In preparation for the upcoming Communicate With H.E.A.R.T.® training that all 2500-plus Shore Regional Health team members will experience between December 1 and April 30, Compass will include articles that focus on our value definitions, and the ways those values are translated in our day-to-day work as we care for our patients and serve the overall health needs of our five-county region.
This week’s Value is “RESPECT – Being Kind and Courteous with Every Interaction.”
According to team members this means:
- We appreciate all perspectives.
- We listen with a clear mind and open heart.
- We embrace the uniqueness of others.
- We see each individual as a unique person.
- We behave with trust.
- We assume good intent.
- Our actions are kind.
- We demonstrate empathy in our interactions and words.
How might you see RESPECT reflected in your day to day work, and that of your colleagues?
Linda Pittman, regional director, Compliance and Contracting, thought immediately of Victor Collins, telecom technician III, in Information Services & Technology for UM SRH, as follows:
“Victor Collins is one of the most respectful individuals I have ever met. Every time he answers the phone, he will always ask, ‘How may I help you?’ If someone asks him if he has time to help, his response is, ‘For you, I always have time’ … it doesn’t matter who it is calling him or what they need.”
Lori Baker, radiology specialist, at UM Shore Medical Center at Dorchester, shared this observation about the RESPECT demonstrated by imaging assistants Stephanie Rogers-Strakes, Richelle Purnell and Kylie Helmer:
Stephanie, Richelle and Kylie are the embodiment of the word respect when caring for our patients. They routinely spend more time with our patients than any of the technologists do simply because we technologists may have the patient in our care for a 20-minute CT scan, whereas the assistants may be with the patient many times throughout a given week, bringing them down to Radiology for different studies. They interact with the patient’s family each time they go up to get the patient ready to come down for a study and they take the time to explain to the families why they are taking their loved one down to radiology, what type of exam, the length of the study, etc. They also go out of their way to make sure the patient understands where they are going, that they are comfortable and always covered to protect their privacy. These women keep our department running smoothly and always with a smile on their faces.
Don’t forget UM Shore Regional Health’s Values Credo: We live our values in the service of our patients, their families and one another.