Hospital Support Units (2024)

Leah Mejia, M.P.A., P.H.R.
Director, Business Operations, Patient Care Services,
Patient Care Services
lmmejia@ucdavis.edu

The Business Office handles the financial, budgetary, and business related operations for the Patient Care Services Division. This includes development and oversight of operating expense and revenue budgets, financial analysis and reporting, census and budget analysis projections, as well as development of FTE, budget control, and budget implementation procedures.
The Nursing Unit Support Services department coordinates, maintains, evaluates, researches and corrects any issues that pertain to safety, medical products and environment for all departments within Patient Care Services. This includes procurement of complex or highly technical supplies, capital and non-capital equipment, capital improvement projects, equipment inventory, and development and renewal of vendor contracts.

Marcus M. Christian, CSPHA
Manager, Lift Team
mmchristian@ucdavis.edu

The Patient Care Services Lift Team serve as safe patient handling and mobility (SPHM) experts who collaborate with UC Davis nursing and other health-care professionals to ensure proper lifting and positioning techniques. The goal of the Lift Team is to provide safe patient handling with transfers and repositions and to prevent or eliminate patient movement injuries in the inpatient setting. It is the responsibility of the Lift Team to ensure the safety of our patients, employees, and volunteers by enforcing the policies and procedures outlined by the Safe Patient Handling and Movement Policy. Lift Technicians serve as a resource in the use of safe patient equipment and the movement of patients/residents. In addition, Lift Technicians serve as body mechanics and safe patient movement techniques coaches to all employees in the inpatient setting.

The Lift Team is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

Elena Morrow, MPPA, CT, CMI

Manager, Medical Interpreting Services

enmorrow@ucdavis.edu

Medical Interpreting Services atUC Davis Medical Centerwas established in 1985 as part of a Community Advisory Board’s study initiated by the UC Davis Medical Center. Today, it provides language access services to patients, their families, UCDH providers and staff in20 languages in-house and over 100 languages overall, including American Sign Language. Medical Interpreting Services department is dedicated to enhancing access to healthcare services for UCDHlinguistically and culturally diverse patient population through professional medical interpretation, written translation, and cross-cultural communication. It offers the following services: on-site and telephone interpreting, video interpreting, healthcare interpreter training, bilingual provider certification program, in-services to staff, cultural competency workshops, written translations, proofreading, and voice-overs.

Website: Medical Interpreting Services atUC Davis Medical Center

Dawn Deines, M.B.A., R. EEG T., F.WSET

Neurodiagnostic Services Director

dddeines@ucdavis.edu

Neurodiagnostic Services is comprised of the following departments: EEG Hospital, EEG Outpatient, TCD, Sleep Lab, and the EMG Lab.

EEG Department
The UC Davis EEG Department is an integral part of the UCD Epilepsy Center of Excellence. It is comprised of an NAEC Level 4 accredited Epilepsy Monitoring Unit for adults, children and infants, an ABRET accredited outpatient Center located in our Midtown Building, and provides evidenced based care involving Electroencephalograms, Evoked Potential Testing, Epilepsy surgical workups (WADA, PET, SPECT testing), and long-term EEG Monitoring in acute care and intensive care units within UC Davis Medical Center. Registered EEG Technologists perform a variety of Neurodiagnostic Testing procedures to test/monitor the brain and nervous system both at the bedside, as well as monitoring Neurosurgical procedures involving the brain/Epilepsy in surgery to optimize brain health and maximize the potential for neurologic recovery. The EEG Department Leadership team includes the Medical Director, a Neurodiagnostic Services Director, Clinical EEG Supervisor, Ambulatory Care Supervisor, and supports a large team of highly skilled bedside and monitoring EEG Technologists, Neurodiagnostic Assistants, and Patient Service Representatives, as well as supporting a robust research program and a team of Epileptologists/Neurologists.

TCD Department
The UC Davis Transcranial Doppler (TCD) Department supports the UCD Stroke program/Neurocritical Care Physicians in using a painless testing using sound waves to detect medical problems that affect blood flow to the brain. TCD is utilized in detecting stroke caused by blood clots, narrowing sections of blood vessels, vasospasms due to a subarachnoid hemorrhage, tiny blood clots, and facilitating the diagnosis of a wide range of conditions affecting the brain following subarachnoid hemorrhage, transient ischemic attack, sickle cell anemia, and embolism. Our highly skilled bedside technologists work in acute care and intensive care units within UC Davis Medical Center, as well as monitoring in surgical and research cases, and provide outpatient services in our Midtown Building. The TCD Department Leadership team includes the Medial Director, a Neurodiagnostic Services Director, Clinical TCD Supervisor, and supports several highly specialized TCD Technologists, and Patient Service Representatives.

Sleep Department
The UC Davis Medical Center Sleep Disorders Laboratory is accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Adult and Pediatric patients requiring an in-lab sleep study, a home sleep study, or clinical sleep education are evaluated in a fully equipped sleep disorders laboratory by Registered Sleep Technologists and Registered Respiratory Therapists. The Sleep Disorders Laboratory collaborates with the Department of Neurology, Pediatrics, Otolaryngology, and Pulmonary and Critical Care within the Department of Internal Medicine. The Sleep Lab Leadership team includes the Medical Director, a Neurodiagnostic Services Director, a Clinical Sleep/EMG Supervisor, a Sleep Health Educator, and supports a growing highly skilled team of Registered Sleep Technologists, Registered Respiratory Therapists, and Patient Service Representatives.

EMG Department
The UC Davis Medical Center Electromyography (EMG) Laboratory tests for nerve and muscle disorders by recording the electrical characteristics of the muscle tissue and the response of nerves to electrical stimulation. Staffed by a certified technician, the lab can perform a wide range of electrophysiologic procedures including the study of single muscle fibers. EMG and nerve conduction studies are also performed at the Mather Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital. The EMG Lab Leadership team includes a Medical Director, a Neurodiagnostic Services Director, a Clinical Sleep/EMG Supervisor, and supports a highly skilled team of Registered EMG Technologists, and Patient Service Representatives.

James E. Rice

Manager, Patient Transport Services

jrice@ucdavis.edu

James Rice is the Manager of Patient Transport Services at UC Davis Health, working with clinicians to provide world-class care and maximize patient safety. James knows that the patient experience encompasses a range of interactions with the health care system and challenges himself and his team to exceed the patient’s expectations in every way. James owned and operated a successful group of Assisted Living Facilities throughout Sacramento. He was awarded the most dedicated Firefighter of the Year Award in 2008 for his work with the City of Jackson Fire Department. James is a certified Crisis Prevention Instructor, EMT, and Safe Patient Handling Trainer. In his free time, he enjoys photographing street art and training his dog, Willow.

Cathy Montes

Administrative Supervisor

cmmontes@ucdavis.edu

The Patient Care Services Administrative Supervisor is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Patient Care Services office and the Patient Care Services Directors office, including supervision over all office support and professional staff.

Stacy Hevener, RN, MSN, CCRN-K, CPHQ

Director, Quality and Safety, Patient Care Services

srhevener@ucdavis.edu

Patient Care Services (PCS) Q&S Nurse Champion Mission

Positively change culture and improve outcomes by reinforcing quality and safety initiatives at UCDH.

Q&S Champion Vision

The Q&S Champion will act in collaboration with UCDH staff to:

• Promote education related to outcomes and data analysis for quality indicators.
• Facilitate and evaluate unit based quality improvement plans.
• Integrate the quality improvement process into UCDH PCS Goals and provide a higher level review of performance that may affect multiple departments or services.
• Review and evaluate data in relation to national benchmarks (NDNQI, Vizient, NHSN/CDC).
• Facilitate incorporation of benchmarked data in professional governance practice councils and unit based leadership annual goals and projects.
• Engage front line staff and leadership to ensure compliance at the bedside with established patient care guidelines.
• Collaborate with all disciplines to monitor and evaluate compliance, and to help facilitate continuous quality improvement and safety.
• Analyze data relative to quality and safety practices seeking opportunities for continued improvement.
• Conduct high level reviews of outcomes in conjunction with hospital wide initiatives.

Michelle Young, MBA, BSRC, RRT

Respiratory Care Department Manager

rrtyoung@ucdavis.edu

UC Davis Respiratory Care Department utilizes evidence-based medicine to provide respiratory care to adults, children and infants in acute care and intensive care units within UC Davis Medical Center. Respiratory Care Practitioners perform physical assessments, provide inhaled medications, deliver medical gasses, manage mechanical respiratory equipment, and provide patient and family education related to respiratory diseases. The Respiratory Care Department leadership team includes the Manager, an Adult Clinical Education and Quality Improvement Coordinator, a Children’s Hospital Clinical Education and Quality Improvement Coordinator, 4 COPD/Asthma Case Managers, 7 Respiratory Care Supervisors, and supports 132 highly skilled bedside Respiratory Care Practitioners. The Respiratory Care Department is dedicated to serving our community by providing quality patient and family centered care.

• UC Davis Respiratory Therapists (Staff Only)

Jennifer Erickson

Director, PCS Patient Flow Management Center

jserickson@ucdavis.edu

The Staffing and Bed Control department is a 24 hour department located within Patient Care Services. The department is responsible for documentation of daily Patient Care Services Staffing Sheets and schedule changes and updates. The Staffing Office also serves as a resource for ANSOS/Web Scheduler providing guidance and assistance to PCS managers and ANII regarding the systems. Staffing personnel work closely with Nursing Supervisor to distribute supplemental staff including Registered Nurses, HUSC’s, Special Duty Caregivers and Mental Health Workers based upon unit census and acuity.

Bed Control is responsible for the placement of all in-patient admission from multiple points of entry including Emergency Department, Ambulatory Clinics, Transfer Center and Perioperative areas. Bed Control works with Nursing Supervisor to ensure patient flow is moving as the priority of the admissions fluctuate from hour to hour.