Violence Prevention Workshop for Jan 15th Cancelled
The Violence Prevention workshop (PVPC) for January 15th has been cancelled. Please sign up for the upcoming workshop on March 8th if interested. https://mennoplacestaff.com/vp-workshops/
Adrienne Alford Transitioning to HR Director for Abbotsford Police Department
MEMO
Date: January 11, 2024
To: All Menno Place Staff
From: Sujata Connors, CEO
Re: Adrienne Alford Transitioning to HR Director for Abbotsford Police Department
Menno Place has been fortunate to have a leader such as Adrienne Alford supporting us over this past year. Adrienne first came to Menno Place in a consultant capacity and later joined the Executive Team as Interim Director of People and Culture. After much pondering, and a very lengthy process, Adrienne has opted to accept an opportunity as Director of Human Resources with the Abbotsford Police Department.
Adrienne has let me know that she loves all of us here at Menno, however, her heart tells her that a career in healthcare is not for her in the long run and she would like us to be set up for long term success. Many of you may be aware that she worked for a very long time within military, and RCMP communities, so a return to that culture feels like a very natural calling to her.
Adrienne will be with us until February 2nd. She will be starting her new adventure on the February 5th. In the meantime, she will be focusing her time and attention wrapping up large projects and existing priorities. We are incredibly grateful for the time that we have had working with Adrienne. Her dedication, grace, knowledge, and professional leadership at the helm of the People and Culture team at Menno Place will be profoundly missed.
While we are in the process of the hiring the Manager, People and Culture as well as the Executive Director, People and Culture Strategy, an interim leadership support strategy will be implemented to support our People & Culture and Scheduling Teams. Many thanks to Ron Willms who will provide executive oversight to the People & Culture Team.
Please join me in wishing Adrienne the greatest of success in her new position.
Weather Notification – Province-Wide extended cold – Jan 11 – Jan 16/24
A Yellow Weather Notification for province-wide extended cold has been issued for British Columbia, including the Lower Mainland, by Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Yellow level means forecast of weather that can mean some risks and disturbances to transport and other parts of society.
—-
Yellow Weather Notification for province-wide extended cold
Issued at 13:35 2024-01-08 by Environment and Climate Change Canada
Areas issued for:
- British Columbia, including the Lower Mainland region
Details:
- A significantly colder air mass will begin moving through northern parts of the province on January 11, 2024
- The cold will make its way down south and eventually into coastal communities before the weekend
- Temperatures are expected to plummet to well below average for an extended period
- Expect temperatures 5-10 degrees Celsius below average, and with a possible windchill of -10 to -15 degrees Celsius overnight
- It is likely that temperatures will moderate later next week
- Gusty winds will likely accompany the initial arrival of cold air
- Persistent gusty outflow winds will continue along local coastal valleys and inlets gusting to 90-100+ km/h
- Locally intense snow may occur along the South Coast
- Specific locations and amounts are difficult to predict in advance
- Risk of snow is generally elevated but remains uncertain
Timeframe:
- Thursday, January 11 – Tuesday, January 16
——–
Potential impacts for consideration
- There is an increased risk of disruption to services and transportation in the region
- Challenging driving conditions due to limited visibility, blowing snow and freezing surfaces
- Staff may have trouble accessing work sites
- There may be delays to transport of residents and supplies
- Power outages are possible from moderate to strong gusty winds
- Loose objects may be tossed by the wind and cause injury or damage
- High winds may result in power outages and fallen tree branches
- Health care facilities may be directly impacted
- Challenging driving conditions due to limited visibility, blowing snow and freezing surfaces
- There may be an increased demand on health care services
- There is a potential for higher number of visits in Emergency Departments
- There is a possibility for delays from BCEHS and 911 dispatchers
Potential actions to take
- Sign up for weather alerts through Alertable, WeatherCAN, and AlertMe
- Be aware of your emergency plans
- Check fraserhealth.ca for additional resources
- Give yourself more time to travel for work
- Consider postponing non-essential travel until conditions improve
—-
Strategic Planning: Open House Forums – Listening for the Future
In October 2023, Menno Place Executive Team, in collaboration with the Board of Directors, decided on an approach to update the Strategic Framework and Operational Plan for the organization which will expire at the end of 2024.
In order to create a successful, meaningful, and sustainable strategic plan that is inspirational as well as aspirational we feel that is imperative to hear from all who are invested in Menno Place. This means that we will be seeking out feedback from our residents, families, employees, as well as key external stakeholders and partners. Over the 2024 year we will be holding open house forums, and holding space for conversations to gather feedback on Menno Place so that we can understand how we can best serve the needs of our residents, families, and staff while also being a valuable partner in our community. We are calling these Open House Forums “Listening for the Future”.
Once completed, the Executive Team will take the stakeholder feedback and undergo a two-day facilitated planning workshop to develop a new Draft strategic plan. This Draft plan will then be circulated for feedback and finalized with the Board in November 2024.
Our hope is that our stakeholders will speak openly and clearly with us so that we can use this feedback to inform a new Strategic Framework and Operational Plan.
Sujata Connors, CEO
for the Menno Place Executive Team
Violence Prevention Workshop
Learn practical applications to identify risk factors of violence and de-escalation techniques at a Violence Prevention Workshop on Monday January 15, 2024. Space is limited. Register soon!
Interested in Caring for a Cat in Either Menno Home or Menno Hospital?
Are you interested in supporting and caring for a cat in either Menno Home or Menno Hospital?
For years, Menno Home has enjoyed a shared cat, loved by residents, family and staff. This cat was cared for by a team in Menno Home, led by our former Manager of Dining Experience, Angela Ross-Fehr. With the loss of the cat and Angela’s retirement, we are looking for renewed interest from staff in order to continue this program in Menno Home and evaluate if there is interest at Menno Hospital.
The Cat Committee team will be responsible to oversee the cat therapy program, including providing all care for the cat and making recommendations about the cat as required.
If you are interested in supporting the cat program at Menno Home or Menno Hospital, please fill out the form below by January 31, 2024.
Fill out my online form.
Welcome to Kara – Food Service Supervisor!
We are pleased to announce that Kara McIver has accepted a new role as Food Service Supervisor for Menno Place. This is a new MBS role that starts Jan 11th.
Welcome to Laura – Housekeeping & Laundry Supervisor!
We are pleased to announce that Laura Fast has accepted a new role as Housekeeping & Laundry Supervisor for Menno Place.
Menno Hospital Transition from ARH Pharmacy to Apex Pharmacy
Date: January 3, 2024
To: All Menno Place staff, residents, and Families
From: Smitha Varghese, Director of Care, Menno Hospital
Re: Menno Hospital pharmacy transition from ARH pharmacy to Apex pharmacy
We are pleased to announce that Apex Pharmacy will be our new pharmacy partner for Menno Hospital Long-term care beds. This change will commence on January 8th at 8am. There is nothing that residents or their families need to do at this time. Menno Place will take care of all of the details.
Menno Place has a long-standing relationship with Apex at Menno Home and Terrace East Assisted Living. We have known Apex Pharmacy co-founders Elke and Jason for a very long time. They specialize in working with seniors and are well known in the community for their excellent services and wide range of products. We are excited about this expanded partnership!
This transition will provide opportunities to improve resident care and enhance staff experience. We will introduce new procedures like e-MAR (electronic medication administration record) and online medication incident form and will be able to have clinical pharmacist participation in our care conferences. We anticipate your cooperation and support during this process to ensure seamless transition and a successful partnership and collaboration.
Please feel free to reach out to me for any questions/further information regarding this transition.
