As many of us prepare to spend the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday with our family and loved ones, this is a good time to reflect on what we are thankful for. As CEO of CCRMC and Health Centers, I am so thankful for the hard work and dedication of our employees. Your commitment to the organization, those we serve and to each other is extraordinary. I am deeply grateful to have such a talented group of people to work with.

I am also extremely proud of the incredible work you're doing. I am so impressed by how our staff consistently faces challenges - with poise, intelligence, ingenuity, skill and compassion. I'm not the only one who has taken notice of your tremendous work.

Joint Commission Visit

When The Joint Commission recently came for our accreditation survey, the surveyors stressed how knowledgeable, professional, confident and caring our staff was throughout their visit and during the exit interview. At the wrap-up with staff, a surveyor said, "You are all outstanding. We are thoroughly impressed...you should take great pride in your work." The surveyors pointed out that staff was responsive and enthusiastic about describing the work they do every day. They were struck by the frontline staff's ability to discuss performance data and methods used to overcome challenges they face in doing their daily work. The surveyors said this is not always the case in the facilities they visit. 

DSRIP Successes

I am excited to report on the great strides we are making with our improvement efforts associated with the state's Delivery System Reform Incentive Payments (DSRIP) program. Three years into the DSRIP program, CCRMC and Health Centers has met all the milestones required to date and we are seeing impressive results that are helping us expand access to care and enhance quality.

Earlier this month, we celebrated our progress with presentations from improvement teams representing the five DSRIP categories (infrastructure development, innovation and redesign, population-focused improvement, urgent improvement in care, and HIV transition projects). I am just blown away by the great work they're doing. These teams are helping us transform our county's care delivery system into one that is patient and family-centered, evidence-based and continually improving. And they are saving lives.

You can learn more about our DSRIP activities in our white paper on our annual progress report to the state.  This report only captures part of the incredible amount of work we have underway. I look forward to sharing more examples with you in the coming months and year.

I wish you all a safe and happy holiday.

Anna

The Telephone Consultation Clinic (TCC), an innovative service being delivered to patients through a partnership between Ambulatory Care and the Advice Nurse unit, has won top honor in this year's Quality Leaders Awards.

The Quality Leaders Awards, which are given by the California Association of Public Hospitals & Health Systems and the Safety Net Institute, recognize innovative and creative system improvements in California public hospitals and health systems. The award comes with a $6,000 cash prize for Contra Costa Health Services.

The TCC is part of our broader efforts to improve access to health care. It is a fast and convenient way to deliver care while saving in-person appointments for those who need them.

The way the TCC works is a patient calls into the Advice Nurse line and an on-duty registered nurse determines whether the patient is eligible for a phone consultation with a physician or family nurse practitioner. Between January and June 2013, nearly 4,000 patients were referred to the TCC. 

LVNs and support staff from the Advice Nurse unit make followup calls to patients to gauge their satisfaction with the TCC service. To date, the TCC enjoys a 98.5% patient satisfaction rate. 

About 75% of patients who are referred to the TCC have their needs met without an in-person visit. LVNs and support staff from the Advice Nurse unit schedule appointments for those require an in-person examination in a clinic. 

The TCC began as a limited pilot in late 2011 and was expanded to a seven day a week service at the beginning of this year.

The award will be formally presented during CAPH's annual conference in Napa in December. 

Lt. Jeff Moule, head of security at CCMRC, recently wrote about the roles security has played in patient- and family-centered care at the hospital in a guest post for Safety Net Matters, the blog of America's Essential Hospitals (formerly the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems).

One role played by Lt. Moule and his staff was helping design and administer the new Welcoming Policy, which allows family members and loved ones to visit patients 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Lt. Moule and his team helped created a process to check in guests who come to the lobby after hours and escorting them to the floor where their loved ones are receiving treatment. As of Nov. 21, there have been more than 860 after-hours visits since the Welcoming Policy went into effect in September, according to the security unit.

"Because of the good planning and hard work by my security staff, I am proud of the fact that we have been able to accommodate our patients' loved ones without compromising the security of the hospital," Lt. Moule wrote.

To read Lt. Moule's entire blog post, click here. To learn more about the Welcoming Policy and/or to provide feedback, visit our Welcoming Policy webpage. 

CCRMC and Health Centers participates annually in the state med health drill along with other divisions in Contra Costa Health Services. 

If you've been to the Martinez Health Center recently, you may have noticed something new on the walls near the information desk: art.

"Nature's Beauty," a piece by Libby Strong, is one of the artworks currently on display at the Martinez Health Center.

Photographs and mixed-media work by local artists such as Bousa Concepts and CCHS employees including Libby Strong and Wynn Esclovon will be on display through the end of January. The exhibition was organized and curated by the Art of Health and Healing, a group of our medical staff and others that promote the use of art in health care settings.

You can come meet the artists and enjoy free appetizers and music at the Martinez Health Center from 4pm - 7pm on Thursday, Dec. 5. 

How to Donate Online 

You can donate with your credit or debit card, or through PayPal, by visiting foodbankccs.org. When you click "donate," the site will guide you through a series of questions. Be sure to type "County Holiday Food Fight" in the box marked "Food Drive or Special Event," and also your department in the same box("CCHS/CCRMC," for example). Once you've entered your payment information, click on the drop-down menu after "I want my donation to be designated toward" and select "Contra Costa County Employee Food Fight."

The drive runs through December 31. The Food Bank serves about 149,000 people monthly.

Tami Rennaker, RN

Inpatient Breastfeeding Task Force

For their efforts during World Breastfeeding Week to promote and showcase the work being done to improve patients' breastfeeding experience at CCRMC, as well as the incredible dedication and commitment they demonstrate every day by providing high quality breastfeeding support to our families.

- Nominated by Francine Jolton

Paul Kwok, MD

For providing a calming and empathetic presence to our family when an emergency C-section had to be performed. For staying by our side during the process and for going above and beyond.

- Nominated by a patient

Benita Smith

Clerk - Senior Level

For actively managing external and internal referrals and going above and beyond to connect patients to the services they need.

 - Nominated by Ori Tzvieli