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.

Twelve years and counting…

September 29th marks my twelfth year at Children’s Specialized Hospital. On one hand it seems like it went so fast, but honestly it is hard to remember my life without Children’s Specialized Hospital in it!

There is so much that I think about as I reflect back on the last 12 years.

I remember so many of specific moments—Hurricane Sandy; moving to New Brunswick; opening Lakehurst, Clifton, Bayonne, Newark, Egg Harbor, Warren, and Plum Street; and all of the renovations in Mountainside! I look back on the children who have come into our lives, and the tremendous courage of each of them as well as and their families.

The smiles, laughter, and accomplishments of so many of you who have let me into your lives both professionally and personally.

All of the trips to Washington and Trenton to advocate for our children and our hospital, AND the families who have let me drag them all over Washington to tell their stories over and over again to anyone and everyone.

As the flood of memories comes back, the one commonality among them is the smiles and laughter.

The galas, the speeches, and the fundraisers all with special moments and shared joy. In the same respect, I remember the sorrow from the children and staff who were taken from us too soon.

Prominently displayed in my office is the beautiful book I received as a gift on my 10th anniversary. It includes letters from many of you and pictures of our children. It brings tears of joy to my eyes every time I look at it.

While I have many funny stories, nothing will ever top the story about Congressman Mike Ferguson coming to a check presentation in Mountainside. The Congressman was coming to do a press event about money he had secured for us for renovations in Long Term Care. If you know me well you know I hate photos with checks so I asked if the Congressman would read a book to the kids instead.

The kids had just come home from school and one of the little girls – who was the most charismatic, outgoing, spitfire we have ever had stay with us – was giving me a hard time about coming to the event. So now here I am begging her to come to this event and she asks me why the Congressman is coming. I tried my hardest to explain to her that he was coming to read us a story and people were going to take pictures, but she was just looking frustrated because she didn’t understand why. So, I said “He is bringing us cash.”

I didn’t think any more about the conversation and went off to meet the Congressman. The little girl comes in, wheels into the front row, and when he is all done reading the little girl has this face on—I am sitting right next to him so I know something is up.

He looks at her and asks, “Would you like to keep this book?”

This is the best part…

She replies to him with, “No, I want the cash!”

Now, you can imagine my face as I’m watching this whole thing go down (actually you can sEE it in the picture above!). I told her he was bringing money! Did I mention that the Star Ledger was there? I almost died! I never tried to explain away because there was just nothing to say…but out of the mouths of babes!

I can’t even begin to tell you what an honor it is to serve with each of you in our efforts to fulfill our mission of creating a world where every child can reach their full potential. Thank you for all that you give and your dedication to our children and each other.

Cheers to many more years of great things at Children’s Specialized Hospital.

It’s all about those apps

Earlier this month I told you about an invention that would make my life easier. Cell phones can really do it all nowadays, so I’ve been thinking a lot about smartphone apps.

I am fascinated by the different tools people have adopted to help them make their life easier; that one (or sometimes two or three) thing they have become so reliant on that it would be hard to imagine getting through the day without it.

I used the word "app," but the crutch can really be anything that has become necessary for you to get through your day.

I’ll share mine!

I don’t think I’m alone in sharing that the first and most obvious necessity is my iPhone. It truly has become the one thing I would turn around the car for if I forgot it at home. I have become so dependent on its uses and how connected it keeps me.

I often hear people say, "I have my life in there!" Since I’m always on the go, I can absolutely relate to that one.

So, what apps are on my phone? I have a few apps that are my go-to, but then others that I just think are really cool.

On the functionality side I guess it is those you would expect:

·         Google, - to get a quick answer to any question

·         Email, so I can stay on top of my email even when I’m not in the office

·         Fitbit, because you all know I’m obsessed with my steps

·         NJ.com, to stay up-to-date on news

·         Google maps, I’d be lost without it and love to check where I’m going ahead of time

On the fun side:

·         Shazam, so I can figure out what song is playing where I am and then purchase it immediately via iTunes (also another favorite)

·         Facebook, for obvious reasons!

·         Kindle app, so I can buy new books without having to lug them around

Amazon Smile is both a site and an app that I can’t live without. I am a one-click wonder. I get boxes every week from Amazon and it is has made my life so much easier when I don't have to worry about getting to the store to shop, but can order on line and from one vendor! Plus, I can justify my shopping habit with Amazon Smile since each order gives back to our kids!

The Asbury Park Press website has a data universe that will let you find any homeowner's address if they live in the State of New Jersey. It has been a huge help to me when sending notes to donors or some of you! I love not having to ask people for their address and keeping the element of surprise!

Before the end of this calendar year we’ll be coming out with two apps for our patients and families to use! Stay on the lookout for more about those two apps both here on Access Amy and through email and the huddles!

There’s got to be some things I’m missing, right? What are the items that you are you using that you would like to share? The apps or websites that you can’t live without!

So long sweet summer

Ok, so we have passed Labor Day weekend – the “unofficial” end of summer. While the calendar says summer doesn’t actually end until tomorrow, the beginning of September is usually the time most of us think of the going back to school or back to work.

I shared some of my goals for the summer, for example my summer reading list. Out of the six books I wanted to read, I read five of the six.

The Talk Like Ted book was fabulous and I have already lent it out, especially if you do any presentations or public speaking.  The key take away I got from this book was the art of saying less but having a bigger bang with your messages.

I also read “Do the KIND Thing,” “The Vacationers,” “Beautiful Ruins,” and Sue Grafton’s “X.”

The last book I still have yet to read is “The Oz Principle.” Of course I picked up other books to read along my travels! I told you about “Touchpoints” a great management book that brought together so many of the things we have been working on as part of our management growth.

I also read "Every Last One" by Anna Quindlen which I loved and the "Beautiful Bureaucrat" which I hated.

My August was filled with travel — China and Japan you already know about, but this month also had two wedding back to back. I have now reached the age where my friends’ kids are starting to get married! Both weddings will put me back on planes to Florida and South Carolina. After doing the 13 hours to Asia, these are a walk in the park! 

While I didn't get as much relax time as I would have liked, I did spend a great deal of time thinking about the future. Not only are we working on the RWJ/Barnabas merger, we are also preparing to embark on updating our three year strategic plan in 2016. This is the time when we look both ahead and back. What have we accomplished over the last three years, what is left to do, and how does that fit with both what our families want and the current state of our health care environment?

You have heard me say many times that I do not believe the healthcare delivery system will look anything like what it does today, or in the very near future.

The minute clinics and easy access clinics are now on every major corner. I believe the next big thing will be the ability to make use of your medical information. While many of us have electronic medical records, they’re still not easy to access or are unavailable without going through many steps. I think sharing protected health information will become as easy as sharing access to an app with your provider – regardless of where you are.

The technology is coming too. Accessing doctors via telemedicine will be the standard, not the exception. While we and others have begun to dabble in it, it will be more common than going for an office visit.

So yes, I guess you could say I spent a lot of the summer thinking about how we will fit all of this in and what it will ultimately mean for our continued growth and efforts.

So how about you? What did you do or think about this summer? I would love to hear summer vacation stories too!

My most prized possessions

I’m sure we all have that one treasured keep sake from a special time in our lives, event, or loved one that brings you joy every time you see it. Right? 

In my home and my office, I have a number of pieces of art and pottery that either has been given to me as gifts or, in some cases, my Mother made. Each one has a story and brings me back to a moment or memory that makes me smile. 

There is a small round vase on the table in my office that I bought in California when I was at a Children's Hospital Association meeting with a former colleague from Robert Wood Johnson. Every morning when I walk into my office I am taken back to that wonderful day spent with her, and smile at my fortune to still have her as a friend although our roads are now much different. 

I also have a ring that I wear often. I bought it after a dear friend from church lost her fight to ovarian cancer at the age of 45, leaving three children under the age of 14– two of which have special needs – and a husband who cared for her through every moment of her illness. The ring was a splurge, but her death was a reminder to me of how precious life is.

As you know, I am still blessed to have both my parents, but I am sure that there will be things of theirs that I can't imagine living without. Fortunately I haven't had to cross that bridge yet.

What’s your prized possession(s)? What’s that one (or two, or three) thing that brings you much joy or you hold dear to your heart? 

This would make my life easier...

Think back on the last decade or so; think about how far technology has come. Portable DVD players and digital cameras were becoming popular. Today, we get both features in our cell phone!

I’m sure I don’t speak for myself when I say that I’ve taken a lot of these technological advances for granted over the last few years. For example, my iPhone!

With my iPhone, I can FaceTime all of my loved ones and relatives in a real-time way from anywhere in the world at any time. A few friends and I were recently recalling standing in line in college during the ‘80s to use the payphone! Can you imagine having to schedule a weekly call to your home from a payphone, instead of picking up your personal cell phone from anywhere and just tapping the screen?

I remember using FedEx for the first time and thinking it was insane that it could be sent over night. Today, we can “Zip” a document and send it anywhere in the world immediately. 

Ok, here is my point.

All this chat about technology got me to thinking: If I could invent anything to make my life a little bit easier, what would it be?

I think the one invention I could really use would be some sort of transportation magic that would allow me to either be in multiple places at the same time or travel quickly. You know, sort of a "Bewitched" wiggle of my nose and POOF I’ve gone from Egg Harbor to Clifton at the blink of an eye.

Another thing I thought of was to clone myself! Some days there is just SO much to do that I could really use another one of me. Could you imagine my shoecloset if that were possible?

If you could invent any one thing to make your work or personal life easier or more efficient, what would it be? 

Leadership: Tough Minded & Tender Hearted

A few weeks ago I asked you all for recommendations for summer reading. Sue Winning went one step further and loaned me a great book - "TouchPoints: Creating Powerful Leadership Connections in the Smallest of Moments" by Douglas Conant.

I couldn’t wait to share some of the things that I took away from this book with all of you.

The book talks about many tools and strategies you can utilize to be both "tough minded and tender hearted." Simply put, we will still get the results we strive and work for, but we still care about the people around us and on the path along the way. 

One section talked about identifying one thing you would change in yourself as a leader or that you would change in your boss.

This sure made me think about what I would change in my leadership style! When I actually said it out loud I knew it was unrealistic, but I would want my boss to have the same priorities that I have for his time. Even though the parts of his job that impact me are probably less than 25%, it is totally unrealistic that he would concentrate at the same level of intensity or priority that I do about the same issues.

Getting some perspective on that was tremendously helpful for me and made me a lot more appreciative of what it takes to stand in his shoes.

Thank you, Sue, for lending me this book. It has helped me to become a better leader, as well as to be led.

So just think about that for a minute – are there things that you wish your boss would do differently for you? Would you be so bold to share them? 

In doing so, you may provide valuable insight to yourself as well as your boss!