BIDMC HR News You Can Use
April 21, 2010
For Employees of BethIsraelDeaconessMedicalCenter
Included in this newsletter:
BIDMC Announcements
- Become a Medical Champion to a Red Sox Scholar
- April Updated BIDMC Policies and Procedures Guidelines and Directives (PPGD)
Workforce Development
General Education Diploma
Benefits, Pension and Retirement
2010 IRS Limits for 401(k) and 403(b) Plans
- Individual Fidelity Consultations
- Fidelity Workshop: Quarterly Market Update
- Tanger Be Well Center
- Fuel Your Body for Fitness
- Chair Massage
Volunteer Services
- Managers: Volunteer Workshop Meets Your Needs
- Recycle Your Magazines
Tours of BIDMC for Staff
Friendshops
Discounted Tickets at the FriendShops
Other Helpful Tips and Offerings
Office of the Work and Family: Buying your First Home
- IS Help Desk Offers…
- ALPHA Credit Union
- Longwood Toastmasters
Questions About This Newsletter
______
Become a “Medical Champion” to a Red Sox Scholar
The medical center is looking for 25 employees who would like to become a "Medical Champion" to a Red Sox Scholar.Each year the Scholars program selects 25 academically talented and economically disadvantaged fifth graders from the Boston Public Schools to participate in the program, which includes a $10,000 college scholarship.
As part of the program, each Scholar is paired with a “Medical Champion” from BIDMC. One of the most public events in the program comes when each new Scholar and his or her Medical Champion are teamed-up with a Red Sox player, and all three walk onto the field at FenwayPark for an Induction Ceremony just before the start of a game.
Medical Champions come from all backgrounds, occupations and departments. Anyone with an interest in helping a child learn about the educational and careers opportunities available in the medical center is encouraged to apply.
If you are interested in participating, simply send an e-mail expressing your interest to Ines De La Cruz, Administrative Coordinator, Communications, at .
Updated BIDMC Policies
Click on the link below to familiarize yourself with the latest update to some BIDMC policies, procedures, guidelines and directives!
BIDMC Policy Manual: April 2010 Summary of Policies, Procedures, Guidelines and Directives
General Education Diploma
BIDMC is offering employees an opportunity to take a course to prepare for the General Education Diploma (GED) exam. The GED is acquired by passing a set of tests in the areas of writing, reading, social studies, science and mathematics. The GED gives people the opportunity to earn a high school credential and to progress to college level studies.The course meets Mondays and Wednesdays on-site, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Interested employees will be assessed to determine their abilities in each subject.
To register for an assessment or to get more information on the program, please contact Laurie Fitzpatrick at (63)2-9410 or
2010 IRS Limits for 401(k) and 403(b) Plans
There are no changes to the Internal Revenue Service limits on 401(k)/403(b) plans for tax year 2010:
- The elective deferral limit will remain at $16,500. If you maximize your contributions each year, your weekly contribution will be $317.31.
- The catch-up limit will remain at $5,500 for employees who are or will become age 50 during 2010. Your total contribution will be $22,000. If you maximize your contributions each year, your weekly contribution will be $423.08
- The Highly Compensated Employee (HCE) limit remains at $110,000. An employee is considered highly compensated by the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) if she or he earned more than $110,000 in gross compensation on Dec. 31, 2009. We will continue to have a cap on the HCE’s 401(k) contributions of 4 percent of 2010 compensation. And you can still save up to the IRS limits by contributing the remainder into the 403(b) Plan.
You do not need to re-enroll in the plans. If you are currently participating, your current contribution(s) will continue into the 2010 plan year.
If you wish to change your contribution please contact Fidelity Investments at 1-800 343-0860 or log onto NetBenefits at
Note: The IRS limit applies to your combined 401(k) and 403(b) contributions.
Individual Fidelity Consultations
Do you know about the free-of-charge, individual consultation that is offered to our employees by our 401(k) and 403(b) vendor - Fidelity Investments? Some things you might discuss are long-term investment strategies, the importance of protecting your assets against inflation, or how to find the right investment allocation for you.
Please note that these sessions only cover the investments offered under BIDMC's 401(k) and 403(b) plans. If you are interested in an overview of Fidelity offerings, please call 1-800-343-0860 and ask to be connected to a FidelityInvestmentCenter. Individual consultations with Fidelity are available by appointment from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the dates/locations listed below.
April 29 Shapiro 247A – East Campus
May 7 Libby 1 Conference Room – West Campus
May 19 Gryzmish 618 – East Campus
June 2 Gryzmish 618 – East Campus
Please contact Fidelity at 1-800-642-7131 or to schedule your 45 minute appointment.
Fidelity Workshop – Quarterly Market Update
Join Fidelity Investments for this upcoming workshop – Quarterly Market Update:
• For some valuable perspectives on the current market conditions.
• For a look at where and why the market’s turning.
• For guidance on what it means for you.
• For a unique look at what’s been driving the economy, the financial markets, domestic and international stock performance, and bond-market interest rates.
Please make a date to join Fidelity Investments on:
Date: Monday, May 10
Time: Noon – 1:00 p.m.
Place: Sherman Auditorium – east campus
In addition to attending this valuable workshop, you can also access Fidelity e-Learning® workshops at any time to learn at your own pace.
Tanger Be WellCenter
Fuel Your Body for Fitness
Did you know the benefits you receive from your workouts are impacted by what, when and how much you eat? Getting the proper nutrients pre- and post-workout aid in muscle fueling and recovery.Attend this high-energy seminar to discover how you can use nutrition to become a more efficient exerciser and get the most out of every workout! This seminar will be presented by Anna-Rea Laubscher, Dietetic Intern on Friday, May 7, Noon - 1:00 p.m. in the Trustman Boardroom, Stoneman 2.If you are interested in attending please call the Tanger Be WellCenter at (66)7-4695.
Chair Massage
Enjoy a stress relieving Chair Massage performed by Heather Monteiro, LMT at the Tanger Be Well Center on Wednesday, May 19, 10 a.m. -6 p.m.This type of massage focuses on the head, neck, back, shoulders, arms and hands and is done with the fully clothed person seated, facing forward, with head resting on a face cradle, on a massage chair. Call (66)7-4695 to schedule your 15 minute session. Cost is $15 for BIDMC employees and $20 for non-BIDMC (cash or check accepted).
Managers: Volunteer Workshop Meets Your Needs
Dear Department Managers,
Do you have an on going or special project where you could use an extra hand? The Volunteer Workshop may be able to help you. They do mailings, labeling, collating and sorting for a number of departments and would like to help you.
The Volunteer Workshop meets every Tuesday,from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the east campus. If you would like to utilize their efforts and energy,please callVolunteer Services Program Coordinator Terry Morgan at(66)7-3026 to arrange for scheduling and pick up of supplies for your project.
Recycle your Magazines with Volunteer Services
We are looking for magazine donations for our patients.
- The magazines must be current (less than three months old) and in good condition.
- We also acceptpaperback novels in good condition.
- Literature in languagesother than English is most welcome.
Newsweek and Time magazines must be less than three weeks old.
Smithsonian and National Geographic magazines may be up to one year old.
Please do not cut out your mailing label. Volunteer Services will take care of removing it.
Magazine and Novel Drop-off Locations:
- East Campus in the Volunteer Office, GZ-210
- West Campus at the Farr Lobby Information Desk. Please bring donations in a bag and tell the Ambassador on duty that they are for Volunteer Services.
Tours of BethIsraelDeaconessMedicalCenter
Tours of BIDMC are now offered to staff members and the general public on the second and fourth Mondayof every month from 1 to 2p.m. Tours start on the 10th floor of the ShapiroClinicalCenter on the east campus located on the corner of Brookline and Longwood Avenues. Making a reservation is necessary. You may sign up for a tour by sending an e-mail to:Volunteer Services Program Coordinator, Terry Morgan at tmorgan2@ bidmc.harvard.eduor by calling the Volunteer Services Department Reservation Line at (66)7-2491.
*Upon request, special tours for visitors to the medical center can be arranged through the Volunteer Services Department. If an outside group contacts your office with such a request, please refer them to Volunteer Services at (66)7-3026. Although we will make every attempt to accommodate specific requests, we cannot guarantee that every department is available for a tour because of the busy professional schedules of our staff, high patient volume and confidentiality.
Discounted Movie Tickets and Six Flags Tickets at the FriendShops
The east and west campus FriendShops are selling discounted tickets to AMC, Regal and Showcase Theatres and Six Flags tickets are now available for the discounted price of $25.00
Please call the FriendShops on the east or west campus for more information:
East campus: (66)7-3639 and West campus: (63)2-8168
The Office of Work and Family presents:
Buying Your First Home: Tips to Assist You with This Process
Susan Keller, Harvard’s Assistant Director of Faculty Real Estate Services
and Special Projects, and representatives from Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Relocation Services and Harvard’s Preferred Mortgage Companies
Thursday, April 22
Noon – 1:30 p.m.
Waterhouse Faculty Room, 1st Floor, Gordon Hall, 25 Shattuck Street, Boston
Do you want to buy a house or condo but aren’t sure where to begin? Come to this free seminar for first-time home buyers and see how easy it can be. The seminar will explain the home buying process and teach you how to navigate the rough and tumble world of local real estate markets.
Feel free to bring your own lunch.To register, please e-mail Barbara Wolf: or call (617) 432-1615
The IS Help Desk offers
MicroSoft Productivity Classes:
April 29 Excel - Intermediate to Advanced
May 6 Access - Intermediate to Advanced
Outlook classes are free to employees. The content of all but the Outlookclasses are tailored to the levels and interests of the students.*
The classes are limited to 13 students and held in the Deaconess 300 IS Training Room.
All other classes will be charged back to a Department account or a grant (The cost per student will be as low as $69). Ask your manager to supply an Accounting Code (CostCenter plus Department Account) for non-Outlook classes. Grants are also accepted.
Registration closes six business days prior to the class. Notification will be sent via e-mail immediately after registration closes.
Click on the online registration link below to sign up.
On-Line Registration
*Additional information is available by sending an email to IS Help Desk with the subject line: “More Information on ” or contacting the IS Support HelpDesk directly at(75)4-8080.
ALPHA CreditUnion: Help Alpha Celebrate its 68th Anniversary!
Alpha is offering a loan special at 6.80%APR. Borrow $680 – $6800 for up to 18 months. This special is available from April 6 to May 8.
Call (63)2-0446 or stop by the Credit Union for more details
Longwood Toastmasters
Be a start presenter at your next meeting! Improve your public speaking in a fun way at the Longwood Toastmasters! The Longwood Toastmaster sessions are lance with prepared speeches, table topics and lots of fun. Meetings occur every Thursday from 6 to 7:30p.m. at the TostesonMedicalEducationCenter, Rm 209 on 260 Longwood Avenue. For more information please visit:
Questions About This Newsletter
Please use the contact information provided with each item for information about those specific items.For all other questions suggestions, or comments, please contact Diana Palmisano at or (66)7-2800