In the first of a series of events celebrating an increased emphasis on patient centeredness at The University of Toledo Medical Center, hospital and clinic employees are invited to the Skyview Food Court Thursday, Aug. 20, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. to demonstrate their support for the recently launched iCARE plan.
At the event, employees will be asked to sign their names to an iCARE banner signifying their commitment to providing patient-centered care and offering comfort and compassion to everyone treated at UTMC.
“This event marks a new initiative in our hospital and clinics,” said Dr. Larry Elmer, medical director for UT’s Center for Neurological Health and iCARE faculty leader. “We’ve always had compassionate care at UTMC, but the iCARE plan takes this commitment to a totally new level — treating others as if they were our own family.”
The iCARE initiative provides each employee the chance to attend a two-hour seminar, facilitated by Amy Finkbeiner, manager of customer service. During the seminar, an outline of the best practices for providing patient-centered care will be distributed and, after signing an attestation commitment, an iCARE pin is given to attach to the UTMC ID badge.
“The iCARE plan provides the blueprint for a transformational cultural change to a patient-centered and patient-focused approach by staff and physicians, increasing the opportunities for 100 percent safe and high-quality patient care experiences,” Finkbeiner said. “This seminar will be a giant step forward in helping us accomplish that goal.”
“We are ramping up our efforts and working hard to provide the best care imaginable to every single patient,” Elmer said.
Dr. Jeffrey P. Gold, Health Science Campus provost, executive vice president for health affairs and dean of the College of Medicine, said Thursday’s event will give employees a chance to show their dedication to making first-rate care their No. 1 priority.
“Our employees know that the quality of their care and their commitment to excellence is paramount to propelling UTMC to a place where we are providing the best in university-quality health care,” Gold said. “This banner and future iCARE events will be great ways to broadcast this dedication to the community we’re serving.”
The banner signing is the first in a series of quasi-monthly events celebrating iCARE. Future events will include a smoking cessation awareness event and a carnival in October.
The banner will be available for signing in the Skyview Food Court from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. After this initial event, the banner will be taken to various floors of the hospital for others to view and sign.
