Nothing is easy for Mona Sugg, a medical assistant in the Orthopedics Department. Walking, moving, getting out of a chair it is all hard for Mona ever since she was diagnosed with a disabling illness five years ago. She is in pain all the time, yet nothing slows her down. Mona just keeps going and going like the Energizer bunny, says Joanne Jerome, manager of Occupational Health. Because of her disability, Mona spends most of her day seated, answering the busy phones, and scheduling appointments for her department. Mona shows such patience, understanding, and compassion for everyone who calls, says Joanne. This is a very difficult job, and Mona does it so well. Mona looks at each phone call as an opportunity to provide exceptional personalized service. She is persistent in getting members in to be seen as soon as possible. If she thinks something is urgent, she ll walk a memo back to the doctor and say, I need to have you look at this. She takes and returns messages for physicians. Above all, she draws on her own experience with illness to connect with others. Mona Sugg My situation helps me understand what many of our patients are going through. My disability helps me understand what our patients are going through, says Mona. It draws me closer to the needs of other people and enhances my ability to help them. Mona is an incredibly dedicated employee, says Joanne. If we could clone her, we would.
Josanne Sonnier- Grant There s no doubt that the patient is always at the center of Josanne s work. No advice columnist ever did a better job of mending broken hearts than Josanne Sonnier-Grant, RNP. As the Cardiology Department s only nurse practitioner, Josanne has her hand, and heart, in almost every aspect of patient care. Josanne is the one patients see to check and reprogram their pacemakers, give them a treadmill test and carefully explain its results, or follow up with them after cardiac surgery or interventional studies. She s the one they can always call with a problem, and she s the one who ll get them in to be seen right away if she thinks it s necessary. Josanne is so adept at managing complex clinical issues that I don t know what we d do without her, says Dr. Bala Iyer, chief of cardiology. She functions at a very high level of training. She is exceptional at what she does. She is not only a skilled provider, she s also a comforting and constant presence in the department. Patients know I m almost always here and I believe they find that reassuring, says Josanne. They know if they re having a problem, they can always talk with someone who s experienced in cardiology and can help them. Josanne is the pillar of our department, says Dr. Iyer. She s so active in taking care of our patients and following through with them on everything they need. She is committed, compassionate, and absolutely indispensable.
Amanda Reeve, MD Dr. Reeve treats each person as if they were her one and only patient. Cheryl had been dreading her gynecological exam until Dr. Amanda Reeve stepped into the room. She was so warm and friendly that Cheryl completely forgot why she hadn t wanted to come in the first place. That s how it is with Dr. Reeve s patients, and with good reason. She s just wonderful to be around, says her colleague Dr. Gilbert Moran, Ob/Gyn. She s always positive, upbeat, and happy. I don t know where she gets her energy, but she puts enormous effort into every one of her patients. Effort and time. The biggest thing I do for patients is give them my time, says Dr. Reeve. Sometimes that means I m running behind, but I want people to have the time they need with me. Dr. Reeve also spends considerable time with her patients on the phone, often staying late to return calls. She regularly calls patients at home to see how they re feeling after a procedure, and if she knows someone is upset or worried, they ll get a call too. She spends even more of her time traveling around the community to speak about women s health issues and organize health fairs. I believe we could all learn from Dr. Reeve s professionalism and humanitarianism, says Jami Martinez, registered dietician. Working with her and being one of her patients has been a blessing. She is an amazing physician.
The minute Transport Aide Sally Casillas entered Ray s room to take him down for an MRI, she could sense how nervous he was. By the time Sally and Ray reached their destination she had him smiling, relaxed, and feeling ready for anything. I take advantage of the transport time to talk with patients and make them comfortable, says Sally. If they re afraid or upset, I try to calm them down and let them know things will be OK. Sally lets patients know she s there for them, whatever they need, says Rusty Palmer, patient mobility manager. Her patience and caring nature are straight from the heart. She loves her job and it shows, adds Sonya Skelton, RN, Telemetry. She s just awesome. Recently, Sally demonstrated how awesome she really is. She was just starting to wheel a patient from the Emergency Department to a hospital room when a nearby patient went into cardiac arrest. Without being asked, Sally rushed off to get the crash cart. Sally even jumped in to relieve medical personnel in giving the patient CPR. It was the first time Sally helped resuscitate a patient since becoming CPR certified. Sally Casillas I want patients to be comfortable and know they can always ask me for help if they need it. Sally now has a new job as a patient mobility technician. She s still moving patients, but now primarily in their beds, rather than around the hospital. What hasn t changed is the care and kindness she brings to every encounter.
He didn t have to do it. It wasn t his job. But the minute Richard Mascarenas heard about PHASE, he volunteered to help make it work. PHASE is a region-wide program to Prevent Heart Attacks and Strokes Everyday. Working on his own time, Richard helped develop and refine a computer program to implement PHASE in the Chronic Care department where he works as an RN and certified diabetes educator. I especially wanted to help with PHASE because so many diabetic patients are at increased risk of heart attack and stroke, says Richard. Many of my family members have diabetes, so my passion is personal as well as professional. Richard s program makes it easier for everyone in his department to identify and track patients at risk for heart attack and stroke, make sure they re on the correct preventive medications, and get the lab tests they need. Richard Mascarenas I have a passion to care for people with diabetes. Richard took the initiative to work on this computer program and teach all of us to use it, says Tracy Parmer, program assistant in Chronic Care. This is on top of all the time he dedicates to caring for patients with diabetes and teaching them how to manage their condition. Fresno is doing very well in meeting its PHASE goals, says Tracy. Many providers deserve credit for our success with PHASE, but Richard certainly deserves to be singled out for his extraordinary contribution.
It s a day like any other day in the Emergency Department: one man with a broken leg, another with a head injury, a child having an asthma attack, a woman giving birth. All at the same time. Yet, as ED physician Dr. Sheik Cale rushes from one emergency to another, he gives no hint of being rushed. He spends as much time comforting each patient as he does tending to their medical needs. I stabilize the patient as fast as I can, but you can t ignore the human touch, says Dr. Cale. No matter what else is going on, when I walk into a patient s room, they deserve my full attention, a warm smile, and reassuring words. Dr. Cale is as dedicated to the wellbeing of the department as he is to the individual patients who come there. Dr. Cale consistently works well past his designated shift in order to see more patients, help the physicians who are currently on shift, and facilitate patient flow, says Alec Jamieson, RN, ED charge nurse. Sheik Cale, MD When Dr. Cale greets each patient with an embrace and warm smile, their fear and anxiety melt away. All this while paying special attention to the needs of his colleagues. Dr. Cale is extremely supportive of the staff. He is always available to help with personal issues or answer questions about patient care, says Judy Gotcher, RN. He is just a wonderful doctor to work with. He is my ED hero!
Susan Torres She s literally all over the hospital to make sure everything s running smoothly. The doctors had just placed new orders for nearly every patient on the floor two additional meds for Mr. Stevens, an ultrasound for Mrs. Gomez, an MRI for Ms. Chang. Administrative Partners will make it all happen. Susan Torres teaches them how. Key among Susan s many duties as senior administrative partner is to train new Administrative Partners (APs). And it s what Susan loves most about her job. APs keep our hospital floors running smoothly, says Susan. Whenever providers order something for a patient, APs make sure it s taken care of as quickly as possible. Susan coordinates the lion s share of the AP training herself, then sticks close to new employees once they re on the floor to answer questions and provide additional training and encouragement. Says Susan of her mother hen approach: I ll do anything I can to help them succeed. But Susan does much more than manage and train her colleagues; she also serves as the chief shop steward for her union and can often be found working as an AP herself. Susan is very proactive and is always looking for opportunities to help out, says Michael Martinez, staffing office manager of Patient Care Services. If an AP is out sick or if the workflow is especially heavy, Susan puts aside her lead duties and jumps in there to work like everyone else. She is a tremendous asset and always there to support her staff any way she can.
Paula Armstrong She helps us take excellent care of Kaiser Permanente s financial resources. Paula Armstrong never went to medical school, but she s as skilled as any psychiatrist in analyzing a financial report and as gifted as any obstetrician in delivering a healthy budget. As a Business Strategy & Finance Consultant, Paula takes care of Kaiser Permanente Fresno s financial health by working one-on-one with department managers to develop their budgets and help them make the most efficient use of the money they re allocated. And she s definitely the go-to guru if anyone needs to decipher a complicated report or whip a spreadsheet into shape. Paula is extremely generous in sharing her time and wealth of knowledge, says Rich Alves, area finance officer. She ll go any place, any time to help solve finance-related problems. Paula is nothing short of extraordinary in the way she supports departments in managing their financial resources. She also goes out of her way to help vendors. Take the mom-and-pop vendor who just couldn t wait to be paid on a normal billing cycle. Paula made sure they got paid right away by developing a template they could use to facilitate billing, thus helping Kaiser Permanente keep a small, but crucial, vendor. I m committed to doing the best job I can, says Paula. For me, a good day is going home and knowing that something I did that day made someone else s life a little easier.
Christine Haynes She gives our members a great first impression by greeting them so warmly and professionally. Christine Haynes noticed two things when she came down to the Emergency Department to admit Miguel to the hospital. She saw that Miguel had a very large family and that his wife was especially upset. That s when Christine, senior admitting administrative partner, did what she always does she turned the admission process into a warm, caring experience, not just an exercise in paperwork. She got coffee for the family and reassured them that Miguel would soon be upstairs in a comfortable bed. She helped Miguel and his wife fill out the paperwork required for admission, moving things along as quickly as possible. What s more, she said she d get Miguel a private room to make it easier for his big family to visit and for his wife to spend the night. Christine s disposition brings sunlight to our members during their stay, says Jerry Rodriguez, RN, Recovery Room. She is a reliable, dependable team player who takes on extra loads beyond her regular duties. Christine s extra loads include overseeing all the training for her department and serving as a United Healthcare Workers (UHW) shop steward, to say nothing of keeping her cell phone on 24/7 to support her staff. Christine s focus is definitely on the member, says Kathy Arnold, administrative service director. Her smiling face is a big part of the patient care experience for our members who need to be admitted to the hospital.
Fresno Area Pharmacy Team Our vision: be the innovative, courageous, and influential team that others choose to emulate. Bob couldn t believe how fast the pharmacy filled his prescription. In only a few minutes, he was out the door, prescription in hand and a smile on his face. It s no wonder the Fresno Area Pharmacy Team including inpatient and outpatient pharmacies in Fresno, Clovis, Selma, and Oakhurst is #1 in the region for member satisfaction. Certainly the fact that Fresno pharmacies are filling prescriptions faster than any other pharmacy area in the region (less than nine minutes, on average) is a major factor in making members happy. The team is also recognized as the topperforming pharmacy team in California. I credit our #1 standing to solid teamwork, a strong labor-management partnership, and a clear vision for success: to be the innovative, courageous, and influential team that others choose to emulate, says Barry Dykes, area pharmacy director. When it comes to innovation, the pharmacy team has even started doing stretching exercises together (like the one pictured) during work hours to help prevent the kind of muscle strain injuries that could compromise their ability to maintain their outstanding service. Our approach to workplace safety is going to bring about cultural change, says Barry. That s what we want to do lead the way in continually improving our own performance and sharing our prescription for success with everyone at Kaiser Permanente.
the people you see on this wall are HEROES For nearly 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 WWII. 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 on in our physicians, nurses, and staff in Central California. Some of our Everyday Heroes save lives. Others have provided kindness and generosity when it was needed most health exams for uninsured children, reassurance for a worried family, a warm touch on the way to the operating room, a phone call at home just to touch base. Still others are creating innovative computer programs to enhance patient care. These are the acts of Everyday Heroes. If you tell them they are heroes, they will tell you what they did was 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.
Children in the Fresno community couldn t have a better friend in the world than LeeAnn Parry. LeeAnn looks out for their health, safety, and wellbeing with the same dedication she devotes to her own six children. Through her job as Community Benefits Manager, LeeAnn provides Kaiser Permanente resources to many non-profit community and child advocacy organizations in the Fresno area. I am so fortunate to work for an organization that shares my passion for helping children, says LeeAnn. But, LeeAnn s work doesn t stop with funding; in fact, that s only the beginning. She works closely with organizations to help them raise their own funds and encourages them to work together and with Kaiser Permanente, to achieve more together than they could by themselves. LeeAnn s work over the past decade in developing a vast array of productive partnerships stands as her legacy of excellence, says David DeButts, public affairs director. In addition to her work on behalf of Kaiser Permanente, LeeAnn serves on Fresno County's First 5 Commission and is very active in several efforts to provide health care coverage for all children. LeeAnn is such a force for positive change in our four-county service area, says David. She has worked tirelessly throughout the years to advance our social mission. She is truly one of Fresno s unsung heroes. LeeAnn Parry She has demonstrated compassionate leadership by working with non-profit organizations and inspiring them to pursue their goals.