{"id":2183,"date":"2016-12-21T15:48:08","date_gmt":"2016-12-21T19:48:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.med.virginia.edu\/kidsmatter\/?p=2183"},"modified":"2016-12-21T15:48:08","modified_gmt":"2016-12-21T19:48:08","slug":"the-model-cell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.med.virginia.edu\/kidsmatter\/the-model-cell\/","title":{"rendered":"The Model Cell"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Karin<\/a>\"NataroJ\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We are all well aware that the University of Virginia Health System is in the midst of what is called a \u201cLean Transformation\u201d, a restructuring of our organization to reduce waste and to make us the safest place to both deliver and receive care.\u00a0 The Be Safe principles have permeated the fabric of our institution, and have helped us reduce morbidity and mortality, while at the same time improving both employee and patient satisfaction.<\/p>\n

The next step in our transformation is to identify specific areas of the organization where Be Safe principles will be raised to the highest level, where they will become the foundation of everything we do.\u00a0 This would be like an injection of anabolic steroids into our service \u2013 a seismic shift that could rapidly get us to the place we aspire to go.\u00a0 To realize this goal, our leaders have decided to focus on a small number of sites and services in the Health System, places that will be asked to pioneer this fundamental transformation.\u00a0\u00a0 Because of our already strong commitment to the Be Safe program, the Women\u2019s and Children\u2019s service line has been asked to become the first full service line to act as a model cell.\u00a0 We have named this effort the Families First Initiative.<\/p>\n

What will this mean to you, as a caregiver in the Children\u2019s Hospital?\u00a0 First, we ask that accept the fundamental tenets: that the patient is the focus of all we do, and that we owe to the patient and his\/her family the right care at the right place and at the right time, free from harm.\u00a0 Moreover, we recognize that you, the caregiver, have the right to expect safety and respect in your workplace.\u00a0 The Health System is behind us to provide the setting and the structure to achieve these aims.\u00a0 But our institution is above all us, it is thousands of people who give their all every day and who determine the course of a patient\u2019s illness and each other\u2019s experience.<\/p>\n

To realize the aims of the Model Cell, we have articulated some basic steps:<\/p>\n