Another Fantastic Black History Month Celebration

The GBMC Black History Month celebration continues! Last week, I shared that the Black Alliance
Employee Resource Group had been hosting activities and education throughout the month. This week, the group invited Naomi Mooney – a talented young pianist – to play classical and current tunes in a special live piano performance. 

Then, on Wednesday, they held the annual Black History Month celebration, which I – as well as so many across the organization – look forward to each year. Those in attendance enjoyed great food (as usual!) as well as enlightening entertainment including the vocal talents of the Owings Mills High School Concert Choir; intriguing spoken word poetry honoring the legacy of Henrietta Lacks by David Ross, Co-Founder of the 5th L; employee spotlight features on esteemed colleagues Bowler Lewis, Facilities Project Associate, and Ericka Easley, Primary Care Service Line Administrator; and a thought-provoking keynote address from our very own chair of the Department of Medicine Dr. Melvin Blanchard, who spoke eloquently about black pioneers in medicine.

In case you missed it, we will be posting a link to the recording on the Infoweb. Thank you to everyone who came together to put on this fabulous event for our staff! 

A Necessary Program for Our Community 

Recently, our team from the Randolph B. Capone Cleft Lip and Palate Program hosted its annual pizza party for patients and families. This growing event has been a tradition at GBMC for many years and provides patient families the opportunity to connect with each other, make new friends, and see their medical providers in a more comfortable, casual environment. Cleft lip and palate programs are not typically available in a community hospital setting. We are fortunate at GBMC to be able to offer this critical service to those who need it. I’m grateful to our cleft lip and palate team, under the leadership of Stephanie Boblooch, clinical program manager, and co-medical directors Drs. Antonie Klein, Patrick Byrne, John Caccamese, for the necessary services they provide. 

Click here to learn more about the program. 

Thank a Resident Day 

The Gold Humanism Honor Society has designated February 23 as “Thank a Resident Day.” Although my days as a pediatrics resident have long passed, I distinctly remember the challenging hours, responsibilities, and stress associated with post-graduate training. However, residency is a key component of medical training, and our residents are an integral part of our healthcare team. I am grateful for their dedication and am happy that GBMC gets to guide them during part of their career journeys. Be sure to take a moment to thank a resident today! 

Highlighting Our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)

I often talk about the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts within our health system, and today, I’d like to highlight some of the work in this realm that is being carried out by our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). ERGs are key to creating an inclusive culture that helps to foster a sense of belonging. These employee-led groups help to build community and provide a safe space for colleagues to network, advocate for what matters, and provide feedback for key business solutions. 

Our Black Alliance ERG has been hard at work with engaging activities for Black History Month, including trivia (pictured above), virtual listening parties featuring African American musicians, a live piano performance, weekly historical facts, and its annual Black History Month Event, which we look forward to each year. Stay tuned to the blog next week for a recap of this year’s event. 

Just last month, the Black Alliance ERG hosted a wonderful Martin Luther King, Jr., Commemoration with guest speaker Chrissy Thornton, President of the Associated Black Charities. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to offer her a tour of our new Louis and Phyllis Friedman Building this week! 

On Wednesday, our Greater Pride ERG hosted a Valentine’s Day Social (pictured below) to bring staff together for fun activities, crafts, and camaraderie. Attendees also had the opportunity to decorate hearts to add to a garland to share that we are proud of who we are at GBMC. 

Next month, we’re looking forward to all the activities being hosted by our Women Leadership Alliance ERG in honor of Women’s History Month. There will be great learning and networking opportunities as well as the chance to recognize our very own women of GBMC HealthCare during this year’s Women of Impact Awards. 

Although our ERGs are often known for the fun events they host, they are important reminders of our work culture, which fosters the sense of belonging and inclusivity that defines them. We look forward to developing even more ERGs in the future and welcome additional employees to join the three existing ERGs I highlighted above. If you are a GBMC HealthCare employee and are interested in joining an ERG, I highly encourage you to reach out to the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion team by emailing LOD-Diversity@gbmc.org. 

National Phlebotomists Recognition Week 

National Phlebotomists Recognition Week is February 12-16. I want to take this opportunity to thank all the phlebotomists for the vital role they play in maintaining patient health and promoting lab efficiency and effectiveness. Please join me in sharing gratitude for their critical role within our healthcare system. 

Witnessing the Impressive Work of our General Surgery Team

At GBMC, we are extremely fortunate to have a strong and long-standing general surgery practice known as Finney Trimble Surgical Associates. The senior members include John “Jack” Flowers, MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, President of GBMC Health Partners; Laurence Ross, MD; Francis Rotolo, MD, Division Head - General Surgery; and Joel Turner, MD, Chair - Department of Surgery. They are all outstanding surgeons and they have grown the practice and paved the way for success and positive patient outcomes throughout the years. Our next generation of general surgeons – Beatriz Briones, MD; Shauna Costinett, MD; Timothee Friesen, MD, Medical Director - GBMC Comprehensive Obesity Management Program, Director - Obesity Medicine Program; SaAda Seidu, MD; and Emily Watters, MD – continue to reshape the program to keep us at the forefront of surgical care for years to come. 

Last week, Emily invited me to observe a surgery that utilized GBMC’s brand-new robot, which we procured thanks to lead funding from the Kahlert Foundation and the Presbyterian Board of Governors, with additional support from individual grateful patients and advocacy of Chesapeake Urology surgeons Ronald Tutrone, MD, and David Goldstein, MD.  

To say I was impressed during my visit would be an understatement! I am used to hearing that our surgical team does fabulous work but seeing them in action took my understanding of their expertise to the next level. 

Every step of the case was expertly choreographed – from the presurgical time-out, when the team huddled to discuss the procedure and ensure patient safety, to the very end. It is the skill, attention to detail, and compassion of our team that makes our program stand out. I am happy that this incredible team now has more modern equipment to assist them in safely and seamlessly executing their work. The new robot is an impressive technology that juxtaposes my experience as a medical student – when I was helping to hold retractors during surgery but not able to see much. The robot is equipped with a console for the surgeon and the learner (which, in this case, was me), and the 3-D visualization was remarkable. Emily and her team demonstrated their skill and teamwork and were very kind in educating me along the way. 

Thank you to all involved in the procedure for delivering exceptional care to the patient and for teaching me more about the Robotics OR – Emily, Bing Wang, PA-C, first assist; Eliana Daniel, scrub tech; Heather Schmitt, RN, and Jennifer Gall, RN, circulators; and anesthesia staff Sanjay Trivedi, MD, and Ian Mores, CRNA. 

As I discuss our general surgery program, it seems fitting that February 4-10 is Perianesthesia Nurse Awareness Week! Thank you to our nurses working in pre-anesthesia and post-anesthesia care, ambulatory surgery, and pain management for caring for patients and their families. 

Sharing Our Work and Feedback with CMS

Earlier this week, we had the privilege of hosting several members of the iQuality Improvement and Innovation Group (iQIIG) in the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality (CCSQ) at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). 

Thank you to Anita Monteiro, Group Director; Paul Rosen, M.D., Medical Officer; and Scott Lawrence, D.C., Senior Policy Advisor, for taking time to talk with our staff and better understand our health system. During this visit, they were particularly interested in learning about challenges our staff face with supply chain, revenue cycle, and drug shortages.  

Our visitors joined us for our Lean Management System (LMS) rounds and shared their appreciation for our vision of whole system quality improvement. We accompanied them to our Maternal Newborn Health (MNH) Department so they could learn about the great work our MNH team is doing to reduce maternal morbidity and ensure equitable care, regardless of race. 

I always appreciate visits like these because they not only give us an opportunity to showcase our hard work, but they also give us a chance to have a voice in reshaping and improving healthcare delivery in our country. 

Reminder: Our New Berman Garage is OPEN! 

I know I mentioned this last week, but I’m so excited to have additional parking options that I want to
say it again – the brand-new Berman Garage is now open, adding ~400 more parking spaces to campus. Patients and visitors are welcome to park in the new garage regardless of where they’re heading on campus, but it likely offers the most convenience to those visiting the new Louis and Phyllis Friedman Building, Main Hospital, Physicians Pavilion West and radiation oncology. It is also an alternative for patients with appointments in Physicians Pavilion East if Iris Garage is nearing capacity. 

I’d also like to remind staff that, at this time, the Berman Garage is for patients and visitors only. Please continue to follow the employee parking policy and your regular parking assignments to ensure our patients and visitors have ample parking options. 

National Women Physicians Day 

National Women Physicians Day is February 3! I just wanted to take a moment to share my gratitude for all the women physicians on GBMC HealthCare’s medical staff.