Dryer Repair and Health Care

Unfortunately, things sometimes break – even when you’re on vacation. While I was on vacation last week, my wife let me know she was going to the laundromat because our dryer had just stopped working. We called our usual appliance repair company, but they wouldn’t be able to come out for three weeks. With some research, I learned the culprit was likely the dryer belt. I got to thinking about how you can learn to do almost anything now online. I wanted to try to fix it on my own – what’s the worst that could happen?

Long story short, after watching a tutorial (many, many times), finding the exact part I needed, and having it delivered the next day, I successfully fixed the dryer!

That experience reminded me of the importance of making it easy for people to get the things they need. I was pretty amazed that I was easily able to find such a specific part, get it delivered directly to my home, and learn amateur dryer repair skills in about 24 hours.

We’re fortunate to have this level of access today. And it’s exactly the mentality we need to have in healthcare. Our communities need us, and we must continue adapting to make sure we meet them where they are. We already do this in numerous ways – from embracing telehealth and advanced primary care to expanding primary care access to Jonestown and bringing healthcare to the home with Gilchrist’s Elder Care Program.

Let’s keep thinking about transforming healthcare to make it easier and more accessible to those we serve.

Best for Kids!
Baltimore's Child magazine recently conducted a "Reader's Choice" poll to allow readers to vote on the best businesses, people, and places for children and families in the Baltimore area. GBMC HealthCare was recognized in several areas, named by readers as Best ER for Kids, Best Pediatric Vision Care, and Best Place to Deliver a Baby! GBMC HealthCare was also named runner-up for Best Pediatric Hospital. These recognitions are very meaningful, as they reflect the opinions of our community and the families/caregivers of the children we serve! Please join me in congratulating and thanking our Women’s and Pediatrics teams!

MIEMSS Perinatal Survey Success
Congratulations to our multidisciplinary perinatal team and all ancillary departments that made the recent on-site Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) Perinatal Survey a success! We heard very positive feedback from the surveyors, who specifically mentioned areas of strength including well-documented quality improvement work, effective use of the leadership system, teamwork and engagement, and overall communication. There’s a bit of a wait before we get the official survey results, but we are confident that the outcome will be great.

Having Time to Unwind

I hope everyone is getting some time for rest and relaxation as the summer comes to an end. Everyone at GBMC has worked so hard during the pandemic, and it is important to find some time to disconnect. I have been out on vacation this week with my family. One of the highlights of the week was seeing Lyle Lovett and His Large Band in concert. Lyle is a great lyricist, composer, and story teller. The members of his band are all virtuoso musicians, and they put on a great show.

It’s always tough to say goodbye to summer, but at GBMC HealthCare, we have so much to look forward to in the coming weeks and months. I’m particularly excited to see our progress with the Promise Project construction. Everything is really taking shape – in fact, we’re about to reach a huge milestone. Soon, we’ll be placing the final beam in the inpatient building! To commemorate the occasion and be part of GBMC history, we’re inviting our employees, volunteers, and board members to sign the beam! Staff and volunteers, please be sure to check your email and the Infoweb for details about dates, times, and locations to sign the beam.

Next month, we will have our annual employee barbecue, which is an event that I always look forward to.

Please enjoy the remainder of your summer as we look ahead to all of the exciting things coming this Fall.

 

Congratulations to our Inaugural DAISY Team Award Winners!

For years, GBMC HealthCare has participated in the national DAISY award program, recognizing nurses for going above and beyond in their roles. Historically at GBMC, these have been individual recognitions, but we have expanded the program to offer an annual team award. This new iteration of the award recognizes teams of two or more led by a nurse or group of nurses that exemplify GBMC’s mission, vision, and values. In addition, the award winners are role models of collaboration and teamwork that make a difference in the lives of patients, families, employees, and the community.

On Thursday, August 11, I was honored to help recognize our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) team as our very first DAISY team award winners. I’m always humbled by the work and dedication of our NICU staff, but one story in particular propelled them to receive the award.

When the war in Ukraine began, it was personal for the NICU. Two of their own – Olena Goddard, MD, a neonatologist and Inga Vesnovsky, RN, a NICU nurse – were born and raised in Ukraine. Olena and Inga were deeply impacted by the personal stories they were hearing from family and friends still in Ukraine. In addition, the entire NICU family was devastated to hear news that the neonatal unit of a children’s hospital in Kyiv had been hit by shrapnel.

The NICU team didn’t hesitate to act and immediately started raising money for the children’s hospital. Over a few weeks, they raised $1,000 (equal to $30,000 in Ukrainian currency)!

The team’s response to both their global neonatal community and their hurting colleagues was profoundly compassionate and admirable.

Thank you to the NICU team for embodying our mission, vision, and values.

You can click here to view a video from the DAISY team award presentation.

 

Mark Your Calendars – Employee and Volunteer Appreciation BBQ

It’s that time of the year again! We’re gearing up for our annual Employee and Volunteer Appreciation BBQ. I look forward to this event annually because it gives me the opportunity to visit with our wonderful GBMC family and show appreciation for all you do to move us towards our vision year-round. Be sure to check your emails and the Infoweb to get details about this year’s event, set for September 14, and to RSVP!

Outstanding Staff + Great Design = Great Outcome for Quadruplets!

A few months ago, I highlighted in the blog how we were recognized as one of America’s Best Maternity Hospitals 2022 by Newsweek and that we were also awarded the Joint Commission Advanced Certification in Perinatal Care. These two awards were in recognition of our performance, under our four aims, in delivering babies and why we are known as  "the Baby Hospital."

Last week, our maternal newborn health (MNH) team had the unique privilege of delivering quadruplets (yes, mom and babies are doing well)! The fact that the mom selected us, with all the hospitals in the region, as the place to give birth to her babies is indicative of the stellar reputation in the community our hospital has when it comes to childbirth.

Yes, every birth is unique and beautiful; however, some are more complex than others and our continuum-of-care approach allows us to respond if, and when, complexity arises. Our MNH team was made aware very early in this mother’s quadruplet pregnancy, allowing us the time to meet and design processes for a safe delivery for four premature babies at once! Despite not having a hard target date or time for these births, our obstetric and neonatal teams of physicians, nurses, and respiratory therapists considered all potential scenarios, outlining what would be necessary both from a provider and staff perspective, as well as from an equipment and supply standpoint. The plan was disseminated and reviewed several times before the delivery so the entire team could review roles and responsibilities for when this mom arrived for delivery. 

The planning included having an operating room with a maternal team and four neonatal teams with four fully equipped infant stations. In addition, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) had to be ready for four, simultaneous critical care admissions. The NICU and neonatal respiratory teams prepared space for all four babies, including diagrams for placement of staff and equipment around each neonatal bedside both in the operating room and in the NICU. Four grab-and-go boxes, labeled Baby A through Baby D, were created to ensure all supplies were available for each infant’s initial resuscitation.

A child life specialist was also on standby to support the father in the OR and bring him to the NICU when appropriate. Also, the environmental services team was ready when needed to quickly clean the NICU discharge rooms so the babies could be placed together in two NICU twin rooms to facilitate important family involvement.

I am truly proud of my expert colleagues led by our chair of obstetrics Victor Khouzami, MD; director of Women and Children’s Services Lisa Groff Reuschling, DNP, RN; director of Neonatology Susan Aucott, MD; and NICU manager Kristin Trawinski, MSN, RN, who were involved in creating and executing the plan that led to a safe delivery and positive experience for this family. Their diligence in preparation for these births is a clear example of our staff providing our patients the care that we would want for our own loved ones. Wonderful job and thank you.