Leadership in Healthcare
The past few months have brought fresh challenges in the healthcare industry, engaging leaders throughout the community. To gain insights into healthcare leadership, we touched base with McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center to see how they have adapted in response to the current health crisis, what new innovations they’ve seen, and how they plan continuing to instill confidence in the community moving forward.. The following responses were submitted by Jim Aberle, COO of McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center.
How has leadership within McKenzie-Willamette adapted in response to the COVID-19 outbreak?
In mid-March, we activated our Incident Command structure to best respond to the dynamic nature of pandemic as it unfolded. We held briefings twice per day for 6 weeks to provide 2-way communication of ever-changing operational priorities. Leaders rounded on staff multiple times per day, including nights and weekends, to provide updates, listen to concerns and answer questions. Each leader stepped up to fill non-traditional roles and share the task of communication and listening. Many staff rose to the occasion as non-formal leaders. We clearly saw the best in our staff and identified those willing and able to lead under difficult circumstances. We all gain a new appreciation for each other and how we work as a team.
How can health organizations maintain patient and community confidence through the phases of the reopening process? What strategies has your organization enacted for employee, patient, and public safety, and how do you see your organization leading and communicating during community reopening?
Health organizations and individual providers should role-model the behaviors of social distancing, wearing a mask, sanitizing the environment and frequent hand washing. They need to instill confidence in our patients through demonstrated competence and clear communication of the facts around COVID-19.
McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center has implemented the recommended actions of the Oregon Health Authority, Centers for Disease Control, The Joint Commission and other regulatory bodies.
Have you gained any new insight on your own leadership, and do you foresee any newly implemented methods sticking around into the future?
Being relatively new to the organization, I had to jump right in and integrate into the team quickly. These past several weeks served as a good reminder to take care of self, take care of others, stay focused on the positive and use humor appropriately to lighten the load and keep things in perspective.
What innovations and/or wins has your organization had, and how might these connect to the economic recovery and future of healthcare organizations in our region?
We have partnered with University of Oregon to provide high-capacity COVID-19 testing in the community. This testing capacity was pivotal for Lane County to meet the requirements of re-opening the local economy. We continue to expand our capacity and capability in both testing and specimen collection operations. This has helped us and other healthcare providers in the area to resume non-emergent services that have a positive impact on the health and well-being of our community. We approach each new challenge with an attitude of “Yes, we can” and then figure out how.
