As we enter into the month of February we have all survived the Polar Vortex of 2019, hoping that the coldest weather is now behind us. There is hope on the horizon as Punxsutawney Phil, the world's most famous groundhog, did not see his own shadow, predicting an early spring.
Last week we had a retirement party for Paula Abbas. Paula and I have worked together for many years and through all those years I learned many things from her. She had a great passion for Quality and Service. I used to call her the patient whisperer – she was great at talking to disgruntled patients and calming them down. She gave them her time and they felt heard. She ran a tight ship when it came to Quality. As great example is when Paula was working with the Hampton Clinic before it was inspected for Rural Health status. When it was time for the inspection the inspector could not find any deficiencies so they called another inspector to come in and check. The second inspector could not find any deficiencies either. This was the first time that this had happened to these inspectors. After that, Paula was offered a job with them; a true testament for her passion to Quality.
This year we have chosen IMAGINE as our theme. I want you to IMAGINE what our facilities would be if each and every employee had the passion and drive for Quality and Service that Paula had. Would there be a need for Service Recovery? Or would we make sure those Service Failures did not happen. Would there be a need for Corrective Action Plans or would we have Deficiency Free surveys? Would our patients tell us we ALWAYS give them great care? Would we always be 5 star hospitals? The list goes on and on.
As I write this it is snowing again so keep your fingers crossed that Spring will be early and ponder this quote from William Arthur Ward “If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can become it.”
