F O R T H E E M P L O Y E E S O F C I N C I N N AT I C H I L D R E N ’ S
WINTER 2016
FACES & PLACES OF CARE
WHAT’S INSIDE
3
A Word From Fred Ryckman
4
Care Promises Bring Core Values to Life
8
Delivering Safe, Exceptional Care Outside the Hospital’s Walls
10
Maura Moran Keeps Cincinnati Children’s Grounded
FACES & PLACES OF CARE We are all caregivers. Some of us who are not in clinical roles have felt a little hesitant about that statement, reluctant to claim a title we don’t believe we have earned. After all, it takes a special kind of courage and skill to be “with” patients and families when they are at their most vulnerable. And let’s not forget the years of training required to actually treat a condition or disease. In truth, we all have something to contribute when it comes to caring for patients, families and each other. Think about the scheduler who handles a phone call from an anxious parent to set up pre-surgical testing for their child; or the Information Services specialist who maintains network connections that support telemedicine, allowing doctors to consult with patients and colleagues thousands of miles away; or the team member who takes the time to listen to a coworker’s fear, frustration or sadness, saying, “I hear you. You are not alone.” In this issue, we look at people who provide care in different forms and settings—a Home Care nurse; a real estate manager who scouts locations of future Cincinnati Children’s facilities; an access services representative in a clinic. You’ll also learn about a new training program—the Care Promises—that helps us put our Core Values in action. The quality and volume of care we are called on to provide every day can be overwhelming, but if each of us does our part, the seemingly impossible becomes possible, and even a joy.
Cindy Duesing, editor
Volume 4, Issue 1 | 360° is an employee
To give us your feedback or request additional
Editor: Cindy Duesing
publication of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
or fewer copies of this newsletter, email us at
Contributors: Kar yn Enzweiler, Bea Katz
Medical Center, produced by the Department
360@cchmc.org.
and Molly Vargo Senior Art Director: Anna Diederichs
of Marketing and Communications, MLC 9012, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center,
ON THE COVER:
Designers: Elyse Balster, Gina Johnston
3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH
Photos of individual Cincinnati Children’s
and Katie Hughes
45229-3026, 513-636-4420.
employees combine to form an image of
Contributing Photographers: Cindy Duesing,
Locations S and T, illustrating that people
Tine Hofmann and Mark and Cathy Lyons
are critical to the make-up of a world-class pediatric institution. 90688 1215
A Word From Fred Ryckman It has been an honor and pleasure to spend the past 33 years working with so many of you to deliver the best healthcare possible to our community and those who travel here. People come to Cincinnati Children’s because we deliver great care, and it is the continuous pursuit of this goal that underlies the Care platform of SP20. “We will deliver exceptional, safe and affordable care for every child, every day.” That is the promise of the Care plan. When we crafted this portion of the plan, we wanted it to be simple and embody these three important elements. Everyone wants exceptional care leading to extraordinary outcomes. Exceptional care also means families have a good experience. Achieving these results has been the focus of all our improvement work for the past decade. Safety has always been a pre-condition and the foundation for our care. Families would not bring their children here otherwise. Affordability is a challenge when delivering very complex care, but for patients with simpler, more commonly diagnosed conditions, we must do a better job of controlling the cost of care while maintaining our highest standards. We believe we can do this by standardizing care where we have best practices and using our great improvement skills to develop best practices where they presently do not exist. This work is occurring throughout Cincinnati Children’s—in the divisions, departments and institutes for the specific disease treatments and at the sites of care, such as Peri-Op, Inpatient, Outpatient, Emergency Services, Behavioral Health and Home Care. To meet our future goals, we must work together to tackle the cost of care by eliminating waste and improving efficiency—not by cutting corners that would adversely affect our important outcomes. Together, we can continue to deliver on this promise. We have an enviable role in our community. Every day we help restore dreams. Parents and children each have their own hopes for a bright future, but health challenges, whether brief or lifelong, can threaten or even destroy these hopes. We have the wonderful opportunity to restore dreams by providing exceptional, safe and affordable care every day for every child and family. I can’t think of a better job to have.
Fred Ryckman, MD, senior vice president Medical Operations
3
Ge ri Br ad y, pa tie nt ca re as sis tan t, Lib er ty Ca mp us LA 4.2, ha s a tal en t for co nn ec ting wi th he r patie nts, even wh en the re’s a lan gu ag e ba rri er.
Care Promises Bring Core Values to Life MAKE A DIFFERENCE. RESPECT EVERYONE. TELL THE TRUTH. WORK AS A TEAM. These are our Core Values at Cincinnati Children’s. All of us who work here are expected to hold these values as our own and behave accordingly. But how do they apply to our interactions with patients, families and each other? The Care Promises aim to clarify what living our values means in specific and actionable ways. They emerged as a result of input from patients, families and staff members, who were invited to discuss in depth what makes an
360°
excellent experience. During a design day held two years ago, participants painted a picture of an atmosphere of respect, where communication is clear and timely; where staff listen to concerns with empathy and support each other; where everyone owns their mistakes and accepts feedback graciously about how to make the situation better. Says Anne Boat, MD, patient experience officer, “The Care Promises are part of SP20 and the Care pillar. They are a standard to hold ourselves accountable to and a way of establishing uniformity so we are consistently delivering exceptional and safe care across the medical center. But they go beyond clinical practice. They are about total care—which means they are relevant to everyone, whether you see patients or not.”
Approximately 1,000 employees have completed Care Promises training so far. By the end of this fiscal year, that number is expected to reach 5,000. Eventually, all employees will take part. THE POWER OF POSITIVIT Y
Lest you think you are in for a slow-death-by-PowerPoint monologue, Mike Allen, a physical therapist and Care Promises training facilitator, enthusiastically outlines the half-day training agenda—table discussions and exercises, story-sharing and videos. “There’s a lot of energy and emotion in the room,” he says. “People talk about the best and worst experiences they’ve had. It’s very engaging and inspirational.” The training is led by frontline staff who have first-hand experience of the challenges their colleagues face on the job. “I initially thought it would be a tutorial on how to be polite to patients and families. But it’s so much more,” says Allen. “It’s about how we treat each other. If we aren’t respectful to our coworkers, the patients and families pick up on that, and it undermines their confidence in us, which directly impacts their care. We have to foster a positive environment because that’s the air our patients and families breathe. It affects our ability to ‘wow’ patients and give them the feeling that Cincinnati Children’s is a magical place.”
One access services representative had an epiphany about this after taking the Care Promises training. She handles follow-up appointment scheduling for a doctor whose patients typically have a long wait in the clinic.
“I initially thought it would be a tutorial on how to be polite to patients and families. But it’s so much more...” “I try to be pleasant and thorough in my job,” she says. “Previously, when families complained about their wait, I would nod sympathetically, sometimes make a comment about how exasperating it is, and try to offer them the first appointment of the day for their next appointment,” she says. “In my mind, I was connecting with their experience and showing that I understood their frustration. But when I took the training, I realized I was undermining the good work the doctor was doing. Instead of reinforcing the family’s negative response, I should have been telling them the doctor runs late because he spends time with each patient to answer their questions, that the families love him for that and he gets such good outcomes.”
During a Care Promises training session, Pam Murphy, senior patient advocate, Family Relations, holds up her diagram of the people in her life who rely on her.
5
She adds, “If the situation warrants an apology, it’s better to phrase it as, ‘I’m so sorry. This isn’t the experience we wanted you to have at Cincinnati Children’s.’ That way I’m acknowledging the family’s dissatisfaction without throwing the doctor under the bus and contributing to their feeling that we didn’t serve them well.” FORGING CONNECTIONS
Care Promises training focuses on how to effectively establish empathetic connections—with patients, families and coworkers—while acknowledging the barriers inherent in ourselves and our systems. “It takes time, which is in short supply, and a willingness to be vulnerable,” says Allen. “Sometimes there are cultural differences, technological distractions or a lack of skill.” Geri Brady, a patient care assistant on LA4.2 at Liberty Campus, was feeling the time crunch when she made her own connection with a little girl who did not speak English. “I needed to get her height and weight, but she wasn’t the least bit interested,” she recalls. “The interpreter tried to explain what I wanted to do, but she didn’t understand. She just wanted to skip. So I started skipping with her. That was enough to put her at ease. And because I made
the effort to engage her at her level, she trusted me, and I was able to get the measurements I needed. When I reunited her with her family, her mother hugged me for taking the extra time.” The Care Promises don’t fix the barriers to making connections, but they do provide an opportunity to reflect on ways to approach things differently with better results. Next to each of the promises is a space where trainees can write their own personal call to action as it relates to their role here. Within 30 days of training completion, they share the plan with their manager who has also undergone training and coaches them to stay on track. Says Boat, “Care Promises training feeds the soul and reminds us why we chose to work in healthcare. Everyone can benefit from such a reminder. Our jobs require us to be task-oriented, but with our attention pulled in so many different directions, it can be hard to look up from the tasks to see the person right in front of us. In order to improve our delivery of care, we need to remove non-value-added work from the system and free up employees to put more time and energy into meaningful interactions with patients, families and each other.”
We have to foster a positive environment because that’s the air our patients and families breathe,” says Mike Allen, a Care Promises training facilitator.
360°
Care Promises Taking Daily Actions to Live Our Values MAKE A DIFFERENCE
TELL THE TRUTH
Recognize That a Service Culture Starts With Me
Be Honest and Transparent
• Always show empathy, compassion and sensitivity.
• Communicate early and often.
• Be aware of when I’m “on stage.” • Act on little things that can make a big difference. • Go beyond task-oriented interactions to real engagement. • Learn what matters most to others. • Solve problems promptly. • Lead by example to inspire the best in others.
• Provide timely updates about delays, plan of care and results. • Follow an “I don’t know” with an “I’ll find out.” • Admit mistakes and take ownership. • Give timely feedback and coaching to colleagues. • Be a gracious recipient of feedback. • Voice concerns and suggestions. • Encourage others to voice concerns and suggestions. • Support a questioning attitude.
RESPECT EVERYONE Treat Others as You Would Like to Be Treated
WORK AS A TEAM Inspire and Support Colleagues, Patients and Families
• Be warm and sincere. • Make eye contact and smile. • Introduce myself and my role. • Ask how they’d like to be addressed.
• Assume positive intent in all interactions.
• Make a personal connection.
• Ask about and address expectations.
• Listen without interrupting. • Give my full attention in conversations.
• Invite ideas and input from all members of the care team, including patients and families. • Share the load and help others without being asked.
• Always speak positively to and about patients, families and coworkers and Cincinnati Children’s.
• Follow through on my commitments.
• Suspend judgement and avoid labels.
• Hold myself and others accountable for clear communication.
• Respect everyone’s expertise—regardless of title, position or role. • Acknowledge contributions of others and thank with sincerity.
• Introduce my peers during hand-offs and talk them up.
• Work toward common solutions; communicate openly and constructively when conflicts arise.
7
Pen ny B owd en, R N, lis te ns to N oa h V iox’s he ar t du rin g a ho m e ca re vi si t. B ow de n ha s be en ca rin g fo r V iox si nc e he was 9 ye ar s ol d.
Delivering Safe, Exceptional Care
OUTSIDE THE HOSPITAL’S WALLS Penny Bowden, RN, arrives in West Chester for a home care visit with a patient she has followed for nine years. After greeting 18-year-old Noah Viox and his parents, her first task is to set up a mini-hospital on the family’s kitchen table. Nurses who work in an inpatient or clinic environment have access to a wealth of resources, from equipment and technology to other staff they can call on if needed —nurse colleagues, doctors, social workers, chaplains, child life specialists, security officers and more. Home care nurses are on their own, charged with the responsibility of delivering safe, exceptional care in a home setting.
360°
CAREGIVER AND A GUEST
Bowden welcomes the challenge and creativity of working independently, and she values the unique perspective home care nurses bring to the care team. “We are the eyes and ears outside the hospital,” she says. “We have a wonderful window into the patient’s actual experience of living with illness. We can see pitfalls and safety issues that might arise in the home and can intervene between the family and the clinic.” She’s also very aware that as a home care nurse, she’s not only a skilled professional but also a guest in her patient’s home.
In a speech at Schwartz Center Rounds, she said: “There is something very unique, exquisitely personal, and verging on the sacred about caring for someone in their own home. The delicate balance that exists between patient and provider is shifted in favor of the patient the moment the caregiver’s feet cross over their threshold. The provider is a guest, sometimes welcome and sometimes unwelcome, in another’s space.”
She observes and coaches while he goes through the process, praising him for what he does right, reminding him if he forgets a step. “This is the benefit of home care,” she tells him. “We have time to pay attention, to be nitpicky. That equates to avoiding bloodstream infections.” F R O M A L A R M T O S AT I S F A C T I O N
Bowden is pleased by what she sees during this visit. Noah is looking and feeling well.
C R E AT I N G A S A F E , C L E A N E N V I R O N M E N T
As she travels from home to home, Bowden carries everything she needs—the laptop that gives her access to Epic, a thermometer, a scale, syringes, sample collection vials, bandages, masks and gowns, lots of gloves and sanitizing hand wipes, spill kits and even trash bags. Infection control is a priority. She’s careful not to spread germs from one patient’s home to the next. The first layer of protection is tissue paper, which she places under the supplies in her travel bag. And then she’s vigilant about cleaning. Everything that’s not protected in sealed packaging gets wiped down. Throughout the visit, she cleans her hands and changes gloves often. ASSESSING AND TE ACHING
After establishing a clean workspace, Bowden is ready to assess her patient. Noah has chronic pseudo-obstruction of the intestine. Although there is no physical obstruction, his intestine behaves as though there is a blockage, preventing food, stool and air from passing through the gastrointestinal tract. It’s a rare condition that causes pain, bloating, constipation, nausea and weight loss. He requires ongoing treatment, including IV fluids, antibiotics and total parenteral nutrition (TPN). He has a central line, a G-tube, a J-tube and an ileostomy bag. Bowden spends more than an hour with Noah on this visit, asking questions to assess how he’s doing, weighing him, checking his vital signs, drawing labs, checking the ports for his medical devices and teaching. In the past, Noah’s mother was actively involved in the home care visits. Though she’s in the house this afternoon, she stays out of the kitchen. Noah is 18, a young adult, and is transitioning to be responsible for his own care.
Not so long ago, however, the picture was very different. He was having frequent bouts of obstruction. He couldn’t retain or digest food, and his GI tract was rapidly dumping everything he ingested. His body was producing huge quantities of stool, leaving him dehydrated, malnourished, emaciated and without energy. “As his home care nurse, who saw him monthly, I was seeing the decline and became really alarmed,” Bowden says. “He was a shell of his former self and had lost his zest for life.” As a further complication, she learned after talking with Noah, he wasn’t taking the IV fluids he needed during the school day, because they made him very cold and the school had rules against wearing a jacket inside. She emailed his gastroenterologist and clinic nurse to alert them to his rapidly declining health and his problems at school. The next day, Noah had a scheduled visit in the GI clinic, and his doctor saw the problem as well. Noah was admitted and spent weeks in the hospital. After his discharge, the schedule for home care visits was increased. Bowden now sees Noah weekly. Intensive treatment, monitoring and coaching is making a difference. Noah has gone two weeks without an obstructive episode —the longest time between episodes in a while. He has established a routine he likes for administering TPN, lipids and fluids, and is following it consistently. His appetite has improved. His stool output is down. With all things in better balance, he has gained weight. “It was a team effort to get Noah back,” Bowden says. “It’s so rewarding to see him looking the way he does now.”
He has already learned most of the care protocols. Today Bowden will reinforce a previous lesson on how to safely change the central line cap.
9
Maura Moran, assistant vice president, Real Estate, shows off the plan for the Vernon Campus development, which features a new garage and a four-story office building.
MAURA MORAN KEEPS CINCINNATI CHILDREN’S GROUNDED
“I’m the dirt girl.” That’s Maura Moran’s tongue-in-cheek response whenever someone asks what she does for a living. As assistant vice president of real estate, she handles all aspects of land acquisition for Cincinnati Children’s. In an organization as large as ours, that’s a big job, and a complicated one to boot. Fortunately, “complicated” is what Moran does best. Before joining the medical center in 2008, she was director of real estate for United Dairy Farmers. There she handled new store development and managed properties. She has a degree in finance and is a licensed attorney, having earned her Juris Doctor from UC and practiced law for nine years at local firms. Moran’s work here is driven by our strategic plan and its aspirational call to change the outcome together— for kids in our community and around the world. From that comes a long-range master plan to determine what we will need in terms of space and infrastructure to accomplish our mission. Moran is at the table during master plan meetings and subsequently develops a real estate plan based on the needs identified. It can include the purchase of land or existing buildings or leasing property from a third party.
360°
LAND HO!
When scouting for a property, Moran considers many aspects besides the selling price. She looks at the visibility of the property, how easy it is to access, zoning and population growth, to name a few. “When we were planning Green Township, we had a clear idea of what we were going to use the land for,” says Moran. “Ambulatory Services and Planning had crunched the numbers. They knew their target audience, where they lived and the growth potential of the area. They also knew how far people were willing to drive for therapy or clinic visits (10–15 minutes), so we did a drive-time analysis to narrow down which properties were within that time frame.” Additionally, Moran studied competitors’ locations and enlisted Physician Services to consult with local community physicians for their feedback. “Typically, after we’ve gone out into the market to search for properties, we’ll whittle the list down to two or three possibilities,” says Moran. “I bring them back to senior leadership for their input and selection. Once they decide, my next task is to get the property under contract.” Moran knows the market extensively. She advises senior leadership regarding a fair price for a given site, and they approve a financial range within which she can negotiate.
“I approach every contract as if I am spending my own money,” she says. Moran negotiated with two separate owners for the Green Township property and with township officials to do road work adjacent to the site and build retaining walls to redirect water run-off. She also commissioned a geotechnical study. “Our buildings are big and heavy, so we want to make sure the ground can support them,” she says. All of these details are part of the due diligence that must be done before the medical center closes on a property and we’re locked in. Once a property sale is closed, Moran hands it over to Facilities for development. She stays peripherally involved to make sure we’re meeting requirements of the agreement. We’re not always ready to build following a land acquisition. The 25 acres we purchased in Union Township three years ago is a perfect example. “Based on the strategy for outpatient care approved by our senior leadership and Board of Trustees, it was obvious we were going to need to buy land on the east side of town,” Moran explains. “That’s a growing area, and if we waited too long, we weren’t going to find what we needed.” Buying early often translates into a lower price. Moran had been scouting properties and monitoring the ramp work being done at Rt. 32, I-275 and Aichholz Road for a while. “The plans for the area are public, but people don’t always realize what’s happening. Once they do, the land gets more expensive. It was to our advantage to act early to get the best real estate at the best price,” she says. Buying early also meant we had input into the location of utilities, the road and access points to our property. “Being in on that phase of planning saves us a lot of time and heartache later on when we are ready to develop the site,” she adds.
T E N A N T S , A N YO N E?
Cincinnati Children’s leases roughly 20 properties, including the Herald Building, Vernon Manor, Oak and a number of neighborhood locations. Moran’s department is responsible for handling the leases, making payments, getting repairs done and maintaining relationships with our landlords. We also have time-share leases for clinic space in Portsmouth, Kettering, Maysville and the Aquatic Rehab Center. And Moran manages the property side of visitor and patient/ family housing (Jefferson House and the Harvey townhomes). It’s an eclectic job with daily hiccups—from a broken water pipe to a seller backing out of a deal. But Moran’s biggest challenge is keeping Cincinnati Children’s best options on the table while we go through the decision-making process. “Real estate is a fast-paced business, and we are methodical—not the ideal combination,” she says. “But I try to keep our options open for as long as I can.” OPENINGS BRING CLOSURE
It’s not surprising that Moran loves ribbon-cuttings. “One of the reasons I gravitated toward reaI estate development was for the gratification of seeing a building open and in use and people enjoying the space,” she says. “It’s nice to have a finished product.” Moran is quick to emphasize that she doesn’t do all this alone. She relies heavily on many other departments—Legal, Design and Construction, Finance, Building Maintenance, Parking, Planning, Government Relations, Community Relations and more for input and help with logistics. With so much growth and construction going on, Moran remains focused on being a careful steward of the medical center’s resources. “I remind my vendors and developers that our expenses are higher than our revenues,” she says. “Every dollar I can save in acquiring or leasing a property is another dollar that can go to research or providing charitable care for a child.”
Our Green Township neighborhood location was carefully planned and developed, in collaboration with Ambulatory Services, Planning and other internal and external partners, to meet the needs of patients and families in the area.
11
s n i g e B n io t c u r t s n r Co o n a M n o n r e V d n Behi Big changes are coming to Vernon Manor and Vernon Place. Work will soon begin on building a new office building and garage on the site of the surface parking lot behind Vernon Manor, a move that has temporarily displaced 300 employees to the Winslow Garage. The construction marks the latest development in our South Campus strategy, which includes Vernon Manor, Vernon Place, Winslow, Lincoln and Oak, according to Maura Moran, assistant vice president of real estate, Real Estate Strategy and Management. “We recognized that we have a large number of employees performing office functions who need an environment more conducive to their role,” says Moran. “After evaluating our lease options, we decided to have a developer construct a new office building.” Al. Neyer, which owns and developed the Vernon Manor, will head the project. It will consist of a four-story office building that holds 700 people and a six-level parking garage beneath it. Neyer will also add two floors to the existing garage. The project is expected to take 22–24 months to complete. “Vernon Manor and the new building will have more of a campus feel with shared amenities,” says Moran. “During the construction phase, people will have to put up with some inconvenience, but in the end, everyone who works at the Vernon complex should be able to park onsite.”
An architectural rendering of the new office building that Al. Neyer will develop on the surface parking lot behind the Vernon Manor.
360°
snapshots
Department Clinical Support
Department Emergency
Department Edward L. Pratt
Team with the Specialty Resource Unit Role Patient care assistant What I love most about what I do is being a part of a team that works at forming collaborative relationships to provide the best practices for our patients and families. When I’m not here, you can usually find me at the salon getting pampered. A phrase that describes me Firecracker What I love about CCHMC are the resources provided to me as an employee for learning and the opportunities for advancement. I was born at General Hospital, now known as UC Health. The guiding principle of my life is Keep your word. Person I admire most My mother because she is the strongest woman I know People would never guess that I love collecting key chains and currently have over 50 from friends and family. What’s on my bucket list To travel to Paris.
Services Role Emergency services representative I What I love most about what I do is working with and learning from the most brilliant and talented people. When I’m not here, you can usually find me at Crossfit, PC gaming, or dabbling with an IT major at UC. A phrase that describes me Kindness costs you nothing but buys you everything. What I love about CCHMC is how we are always searching for new ways to improve. I was born in the USA. The guiding principle of my life is Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a… well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up… and loudly proclaiming, “Wow! What a ride!” Person I admire most Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. His work ethic is astonishing. People would never guess that I spent seven summers as a lifeguard with Middlesex and Indian Beach Patrol on the Delaware coast. What’s on my bucket list To swim in all seven seas.
Research Library Role Research librarian What I love most about what I do is being asked interesting questions every day, the thrill of the hunt and learning something new. When I’m not here, you can usually find me looking for dead relatives (genealogy). A phrase that describes me The Miss Marple of the library What I love about CCHMC is learning what people do and showing them how the Pratt Library can help us “change the outcome together.” I was born in Sydney, Australia. The guiding principle of my life is “Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don’t.”—Bill Nye Person I admire most My dad, Peter Dignan. He loved his job, had the ability to connect with everyone and is humble. People would never guess that I am obsessed with cleaning products. What’s on my bucket list To take a genealogical tour of the world.
Department Division of Child Psychiatry Role Access services representative I What I love most about what I do is seeing the joy on people’s faces when I have their orders completed and rung up at the register before they arrive to pay. When I’m not here, you can usually find me on the tennis court, in Atlanta or in my backyard entertaining friends and family. A phrase that describes me The LIFE of the party! What I love about CCHMC is when people tell me how Cincinnati Children’s saved their child’s life or made a difference in their welfare. I was born in Cincinnati, OH —the youngest of eight kids. The guiding principle of my life is Live life to the fullest and treat everyone with respect. The person I admire most My mother People would never guess that I am older than I look. What’s on my bucket list To hit the lottery and retire a millionaire.
13
thebuzz “Change is unavoidable— embrace it. Without change, we cannot improve patient care and outcomes.” Jonathan Dillman, MD, MSc, director, Thoracoabdominal Imaging, Radiology
mind. In most cases, it’s a
WHAT’S YOUR BEST TIP FOR
DEALING WITH CHANGE?
“Take change with an open good opportunity to open new doors into your future and makes you work to your full potential.”
“Change is a three-part process: “Understand the
John Brehm, MEd, AT, senior athletic trainer, Sports Medicine
rationale for the change, believe the change is a result of clear planning (best practice), and maintain a positive attitude.” Brenda Thompson, MA, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, speech pathologist II, Speech Pathology
“Accepting that discomfort is just a natural part of experiencing something new has helped me to be less anxious about change and
“When I am in a new or unfamiliar situation, I seek out someone who is
more open to exploring possibilities.” Marianne Wilson, staff chaplain III, Pastoral Care
knowledgeable and comfortable in that same setting. My family just moved here. I have been empowered “Change is a process. To get through the initial challenges, it helps to focus on the vision of what the change will look like when it is fully implemented.” Amy Biersack, director, Volunteer Services
360°
by long-time Cincinnatians.”
“Change is inevitable.
Catherine M. Gordon , MD, MSc, director, Adolescent and Transition Medicine
Keep a positive attitude, be flexible and keep open lines of communication with coworkers and leadership. Looking at the bigger picture helps to keep things in perspective.” Link Tague, application specialist II, General and Community Pediatrics
milestones 40 Celeste Newman, Patient Services Informatics Louise Pittman, Neurology
35 Libby Ahrens, RN, Post Anesthesia Care Unit L.D. Allbright, Operating Room Thomas Broomall, Protective Services Lynne Eckstein, RN, Liaison Resources Allene Ford, Outpatient Registration Leslie Knepper, RN, Perioperative Services Tom Mitchell, Building Maintenance Mar y Nicastro, Information Services Christine Steinmetz, Allergy and Immunology
30 Beverly Barnes, Admitting Marianne Boehner, Pulmonary Medicine James Burger, Building Maintenance Kerr y Crone, MD, Neurosurgery Clare Duane, RN, Center for Professional Excellence Paula Guenthner, Pediatric Urology Tina Hood, RN, Radiology Kathleen Kramer, Telemedicine Schyrl Patrick, Health Information Management Anna Sheets, RN, Otolaryngology Deborah Warden, RN, A7 Central
25 Gajra Ar ya, Biomedical Informatics Ann Barlow, RN, Liberty Campus/Same Day Surgery Edward Conway, RRT, Respiratory Care Connie Cook, Surgery Registration Clare Douglas, Cincinnati Children’s Research Foundation
Congratulations to the following employees who celebrate milestone ser vice anniversaries in J A N U A R Y, F E B R U A R Y and M A R C H !
Richard Dunn, Imaging Research Center Alexei Grom, MD, Rheumatology Mar y Alice Hogan, Protective Services Neil Johnson, MD, Radiology Cur tis Johnson, Operating Room/Perioperative Services Shelley Kirk, PhD, HealthWorks! Algis Liauba, RPh, Pharmacy Keith McConnell, Pulmonary Medicine Steve Muething, MD, Anderson Center Richard Ruddy, MD, Emergency Medicine John Schwierling, Information Services Debbie Sharp, Mayerson Center for Safe and Healthy Children Marilyn Stoops, APRN-CNP, Advanced Practice Nurses Dawn Woods, Childhood Trust
20 Marilyn Alexander, Patient Escort Rober t Beekman III, MD, Cardiology Alma Blake, RRT, Respiratory Care Lance Bolin, PA-C, Orthopaedics Theresa Bradshaw, Operating Room Stephanie Brown, A6 South Lisa Cruea, Liberty Campus/Radiology Tara Farrell, Dentistry Donna Ford, Food Services Kimberly Fulton, Guest Services Jamasha Hardy, A4 North Kelly Hendrix, Registration Support Kimberly Massa, Scheduling Center Mar y Owens, RN, Diabetes/Endocrinology/Clinical Translational Research Center Robin Scott, Emergency Services Janice Steiner, Radiology Davis Stroop, PhD, Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute Jason Walters, B5/Critical Care Tammy Ward, Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute Mark Watson, Same Day Surgery
See a complete list of milestone service anniversaries online in this week’s edition of CenterNews.
15
3333 Burnet Avenue, MLC 9012 Cincinnati, OH 45229-3026
Why Am I Here?
Alan Henry
In 2005 my 4-year-old daughter Olivia was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia —a defining moment in my family’s life. We also had two other daughters, ages 6 and 2, so we knew this wasn’t going to be easy. Our journey was just beginning, and it was beginning at Cincinnati Children’s. Little did we know how lucky we were that Dr. John Perentesis was on call that evening. He stayed with us throughout Olivia’s treatment. The next couple of years spent in and out of the hospital made one thing very clear to me—the people at Cincinnati Children’s impact people’s lives forever, and I wished I could be a part of that team.
I had recently retired from a position as a manager in a call center and was working in a new job that wasn’t very fulfilling. I then learned there was an opening in the hospital’s call center. I applied and, thankfully, got the job. For almost 10 years now, I have worked for what I believe is the very best place in Cincinnati. I am humbled every day to be part of this wonderful organization. Olivia is 14 years old and going strong—a beautiful, healthy young woman who owes everything to the people here. The circumstances that led me to Cincinnati Children’s were not the best, but I am thankful every day for the opportunity to make small positive differences, just as other people did for my family during our time of need. Cincinnati Children’s employees are the greatest. —Alan Henry, Customer Connections
a moment in history Staff made it fun when the first patients moved into the Hospital Tower (Location B) on December 5, 1993. The date was almost exactly 67 years after patients had moved into the Procter/Mitchell hospital on December 6, 1926. The Hospital Tower provided 18 new operating rooms, state-of-the-art facilities for emergency, radiology and intensive care services; a rooftop helipad and improved amenities for families.
1990s