Today, I want to touch on a few timely topics but, first, I want to share how joy and sorrow exist at the same time, even within the same day. Today will be one of those times. This afternoon is Match Day, when our graduating medical students will find out where they will continue their education and training. This is annually one of my favorite events, full of excitement, happiness and some nerves.
This morning, a memorial ceremony will take place in Madison for the three-person AirCare crew that lost their lives early last week. This will be a somber and emotionally taxing event for what should be hundreds – or more – of attendees. Life is this way sometimes, and it’s not something that anyone can ever get used to. We will celebrate academic achievements and mourn those who we’ve lost, giving each ceremony its just due. We must believe that all of it has meaning – even if we don’t always understand.
Now, on to today’s multi-topic edition of VC Notes.
We are about seven weeks into our engagement with Aramark as our new food services vendor. They are still working through their transition and are quickly developing the retail and patient food programs in the ways they planned – and promised. They would like to hear from you on what you’d like to see offered in the cafeterias so they can consider adjustments that meet faculty, staff and student food preferences. I encourage you to go to the survey found here and let them hear from you. And as I mentioned before, if you have any feedback or comments about any aspect of food services, please send them to FoodServiceSuggestions@umc.edu, which is managed by Patrick McMahon, UMMC Health System senior business service analyst.
With the opening of Colony Park South in Ridgeland, some clinical services have moved or will move there from the Pavilion. The full list of specialties in Colony Park South can be found online here. For the most part, the clinics in Colony Park South are for care that doesn’t routinely need multidisciplinary services like those housed in a hospital.
With those moves out of the Pavilion, we are now able to move some of our services from the Jackson Medical Mall to our main campus in both the Pavilion and hospital. These clinics will join the existing Pavilion clinics that will stay, some in new spots. Once these moves are complete, many cancer-related clinics and others will be inside or closer to the hospital on our main campus.
As we grow, we are taking opportunities to locate services where they make the most sense and, certainly, where we have space that is appropriate for quality patient care. We’ve requested from the Mississippi Legislature ownership of the property in the northwest corner of the Woodrow Wilson exit from I-55, where the Department of Public Safety currently resides. They will be moving to new facilities in Rankin County soon. That property is connected to our campus and would be a prime location for us to place patient care, academic and/or other Medical Center units.
I want to give you – our workforce, our most important asset – some applause. We exceeded our goal for responses to the employee engagement survey. 81% of you filled out your survey and let your voice be heard. Thank you! The data we will get from your responses will be so valuable and be factored into future decisions. Thank you to our Human Resources team – with special support from Dr. Kris Cherry, chief nursing executive – who led the push that got us over our ambitious target of 80%, which was higher than our percentage last survey (70%) and higher than the national average for academic medical centers of 68%. We’ve become a model organization for Press Ganey, the company that facilitates the survey.
Dr. Lisa Didion, chief medical officer, routinely gives presentations to the IHL Board of Trustees and other groups on the status of our efforts to improve clinical quality and the metrics used to determine our patient safety scores. She gave one such update a couple of weeks ago to our executive cabinet.
Among the data points and initiatives that fall into the “We’re doing great” or “We need to work more on this” categories were a couple of slides on the topic that is always present in each of her presentations – hand hygiene.
She said, and I want to reiterate, that this basic, easy-to-do step can have significant implications for our ability to reduce certain metrics – like hospital-acquired infections. Keeping our hands sanitized is absolutely the easiest way to protect our patients. Simply put, wash (or foam) your hands!
This isn’t just a CMO program. It should be something every clinical unit talks about frequently. Dr. Didion’s team is leading the charge, but we all need to do our part. And non-patient care-related staff, you, too, should be participating in this effort. To get to where we want to be for the safety of our patients, everyone should be involved. We all know it’s the right thing to do – so, everyone, regardless of position, should feel comfortable speaking up when someone doesn’t wash or foam. The mantra of “see something, say something” is paramount to patient safety.
We are all working for patients, directly or indirectly in a supporting role. This is why our brand campaign is All for Your Health. We all need to participate if we are going to realize A Healthier Mississippi.
With the opening of Colony Park South in Ridgeland, some clinical services have moved or will move there from the Pavilion. The full list of specialties in Colony Park South can be 