Empathy and compassion are caught, they not taught...You can't get to compassion without empathy - Mary Gordon, founder, Roots of Empathy
It is simultaneously one of the largest, one the oldest and one of the biggest urban hospital systems in America. It includes two of the finest medical schools in America. Yet, until recently, it had begun to slip backwards in the minds of sophisticated New Yorkers who sometimes left town for
the Mayo Clinic or Johns Hopkins instead of heading down the street to one of this center's hospitals. Then, in 1998, the board of the newly merged New York Hospital (founded in 1771) and Presbyterian Hospital made a key decsion. They chose a psychiatrist to be their chief executive. And the psychiatrist, Herbert Pardes, M.D. (above, left), announced a radical strategy. The new organization would focus on patient-centered care. "The only thing I'm interested in is helping patients..." Dr. Pardes announced. What's so radical about this?...
Continue reading "Signs of Radical Change - A List of Some of America's Healing Hospitals" »
In the great way they so often do, Parrish Medical Center, Titusville, Florida, keeps finding new and 
more creative ideas to nourish loving care in their organization. Often, the Loving Care campaign needs supporting materials. Liz Vierra & Natalie Sellers, members of the Parrish leadership team, together with other staff, brainstormed images this past spring and came up with several to support their initiative, some of which are portrayed in this photo (click to enlarge.) What's more important, are the other elements that have characterized their success.
The leadership of Parrish, under George Mikitarian, demonstrates a pattern of thought and behavior that characterizes successful loving care organizations.
Continue reading "HHN: Parrish Medical Center Continues Successful Campaign" »
It's one thing to build a hospital (thousands of organizations have done that.) It's quite another to create a healing facility and healing culture at the same time! That's what CEO Laurie Eberst and her partners have done in planning, developing and bringing into being the recently opened Mercy Gilbert Hospital (click on photo to enlarge) just outside Phoenix, Arizona. And they got to do that because of the leadership & support of Catholic Health West & its President & CEO Lloyd Dean...
Continue reading "HHN: Mercy Magic! - Mercy-Gilbert Builds Healing Culture with New Hospital" »
At Wuesthoff Health System in Brevard County Florida, one of the organizations that is a member of the new Healing Hospital Network (HHN) established by the Healing Trust, a loving culture is being enhanced by gathering and sharing stories of Sacred Work each week. Sr. V.P Johnette Gindling has arranged for these stories to be published ever Friday. Brenda Mozak, one of their caregivers, sends me these each week...
Continue reading "HHN: Stories from Wuesthoff" »
Some hospitals are content with the status quo - even if that represents mediocrity. Others, like those who have joined the Healing Hospital Network (HHN) demonstrate a desire to strive to live out their mission of loving care in the best way possible. Healing Hospitals - actual or potential, represent, at best, a tenacious ten percent of the thousands of American hospitals. They strive to heal as well as to cure. Our new network includes seven of the finest...
Continue reading "Healing Hospital Network" »
the Mayo Clinic or Johns Hopkins instead of heading down the street to one of this center's hospitals. Then, in 1998, the board of the newly merged New York Hospital (founded in 1771) and Presbyterian Hospital made a key decsion. They chose a psychiatrist to be their chief executive. And the psychiatrist, Herbert Pardes, M.D. (above, left), announced a radical strategy. The new organization would focus on patient-centered care. "The only thing I'm interested in is helping patients..." Dr. Pardes announced. What's so radical about this?...
