Personal Pep Talk from Bridget Duffy, MD ~ CXO Cleveland Clinic

I had the distinct pleasure to receive a personal pep talk from Bridget Duffy, MD today. Dr. Duffy is the CXO (Chief Experience Officer) of Cleveland Clinic. The CXO position is "charged with raising the institution’s commitment to ensuring a high-quality patient and family experience and humanizing the delivery of health care".

Cleveland Clinic is ranked the #1 Heart Hospital and in general the 4th top hospital in the country according to US News & World Report's America's Best Hospitals Report. A former business associate had met her at a conference and suggested that I contact her. You can imagine how thrilled I was that she agreed to talk with me.

She was incredibly warm and caring with me as well as an incredible inspiration. She told me that she began her journey to design "optimal healing environments" fifteen years ago. She remarked about the fact that she was fortunate that Cleveland Clinic has an enlightened board & CEO that is open to implementing her recommendations to improve patient experiences.

At this point, we all know that treating the patient and not the problem is better but there are not enough reports out there to prove it on paper. Hospital administration has to trust that it is the right thing to do. It makes me so happy that Cleveland Clinic chose to make make patient experience one of their system's eight strategic goals. The initiative, which is called "Patients First,” focuses on "addressing patients’ physical and emotional experience, restoring empathy as a core value and recognizing the role employees play in delivering an exceptional patient experience." I hope that if the word gets out and they can prove that it has a positive affect on their patients and on their ROI, then other hospitals will follow.

Dr. Duffy told me that doctors at Cleveland Clinic can check a box that says "Healing Services Consult" and the Healing Services Team follows up with the patient. Their healing services include many of the same things that Striving for More includes in our mission (psychologists, social workers, etc but they also include Holistic Nursing which she recommend that we consider in our scope as well. I did not even know that this specialty existed! I read more about what they do at the American Holistic Nurses Association website and wow, it is something that I would like to take to the S4M board for them to consider in our strategy. It fits right in!

Dr. Duffy encouraged me in my pursuit and gave me several specific strategic recommendations to consider as Striving for More moves forward in our mission.

Thank you Dr. Duffy and thank you Matt M. for suggesting that I talk with her.

Read more about the incredible work that is being done by Dr. Duffy and her staff at Cleveland Clinic in an article at hospitalconnect.com

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Extraordinary Board in Place for Striving for More

Last Tuesday, I held the second Board Meeting for the Board of Directors for Striving for More. There were 3 new people that were voted onto the board.

I am proud to announce the new additions to the Striving for More Board of Directors. (if you don't know who the equally impressive team that this group is joining, check out the blog with those details here):

• Tom Stevens, MSW - Leadership Coach, Mayor, Author, Keynote Speaker - The way that Tom and I met can only be explained by divine intervention. God wanted our paths to cross and He made sure they did. Ask me about it and I will happily share the story with you so I can enjoy your reaction. Tom is currently on his second term as the Mayor of Hillsborough. He owns his own consulting firm called Think Leadership Ideas where he brings his clients two decades of experience in engaging people to create meaningful change and raise the bar on performance. He previously owned his own family therapy company in Durham. He brings an amazing wealth of experience to our board and I am confident that he will be a key player in helping Striving for More determine the best strategies for moving forward as a successful organization. I am so glad that he agreed to join us.
  

• Melissa Hicks, MS, CCLS, LPC, RPT - Child Life Specialist & Licensed Professional Counselor - I have been told that networking is the key to this business. It is a good thing that I am not shy. I have been telling everyone I know and everyone I meet about Striving for More and what my vision is since October. Well, in Missi's case, it is proof that it paid off. Two separate people told her to call me. Which is so fantastic because she is a goldmine of a find. Not only is she a Child Life Specialist who is highly experienced with Oncology patients but she was the co-founder of a nonprofit organization in Austin, Texas so she brings a tremendous amount of experience that we can benefit from. She is highly respected in her field and it is rare to find a Child Life Specialist with Oncology experience not working at an Oncology hospital. Since I already have one board member from Duke and one board member from UNC, it was important for me not to add anyone else from Duke or UNC so we do not tip the scales in either direction. This could not have worked out better. Missi started providing me guidance before she was even voted onto the board. She is fantastic. We are very fortunate to have her join Striving for More.

• Karla Diener, CPA - Karla and I met during one of my first but her very last Duke Non Profit Certification courses. She quietly asked me for my card during a break but we did not talk very much. I did notice that she seemed to know as much as the instructor and I wondered why an experienced CPA would be in the course. Karla called me a few weeks later and we decided to meet for coffee. We instantly hit it off. She is my kind of woman... driven. She gets things done. She wanted to learn more about Striving for More and after she did she was interested in being on the board. How fortunate am I? She came to me! At this point, I have figured out that God really wants good things for Striving for More. I must be on the right track. Jill is already our treasurer but Karla is an experienced CPA. The two of them met and they got along great. I need idea people around me. I can execute but I lack creativity when it comes to generating ideas. So I appreciate idea people so much and Karla is an idea person. We need that.
  

The board meeting was terrific. What a great room full of intelligent people who speak their ideas. A room full of people who just want to help kids with cancer make sure that their emotional needs are met. What a blessing.

So lets take stock for a minute, shall we? The last 3 board members either came to me or were plopped down right in front of me and they are all perfect fits for Striving for More. We must be on the right path, huh? , God. I will keep listening and keep doing what you tell me to do. Thanks for all the help you have given me so far.

If you have played a part in talking about Striving for More, talking about our mission, thank you so much. I appreciate it and it is clear He is listening.

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