You decide what the future looks like

I’m sure by now most of you know that I started my professional career working in Washington, DC and for the State of New Jersey. I was responsible for policies, and since my job was heavily impacted by politics it was important for me to learn the ropes.

So, with that said, watching this Presidential campaign has been both fascinating and frightening to me. Even more so, I believe it has parallels to the transformation in health care.

Let me explain…

Forget whether you affiliate yourself with the Democrat or Republican Party. It is very clear that most people paying attention to the debates and the campaigns for our next President are angry.

Why do I say this?

On both sides of the aisle, many of the policies that the candidates promise and put forward are impractical and can not be accomplished.

No, we aren't going to pay for everyone's college education — unless we raise taxes to equal 50% of what people earn. No, Mexico is not going to pay for a wall to stop immigrants from coming into our country. The Affordable Care Act may be modified; 10 million Americans including 1 million children now have insurance and it will not be repealed.

When I watch these debates and the political commercials I can’t help but wonder, “Why are candidates saying these things and why do people believing in them?”

Rapid changes in our economy and advancements in technology make it difficult for us to protect the “American Dream.” We can’t all be Mark Zuckerberg, creating Facebooks and making more money than we know what to do with. The truth is the state of our country is a harsh reality.

It’s not all bad and scary. I’ll be the first to tell you that some major improvements have been made in the last few years. The economy has turned around and unemployment is down to 5%. These are great! But, people are not better off now than they were in 2007 when it comes to their income.

We are all uncertain about our safety and our future employment. Our parents now know that we will not have the same opportunities as them in regards to financial security and independence. This can cause huge unrest and disillusionment.

So what is the answer?

The answer is that we hold the answer within our own world. It is up to us to continue to do our best to find hope and joy in our daily life.

Knowing that change is coming doesn't make it any easier to accept the change. We need to do for each other what we do for our families — find the joy and refrain from getting too far ahead of ourselves.

We need to come together as a community where all people find the chance to succeed, where teamwork is encouraged and excellence follows.

What are your thoughts about this topic? Are you feeling the pressure and struggle? What are the ways you are coping?

Technology: Is it hurting or helping?

One of the many things that I have always appreciated about the employees at Children's Specialized Hospital is how many of you who show no hesitation to ask questions and allow me the opportunity to give you a different view on shared topic I’ve talked about.

This blog post is a result of the last State of the State. I know some of you showed concern that all of this new technology was going to "hurt" what we know as Children's Specialized; that it would in some way change our ability to stay close to the families.

First, let me begin by saying that when I started working here we had only five (5) locations. Today, we have 13 locations.

In each of our locations, families tell me that they feel connected to our staff. They are struck by how each of you takes them into your lives, and in turn you become part of their families. 

Let me tell you, that doesn't happen by accident. It happens because we live our values and we love what we do. You have set Service Excellence Standards that we all work hard tolive up to.

We have dramatically changed our hiring practices so we hire not only based upon your skills, but based on who you are and what kind of heart you have. These are purposeful, deliberate strategies that we set out. Yes, we always can do better to ensure we are all rowing in the same direction, but we have made significant strides.

Secondly, there are things we may not see every day, things that we shouldn’t necessarily be proud of that are an unfortunate reality that many of our families go through. For example, we have 5,000 calls coming into scheduling. No matter how many people we hire to answer the phones, there are no more appointments to give them. Our wait for physician services went up last year and we have wait lists for EVERY ONE of our services.

We continue to make great strides by using technology in registrations – reducing upwards of 5,000 hours of face-to-face time that parents have to wait to be registered by a person – creating a patient portal so families have access to their records, pharmacy refills digitally, and scheduling online in 2016.

But, we are still using modes of treatment that require families to come to us. Families have said that there are times in their lives that if they could do FaceTime or video treatment it would help them. If we had a 24-hour billing department that would allow people to chat online to understand their bill, like I can do with my cable company, that to would be easier for them.

We will hold to our values and continue the good things that we do have at Children’s Specialized. But we also have opportunities to better meet the needs of our families by the use of technology and pursuit of new ways to help their children meet their maximum potential that we must never stop striving for.

Disagree? Or did I miss your concerns? Let me know in the comments below.

And tonight’s Power Ball numbers are…..

Remember when I told you about having certain people who youcan really rely on? Well, today’s post was inspired by Theresa Defosse! She reached out to me to share what she would do with the money if she won the huge Powerball jackpot.

As of yesterday, the jackpot was up to $1.5 billion. BILLION! You could buy a few private islands and still have enough left over to get each Children’s Specialized Hospital employee a new car.

Theresa – who has a heart of gold – shared that she would use the money to help others and to change the world in a positive way.

“Personally, I would focus on accessible housing. I would start by building a community for kids and families who can’t go home after hospitalization. Then, I would try to expand the vision and promote accessible housing communities. I would want more medical group homes, so kids like Poppy could live with a family.”

So, it got me to thinking. What would I do if I won the Powerball jackpot (or even a portion of it). 

I just have to say that part of me feels like I’ve already won the lottery with the big Alabama win on Monday. Roll tide!!!!

I was on a golf course once with some colleagues. Instead of paying attention to the game, I started a conversation about what we would do if we won the lottery.

The woman I was playing with said she would set aside money for her nieces and nephews to pay for college.

I had just finished chairing the Capitol campaign for my church and said that I would pay off the mortgage so that it wouldn’t be such a burden for us. I would also pay off my Children’s Specialized Hospital pledge.

The woman’s husband was also playing with us and he said, “What is wrong with you two?! You are supposed to buy a jet and spend the money crazily so you end up bankrupt! You will never ‘win’ with those kinds of ‘wants’!”

Well, I still play occasionally hoping to pay off the church mortgage and my Children’s Specialized pledge, but it was still one of the funniest conversations I have ever had.

Now I want to know, what would YOU do with the money if you won? And if you’re playing tonight, “may the odds forever be in your favor.”

When life hands you lemons…

So you may recall from previous blog posts that my Dad and I have a daily exercise date at 4:30 a.m. We meet five days a week and I get my running fix in.

Running helps me clear my head and makes everything better for me. It’s very therapeutic.

Between Christmas and New Year's I got a rude awakening. Literally! I was awoken in the middle of the night by what I can only describe as a feeling like if someone was sticking pins in a voodoo doll's hip. A voodoo doll that was supposed to be me!

Literally out of a dead sleep my hip locked up and I screamed out loud.

After four days of dragging my leg behind me in pain while I walked and relying on a combination of Icy Hot, massages, Advil, and a healthy dose of self-pity, I emailed Pattie Foley (VP, Outpatient Services) for a consult.

 

It turns out that I have something called Iliotibial Band Syndrome (or ITBs). While it has a long, fancy name it just means I strained the muscle between my hip and knee. 

And guess what the fix is? Rest and stretching. It has now been over a week of trying to fix this and I have to say that I have been miserable. Actually, that is an understatement.

You know I am addicted to my FitBit, so reaching my daily goal is basically out of the question. Plus, my running has been completely sidelined, eliminating all opportunities for me to clear my head!

Are you enjoying my pity party yet?

This whole inconvenience has forced me to try other ways to heal, such as deep cleansing breaths. But, it has also been a stark reminder of just how hard it is for our kids and their parents who are recovering from what they are dealing with.

Yes, there are signs of life and healing, but I have to keep reminding myself that it is a process and no amount of gnashing of teeth or rushing will replace the hard work and time. Patience is key.

I’m curious – do you have a story similar to mine where you had to work through something challenging that tested your patience? Or do you have advice for me – besides put my big girl pants on and stop whining – to help me through my challenge?