pep talk

There’s a buzz circulating on campus about “four-tens”—four-day work weeks of ten-hour days. The worst of the rumors suggest it’s a done deal, due to start any day now, and that has some people scrambling for information.

This all stems from rising energy costs. Just like most of us have experienced at home, UTMB’s energy costs are on the rise. UTMB will spend an estimated $31 million(!) in FY 08 for electricity and natural gas.

There was a question at the Town Hall meeting on July 28 about energy costs. As part of Dr. Callender’s response, he mentioned a desire for exploring some creative approaches to addressing the issue, one being the possibility of some areas working a shorter work week (with the idea being that certain buildings—or large parts of them—could be shut down to save on cooling and electricity). Facilities and Operations is conducting a pilot, and Dr. Callender suggested if it could be done in the Administration Building, it would be a good example for the rest of campus.

So it’s true that there are some ongoing discussions and studies, but there are also some challenges. Thinking across our research, clinical care and education missions, there are areas where it’s not ever going to be feasible to shut down for a day (think of the hospitals, TDCJ, the animal care folks, police, many key support areas, etc.). And while it’ll save many employees some commuting costs, there’d be challenges for some of us as well, things like daycare for kids, vanpools or carpooling, pets that need letting out. Obstacles aside, most of the people I’ve spoken to think it’s a good idea worthy of consideration, hence the enthusiasm.

So, stay tuned, but don’t start making plans for a four-day week just yet. You can hear exactly what Dr. Callender said on the replay of the Town Hall meeting, online at http://www.utmb.edu/townhall/  (If you advance to the 48:50 minute mark, you can hear him talk specifically about this topic).

I’d love to see it happen and to see it work. What about you?

Or maybe a rat in the kitchen? A few weeks ago a couple of people sent me questions wondering if it was true that there had been rodent sighting(s) in the area of the campus cafeteria. The answer is yes, and I answered them directly. The rumor mill has been churning with vigor since then, though, and although the issue is pretty much addressed, the rumors keep coming and getting bigger and better. 

First, about “Mickey and friends.” It turns out that some construction work several weeks ago in the basement of John Sealy Annex disturbed the local “ecosystem” and afforded access to these unwanted pests. The rats had a new onramp into the building, with sushi leftovers and castoff French fries at the other end.

The first sightings were from the night crew; as days passed, the rodents grew bold and there was a report of one hightailing it across the area by the cash registers at high noon (no word on whether he or she actually paid). I’m sure this will surprise you, but word gets around pretty quickly at UTMB, and at about this same time, one of our employees became alarmed and suspicious at a mysterious dark morsel floating in her Cafe on the Court gumbo (which I also like to eat, incidentally). If you thought mouse poop was floating around in your soup, would you take a nibble to confirm your suspicion? No, and neither did she.

But she did rightfully raise the question, and fortunately the “rat droppings” turned out to be a false alarm; the gumbo was checked out and it turned out to be grains of regular rice, just a little darker than usual. The local Health Department came in to inspect the area and the control measures that were put in place; they found no rodent issues in the food prep or serving areas and advised that we continue to address as we were/are doing. I’m sure they’ll be keeping tabs on our progress.

When I last got an update, the issue was under control and the rats were feeling very unwelcome, but like the gumbo, the rumor mill had barely started simmering. Soon, we were hearing reports about rats dancing across pizzas, people (always a “friend of someone I know”) having rodents trounce across their laps, the cafeteria closing in X-Files fashion for decontamination, and in the cruelest of cuts to any fan of tasty gumbo, the good reputation of UTMB Catering was soiled, their gumbo wrongly implicated the mouse poo-poo false alarm. (Catering actually has their kitchens in Rebecca Sealy, far from the once-marauding rodents of John Sealy Annex).        

The lesson in all this? I don’t know that there is one, when it comes to rats and rumors. Logic would dictate to most of us that absolutely no one wants rodents anywhere near our facilities, for a list of reasons too long to list in this post. So addressing a situation like this rapidly becomes a top priority for everyone. And top priorities of this nature typically get relatively quick results, which was the case. Rumors, however, aren’t quite so easy to exterminate.    

If you see rodents or other pests at any time anywhere on campus, lodge a report by calling ext. 25326 or visiting http://www.utmb.edu/clean/. It’ll get attention and get addressed. As for me, I’m suddenly craving cheese (but hold the gumbo).

The university’s been working for several months on a new policy related to pre-employment drug testing. In February of 2008, we join the ranks of many others large employers and health care facilities in the nation who ask their best candidates to come up “clear.” It’s not entirely new on campus: many of our contractors and certain categories of employees (those with commercial drivers licenses, as an example) are already screened. As is often the case whenever a change is in the air, this one comes accompanied by rumors and misinformation. There’s a rumor circulating that current employees are going to be drug tested; that’s not the plan. This is pre-employment drug testing for new potential hires. If you want some of the details, the policy behind it has been online…

There’s a lot of buzz and misinformation in the local community about UTMB “closing down” to island-born babies. I bet a lot of you have heard about it. As the father of two Waverley Smith-born BOIs, it sparked my interest, so I asked around a little bit and have the following information to offer you:

This started with a letter sent to the patients of the seven faculty obstetricians at the Women’s HealthCare Group, the ones with an office in Bay Colony, near the HEB on I-45 across from Victory Lakes. Beginning Dec. 31, the letter announced that this group of physicians will start performing all of their low-risk deliveries at the Center for New Life at CHRISTUS St. John Hospital in Nassau Bay, near the Space Center.

This next part is important: the group, which will continue to provide prenatal care at the Primary Care Pavilion in Galveston and at the Women’s Health Center at Bay Colony, serves about 350 patients a year, and 250 of those live on the mainland. (Lord forbid the thought of me becoming a dad again, but if I did, I’d be one of those 250 families on the mainland, and I’d likely welcome this news. St. John’s would be a lot closer for me, has the capacity, nice facilities and has been a good partner with UTMB. This will likely make for a good experience for the majority of the group’s patients.)

Now, for the big picture: UTMB delivers about 7,500 babies a year in its labor and delivery units. We aren’t getting out of the “baby business” on the island.

We are very good at taking care of complex or high risk pregnancies, and from what I’ve heard, our ob/gyns and neonatal team can stand toe-to-toe with anyone in the country. If a newborn delivered at St. John needed to be cared for in a special facility with a neonatologist, both mother and baby would be transferred immediately to UTMB.

Even with our expertise with high-risk cases, if a low-risk patient wants to have her baby at UTMB, the university will gladly honor the request. While the physicians in the Women’s HealthCare Group will be delivering only at St. John’s, other highly qualified and skilled docs from UTMB’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology—the ones who deliver the other 7,000+ babies—will be on hand to serve the health needs of any woman who prefers to have her baby born on the island.

One side benefit: UTMB plans to update and expand its labor and delivery rooms and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and this shift will provide a little more space to do that.

Do I understand why some people might be upset? Sure. Having a kid is stressful enough without any changes or surprises. But for most of us, like me, who heard something long on emotion and short on details, I hope this information helps.   

I was walking in from lunch Tuesday with a belly full of pho, when I noticed a blue helicopter hovering over the middle of campus. With our busy Emergency Department, helicopters buzzing campus aren’t all that uncommon, but this one was different—it wasn’t going anyplace.

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who noticed. By the time I reached my office the hovering whirlybird was already a hot topic of conversation and a few concerned calls. The rumors were already starting: I heard about a accident in the ship channel, a possible threat to the Galveston National Lab, people were checking the TV news channels for the “live eye in the sky.”

What was it all about? Preventive maintenance. As we found out later, the helicopter was hired by a contractor who was working for the university to take thermal images of campus rooftops. FOAM plans to use the images to identify areas where water may be seeping beneath the roofing membranes that protect the top of our buildings, with the intent to catch needed repairs early. On a thermal scan, any wet areas beneath the membrane are cooler and show up clearly, even though they might be concealed beneath a perfectly dry surface.

As for people being caught off guard, that wasn’t the way it was intended to play out. FOAM had made arrangements with the contractors for notice to be given two to three days in advance of the work, to notify people on campus. For whatever reason, that didn’t happen as widely or as early as intended, and most of us were caught by surprise. The good news is people took notice, and their vigilance prompted calls. Had something inappropriate been taking place, we could have called in some WWII fighter planes from the Lone Star Flight Museum to straighten things out (wink).        

If you’re on Harborside this evening and you happen to see a vaguely familiar house—or two—driving by, don’t blame it on bad hooch. The houses, formerly owned by the Sealy and Smith Foundation and located over on Postoffice St. near 6th St. south of Rebecca Sealy Hospital, are being moved by their new owner. The work started this weekend and the actual move is scheduled for tonight. They won’t go far; the houses’ new home will about six blocks west of where they are now. I haven’t heard what the plans are for the property.  

In an earlier post I mention how nice the area in front of Old Red now looks, with the completion of phase 1 of a major landscape renovation project. The word on the street is that Old Red is being considered as a site for the 2008 Galveston Historical Foundation homes tour, held around May each year. For a community that chiefly knows us through the ER, clinics and doctors’ offices, wouldn’t it be great to share this other side of our great university with people? Keep your fingers crossed. I’ll let you know if I hear more.