Associate Newsletter

I was thinking about things to write about for our Associate Newsletter this week that would be interesting to our associates, volunteers, physicians and community members who read it. So I asked Jane (#6) and Cindy in my office, "What would you like to hear about?" Jane said, "It's an Associate newsletter so you should probably move your thoughts to the back!" Cindy said I should share some personal observations about what's working well and things going on in my life outside of work. It's never a dull moment in my office and the honesty and directness of these two is always humbling for me.

I wrote that I enjoy many activities related to health & wellness and this carries over into my family life as well. Recently, I hosted our team for Ingram's Fit Exec Challenge. We took 4th place out of 21 teams. This was absolutely amazing news and one which I was so pleased to see. As healthcare professionals, we have to model the behavior which our community expects from us - that could be around our safe care, compassion, respect to each other, healthy lifestyles, pride in what we do, spirituality, communication, coordinated care and listening. We are evaluated on how we stay true to our mission and those we serve.

I shared that a few days ago, I had a chance to participate in a mini-triathlon. This was my first triathlon and I felt it every step of the way....I felt like I was drowning in the pool, overheating on the bike and getting dizzy through the run. While it was nerve-wracking for me to do this, it was exhilarating when I completed it. It was a great sense of accomplishment though I was truly in my "uncomfort zone" throughout the race.

When I started this blog, I was definitely in an "uncomfort zone." As you can see from the sidebar, I started using Twitter a couple of months ago. Using these social media has become easier as time goes on and I'm glad, because utilizing different forums for communication allows us to share the great things we are doing in the organization along with the challenges we are faced with every day as providers. The challenges will continue and we are in this together to ensure the success of our organization and sustain the mission which the Sisters of St. Joseph started over 135 years ago. There are so many great things going on at St. Joseph Medical Center, St. Mary's Medical Center and all the Carondelet Health entities and I'm proud to be part of this organization.