For Employees
In the Blink of an Eye
It happened in the blink of an eye.
A speeding car missed a stop sign, hitting them broadside. The impact killed Ridley Barron’s wife on impact. Two of their children survived with minor injuries.
But their third and youngest – a little boy named Josh – didn’t survive his hospital care.
Ridley Barron with his son Josh
That too happened in the blink of an eye. A nurse administered an adult dose of the anti-seizure medicine phenytoin, which was five times the strength needed, to 17-month old Josh. The damage was irreversible and the error was lethal.
About a half a second more could have made a life-saving difference… had the car not been moving so fast… had the pharmacist taken an extra moment to double-check the medication… had the nurse paused to verify the dose.
A little boy would be turning 10 this year.
That was 2004 and Ridley Barron’s journey since that time has been nothing but remarkable. A former pastor, Barron is now a tireless advocate for patient safety, speaking to health care organizations throughout the country. He spoke at each of Capella’s three regional leadership training meetings earlier this year.
His story is one of hope, healing and forgiveness, but also a call to action to all health care providers to focus first on safety. A half second can make a life-saving difference, he says.
One of the things Barron stresses when he talks about patient safety isn’t the quest for humans to never again make a mistake. “Errors are going to happen. …but we need to have enough safety nets in place so that when the error happens, it doesn’t get to the patient.”
Barron stresses that even safety-conscious hospitals can drop the ball. When Josh was killed by a medication error, the hospital where he received care was ranked as one of the safest hospitals in America. “The hospital’s reputation was great, but I came to them one time, and they failed me. That’s all that matters to me. Until we all get to zero (errors reaching patients), there is work to be done,” Barron said.
He says sharing his story is therapeutic, quickly pointing out that it’s not his story. “It’s Josh’s story. And it lets me know my son’s 17 months counted for something.”
Barron’s sharing had a tremendous impact on attendees. Here are a few comments from some who attended the training.
- “Knowing that our hospital is supported and strengthened by Capella in our work every day as we strive to be the best community hospital in America is what keeps me pushing ahead every day. Thank you for your support and strength.”
- “The patient safety portion of the meeting took me back to when I was a staff nurse and manager working in a PICU. I remembered how I would always tell my staff ‘Remember that today you are creating a lifetime memory for a family: how you act, what you say and do will be etched in the minds for the rest of their life.’”
- “Ridley Barron’s testimony was an amazing experience. I feel blessed to work for a company that invited Mr. Barron to share his story. Knowing that Capella felt led to include him in Tuesday’s conference reassures me that I am where I should be: working for a company that realizes ‘You Matter. Amazing Care Every Time,” includes not only the patient but the patient’s family.”
- “All of the speakers inspired me to never stop striving to be the best leader I can be, never stop looking for ways to improve the work environment and facilitate employee engagement, thus improving safety, patient, employee, and physician satisfaction. I love my job and want each of the staff members that I supervise to enjoy coming to work as much as I do.”
To learn more about Ridley, see this video >>
2012 Capella Communities Photography Contest
Winning photographs have been selected in the Second Annual Capella Communities Photography Contest.
Thank you to the 46 individuals from 13 communities who entered 356 photos!
Because there were so many outstanding photos submitted, the number of awards was increased.
Congratulations to the following associates:
Category: PLACES
1st Place – Carrington Sedgwick, Capital Medical Center
2nd Place (TIE) – Dustan Osborn, Capital Medical Center
2nd Place (TIE) – Dustan Osborn, Capital Medical Center
3rd Place – Mary Smith, National Park Medical Center
4th Place – Lea Statler, Southwestern Regional Medical Center
5th Place (TIE) – Dustan Osborn, Capital Medical Center
5th Place (TIE) – Mary Smith, National Park Medical Center
Honorable Mention – Amy English, Southwestern Regional Medical Center
Honorable Mention – Dustan Osborn, Capital Medical Center
Honorable Mention – Dustan Osborn, Capital Medical Center
Honorable Mention – Jennifer Thorn, Mineral Area Regional Medical Center
1st Place
Category: PEOPLE
1st Place – Jamie Lawson, Grandview Medical Center
2nd Place – Amy Box, EASTAR Health System (Muskogee)
3rd Place – Katrina Wheeler, National Park Medical Center
4th Place – Katrina Wheeler, National Park Medical Center
5th Place – Cydney Brown, Grandview Medical Center
Honorable Mention – Monica Baxter, Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center
Honorable Mention – Sandra Culliver, National Park Medical Center
Honorable Mention – Chris Fullen, Capella corporate office
Honorable Mention – Lea Statler, Southwestern Regional Medical Center
Honorable Mention – Steven Singleton, Willamette Valley Medical Center
1st Place
Category: PURPOSE
1st Place – Tricia Bentley, Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center
2nd Place – Amanda Robbins, Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center
3rd Place (TIE) – Dustan Osborn, Capital Medical Center
3rd Place (TIE) – Tina Welchman, National Park Medical Center
4th Place – Tina Welchman, National Park Medical Center
5th Place – Tina Welchman, National Park Medical Center
Honorable Mention – Amanda Robbins, National Park Medical Center
Honorable Mention – Monica Scott, National Park Medical Center
1st Place
How are Capella Healthcare’s hospitals doing in the vital area of employee satisfaction? The chart below shows our tremendous progress as a company in overall employee satisfaction. While there will always be opportunities for improvement, the organization as a whole has made outstanding progress, thanks to everyone working together to make our hospitals a “best place” to work.
Results for the newest annual employee survey have recently been compiled and each hospital is in the process of communicating results and creating action plans to address opportunities. There was an overall participation rate of 73%, which is impressive though not quite as high as last year’s 85% rate.
Congratulations to the hospitals with the highest levels of participation:
91% Jacksonville Medical Center (Jacksonville, AL)
82% Grandview Medical Center (Jasper, TN)
82% National Park Medical Center (Hot Springs, AR)
78% Muskogee Regional Medical Center (Muskogee, OK)
76% Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center (Russellville, AR)
76% Southwestern Medical Center (Lawton, OK)
76% Stones River Hospital (Woodbury, TN)
The hospital scoring the highest in overall satisfaction – AGAIN – is Jacksonville Medical Center. JMC has also been named for the second consecutive year to Modern’s Healthcare’s “Best Places to Work in Healthcare” listing. It is one of only two organizations in Alabama to make the prestigious listing this year, which recognizes 100 “outstanding” health care employers, including hospitals, physician practices, insurers, suppliers, and consulting groups. Both years, JMC has ranked in the top 25. Read More >>
Winners Announced in 2011 Photography Contest
Winning photographs have been selected in the First Annual Capella Communities Photography Contest. Thank you to the 22 individuals from 10 hospitals who entered 139 photos! Because there were so many outstanding photos, the number of awards being presented was increased.
Congratulations to the following employees and physicians:
Category: PLACES
- 1st Place: Tina Welchman, Admissions Rep, National Park Medical Center
- 2nd Place: Amy Box, Director of HIM, Muskogee Regional Medical Center
- 3rd Place: Tina Welchman, Admissions Rep, National Park Medical Center
- 4th Place: Dr. C.E. Fougerousse, Psychiatrist, Southwestern Medical Center
- 5th Place: Tina Welchman, Admissions Rep, National Park Medical Center
Honorable Mention: Amy Box, Director of HIM, Muskogee Regional Medical Center
Honorable Mention: Amy Box, Director of HIM, Muskogee Regional Medical Center
Honorable Mention: Dr. C.E. Fougerousse, Psychiatrist, Southwestern Medical Center
Honorable Mention: Dr. C.E. Fougerousse, Psychiatrist, Southwestern Medical Center
Honorable Mention: Jamie Lawson, Director of Marketing, Grandview Medical Center
Category: PEOPLE
- 1st Place: Monica Baxter, Infection Control Nurse, Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center
- 2nd Place: Jamie Lawson, Director of Marketing, Grandview Medical Center
- 3rd Place: Stacy Dudark, Unit Supervisor, Southwestern Medical Center
Honorable Mention: Monica Baxter, Infection Control Nurse, Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center
Honorable Mention: Stacy Dudark, Unit Supervisor, Southwestern Medical Center
Honorable Mention: Jamie Lawson, Director of Marketing, Grandview Medical Center
Category: PURPOSE
- 1st Place: Tina Welchman, Admissions Rep, National Park Medical Center
- 2nd Place: Jamie Lawson, Director of Marketing, Grandview Medical Center
- 3rd Place-TIE: Amy Box, Director of HIM, Muskogee Regional Medical Center
- 3rd Place-TIE: Stacy Dudark, Unit Supervisor, Southwestern Medical Center
Honorable Mention: Monica Baxter, Infection Control Nurse, Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center
Social Media Survey
A very impressive 840 staff members responded to the “Social Media Savvy Survey” promoted in our last issue of Capella Connections. Congratulations to Monica Owens of Muskogee Regional Medical Center who won the drawing for a $50 gift card.
Of the questions that had a “right” or “wrong” answer, the majority of respondents got 8 of the 10 correct! To find out which ones you got right (and which two you got wrong), see the Social Media Survey Summary posted below. You can also review below Capella Healthcare’s Policy and Guidelines pertaining to the use of Social Media by any member of the Workforce.
Social Media Survey Summary – Click here
Policy and Guidelines – Use of Social Media – Click here