We re here to make lives better for every person, every encounter, every time. EveryDAY HEROES The people you see on this wall are Heroes. For over 60 years, the people of Kaiser Permanente have been heroes. They gave medical care to workers building the California Aqueduct and those constructing Liberty ships during WW II. It was difficult and unpopular work at the time. They went the extra mile not for glory, but because it was the right thing to do. Today that spirit lives in our physicians, nurses and staff throughout Redwood City. Some of our Everyday Heroes save lives. Others have provided kindness and generosity when it was needed most. If you tell them they are heroes, they will tell you what they do is not so much. If you ask the person who received their good will, they will tell you it made all the difference in the world. These Heroes, along with all our dedicated employees, demonstrate Kaiser Permanente s commitment to high-quality health care every day.
Sherry Butler, MD She works tirelessly promoting Women s health. The true test of a great physician is the desire to serve all patients with compassion and respect. That is why so many members are grateful for Sherry Butler, MD, assistant chief of radiology at Kaiser Permanente Redwood City. Radiology is a demanding specialty that requires knowledge about nearly all disease processes. In her practice, Dr. Butler interacts with a great variety of patients of all ages and medical conditions. My practice philosophy entails assisting clinicians in finding disease when it is present, but also in doing my best to ease the fears of the patients with whom I interact, says Dr. Butler. Colleagues describe Dr. Butler as generous with her time, treatment, and most of all, her heart. She is extremely sensitive to the emotional needs of her patients and their families, says Sarah Beekley, MD. Dr. Butler is also dearly committed to making every potentially difficult diagnostic test as stress free as possible. Dr. Butler has shown integrity, professionalism, and commitment in her work as assistant chief of the department and as lead in the Women in Medicine Program. Colleagues trust her judgment completely. They know she will always take the extra time and effort to assist them in a difficult case and follow through with her commitments. Her generosity in giving of her time and energy sets a standard of excellence that others around her are truly inspired by.
Angelo Knowles You want to look back and say, yeah, I m really pleased with that. Angelo Knowles lost his mother as a teen, but he never forgot her loving lesson: Whatever your job, do your best and make the most of the opportunity. It is this philosophy that drives Angelo s actions as a Senior Communications Technician in National Facility Services. His job is to keep computer and telephone systems running, information flowing, and people connected. Much of the work happens behind the scenes, but Angelo s commitment to excellence is always front and center. He will come in early or stay late until the job is done, says Keith Kroeger, lead business consultant in Information Technology. He s an invaluable, behind-the-scenes player who goes out of his way to provide excellent customer service. Angelo insists that giving great service is not a stretch. I believe the quality of a person s work reflects heavily upon the kind of person they are, offers Angelo, who has earned a reputation for being the guy you call for the hard jobs. Recently, when Angelo noticed an elderly woman crying, he stopped to see how he could help. She tearfully explained that she was short the copayment for her medication. Without hesitation, Angelo pulled out his wallet and gave her the amount she needed. The world needs more people like Angelo, adds colleague Sherry Clingan, Ambulatory Surgery Center manager. He is quietly conquering service excellence by simply being himself.
OUTPATIENT MEDICAL RECORDS DEPARTMENT Imagine having 32 full-time employees whose job it is to process 3,000 chart requests daily. Yet in spite of the repetitive nature of the work and the sheer weight of many charts, the Outpatient Medical Records Department (OPMRD) reports zero injuries during the last five years. How did OPMRD staff accomplish this feat? Many of the procedures OPMRD adopted are pragmatic ideas, such as lower shelves, thus eliminating the need for step stools, or using closed carts with casters for transporting charts from the offices to the truck, thereby minimizing the loading and unloading efforts. The team has even started doing stretching exercises at regular intervals to help prevent the kind of muscle strain injuries that could compromise their ability to maintain their outstanding service. The OPMRD provides support services to the outpatient medical practices, the hospital, and other business offices in and outside the Redwood City campus. Zero injuries in five years is an incredible accomplishment for any department, commented Tracy Goins, Workplace Safety manager. The Staff Includes: Alex Cruz Ana Alicia Caballero Anna Maciel Antonio Nieves Barbara Helm Benito Tobias Connie Sykes Dalia Mejia Fabienne Frenay Fernando Vasquez Godofredo Ayran Jaime Velasco Jr. Jorge Valencia Jotika Prasad Juanito Yambao Manuel Leon Percival Hernal Raquel Pulido Raul Roldan Ricardo Umali Romeo Labrador Royflor Armandico Sara Lopez Susan Caguiat Tasha McCarthy Timothy Wethington Uriel Pulido Will Arguello Wilma Villanueva
Angela Leung, PT Working safely does not have to be a pain. Neck strain, carpel-tunnel syndrome, headaches when work gets to be a real pain, some people call in sick, others reach for a pain reliever and keep plugging away, and still others pick up the phone and call Angela Leung, PT. As the ergonomist for Workplace Safety, Angela provides ergonomic assessments and consultation to staff. She observes people in their work environment and provides recommendations to help employees feel more comfortable while they work. She also facilitates regular sessions on proper lifting techniques, back safety, and group safety. As a physical therapist, she finds ways to help employees see the importance of good posture, body mechanics, and the need to take care of themselves. Too often, I see injuries that are easily preventable, says Angela, whose passion for proactive education around proper work habits have not gone unnoticed. I ve watched Angela help build the infrastructure and implement a process to insure all of our workers have a safe place to work, says Patrick Callahan, Director of Rehabilitation Services. She has been one of the key players in reducing our workplace safety injury rates. People jokingly refer to Angela as the Ergo Lady, Posture Police, or the Desk Detective. It means they re getting it, quips Angela. What she hopes is that people will begin to contact her before their necks, backs, wrists, heads, or eyes start to bother them. Pain, she cautions, is much easier to prevent than to remedy.