State of the State – What do you want to know?

My oh my, where has the month gone!? We’re already approaching November, which means I’ll be starting my twice-a-year employee meetings very soon. We have some tentative dates scheduled for the end of November, so be on the lookout for the final dates soon.

This is your opportunity to open that line of communication with our senior leadership team and for us to really listen to what’s on your mind — your praises, your concerns, questions, and you all know how much I like a good rumor.

I’m putting together some things I’d like to share with you guys. but, these meetings are for YOU. It’s a chance for all of us to be completely available and transparent to answer any questions YOU have.

So, what’s on your mind? Comment below with some questions/topics that you’d like me to touch base on and we will do our best to include as many of your questions/topics as time allows.

Thank you in advance for all of your meeting input and efforts to improve our process.

Nasty Habits

Let’s get real today. Have you ever noticed a nasty habit of yours that you know you should curb, but thought “it’s not really a big deal?: Then, someone you are interacting with does that exact same nasty habit that you do and then all of a sudden you have an entirely new perspective on what you thought was no big deal?

Following? Let me share…

Last week I was asked to go to Washington, DC for what was described as a critical meeting between the leadership of two national associations. There were five people from each association, and then myself and another Board Member.

There had been some strains over the last couple of years due to changes in leadership and staff. Nothing bad happened, but these organizations had definitely lost their rhythm. This is a very big deal in Washington because nothing gets done without a coalition of people.

So here we are at this meeting, discussing some pretty heavy stuff and really trying to make some headway. Then what happens? All the members on the other side of the table begin looking at their smartphones – during the meeting!.

Disclaimer: NOT the people I was in a meeting with.

Now the phones didn’t ring – or vibrate as far as I know. No one began the meeting by saying they were waiting for an important phone call that they’d have to take – they just decided that the conversation happening at that moment did not require their full attention and that checking their email (or Facebook – who knows what they were doing) was more important.

Now, this is something I am HUGELY guilty of. I admit it! But, I am not sure I had ever been on the receiving end of this kind of behavior, as I was at this meeting. And, it really got to me!

It was never my intent to offend anyone if I checked my phone during a meeting, just as I am sure it wasn’t their intent to offend. Yet, I had taken a three-hour train ride to be here for this critical meeting and their behavior gave me the perception that my presence was not important enough for them to put their phones away for two hours.

The meeting went ok and we finalized some next steps and a game plan, but I couldn’t shake how annoyed I was – and frankly, still am. I felt disrespected, but even more I reflected on my own behavior knowing that it’s something I do.

I mean, I’ve stared down Governors and taken on Legislators for our kids, and even though I was fired up with passion and determination, this phone thing has left me feeling really shook up.

I often say that God gives you gifts when you least expect it and sometimes you don’t see these lessons as gifts. Let me tell you, this was a gift and a hard lesson for me.

So here is my apology – if I answered emails when we were in a meeting together, I apologize. It was never my intent to disrespect you. In no way do I want you to think whatever was on my phone was more important than what was going on in person.

While I hope I will never do it again, please know that I am on a journey to repair and improve. And there may be times when that nasty habit slips back in, but I’m going to try my hardest to break it once and for all!

So here is my question to you – have you ever seen someone else do something and think, “oh my goodness, I do that,” but didn’t realize it was a nasty habit until someone else did it? Or is there something you wish someone would stop doing?

In the meantime – phones down and eyes up for me. 

The Equipment Shuffle

Teamwork is one of our core values that we have that ensures we a) don’t burn out trying to do everything on our own and b) that our kids get the best care they possibly can while they are with us.

So when this example came across my desk (well, in my email inbox) I couldn’t wait to recognize this team.

We accept donations of medical equipment so that when families are in need of specialized equipment we can loan something out to them, or use the equipment for either LTC or the inpatient program. The donation process can be tedious for those who aren’t familiar with it. Each new piece of equipment needs to be cleaned, checked for safety, processed into inventory, and then stored until it’s needed.

Then the shuffle begins! No, not the dance (although I wouldn’t put it past the staff in Rehabilitation Technology do a little jig from time to time), but the equipment gets shuffled from one site to another, depending on where the donation is accepted and where it is needed.

Getting the right equipment to the right site and department takes a team effort!

For this story, Sheila Blochlinger (Rehabilitation Technology Manager, Mountainside) gets the lucky straw since she is the one who got to see the happy child and family when we are able to loan a piece of equipment. 

She recently shared with me that we had an 8-year-old boy who came to us because he was just diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy. He could no longer walk and was falling down all the time. We have been trying to get him an adaptive stroller through his insurance provider, but it is still not approved. 

A stroller donation from the Toms River site was ready for him and Fresnel Pierre (Materials Management) had transported it to our Mountainside site. It was the perfect size for this child and it was in good working condition. 

Sheila was able to fit the stroller and show the family how to use it properly. His parents were thrilled but most importantly, the child was thrilled. He was finally able to get around without the fear that he’d fall and hurt himself.

Here is the best part. He sat in the stroller and looked in the mirror and said, “Now I look like a King, instead of a baby.” He was smiling ear to ear.

Did happy tears just stream down your face? Because they did for me when I heard this story!

This truly shows how many hands it takes to make a good thing happen and live our value of compassion and teamwork. Not just that, but this shows us all how to be an inspiration to the kids and families we serve!

Yes, we helped to make sure that this patient was safe as he moved around, but more importantly, we changed how he felt about himself. He felt like a King!

Thanks Sheila for sharing this story with me and allowing me the opportunity to share it here on the blog. And thank you to everyone in our Rehabilitation Technology department for ensuring that equipment is clean, safe, and stored until our kids are ready to use it.

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

Our partnership with China begins

First, let me begin by saying what a tremendous honor it was to for Michael Dribbon (VP Rehabilitation Services and Program Development), Chris Haines (Chief Medical Officer), and I to represent Children’s Specialized Hospital to begin our new consulting relationship with LIH Olivia’s Place. So many of you have asked about our trip, so I thought this would be a great place to share with all of you!

I’m going to totally over share on this one, but Michael over packed. Ha! Standing in the United Airlines line for check in, he had to take out ½ a pound of stuff from his suitcase. He was carrying presents and other materials for the people we were going to meet, but it ended up making his bag weigh a whopping 70.5 lbs! They wouldn’t let him pay to send the bag as is, so we had to do some luggage juggling.

The first thing we noticed when we arrived was the very tall apartment buildings. Inside entire, multi-generational families live together in 1,000 square feet homes. I can only speak for myself, but it really struck me how many people are in such a small space; everything is so compact.

I have a whole new appreciation for rush hour in New Jersey! In Beijing, it took us almost 95 minutes to go 5 miles. One of our hosts described driving in Beijing to me like a boulder in the middle of a stream. The water just makes its way around the boulder on the sides and isn’t deterred. People, cars, and bikes all move the same way. It just goes. I spent a lot of time in the back of the van with my eyes closed!

Beijing Children’s Hospital had just begun to institute appointments to their outpatient clinics. Prior to the week we arrived, people would just line up at the wee hours of the morning outside of the clinic doors and wait – just like you would at a department store. When the doors would open, people would be lined up by which physician they needed to see, and then wait again to be seen.

The physician would spend an average of 3 minutes with each patient and see 500 or so patients a day. It was hard for us to conceive how all of this functions.

The inpatient hospital is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday-Friday. Just one nurse stays at night for the entire hospital. The families are expected to stay with their children to provide care over night and on the weekends.

Dr. Haines said he saw many children who had Guillain-Barre and other disorders that we also care for. There are so few surgeons so the things that we see as routine (e. g, feeding tube insertion) are not done because the clinicians can’t take the time away from the more traumatic surgeries that need to be completed.

Our role at Olivia’s Place is to provide expert advice as they open outpatient rehabilitation centers. Their first center was due to open the Monday after our arrival.

Their therapy staff was foreign trained and supplemented with therapy aides. The facility was beautiful and looked very much like ours. All of the patients are private pay, since the government insurance does not cover rehabilitation. It is their hope that they will be able to offer free care but that is an aspirational goal right now.

There were some things I saw there that I found hard to get used to. The signs in the bathroom at the hotel state, “Do not drink the water.” We had to use bottled water to brush our teeth. Also, in the closet there was a face mask with aerator on the front – think gas mask – in case the air was too polluted.

We got a chance to visit The Great Wall of China! It was 100 degrees outside that day. I sweated so much that the dye from my purse bled on my white shirt. There were attractive purple stains all over the back of my shirt and on my shoulder. The sights were beautiful, but I’m not sure how great I look in all the photos since I was so sweaty!

To make matters even more humorous, Michael and I have a bit of a fear of heights, whereas Dr. Haines was fearless during our adventures! Not only were we sweating because of the temperature, but I’m sure our nerves from being so high had something to do with it.

Also, giving a speech with a translator was very tough. You all know that I very rarely use notes and if I have them, I don’t keep to them. Well when someone is translating they read word for word on the slides. So, if you use words that aren’t on the slides and the translator doesn’t know them, well you can only imagine what gets translated.

It is clear to me that we have a unique ability to improve children’s lives in ways we can’t even begin to understand. We are continuing to provide assistance to our partners and hope that they will take us up on our offer to train side by side, both here and in China.

My thanks to all who have volunteered and we will continue to keep you apprised.