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Scott Webb: This is Mission In Action, a podcast from St. Mary's Healthcare in Athens, Georgia, focusing on patient-centered care under our mission to be a transforming healing presence within our communities. Hi, this is Julie Carter, Vice President for Mission Services. I'm very happy to bring you this installment of Word Indeed, where we visit with colleagues from around St. Mary's Healthcare System to hear their experience working within our ministry. Today, I'm joined by Jennifer Reno, who has responsibility over quality and safety at St. Mary's Sacred Heart Hospital. Jennifer talks about how our mission and core values call us to meet a higher standard and how she views her work through that lens. She also recognizes the resiliency that emerged in this past year. Enjoy.

Jennifer Reno (Guest): My name is Jennifer Reno and I've been here there since been with the system since 1996. So, the previous hospital system I was with just on of as needed basis, for swing bed, ER, ICU, those type units. In 2014, I decided wanted to go back to school and finished my bachelor's and master's in nursing, definitely. so I came back here full time to ICU so that I could have a few more days off during the week. I was on a Monday, Friday schedule then. of course in that process, St. Mary's purchased us, that point and 2017, I finished my Masters and an opportunity came open with quality.

So I moved into that position. So, I do a little bit, my job, I guess, title is Quality, but I also do Safety, Commission Accreditation, staff education. And I throw a little bit of informatics in there as well. So, just a little bit of everything. And that's what I enjoy honestly about what I do is maybe there's some days I have a plan, but that plan gets thrown out the door, like at eight o'clock in the morning. So it keeps me on my toes and it lets me constantly change. So, there's nothing that I get bored with because I'm never doing the same thing every day. So I do enjoy that.

Host: Well, actually the person who shall remain anonymous, who suggested I reach out to you told me a little bit about that. Like she does everything, ,she's everywhere and she she'll do anything.

You ask her and she does it well, and all that.

Jennifer: Well thank you, thank you.

Host: For you did things change much once St. Mary's acquired the hospital? I know it was kind of a change in terms of it becoming a Catholic hospital. What did that mean for you or feel like for you?

Jennifer: I think for me coming from my previous job, I did some understanding of like management and that area. But at the time I was a staff member when St. Mary's, frontline staff when St. Mary's, purchased us. But from the management standpoint, for me, it meant a were able to have a lot more resources, access to a lot more resources, with Trinity. So if you made a decision, you did have something to back it up, or you had, that ability to get that information to back it up.

and for me, even now, it's nice to have things filter down instead of having to start from the ground up, working on something, when you know that there's a new standard, that's been released or there's something new in healthcare. Trinity is always really good about filtering that down to our level and us not having to really do a lot of that foot work initially. So we're able to, you know, adapt it to our, hospital, send it through our committees. And then because we know it's been vetted through the systems, so that's really good thing.

Host: Yeah. I agree. I feel that way even in Mission having those really outstanding resources available and just people to fall back on to consult with is really helpful. I'm sure though, there were concerns with having, you know, a large organization come into a small community. you think that in some ways the fact that it was an organization that really tried to promote, being a healing presence and you know, reverence for people, do you think that helped in any way to fit in with the community?

Jennifer: I think it did. I think that people already knew the St. Mary's name. So, I think that probably helped us some as well. I really do feel like that helped the transition. Especially like with the name change and things like that taking place. And you know, at the time you wonder why are they doing all these things, but looking back, I know that was the right decision, you know, to change our hospital's name, you know. I remember people taking some of the letters home off of the hospital, you know, because they were in, we have a lot of people that have been here 30 years, you know, we have a lot of long-term employees. Yes. So they've been through a lot of changes over the years just with hospitals combing and moving here and just those changes, but think it's been a good thing.

Host: As a leader, how would you describe how you approach mission and core values, like in the work that you do or with your team members? Are there ways in which kind of those principles reflect themselves in your approach to other colleagues or the task at hand or anything like that?

Jennifer: I think it's probably always in the back of our mind that do think we're held to a standard and that does help. And so when you walk down the hall, maybe you look at things a little differently because you're looking at them at a different light and I think you hold yourself a little differently as well. I do feel like as leaders that we do have to hold ourselves up a little higher, you know, and set an example is what I'm saying for staff so that they that we're doing the right thing.

And then that reflects back to them so that they're encouraged to do the right thing. do feel like we have some of the best leaders here and I've seen that like even more with COVID because they really pitch in. We're still a small hospital, even though we have grown a lot over the years, like patients and patient numbers, but we're still, it's still a family atmosphere, is still where if I see you need help, then I can go pitch in, you know, for the afternoon or if there's a code up on the floor, then somebody, you know, that's in a leadership position can go help. And really admire that about our leaders. not above stepping in and helping staff when they need it, but they're also not above the staff. So they really are good group.

Host: Yeah. Yeah. And that sets a standard, right? You've got this high caliber and it really models that servant leadership, so, I know that this year has been, what are the words like, what are the and, you know, I of course listen in on all the tier three reports and I know the volumes, you all have had, and the number really sick patients that you've had. Have you been okay this year?

Jennifer: I have. it has made me reflect on some things just because I think you do want to feel like you're making a difference and those patients, with those patients. And so sometimes it's hard. Like I'm in an office. I am pushing out all these changes to staff because in the beginning, It seemed like every day, something else, you know, something was changing and you have to think, am I really affecting the care of those patients? Yes you are. But at the time you kind of feel like you're more of an aggravation to staff. know, I'm responsible for making sure the staff can safely care for the patient as well as making sure that the staff are safe. it's a big responsibility, but you know, in a way I'm still taking care of those patients, you know, but as a nurse, you do want to get in there. Right, right, right.

Host: But I mean, think about this past year, we introduced that additional core value of safety. And at first it's kinda like, safety just feels very like a dashboard kind of thing and not a value, but the more I thought about it, I kind of thought, well, of course we have to have safety as a priority because want to protect our colleagues. Right? We don't want anybody getting hurt. And of course we want safety for our patients. That's the, you know, the whole thing. So, you're front and center of that, right? I mean, what you do is absolutely essential to all of that.

Jennifer: And I do think COVID kind of shined the light on us as a individual hospital. you see all those examples of people taking care of others, whether it be each other or patients, family members, those type things. But it also, I think, shined the light on us as a system even as a, up into the corporate level because there were times that we might've not have had certain supplies or we had questions about things that I was able to reach out to Athens or whoever. And we were sharing so many things amongst ourselves, things that I never would have thought we would have been saying, you know, can we get gowns to take care of our patients?

Can we get gloves, those type things that you never think would ever happen, You know, and so it's, I think that's helped just strengthen relationships and, really even hospitals outside of our organization, but within our service area, we've been able to help each other. a good experience looking back at the time, it was really stressful, but yeah, looking back, you're so thankful for those contacts and those relationships that were already established.

Host: Right. And it really, you know, you can talk about, oh, you know, we're all in this together. We're all interconnected, but boy, a newmeaning for that, with this COVID experience.

Jennifer: And I think it sometimes you do feel like you're on the island by yourself when, especially when we were in the middle of that surge of patients and it seemed like it was never ending. Like they were never going to stop coming, but it is a relief to get on a phone call and hear that, you know, a hospital that has 200 beds are having the same experiences that we're having with 50 beds, you know, and even though it's just a good thing to feel like people are, are, they're experiencing that with you.

Host: You're not alone. Yeah. I'm glad to hear that. Cause I know it was an incredible commitment of leadership to make people feel supported, of course we never knew if that worked. So, i'm glad to hear that you that we were trying, you know, cause that was definitely our intention, but it was, new thing for everybody, the challenges every day, multiple times a day sometimes.

Jennifer: Right. And I think we were, lot tougher than we thought we were. Honestly, we had a lot more resiliency than we ever thought.

Host: Yeah. Yeah. You think everybody's okay now? I kind of worry about the as, thankfully the numbers seem to be calming down with the vaccine, let's hope they stay calmed down, that was a big hit emotionally, physically. you think the needs are going forward with people?

Jennifer: I think now it will just be like right now, we're kind of in that phase of, should we relax or not? You know, we're still kind of waiting, if it's gonna back or not. Right, right. But think we still have a lot of work to do. Like all the things that we put into place quickly. I think that we'll go back on that and say, okay, is this something we'll keep doing? Or is this something that maybe didn't really work for us? there are a lot of things that we'll need to get back and maybe reevaluate. And, just like, say for example, reusable gowns, we had such an issue with getting disposable gowns during this time.

So, we were able to acquire a lot of reusable gowns. but when you think about it in the end, you know, for environmental purposes, things like that, do we really need to throw away a plastic gown every time I go in a room? COuld we just launder those gowns and reuse them. So those type things, I feel like will stay around.

and then just some processes that changed. I think it was for the better, we just implemented them really quickly, whereas in the past it might've took us a few months.

Host: Right, right. Oh, that's going to go through three committees and we'll review it again.

Jennifer: And the way we're doing things in the afternoon.. So it very overwhelming at the time. cried quite a few times. And I think about I've I cried a few times in front of Jeff and Regina and Lauren, and I think, gosh, I probably shouldn't have done that, but it was just, everything was so overwhelming and everybody was so overwhelmed.

Host: It was intense.

Jennifer: It was in the beginning. I'm so relieved is.

Host: We're past the worst of that yeah. And maybe as you say, in some ways, the better for it, maybe more attention on stewardship or maybe, you know, a recognition that we have an inner strength that we didn't fully appreciate before.

Jennifer: Right. And I think, I think there's been a lot of good things even with screening. I think sometimes, you know, I know the screening, the whole screening process is new to us, but really, even in the past, should we have been coming to work? Should we have been letting people come in with fevers to be around sick patients and things like that. So, it's just things that we've never really, approached before, but honestly, it's, for the good of the patients, it's for the good of our staff members. We don't want somebody coming in with a, a fever and being around our staff and a sick patient.

Host:

Well, thank you.

Jennifer: No, I just enjoy working here. I really do. I know sometimes I may not show it as well as I should, but I do. It's, It's just a good place to be. feel like some of these people are my family and I do talk to a lot of people even after hours, you know, we're friends outside of here. And they've always been, Sacred Heart has always been really good about working them out around my family's needs. Like if I need an afternoon off or need to leave a little early, those type things, that's just such a, pleasure. And it means so much to be able to, be active in your child's life and not have to be at work and miss things. At least i think so it's, I do appreciate that so much.

Host: Just like having a little flexibility to hold your life together.

Jennifer: Yes and that has meant a lot, especially this last year. Definitely. Yeah. It's so nice. Just to be able to come to a place like this, that still use my skills. I feel challenged. I don't feel like I'm, you know, in a rut at work or anything, and it's 15 minutes from home.

Host: So say you're

flourishing professionaly and it's not like you have an hour commute.

You know? i mean That's good to hear because the goal, you know, always is that to recognize that people are more than, you fill a job position, you know, people have lives and they are some times complex. Right. And same thing with our patients. They're not just here because they have this diagnosis They're

They're also people . And so trying to trying to be mindful of that. I think is, it can be hard to do but I think

it's really important.

Julie Carter (Host): This has been wonderful. Thank you.

Jennifer Reno (Guest): Thank you.