This article first appeared in the Rushville Republican on May 9, 2015.
This week is National Hospital Week. Hospitals across the country are celebrating their health professions and the amazing job that they do every day to help patients meet their health needs. Rush Memorial Hospital also has a lot to celebrate. As a small rural critical care hospital it takes many people to make the patient experience work and work well.
Brad Smith, President/CEO of Rush Memorial Hospital said, “Teamwork has been the key to the past and present successes accomplished by the hospital. Our staff is a great team!”
Rush Memorial Hospital is comprised of 24 clinical departments ranging from Ambulance/EMS to Wellness. Employing over 300, Rush Memorial Hospital has grown to include services such as Admissions, Infusion Clinic, Protime Clinic, Nuclear Medicine, Endocrinology, Orthopedics, EMS, Respiratory Therapy, Cardiopulmonary Services, Emergency Services, Medical Specialty Services, Healthcare Associates, Rehabilitation, Wellness, Diabetes Education, Imaging, Pediatrics, Provider Practices, Social Services, Oncology, Surgical Associates, Lab, Med/Surg, Rheumatology, Pharmacy, and more. For these departments there are additional departments that offer departmental and/or patient support. These departments include Informatics, Marketing, Human Resources, Patient Billing, Health Information, Purchasing, Dietary, Quality and Safety, Education, Finance, Maintenance, Foundation, Housekeeping, and hospital volunteers.
From the list above you can see that it literally takes a village to make a hospital work for you, the patient. Each department plays a significant role in the ease and continuation of the patient experience. A patient will be affected by many of these employees in several departments. Each department is committed to making the patient/guest experience a positive one. Comments often heard from hospital visitors include “The hospital is so clean”, “Everyone has been so helpful to get me to where I need to be”, “Everyone is so happy and smiling”, “I don’t feel like I’m in a hospital. It feels like a family here”, and “RMH took such great care of me/my family.”
Rose Houze, who began working in the Health Information Department at Rush Memorial in 1975, had this to say, “At the time, I had just gotten out of school and the job opening was perfect. Yes, over the years, I have had other job offers, but, after looking elsewhere, I always feel proud of our hospital, how it has changed with the changing times, and grown over the years. The HIM department has expanded from 2 to 11 employees. I always wanted to come back home to work. I have had many family members taken care of here at RMH and know in my heart that the care here is top level.”
In honor of National Hospital Week, Rush Memorial Hospital is offering a little something every day as a way of saying “Thank You” to all of their employees. Free popcorn, a Well-Being Day, special breakfast, and a thank you luncheon are just some of the thank you perks for employees this week. If you have had an exceptional experience with an employee or department you can make a financial gift of any size to the RMH Foundation in honor of that employee or department. This is a great way to say Thank You for that exceptional care or service. The RMH Foundation then recognizes that honoree in their Seeds of Care program with a permanent thumbprint added to the Seeds of Care Tree located at the employee entrance and also being presented with a special pin that the employee may wear as a show of their exceptional service. Seeds of Care brochures can be found in any department or volunteer desk within the hospital campus.
Levi Yager, one of the newer RMH employees, shared his sentiments, “One of my favorite things about RMH is that we are all united in the work that we do and everyone is willing to lend a hand in a time of need. Our many departments work together as a team to guarantee our patients have an excellent experience.”
