. 2911 to reserve your pumpkin for the
annual Pumpkin Decorating Contest! You can pick up your gourd at
the main cafeteria Friday, Oct. 23, and decorate to your heart’s
content until 9 a.m. Oct. 29. That’s when the Holiday
Planning Committee will begin judging the entries. Prizes will be
given for creativity, uniqueness and detail. For more
information, call Karen Scheunemann, ext. 4522.
Hospital extends tuition benefit
Hospital leadership has extended the tuition benefit to hospital employees through June 30, 1999. State employees will continue to receive the benefit, through the University.
“We took this action and are underwriting the costs because we realized employees have been planning on this benefit,” said Deborah Hays, vice president of human resources. “At this time, we don’t know what will occur after June 30. But, we wanted to make this decision at this time so employees currently in fall classes and those planning on winter and summer sessions, beginning before June 30, would know that the tuition benefit will continue during this period.”
The hospital’s decision enables full-time employees, spouses and children to take KU classes at in-state tuition rates, regardless of their residency. The benefit also waives campus fees for full-time employees and families. Part-time employees receive the in-state tuition benefit.
The hospital extended this benefit because current regulations require recipients of this benefit to be state employees, when they complete the course. However, hospital employees are no longer state employees and thus the benefit was no longer available to them through the state. The hospital will continue communicating with University officials to determine whether this benefit can continue beyond June 1999. In the meantime, the hospital will pay the difference between in- and out-of-state tuition for employees.
National awards go to coverage of School of Nursing program
News coverage of the KU School of Nursing’s distance education program in Time Magazine and CNN’s “Heroes in Medicine: The Wired Prairie” have won national awards.
CNN’s coverage won the 1998 Primary Care Award for National Broadcast from the Pew Health Professions Commission and the American Academy of Nursing for its excellent reporting of the School’s solution to the health care crisis in rural Kansas. The American Academy of Nursing also recognized the CNN segment and the Time article collectively as an honorable mention in its 1998 AAN Media Awards program.
“This multi-media coverage featured the work of nurse practitioners Gemma Doll and Helen Connors in providing critical health services to the underserved rural population in Kansas,” the American Academy of Nursing said in its award for the program. “Highlighted in the segments and article is the unique long-distance educational program at the University of Kansas and the use of telecommunications technology as a model for delivering basic health care in rural areas across the U.S.”
KUMC students, staff pitch in For 1998 Christmas in October
Christmas came early this year for several Rosedale residents. More than 200 KUMC volunteers — nearly half of them students — revitalized eight homes in the neighborhood during the annual Christmas in October event Oct. 10. Painting, plastering, pruning, hanging gutters and repairing roofs made it an ideal break from studying.
“It was nice to get outside, escape studying physiology, and help the community in a different way,” said first-year medical student Shane Kim.
Amy Williams, also a first year medical student, agreed. “It was really amazing to see how much we could accomplish when we all worked together, she said.
Student involvement in the Christmas in October has helped it grow each year and allows our KUMC team to reach out to the local community in a special way. To see photographs and information on other community service opportunities, visit the KUMC Community Service website, <www.kumc.edu/AMA-MSS/commserv>.
I am pleased to give this week’s message to Dean Karen L. Miller. I hope you’ll enjoy hearing from her and learning why I am so proud of our School of Allied Health.
Greetings from the School of Allied Health! This fall, 201 new students are continuing their undergraduate programs or beginning graduate studies in one of our 10 departments. The criteria for admission are high and numbers are limited by the availability of clinical education opportunities. The 460 students who comprise the SAH in 1998 make it one of the largest in the country. The School comprises the departments of Hearing and Speech, Respiratory Therapy, Medical Technology, Cytotechnology, Biometry, Health Information Management, Dietetics and Nutrition, Nurse Anesthesia, Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy. All our educational programs are nationally recognized and some have received special accolades this year.
For instance, the KU Intercampus Program in Communicative Disorders is a partnership between the Lawrence Department of Speech-Language-Hearing in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and KUMC Department of Hearing and Speech. US News and World Report ranked this innovative program in the top 10 professional programs in this discipline. The Physical Therapy program has been named a national leader in distance education. Our Occupational Therapy department is renowned for our faculty’s research into the treatment of autistic children. Health Information Management was named a benchmark program for HIM education in the country this year. School of Allied Health students have the most opportunities for rural, regional and out-of-state student clinical affiliation sites of all of our health sciences programs.
Many faculty and students have asked about the role of the KU Hospital Authority in our educational mission. One of the most important tenets of the University of Kansas Hospital Affiliation agreement with the University’s Schools of Allied Health, Nursing, Pharmacy and Medicine is that our University Hospital will continue to be the primary teaching site for KU students in all of the health sciences. The importance of our education and research missions to the clinical services provided at the Hospital was emphasized in all of the transition documents. Our students will continue to have clinical practice opportunities throughout Kansas City and our region, but their “home base” for clinical education will be KU Hospital. We expect our tradition of excellence in education to be enhanced through a strong and vibrant University Hospital!
The transition to the Authority culminated from much work and thoughtful deliberations by Medical Center leaders. I was so impressed with everyone’s determination to achieve the goal of creating the new Hospital Authority. If you were one of the many people directly affected by this change, I want to add my sincere thanks for your perseverance. I know that several faculty and staff from the School of Allied Health coped with uncertainty during this time. I appreciate their patience and commitment to teaching our students to be excellent clinicians. I am proud of our history of collaboration with clinical departments of the hospital. Thank you for this and for your support of a great “new” KU Medical Center.
Automotive
For Sale
For sale: Full-size mattress and box springs, $50.
Kenmore portable dishwasher $75. Call 299-4207.
For sale: Compound bow, tree-bark camo, 50-60 lb. draw, with a
four-pin sight add-on. Essentially new, $75. Call Francis,
851-4767.
For sale: Dining room table, oval, cream, with four chairs and
leaf. Contemporary style, well cared for, $350. Coffee table,
$20. Call 236-7629.
For sale: IBM compatible PC with color monitor. Good condition,
$250 or best offer. Primitive Macintosh $50.00 or best offer. HP
printer $50 or best offer. Call 361-0322.
For sale: Couch with matching chair. Bold colors, black, teal,
maroon with others. $200. Call Mack or Cecilia, 236-8590.
For Sale: Three by five-foot beveled glass top dining room table
with four upholstered chairs. Excellent condition. $150. Call
362-1860.
For sale: JVC stereo with five-disc CD changer, dual tape deck,
equalizer and speakers. Five years old. $400 or reasonable offer.
Queen size rice poster mahogany bed with mattress and box
springs. Best offer. Call 763-9550.
For sale: Hot Point refrigerator/freezer, 22 cubic feet,
side-by-side, almond, ice and water in door. Excellent condition.
$100. Pick up in Mission area. Oval wood dining table, sturdy,
$20. Canon table-sized copy machine, works well, needs new paper
rollers, Danka repair estimate was $50. Call 438-5043.
Pets
Free: Adorable brown gerbils. Born 9-13-98. Call 454-1034.
For sale: 1984 Honda CB 650SC (650 Nighthawk) motorcycle, in good
condition, shaft drive. $1,100. Call 785-242-1243.
Housing
For rent: Three-bedroom duplex in Grain Valley. Call 229-4171.
For sale: Well-kept one-bedroom house in very quiet neighborhood.
Large fenced front and back yard, full basement, small garage,
stove and refrigerator, storm windows, new central air and
heating. Off-street parking close to 18th Street Expressway, I-70
and I-35. Would make a great starter home. Asking $22,000. Call
Mary, 531-5546.
Wanted
Wanted: Solid color bright red throw rugs in assorted sizes in
good condition. Call 334-9938.
Last week’s Topics inadvertently announced that the School of Nur-sing’s Nov. 3 “Out of the Ground” celebration was “open to all KUMC employees”. This event is actually by invitation because space is limited. However, any KUMC employee who wants to attend the celebration can do so by contacting Kari Ziblut, School of Nursing senior projects coordinator, by email at <kziblut> or by calling ext. 1616 before Oct. 27.
Note: This week's TOPICS has been delayed so the latest information could be included. In the future, TOPICS will be published on Wednesdays and 'special editions' will address late-breaking news.
Topics
Information
Topics is the employee
publication of the University of Kansas Medical Center.
It is published weekly by the office of Public Relations and
Marketing. The deadline for submitting news briefs for
consideration is noon on the Wednesday before they are to appear.
For longer articles or features, contact the editor in advance.
Send story ideas to Leslie Champlin, acting editor, G114
Hospital, or e-mail: lchampli@ kumc.edu or call ext. 1602
Topics ad policy
Send or bring your ad to Topics, G114 KU Hospital, or fax to ext.
1225, or e-mail: lchampli@kumc.edu by noon Wednesday of the week
before it is to run.
Ads run free of charge for employees, students and volunteers.
For-sale ads are limited to three items. All ads must include the
advertiser’s name and work extension (or medical student box
number) for verification.
Only home phone numbers --- no pager numbers or KUMC extensions
--- will be published. No ads for commercial services or pets for
sale will be accepted. Ads will not be taken by telephone. Only
one phone number per ad.
Ads may be a held a week if space is limited.
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