Protected: Noah’s Children
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Celebration of Empowered Employees
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Today, we celebrate our employees—for they are some of the most engaged individuals in Virginia. At Bon Secours, we create an environment where employees are motivated to reach their potential, empowered to respond to the needs of our patients and behave as “owners” in the organization.
“Bon Secours has created a culture where employees are empowered to behave as owners. We have been given the latitude to ensure that our patients and their families are comfortable,” said Megan Walworth, Customer Relations Manager. “We know more moments of good help happen when all 12,000 Bon Secours Virginia employees are engaged in the process of creating world-class environments of care.”
As part of our series celebrating the dedication and compassion of our employees, here are a few of our “WOW” stories—examples of good help happening every day.
Empowered Solution Seeker
Sandra’s story is an example of a fully engaged employee who behaves as an owner of
Bon Secours. Sandra is truly an empowered solution seeker.
Recently, a gentleman came into the Tidewater Surgical Specialists office looking for his dialysis center. He was in the wrong place and was very confused. He had been dropped off at the facility by his brother and could not get in touch with him. Seeing an opportunity to be of good help, Sandra took charge! After learning the name of the gentleman’s dialysis center, Sandra called to let them know he would be there shortly for his appointment. Instead of giving the patient the address and sending him on his way, Sandra took ownership of the situation and sought a world-class solution. Knowing he did not have transportation and needed to make his appointment, Sandra drove the gentleman to the dialysis center herself.
“Owning” the Unexpected
Every so often, our employees find themselves in unexpected situations. Just last week, Sonia Figueroa, a tech with Richmond Community’s Radiation Department, found herself in a situation she never could have expected.
A patient inexplicably set off the sprinkler system on Richmond Community’s third floor, causing flooding which quickly spread to the first floor CT area. Sonia had two choices: call Engineering or respond herself.
Considering herself an owner of Bon Secours, Sonia responded quickly by covering the CT equipment in plastic and containing the water to one area. Sonia’s quick thinking avoided flooding of the control room and a potentially disastrous situation. Her response saved the equipment, avoiding major expenses and repairs. Her response demonstrated her commitment to Bon Secours and her passion to always do what it takes for her workplace and her hospital.
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Project SEARCH: 6 gifted students who touched our hearts
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...In June 2010, Bon Secours Richmond, in partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University as well as Richmond City and Henrico County schools celebrated an amazing achievement: The first graduation of the class of Project SEARCH.
Project SEARCH was established to connect area employers to students with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). Students worked closely with Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital staff in areas like sterile supply, environmental services and linnen services to learn job skills. In turn, they brought smiles to faces and warmth to hearts around the organization. In the words of one service area leader: “These kids brought more to our team than we could ever give to them.”
These six students made incredible strides during their time with Bon Secours; represented by the culmination speech that each student gave in front of more than 100 proud supporters and fans.
As an exciting surprise, a capstone on the day, Bon Secours announced that we will extend job offers to each of these talented young adults.
Congratulations Project SEARCH class of 2010!
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Pastor David Wright, MD teams with Bon Secours for Haiti relief
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In less than 4 weeks my son, Joshua, and I – along with a team of doctors and nurses – will be traveling to Haiti to help in a medical mission clinic run by the Church of God in Christ. We will be seeing nearly 400 patients a day.
After 27 years away from the medical field, I feel so inadequate, but I also feel so much compassion for our desperately needy brothers and sisters in Haiti.
We leave April 11 for Haiti, the 147th of 177 poorest nations in the world and the poorest nation in the Western hemisphere. Over 1.3 million people are living in make-shift tents for housing, approximately 300,000 people may have died and as many are injured, sick, and in great need of medication, nutrition and toiletries.
Dr. David Wright (pictured above with wife Ella), a full-time pastor at Community Church United partnered with Bon Secours Virginia two weeks ago to bring much needed aid to Haiti.
“It is amazing and humbling to look at what we take for granted like shoes and undergarments compared to what are necessities for them [the Haitian people].”
Dr. Fred Mcglynn treats a young boy in Haiti during the Salva Vida mission earlier in 2010
Dr. Wright, along with the Bon Secours’ team, sent canned food, toiletries, bandages, saline, pain medications, gloves and much more to the devastated island nation.
“We also saw 760 patients that week. Most of the illnesses and conditions we treated included urinary diseases, worms, gonaria and some individuals with diabetes.” Dr. Wright said. “Many of our patients walked 11 miles to our clinic.”
Dr. Wright and the Bon Secours team set up their clinic in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti in the 5,000-seat National Cathedral, which was used as a worship center and clinic.
“We’re definitely going back the last week of June,” said the Community Church United pastor. “It’s encouraging to see people with that level of resiliency.”
For more information on Dr. Wright and the Community Church United, visit their website at http://www.communitychurchunited.com/.
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Miraculous ending to one Haiti medical mission as another begins
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...The Salva Vida / Bon Secours medical mission team returned home last week. After almost two weeks in Haiti, the team was tired, rewarded, saddened and inspired. What follows is JoAnn McCaffrey’s last update before returning home:
Pictured: The Salva Vida / Bon Secours team. JoAnn McCaffrey (left in beige), Dr. Fred McGlynn (behind Ms. McCaffrey)
Sunday, 2.28. I want to share with you one final story: One night’s miracle .
About 9 p..m. a young mother arrived at the hospital with her 3 month old baby girl in severe respiratory distress. Hardly breathing and unable to nurse for some time–she was struggling to live.The baby’s father and the young mother’s family had died in the earthquake, and she had fled Port au Prince for the mountains–with nothing but her baby. As it happened an ER doctor and tech were doing some outreach in the area, and came upon the child. They provided primary care and hurried 4 hrs down the mountain to the hospital in Cayes Jacmel where we were. Our gifted team of docs, anesthesiologists and critical care nurses went to work. For a while it seemed the child was too far gone, but after some amazing interventions, they were able to turn the situation around.
Since there’s no ICU and there were no empty cots or even space to put a mat between beds, the mother and baby came home with the team. They slept on a mattress on the floor of the house where some of us were sleeping–surrounded by nurses and docs ready to be on call! The young traumatized mother asked to take a shower, probably the first in many days. They slept through the night, the baby began taking nourishment, and in the morning given food and clothing. She and the baby left rested and grateful.All of our team are home now, those from Mercy Children’s in Kansas City, two Haitian-born nurses from Coral Springs, FL, (who were an invaluable asset to our team), and the three of us from Richmond. We’re so grateful for all of the prayer and support you offered during our stay. Let us all continue to pray for the volunteers, nurses, docs, techs, builders, handy-men, rescue teams, pilots…all who contribute physically and financially…But let us especially not cease to hold in our hearts the people of Haiti during their long long road ahead to recovery.
Just as the Salva Vita team returned to the United States, another team, this time from the Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing, departed for Haiti. It is expected that they will not have the same ability to communicate during their trip. GoodSharing will look forward to sharing their story when they return home.
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Hard Work, Hard Sights in Haiti
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...Bon Secours currently has two teams on the island of Hispaniola. Our Memorial College of Nursing is currently in the Dominican Republic treating many of the sick, injured and those in need of compassion from d’evenement. In addition to the College of Nursing, our Salva Vida team continues to serve the people of Cayes Jacmel. It has not been an easy mission, but it has one been one of intense reward.
Our teams in Haiti are thankful for your comments here, on Twitter and Facebook. Please keep them coming. If you have a question, post it here – help connect our powerful internet community with the compassionate, skilled team in Haiti.
Here is the latest update from the Salva Vida team, courtesy of JoAnn McCaffery:
Another full day with some 300 hundred patients coming to the hospital. Many cases are not directly post earthquake, but general illness due to chronic hunger or poor diet and hard living conditions: parasites, infections, scabies, malaria and some typhoid fever, respiratory and gastric problems, hernias, difficult pregnancies, many vision and dental problems, etc.
Then there are others directly related to the earthquake, [such as] fractures, crushed limbs, and untreated or infected wounds. And it’s rare to meet someone who hasn’t a relative or friend, teacher or co-worker, who was killed by the quake. They often don’t even mention it unless asked.
Late afternoon, 12 of us climbed into the back of an open truck [, and took] a ride through the actual town of Jacmel, about 15 miles from the hospital which is in Cayes Jacmel. Were able to see first hand some of the destruction wreaked be the quake. Houses cracked or split in half, tumbled and crumbled walls, 2-3 storied buildings flattened like pancakes. Located on the ocean, Jacmel has been considered one of the prettiest towns in Haiti, with some very old and beautiful homes. The oldest part of Jacmel, well known as an artist area, was. most affected by the quake.
For the Haiti Team
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Service in Its Highest Form
(2 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5) Loading ...As a system of caregivers, Bon Secours employees are called to bring compassion to health care and to be good help to those in need. St. Francis Medical Center and Chesterfield EMS share strong values in how we provide care to our patients.
Compassionate, holistic care begins the moment EMS arrives at the home and lasts throughout the continuum of care. Kevin Rochelle and David Watson of Chesterfield Company 7 exemplify how important it is for the patient, as well as the family to focus on holistic care, not just symptoms. Kevin and David, as well as St. Francis Medical Center Critical Care nurses Mary and Mo cared for Eileen Schneble and her family when they needed it the most.
Lori Ross, Eileen’s sister, reflects on her experience at St. Francis and pays homage to her sister in a publisher’s letter found in Boomer Life Magazine.
God bless the angels of this world – and the next
In December, I said a permanent good-bye in this lifetime to my No. 1 fan, my sister Eileen. As each day passes, she fills my thoughts and heart – with memories, her presence, and also with the realities of settling her estate and giving away her possessions.
Of course there is sadness involved, but one of the beauties of human nature is our resilience, and with each passing day I learn to accept and internalize all that I want to keep of her life and this experience. All of us go through these moments in our lives, and this is just my time.
I will hold inside the way my sister and family were cared for by normal people doing jobs every day that involve service in it’s highest form. To the two EMT gentlemen who came into Eileen’s room at 2:30 a.m. when the rest of the world slept, you performed miracles in your ambulance and comforted me. May God bless you for being there. To “Nurse Mary” in St. Francis CCU, you voluntaril
y took on an extra 12 hour shift because you promised the night before to do all you could and you knew that your experience with her case would increase her chances. May God bless you for caring so much. To “Nurse Mo”, thank you for being stronger than I was and guiding our family on the morning when we stopped machines and we stood vigil for the day. May God bless you, too.
I will internalize the way my family and friends loved Eileen. Especially to my husband, John, sons Brian, Craig, Johnny and Jared, and daughters-in-law Stephanie, Phalica, and Katharine, granddaughters Jessica and Jasmine, and in laws Gayle, Andy and Lin – thank you for the last five years of welcoming Eileen into our Richmond family experience and loving her the way you did. May God bless you, too.
And to Eileen, I have always held inside how you watched over your little sister with complete love. You remain my sister and guardian angel.
God will bless you, Eileen.
Lori
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Success hardship and camaraderie in Haiti
(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5) Loading ...“There have been many successes, some miracles–and a few tough losses; not for lack of trying” – that is the message we are hearing from Haiti. Throughout their mission, our team has received your feedback. Please continue to share your encouragement, ask questions and offer prayers in the comments on this site, facebook, and Twitter.
In recent posts, GoodSharing has featured the updates from the Salva Vida / Bon Secours medical mission team delivering care in Haiti. This is a highly dedicated, inspiring group who are striving to meet the needs of the Haitian people with compassionate, competent care. What follows is the most recent update from that team:
Tuesday evening: Long [challenging] days–and sometimes nights as well.
Sunday night it rained–in fact poured for most of the night. Some of the nurses and docs on call had to pull a few patients and families under cover, since they were sleeping on make shift cardboard beds outside the tents and pavillions which serve the in-patients. Many of our own team are sleeping in pop-up tents outside the guest quarters–which also serves as a supply depot. Some tents didn’t fare so well in the downpour.Last night, after a very intense Monday, we all felt a strong after shock–about 1:30 a.m. Those who were sleeping inside dragged bedrolls and joined the tent dwellers under the trees and stars. Somte of our team we’re just getting back from an ER stitching up a depressed skull fracture, severe head wounds on a young man who would have [expired] without immediate and almost impossible care.
The night before, several [team members] pulled all nighters with critical cases from the days operations. There have been many successes, some miracles–and a few tough losses–not for lack of trying.
Monday, there were probably close to 400 people lined up for the out-patient clinic. Imagine an attempt to triage and treat!
The organization at this make-shift operation leaves much to be desired, in spite of efforts. There’s constant coming and going, turnover of teams every 3 days to a week, little communication during the changing of “shifts” from week to week, so little continuity as to how things are done…
Just when we finally get some sort of a system going, another group leaves or comes
But the Haitian people are long suffering. and deal with it all with such patience. And there is a great spirit of camaraderie among the volunteer teams like ours.
So all’s well. Thanks for your prayers, support and well-wishes.
For the Team.
JoAnn
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Medical work continues in Haiti for Bon Secours team
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...“Today is Sunday and people will go to church.” Those are the first words in an update from JoAnn McCaffery, Bon Secours Virginia director of diversity and member of the Salva Vida medial mission team currently in Haiti. After being separated due to capacity of the small planes on which they were traveling, the team is now together in Cayes-Jacmel Haiti. The first 48 hours have been long and emotional. But, there is comfort in those words. The people of Haiti of maintained their faith, perhaps even strengthened it. It also means that they are doing what they can to maintain some parts of normal daily life. As stated by previous trip leaders, the Haitians are strong people!
JoAnn, Dr. McGlynn and the rest of their team continue to support the Bon Secours mission of being good help to those in need. During a recent phone call, JoAnn shared how much everyone enjoys hearing the feedback from your comments here and on facebook and twitter. Please continue to keep posting your messages of support. Again in JoAnn’s words: “They mean a lot to the team, there is a lot of need for that [emotional] support down here”.
The rest of JoAnn’s message continues below:
Today is Sunday and the people will go to Church. There won't be much new activity. A needed respite-- time to unpack and sort meds and supplies, and get the OR set up for next week..
The free clinic that has been set up is bringing in hundreds of patients each day--some with injuries from the earthquake-- what the local people refer to as "'evenement" french for the event or the happening. Others come with regular illnesses Yesterday alone it was constant all day: The team [had a complex procedure and was unable to save one badly injured patient] [There was also a successful] emergency appendec-tomy about 10 pm. There are three covered tents and one pavilion for in-patients; an outpatient clinic area and two covered waiting areas.
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Haiti medical mission team is on their way
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...Good help takes many forms. As Haiti struggles to recover from devastation, members of the Bon Secours community are answering the call to serve. On February 18th, a partnership of medical missionaries from Salva Vida and Bon Secours left for Haiti. The group, led by Dr. Fred McGlynn and JoAnn McCaffery (Director of Cross Cultural Services), will travel to the Jacmel area of Haiti.
We are already hearing from JoAnn and her cohort. They made it safely to the Dominican Republic on the evening of Feb 18th. On the 19th some members of the team as well as supplies were able to board a small plane to the Jacmel area. The rest of the team is hopeful they will find transport soon.
Although phone lines are down and communication is sporadic, our team will attempt to check in throughout the mission. You can follow those updates here on GoodSharing as well as via our twitter feed. Do you have a question, comment, or message of hope to with the team? Post a comment here and we will share them with the team when they check in.
You can support the work of Bon Secours, Salva Vida and our Haiti mission through a contribution to the Bon Secours Foundation.
#Haiti team update: Arrived safely in Santo Domingo. Will meet two other team member in a.m. Then on to Haiti by small plane
#Haiti team update: Still at a small airport in Dominican Repub. 3 of our team left with supplies etc. Hopefully we will get out later today
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