Communicating in a “Large” Company

I think of our healthcare system as being small, which is good because we can change faster than bigger companies in our industry. On the other hand, with more than 3,000 employees, we are a pretty big organization and trying to make sure that all of our people know what we are trying to do and what is changing is really difficult. There is no one good way to communicate. So, we use many methods. One of those methods is the Town Hall Meeting.

This week, we started our summer Town Hall Meetings. These meetings attempt to narrow the gap between what the frontline staff knows and what the front office staff knows. The meetings are meant to be two-way communications, a sharing up and down of information. The bigger the group, the harder it is to make this happen.

One of the goals of holding these Town Hall Meetings is for our employees to come away feeling informed about our healthcare system and what is going on around it. These meetings are a place to learn more about your role in moving us closer to our vision and are one of your opportunities to have your opinion heard.

We welcome everyone to come with questions and ideas, and I encourage all GBMC staff members to attend at least one of the 12 scheduled meetings that run through August 14 on the GBMC campus, in Owings Mills, and at the Gilchrist headquarters. I am willing to come at other times and to other locations. If you wish to schedule a session, please call Tina Hughes at ext. 2495.

Some of the important topics we will be covering include:
• An update on our system performance
• The results of our recent employee engagement survey
• Facilities improvements
• The new fitness center on campus

The detailed schedule is available on the GBMC HR’s InfoWeb page.

Again, these meetings provide an opportunity to ask questions, raise issues, share information, and clarify key objectives. If you would like to submit a question prior to the meeting, please submit it via email to Tina Hughes at cdhughes@gbmc.org

All are encouraged to attend!  The value of these meetings is directly related to your participation, so we look forward to seeing you there!  Please mark your calendars!

New NICU Opens Its Doors
On Wednesday, we officially started treating patients in our new NICU. Here are a couple of photos from Day One. Again, I want to thank Howard Birenbaum, MD, the NICU medical director, Drs. Maria Pane and Sabah M. Helou, and our incredible nursing staff, led by manager Kristin Trawinski, as well as our pediatricians, nurse practitioners, and talented and dedicated therapists who provide the best care to our tiniest patients.

Tragedy In Annapolis
We are all sad to hear about the tragic event that took place at The Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis. We extend our deepest sympathies to the family, friends, and colleagues of those killed and injured in yesterday's event.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US!!!

Finally, I want to wish everyone in our GBMC family a safe and happy Independence Day. July 4th marks the birthday of our great country, the land of the free and the home of the brave. Let's take some time to reflect on what we can each do to make our country even better than it is today.