Profile of a hospital whose staff thrives on spiritual values.
"The people value and respect me, listen to me, and help me grow as a person and as a nurse. It's the people. That's why I work at HealthEast," wrote a nurse when HealthEast won the Best Minnesota Hospital Workplace award a few years ago. The award, given by the Minnesota Hospital Association, honors hospitals that "go the extra mile" in enhancing employee satisfaction and retention. HealthEast won the award based on such factors as decrease in employee turnover and increase in employee engagement. HealthEast focuses on relational competence, believing that "our employees are our number one asset."
HealthEast grew out of a merger of Baptist, Lutheran, and Catholic hospitals on the east side of the Twin Cities in Minnesota. Recognizing a common factor in their Christian heritage, this coming together articulated their joint mission:
"Rooted in Judeo-Christian values, our mission is high quality, compassionate, cost effective health care for the communities we serve."
HealthEast integrates spirituality throughout its system, starting at the top. The vice president of spiritual care sits on the senior leadership team and has a voice in all deliberations. The Mission Committee sees to it that the mission is lived out throughout the organization. Directors' and other leadership meetings are usually opened with prayer or a reflection.
An endowed annual lecture, the Hultkranz lecture, provides physicians and leaders with speakers who address topics that integrate the disciplines of medicine, spirituality, and healing. HealthEast seeks to live out its Christian heritage while respecting other faith traditions, as articulated in its faith-based philosophy: "By sustaining HealthEast's Christian heritage and identity, we provide compassionate service that respects the dignity of each person and welcomes all faith traditions, cultures, and communities."
HealthEast puts relationships first. A prime example of putting relationships first, Barb McIntyre has built relationships on her nursing teams at HealthEast for more than twenty-five years. She passes on to her staff the respect and support she receives from her superiors. She leads with a light touch, recognizing the pressure of her nurses' jobs. She communicates her care for each one as a person, doing things like expressing appreciation frequently and also sending annual holiday cards in which she expresses gratitude for specific ways each has served in the previous year. Her employees come to talk when crises arise in their personal lives.
A few years ago the CEO took Barb to lunch, asking what HealthEast could learn from her about putting people first. Her retention and continuous improvement record had caught his attention, and he knew that she was incarnating HealthEast's values. Now Barb is held up as a role model, and she teaches others how to put people first, as she does.
HealthEast has discovered that by putting people first, it can demonstrate its mission more fully while improving organizational effectiveness and the bottom line.
