Page 42 - BusinessWest January 8, 2024

AGENDA>>
40 Under Forty Nominations
Through Feb. 16: BusinessWest is currently accept- ing nominations for the 40 Under Forty class of 2023. The deadline for nominations is Friday, Feb. 16. Launched in 2007, the program recognizes rising stars in the four counties of Western Mass. Nomina- tions, which should be as detailed and thorough
as possible, should list an individual’s accomplish- ments within their profession as well as their work within the community. Nominations can be com- pleted online at businesswest.com/40-under-forty- nomination-form. Nominations will be weighed by a panel of judges, and the selected individuals will be announced and profiled in the April 29 issue of BusinessWest and honored at the 40 Under Forty Gala in June. Event sponsorship opportunities are available.
Red Sox Winter Weekend
Jan. 19-20: Red Sox Winter Weekend will take
place at MGM Springfield and its neighboring facil-
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ity, the MassMutual Center. The event will include
a welcome and introduction of participating Red Sox players and roundtable discussions on a vari- ety of baseball topics, as well as autographs and photos. The weekend also includes a full baseball festival for fans of all ages. Weekend passes for Winter Weekend are available now at redsox.com/ winterweekend. Passes provide access for the entire event and cost $95 for adults ($85 for season-ticket holders) and $40 for children age 14 and under ($35 for season-ticket holders). Children age 2 and under are free. Information about discounted hotel rooms in the area is available on the website. Mastercard
is the preferred payment of the Boston Red Sox. Members of the 2024 Red Sox, including coaching staff, are invited to attend. Red Sox alumni, Wally the Green Monster, and his sister, Tessie, will also be in attendance. The weekend will begin Friday night with a welcome and introduction of the participat- ing players. Throughout the day on Saturday, fans will have an opportunity to get autographs and take photos with players and alumni and see the 2004,
popular for those positions where we offer it.”
And while having this flexibility to work a few days a week is appreciated by existing employees, the bank
is not moving in the direction of offering fully remote work, with the exception of a few specific positions. “We’ve probably lost a few candidates because they are looking for fully remote,” she said. “On the other hand, people have absolutely remarked that they appreciate coming to an organization that allows them some flexibility.”
Those same sentiments have been expressed at ArchitectureEL, said Lapierre-Houle, adding that the company was, like most, fully remote during the pan-
Raymonda Sample stands beside Mont Marie’s heart-failure program board.
is having a hard time breathing or is experiencing unrelieved shortness of breath while sitting still, chest pain, or confusion.
2007, 2013, and 2018 World Series trophies, as well as Red Sox artifacts such as Silver Slugger, Gold Glove, MVP, and and Cy Young awards. Family- friendly activities include Wiffle ball on the indoor field, a virtual-reality experience, batting and pitch- ing cages, and the chance to meet Wally and Tessie. Panel discussions will also take place throughout the day on Saturday, with the return of the popular favorites including the kids-only press conference.
Difference Makers
April 10: The 16th annual Difference Makers Gala will be held at the Log Cabin in Holyoke. Since 2009, BusinessWest has been recognizing the work of individuals, groups, businesses, and institutions through this recognition program. The 2024 Difference Makers will be announced, and their stories told, in the Feb. 5 issue of BusinessWest and at businesswest.com. Event ticket information will follow. Event sponsorships are available.
demic but has since embraced hybrid schedules to help maintain the concept of teamwork, which is criti- cal in architecture. Most are in the office on Mondays, when there are all-office meetings, she told Business- West, while Fridays, as noted earlier, are quiet.
Overall, she said, flexibility is the driving force behind the policy.
“Everyone has certain days that they’re remote every week, but if something comes up and they have to change it, we’re totally flexible to that because everyone has a different lifestyle,” she explained. “We’re super flexible about it.” BW
In addition to this tool, Sample has created an entire guide board for staff that she also uses to edu- cate family members of patients. The tool helps pro- vide a better continuity of care, she explained.
“With this education, we are able to identify how the patient is feeling for the day,” she said. “If say, the patient is in the middle of therapy and they’re feel- ing short of breath, or telling the therapist maybe they haven’t eaten much in the last couple of days, or not sleeping well — there’s a sort of board out there where you can see the different signs and symptoms of heart failure.”
Safe at Home
Even though a patient has a plan in place to be dis- charged from the facility following treatment at Mont Marie, care doesn’t end at the door.
“When we discharge patients, we do follow-up calls with the patient just to find out how the transi- tion back home goes, the home care services ... we make sure they’re seen by their primary-care physi- cian within 10 days, and if they don’t have a scale, we make sure we send them home with one,” Sample said. “This is so both our patients and the staff recog- nize the signs and symptoms of heart failure, so we can try to avoid rehospitalization.” BW
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Remote
that they have.”
Remote work has certainly become part of the
workplace equation at Holyoke-based PeoplesBank. With more than 325 employees, the bank has a
large number of front-facing employees, such as bank- ers and branch managers, for which remote work is not an option, said Amy Roberts, executive vice presi- dent and chief Human Resources officer. However,
for others, the bank has adopted policies that enable such employees to work a hybrid schedule, with most in the office at least a few days a week.
“We have some people who prefer to be in the office,” she continued. “But the hybrid choice is very
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Mont Marie
approximately half are readmitted within six months. It has also been suggested that about 25% of readmis- sions may be preventable.
“We’re trying to get ahead of hospital readmis- sions,” said Raymonda Sample, the lead for the heart- failure program and unit manager.
With the certification, Mont Marie has been pro- vided with access to centers on treating heart failure and its co-morbidities.
Sample noted that one of the biggest benefits to the staff’s education on the heart-failure program
is being able to educate patients on how they can live more independently with fewer flareups of their disease.
To that end, Mont Marie uses what’s called a ‘zone tool.’ The traffic-light color-coded guide indicates an all-clear, or green, when a patient has no shortness of breath; chest pain; swelling of the feet, ankles, legs, or stomach; or weight gain of more than two pounds. It’s time to call a doctor if a patient is in the so-called warning (yellow) zone, when they’re experiencing diz- ziness; dry, hacking cough; more shortness of breath; uneasy feelings; no energy; difficulty breathing when lying down; swelling of the feet, ankles, legs, or stom- ach; or weight gain of three or more pounds in one day or five pounds in one week.
A medical alert, or red zone, is when the previ- ous symptoms have been exacerbated and a patient
42 JANUARY 8, 2024
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