Shoveling the way to safety

My favorite post to share with you all is when we spotlight one of our employees who really shined. Today, I’m sharing a wonderful story about Justina Candelaria (LTC Unit Secretary, Toms River - Stevens Road).

Winter weather is brutal – between the freezing temps and the inches upon inches (or sometimes feet upon feet) of snow – some of us may not be our usual “bubbly” selves.

One of the major storms back at the end of January – you remember, the major blizzard that really wasn’t, but still was pretty bad – Justina really stepped up to make sure everyone was safe.

The snow was starting to pile up, really coming down hard, and Justina knew the area in front of the hospital needed to be shoveled to help our patients and families get into and out of the site safely. Security wasn’t able to leave their spot at the front of the site, so Justina put on her boots and got to work!

She found a shovel and shoveled the entrance to Long Term Care, then salted the area to make sure it would stay as clear as possible. She did this because one of our families from LTC was out in the community with their child and would need to be able to get safely back inside!

This was not technically in Justina’s formal job description, as part of her role at Children’s Specialized Hospital. She wanted to ensure the safety of our patients and visitors and figured out a way to do it.

Thank you, Justina, for anticipating the needs of our patient and their family, as well as staying on top of getting the job done! You are a great team player.

Here’s to hoping the snow is slowing down! How many more days until Spring?

Do you know someone that should be recognized on Access Amy for something they’ve done at Children’s Specialized? I’d love to hear! Share below in the comments or send an e-mail to Megan Muller at memuller@childrens-specialized.org. 

Hope

Hope.

It may be just a four-letter word, but it has so much meaning.

Merriam Webster defines hope as:

• The feeling of wanting something to happen and thinking that it could happen; a feeling that something good will happen or be true
• The chance that something good will happen
• Someone or something that may be able to provide help; someone or something that gives you a reason for hoping

When times are challenging or feel difficult, you may feel as though “hope” is the only thing that you have to hang on to.

On the other side of the spectrum, hope also could signal great excitement that “hope” is the thing that drives you forward – giving you inspiration and not just comfort.

How do you define hope? What are you hopeful for? What is your desire for a certain thing to happen?

Smartphone – what will it think of next!

I recently read a Wall Street Journal article discussing the transformation of the healthcare system with technology.

You may have heard me use the expression that it is my hope that the transformation comes from us, inside the healthcare system. The likelihood that the transformation will come from outside the system is great because we often get caught in the trap of knowing how the process works and find it difficult to imagine how it could be different or better.

I know I have given you this challenge before, but if the sky was the limit, how would you use technology to change healthcare?

For me, my healthcare technology fantasy is related to time.

There are many times that I know something is wrong, but I don’t feel it is “wrong” enough for me to take off from work and make a doctor’s appointment. My doctor is not close by and in order for me to see him, it requires at least a 3-hour block of time between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. during the week. So, unless I am hacking up a lung, I am not taking the time to see him.

I haven’t crossed over yet to the minute clinics, but I am starting I might give it a try. I wish I could e-mail my doctor and tell him my symptoms, or send him a photo of a rash and see if he can diagnose it just by looking at the picture. Then he could help me work through it without having to come in.

It might sound bogus to you now, but over time it’s definitely something that could happen in health care! After all, we use the VGo robots now with some of our patients so our doctors can check on them remotely.

So what is your technology wish?

Scheduling Department prepares for major improvements

We recently shared the great work we are doing through our Operation Excellence efforts. Step by step we are looking at all the moving parts in our organization and finding ways in which we can improve. 

One of the areas that showed remarkable improvements over the last year was in our Scheduling Department. This team has done an outstanding job looking for ways to increase our access for our children to get their much needed services. 

The Scheduling Department did the following in 2014:

• Reduced the answer speed:
• Answer speed in English went from 2:20 minutes to 1:26 minutes
• Answer speed in Spanish went from 7:20 minutes to 2:38 minutes
• Developed a formalized training program for new staff
• Expanded the staff by an additional 2 schedulers
• Implemented rescheduling process for text message cancellations
• Refined the text messaging system
• Re-structured the staff so that they have been given a specific job function

So what’s next for 2015?

• Expansion of staff by an addition of 2.5 schedulers
• Expansion of bilingual Spanish staff
• Build a scheduling dashboard to manage the department and ensure scheduling and rescheduling is completed in a timely fashion
• Automate the text messaging cancellations so they no longer need to be completed manually

Great job guys! We know that these efforts along with the other efficiency will help us reduce the current 66 days wait time to see a developmental pediatrician!

Stay tuned for a future blog post where we will go into greater detail about some of the projects from the Scheduling Department when they are completed. 

Is your department making big movements? Do you have a big project for 2015? Let us know in the comments below and you could be featured in an upcoming blog post!

Operation Our Town brings a little “home” to our troops over seas

We always support both our families and community members' needs throughout our community. When you look at your church, synagogue or other organizations you may be involved in, it may seem like the same people are giving so much of their time. 

There is an old adage that 80% of the work is done by 20% of the people. I think those 20% all work at Children’s Specialized Hospital! 

Katie Grogan (Nursing LTC, TR 94 Stevens) volunteers her time – along with her mother – to an organization called Operation Our Town. They collect contributions of necessities and then send to the troops with a note and maybe even a card from our kids. Providing random acts of kindness to people they may never meet! 

Making the decision to join the United States military services is noble. Our service men and women voluntarily defend our freedom, as well as fight for peace in other areas of the world. Regardless of where they are stationed, it’s our civic duty to ensure they receive the support and respect they deserve. 

Think of how excited you are when you are headed home after a long day of work, a business trip, or a vacation. You probably can’t wait to throw off your shoes, flip on your favorite channel, and pour yourself your favorite beverage. 

When our troops are stationed in other countries, they are away from their friends and family for what could be a very long period of time. They don’t have the luxuries they had while home—the simple “pleasures” such as candy, games, sometimes even toiletries.

This is similar to the children who come to our inpatient hospital. Some of our kids stay with us for a handful of days and others stay with us for weeks to months. They pack items from home to make them feel more comfortable during their stay and pass the time, but it’s difficult for them to not be in their “home” environment. 

The boxes of goodies put together by Katie and Operation Out Town are sure to put a smile on the face of our service men and women who are missing their homes. Much like we put a smile on the faces of our kids when we provide fun activities and events for them!

Operation Our Town absorbs the cost to ship the packages. So, they graciously accept monetary donations to help offset the cost of shipping. 

If you’d like to volunteer your time with Operation Our Town or make a donation of food, toiletries, or assistance for shipping, please send an e-mail to Katie Grogan at KGrogan@childrens-specialized.org.  

Thank you, Katie, for everything you to do bring a smile to the faces of our troops!

Do you volunteer your time with a community organization? Let us know in the comments below and you may be showcased in an upcoming blog post!