This
summer UCLA Healthcare launched a series of celebrations for
all staff featuring popcorn, chocolate and a serving of C-ICARE.
C-ICARE, our new customer service standard, aims to enhance
communication by hospital staff to patients and each other.
“The motivation of these events is to celebrate the
incredible staff that we have at UCLA and remind ourselves
that structuring communications with patients using C-ICARE
can truly help improve the patient experience,” said
COO Amir Rubin. The celebrations reached more than 5,000 staff
between July and August 2006.
The largest
celebration took place in Café Med and featured festive
specialty balloons, freshly popped popcorn made throughout
the day, and boxes of chocolate. Joey, a dog and member of
the People Animal Connection, also made a guest appearance
and impressed the staff and patients alike with his enthusiasm.
As staff came to collect their treats, they were greeted by
hospital executives who explained the significance of the
C-ICARE program and encouraged its further use. “C-ICARE
actually may help make our jobs easier—and that’s
something to celebrate. Our popcorn events were little celebrations
for our staff, and our visitors too,” said Marge Cunningham,
associate director of administration, who greeted those in
attendance. Staff also received stickers, badges, and feedback
cards to take back to their departments to begin tracking
their C-ICARE progress. “Although we already use C-ICARE
in our department, Patient Relations, this event was encouragement
for us and other staff to continue improving,” said
Tony Padilla, director of patient affairs. In order to reach
the hospital night shift, Mary Erbernik, RN, Padilla, and
Rubin made C-ICARE popcorn rounds to every floor and unit
during the evening until 10 p.m.
But the
CHS celebration was just one of many successes. Similar events
took place at 200 and 300 Medical Plaza, UCLA Wilshire Building,
Brentwood Labs, the Openheimer Building and UCLA’s Century
Boulevard location.
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