From left, Keith Hopkins and first-year medical students Racquel Duval and Rasheeda Stephens enjoy the entertainment. (photos by Dana Johnson)
Care Initiation Unit open on Saturday
The Care Initiation Unit (CIU) is now open on Saturday. The unit opened in June to provide a temporary space where care can be initiated quickly for an acute adult patient population requiring admission to the hospital.
Located in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit, the CIU is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday. The six-bed unit houses patients entering the system from access points such as the Transfer Center, Emergency Room, and clinics. Patients are transferred as soon as the appropriate bed is available.
Contact Mary Duvanich at 835-5323 (pager) for more information.
Disaster emergency training available
The Disaster Committee is offering a training session on the Emergency Preparedness Program for Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The Disaster Committee’s goal is to offer sessions throughout the year to assure that all management personnel are knowledgeable about the Emergency Preparedness plan and the activation process.
The session will be offered Aug. 31 from noon to 5 p.m. in The Learning Center (2nd floor Round Wing, Medical Center North). Contact Kay Simpson at 322-7455 for more information or to register.
Capers Avenue will close for two weeks
The west bound lane of Capers Avenue at the intersection of 23rd Avenue South will be closed beginning Friday, Aug 24, 6 p.m. – 6 a.m. The nightly shutdown will last approximately two weeks. There will be flag persons and flashing warning signs to assist in directing the flow of traffic on Capers Avenue.
This action is required in order for the contractor to backfill the southwest corner of the new Children’s Hospital project. If you have any questions regarding this shutdown, please contact Douglas Kinsey at 2-0009.
Cell line storage now available
The Vanderbilt PHG/GCRC DNA Resources Core now offers storage of multiple vials of cell lines in each of the two Taylor-Wharton microprocessor regulated liquid nitrogen freezers for $9 each. This price guarantees storage for up to 5 years. In addition to cell line storage, the DNA Resources Core offers DNA extraction and banking from a number of sample types, genotyping in several formats, and lymphoblast immortalization.
For more information about these or other services, see the DNA Resources Core Web site at http://phg.mc.vanderbilt.edu or email DNA.Resources@mcmail.vanderbilt.edu.