This Sunday, June 28, all scheduling and timekeeping will transition to Kronos Workforce Dimensions. If you have not yet completed your assigned LEARN training, please be sure to do so before by the June 24 deadline so you are fully prepared to begin using the new system when it goes live.

To help ensure a seamless transition, a toolkit with resources for using Workforce Dimensions, including a comprehensive list of FAQs, is now available on MyVirtualWorkplace.

We are committed to providing our associates with integrated technology that makes it easier to manage foundational components of our work, and Workforce Dimensions is an updated system that improves our timekeeping, attendance and scheduling processes. Once all capabilities are fully implemented, associates and managers will leverage Workforce Dimensions to view schedules, enter time off requests, punch in/out and access their workforce management information in one place.

When Kronos Workforce Dimensions goes live on June 28, you will:

• View your data and make requests using any device – at the timeclock, a work station, a personal tablet or mobile phone.
• Request paid time off (PTO) electronically – no paper forms required.
• No longer perform a department transfer at the clock. Your leader will schedule all transfers.

Your voice and experience is important, and we want to hear from you. Please share your thoughts with us in Centura Health’s Associate Engagement Pulse survey, which goes live on Wednesday, July 8, 2020. Designed to measure key aspects of your experience, this pulse survey is an opportunity for you to share your story and make suggestions to strengthen our connected ecosystem with you. 

This brief (less than five minutes) and confidential online survey will run July 8 through August 2. Check your Centura Health email inbox the morning of July 8 (invitation will be sent on July 7 between 10 and 11:59 p.m. MT) for a message from our survey partner Glint (survey@glintinc.com). The survey invitation is your personal link to complete the survey. 

Your story, experiences and engagement are important. We are committed to building a community where you grow in your purpose and career with us. To achieve this, we need to hear from you. Share your story by participating in the pulse survey on July 8. 

Thank you in advance for making time to complete the associate engagement survey.

Questions?
Please contact your entity human resources director or email engagement@centura.org.

Centura Health is dedicated to becoming the system of choice in Colorado and western Kansas, and we want to support our caregivers on their growth and development journey. As part of our HR Transformation, a new process for Tuition Reimbursement will go-live July 1, 2020. 
Here’s what you need to know:  

• All tuition reimbursement requests, pre-approvals and inquiries must be submitted through the Self Service Hub. (Located in My Virtual Workplace under “Non-Clinical Tools”)
• Pre-approval requests must be submitted prior to the start of the class and approved by your class 10 leader prior to reimbursement.
• Reimbursement requests must be submitted within 60 days of course completion and accompanied by an itemized receipt (obtainable from bursar’s office) along with a copy of your class grade(s).  
  • Covered expenses include course tuition, test fees, books and lab fees 
  • Expenses not covered include transportation, parking fees, membership fees, lodging, tools and supplies 
  • Reminder: The tuition reimbursement request deadline for calendar year 2020 is Dec. 1, 2020. Requests for reimbursement received after Dec. 1 will be applied to the following calendar year. 

Two of our hospitals have been recognized as part of Newsweek’s annual list of World’s Best Hospitals for 2020. Both Parker Adventist Hospital (PKR) and Porter Adventist Hospital (PAH) appeared on this year’s list, ranking second and third respectively for Colorado and 123rd and 137th respectively for the entire nation.

This prestigious award is presented by Newsweek and Statista Inc., the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider. Newsweek and Statista developed a complex methodology to ensure the quality and validity of the ranking. Three data sources were used for the evaluation: hospital recommendations from peers, patient experience, and various medical key performance indicators (KPIs).

“This honor reaffirms the mission our teams strive to achieve every day with compassionate, sophisticated care,” said Michael Goebel, CEO at PKR. “From complex brain, spine and gastrointestinal surgeries to excellence in trauma and pregnancy care, we’re proud of the wide spectrum of services we offer our patients.”

“I’m not surprised Porter appears on this list, and that’s thanks to our people,” Todd Folkenberg, CEO at PAH, added. “Our incredible team of caregivers and physicians is focused on the best experience and outcomes for our patients across a range of specialties, including cardiac services, joint replacement, spine, transplant, digestive health and critical care.”

Among thousands of qualified organizations in the world, 281 hospitals earned a spot on Newsweek’s 2020 list of the World’s Best Hospitals in the United States, and Centura Health is proud to honor these hospitals that represent our Mission and commitment to excellence so well. Congratulations!

As much as COVID-19 has created many struggles in 2020, one heartening consequence has been the compassionate support people have displayed for health care professionals treating the illness.

Another recent example of this is Gina Choi, a 17-year-old high school student in San Jose, Calif., who decided to use her internet skills to create a public website soliciting supportive notes from the community. Gina said she was moved to do this because she experienced a rare eye disease two years ago that temporarily rendered her nearly blind as she quarantined for about two weeks. Feeling isolated and frightened, Gina said it was the encouraging messages and cards she received from friends and family that helped her pull through.

Now she has been paying it forward by sending packets of notes to hospitals throughout her state and around the country, to encourage caregivers and let them know they are appreciated. Gina said she has amassed more than 4,000 messages from website visitors, after sorting them and organizing them according to length using an application she built. Each time she connects with a hospital, she gathers between 50 and 200 various notes, prints them and personally mails them to a designated recipient.

When asked why she uses this manual approach instead of sending notes electronically or by providing links to her website, Gina’s response is charmingly old-fashioned: “I want to make it as personal as possible,” she said. “There’s something different about receiving a physical note rather than an electronic one.”

Although Gina has now sent notes to COVID-19 hot spots in more than 15 states, she admits she selected one state for a particularly special reason. Gina spent her earlier years growing up in Kansas, where she said she has “such good memories.” When she reached out to a number of Kansas facilities, she learned that a few of them – namely St. Catherine and Bob Wilson Memorial hospitals – are associated with Centura Health, so she began expanding her mission into Colorado. She is in the process of gathering and sending packets throughout the organization over the next few weeks.

A senior next year, Gina said she in interested in computer science and helping people. Who knows, perhaps one day she might decide to combine those talents for use in a health care profession – maybe even at a Centura Health location? You never know.

For a sampling of notes that Gina maintains on her website, visit notesforsupport.org.

Our Get Moving campaign concludes next Tuesday, June 30. This is the final week to submit photos of you and/or your family getting outdoors and getting moving. Please send your photos to CorporateCommunications@Centura.org to be entered in our system-wide contest. You may also get creative and submit your photos in a message to our Centura Health Facebook page. Three contestants will be highlighted at the end of the month:

• Most inspiring
• Most creative
• Most devoted (longest distance)

Beginning Wednesday, July 1 and occurring gradually through Saturday, October 31, Information Technology (IT) will update the printing systems throughout our enterprise offices and hospitals by moving printers to a new server. Clinics and ancillary locations that are connected to a local hospital server will also be affected by this change.

If you are unable to print, you may manually reconnect your device following the steps in these Quick Links for Adding a Printer. The IT Service Center and local IT Client Desktop Support can also provide assistance if needed.

Epic users may be able to print from Epic even if the printer is not connected. If printing issues do arise with Epic or any other application, refer to the Quick Links to attempt manual reconnection.

Questions?
Contact the Service Center at 303-643-4200.

Information Technology (IT) will perform an upgrade on all analog phones on Sunday, June 28 from 12 to 12:30 a.m. (0000 until 0030) MT. Analog phones are the wired phones with no screen display, located in all patient rooms and occasionally installed in other areas.

During the downtime, all analog phones will be unavailable for inbound and outbound calls. Incoming calls from external parties will receive a busy signal or no response.

Caregivers should plan for the downtime accordingly and use Cisco desk or wireless phones if needed. If appropriate, inform patients that their bedside phones will be unavailable.

Questions?
Contact Nick Jogolev or call the Service Center at 303-643-4200 and reference Change Number C39926.

Erica MacDonald named Director of Quality & Patient Safety Officer for Ambulatory Services
 

“Listen to fine-tune your intuition. With a lot of experience comes a lot of ideas, but effective leaders can’t manage from a spreadsheet. We need to be listening twice as much as speaking, not just to hear but to comprehend.”

Erica MacDonald, RN, MSN joined Centura Health on April 20 as Director of Quality & Patient Safety Officer for Ambulatory Services. Her position involves leading a multidisciplinary program for the service line, including clinical quality, patient safety, infection control, performance improvement, patient experience and regulatory compliance in alignment with enterprise and operating group priorities and guidance.

Erica has nearly 14 years of clinical experience, starting as a charge nurse at the Medical Center of Aurora and serving in progressive leadership roles at Kaiser Permanente and HCA Healthcare. Her most recent position was Director of Quality Management at Kindred Hospital in Aurora, where she was responsible for all regulatory body surveys such as The Joint Commission, State Licensing Review and CMS Validation, and oversaw planning and implementation of all performance-improvement activities conducted throughout the hospital.

She also provided support to medical staff, hospital staff, department leaders and the Governing Body, and performed clinical risk management functions.

Erica’s achievements include coordinating clinical performance improvement for HCA’s Physician Services Group in the Denver and Wichita markets, directing lab accreditation survey and development at Kindred Hospital, and guiding Kindred to Respiratory Failure Certification through The Joint Commission.

As a team-oriented person, Erica said she draws energy from the people around her and the patients who count on us to deliver quality health care. Her approach is to promote creativity and leverage the knowledge of her colleagues to advance initiatives that can make lives better. 

“My goal is to meet people where they are, connect, and empower those already brilliant at what they are doing to excel in caring for our patients,” Erica said. “It’s all about the people, and I want our Quality program to tell our story of excellence in patient care and safety.”
Erica earned her BS in Nursing at University of Colorado Denver and her MSN in Healthcare Administration at Regis University. She is an active member of academic and social improvement organizations.

A native of Colorado, Erica lives in Aurora with her husband and two young children. They enjoy traveling, being outdoors and in the mountains, attending concerts, football games and the theater, and spending as much time with family as possible.

Questions or comments?
Contact Deb Carpenter, Vice President of Ambulatory Services, at debracarpenter@centura.org.



Lisa Person, SVP and Chief Nursing Officer, to leave Centura Health

Lisa Person, Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer, will be leaving Centura Health to pursue new opportunities.

Through her personal mission to ignite the passion and compassion in our nurses toward our patients, Lisa has helped to advance nursing within our 17 hospitals and care sites by creating a framework of research, standardization and professional development. She has supported initiatives to drive nursing excellence including establishing the Nursing Advisory Council in partnership with Human Resources, refreshed our shared governance councils, and supported nursing imperatives in our High Reliability Organization journey to enhance clinical quality and patient safety.

We will engage AMN Leadership Solutions (formerly Phillips, DiPisa and Associates) on a national search for a new Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer. In the interim, Eddie Sim, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, will provide executive leadership to nursing and will work closely with our two Group CNOs – Rhonda Ward in Denver Metro and Janet Davis in Greater Colorado and Kansas.

Our nurses play an indispensable role within our ministry in delivering whole person care to our neighbors, our communities and each individual we serve. In partnership with Rhonda, Janet and our nursing leadership team, we will continue our focus on nursing excellence to support our 2025 journey.

Questions or comments?
Contact Eddie Sim at EddieSim@Centura.org.



Casie Lange to lead Payroll

Casie Lange, Payroll Manager, will lead the Centura Health payroll team following the departure of Director Rosella Sanchez earlier this month. Casie has served as the team's leader for the previous nine months and has quickly become a key resource within our connected ecosystem. She also brings significant experience in payroll and Human Resources to her position at Centura from her prior roles.

We look forward to Casie’s leadership of the payroll team and her important contributions that support Centura’s Mission, Vision and Values.

Questions or comments?
Contact David Solomon, Vice President of Accounting, at Davidsolomon@centura.org.

“You’ve got to be carefully taught to hate and fear. You’ve got to be taught from year to year. It’s got to be drummed in your dear little ear. You’ve got to be carefully taught.

You’ve got to be taught to be afraid of people whose eyes are oddly made. And people whose skin is a different shade. You’ve got to be carefully taught.

You’ve got to be taught before it’s too late, before you are six or seven or eight. To hate all the people your relatives hate. You’ve got to be carefully taught.”

You may recognize these lyrics from the Rogers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific. In the play or film, the song is sung by Lt. Joe Cable, an American military officer who fell in love with a Polynesian woman and who is struggling to overcome the prejudice he learned from his upper class Philadelphia family. When it appeared on Broadway in the late 1940’s, the play was the target of much criticism for daring to address the problem of racial prejudice.

Many of us were taught prejudicial things – not always with words – when we were young, attitudes about race and religion, about people and practices, much of which was based on unfounded fears of anything that was different from the small world of our upbringing. Our teachers in this regard may have been well-intentioned, but their message has been restrictive to us and harmful to society.

Differences between people are real, but when we look beneath those differences, we discover the dimension of our humanity (soul) that we share with everyone. This truth is expressed by the word “Namaste,” a common greeting in many Hindu cultures: “I honor the place in you where the whole universe resides. I honor the place in you of love, of light, of truth, and of peace. I honor the place in you where, if you are in that place in you and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us.”

There are more than seven billion people on this planet, but only one soul, one essence that enlivens us all. When we are “in that place” in us, we know the truth of our oneness with everyone.

Although we are often unaware of our prejudices (pre-judgments), when we recognize them it becomes possible to open our minds and hearts to the larger truth of the universality that lies beneath our individuality, the sameness beneath our separateness, the spiritual bond at the heart of our humanity. Namaste.

Tom Stella, NCC
Corporate Chaplain
tomstella37@gmail.com