Healthcare Change Makers

Today, your host Ellen Gardner, Communications and Marketing at HIROC, speaks with Dr. Andrew Petrosoniak, Emergency Physician and Trauma Team Leader at St. Michael's Hospital.

When people come into emergency it's often the worst day of their lives. For emergency physician and trauma team leader Dr. Andrew Petrosoniak, that's what makes trauma care interesting and rewarding. He energizes teams and has built an international reputation around the value of in situ simulation as a quality improvement tool. Watching how people perform their jobs in the real work space and getting feedback enables Petrosoniak and his team to identify the latent safety threats and make changes before the patient ever arrives.

Key Takeaways:

[1:26] What drew Andrew to emergency medicine

[4:00] The factors that go into high-level team performance

[6:06] How working in New Zealand opened Andrew's eyes to the value of simulation in improving systems and processes, beyond just being an educational tool

[10:50] Coping with resistance to simulation

[11:07] How to build support for simulation

[13:01] Using simulation to tackle one of the big challenges in trauma care – the massive transfusion protocol

[18:21] Why simulation is more effective than the classroom for teaching hands-on, technical skills

[20:41] The financial benefits of simulation

[23:08] How Andrew and the team are using the principles of design thinking to solicit feedback, understand what people need, build prototypes, and test new physical spaces at St. Mikes.

[25:50] If you can make the healthcare space work better for you, that impacts how patient care is delivered.

[27:20] Why Andrew is a big believer in including the perspectives of everyone who is part of the process.

Mentioned in this Episode:

St. Michael's Hospital

Design Thinking

PDSA Cycle

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Today, your host Ellen Gardner, Communications and Marketing at HIROC, speaks with Sherry Janzen, CEO of Salem Home in Winkler, Manitoba.

Salem Home sits in a rural part of Manitoba but their innovative Relationship-Centred Model of Care has attracted international attention. Sherry discovered her affinity for older people early in her career and at the urging of her father, studied gerontology at Wichita State University. A defining characteristic of Sherry's leadership at Salem Home, where she has been CEO since 2004, is coaxing staff to ask why things are done a certain way and to give new approaches a chance. A key priority for Sherry and her leadership team is ensuring staff receive specialized training in managing the home's high numbers of residents living with dementia and Alzheimer's. It's been ten years since Salem implemented the Relationship-Centred Model of Care and as it continues to evolve, Sherry is proud of the fact at this point they don't just talk about the culture, they live it.

Key Takeaways:

[:48] How Sherry got her start in healthcare

[2:11] What made Sherry question traditional approaches to providing care in a nursing home

[4:33] How changes in the mission, vision and model of care at Salem have resulted in fewer falls, a drop in medication usage, and happier residents.

[6:48] How Salem Home ensures that staff are able to interact with and manage the high numbers of residents with responsive behaviours

[8:13] What kind of adjustments were made to the physical environment as part of the adoption of DementiAbility: The Montessori Way™.

[10:30] How Relationship-Centred Care has evolved since it was introduced ten years ago

[11:27] Why Salem Home went to decentralized dining in the mid-90s and adopted the SuzyQ Model of Meal Service

[13:33] How growing up on a dairy and grain farm with supportive parents taught Sherry there were no limits to what a girl could accomplish

[15:49] How 216 volunteers, churches, and community organizations play an active role in the delivery of services and programs at Salem

[18:26] Salem encourages a culture of mentoring because it takes people a long time to really understand the Relationship-Centred Model of Care

[19:11] Sherry's advice for new grads

Mentioned in this Episode:

DementiAbility Methods: The Montessori Way

Salem Home

SuzyQ Model of Meal Service

Listen to more interviews with Healthcare Leaders at HIROC.com

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Today, your host Ellen Gardner, Communications and Marketing at HIROC, speaks with Kavita Mehta, CEO of AFHTO (the Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario).

Before her move to AFHTO two and a half years ago, Kavita was ED for nine years at the South East Toronto Family Health Team (SETFHT) where she spearheaded the development of a new four-story clinic; led a restructuring of the Board of Directors; and served as the Executive Sponsor for the East Toronto Health Link. Kavita began her career as a nurse, working in public health for four years and then going back to school to get her MBA. Her focus at the helm of AFHTO is breaking down the siloes in primary care and working with the association’s 185 member teams to create a system that will give every Ontarian access to inter-professional team-based care.

Key Takeaways:

[:50] What drew Kavita to her position at AFHTO

[1:37] Kavita realized she was missing the broader policy, advocacy perspective and the job was a natural fit

[3:45] How Kavita’s perspective has changed on wait times, compensation and recruitment since coming to AFHTO

[5:30] How the AFHTO advisory councils encourage and facilitate involvement from the 185 member teams

[7:34] The importance of creating a long-term vision for team-based care where every Ontarian has a patient medical home

[8:09] How having a fragmented system affects the provision of primary care in the province

[10:04:] What does not having a physician services agreement in place mean for family physicians? What does this mean for primary care in general?

[10:50] The influence of Dr. Geordie Fallis on Kavita and what he taught her about the importance of trust and relationships

[13:07] The importance of work-life balance and your family

[14:00] How relationships and partnerships have been important to Kavita

[16:02] The challenge of being a role model to women, especially to daughters – going to work and being a mummy as well

[17:08] Kavita started her career as a nurse. How that experience continues to impact the work she does today

[18:20] The similarities between primary care and public health and why they are integral to the healthcare system

[18:55] What Kavita is looking forward to

[19:38] The coming election and what it’s going to mean for new policy directions

Mentioned in this Episode:

AFHTO

SETFHT

Dr. Geordie Fallis

Listen to more interviews with Healthcare Leaders at HIROC.com

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Today, your host Ellen Gardner of Communications and Marketing at HIROC, speaks with Debbie Molloy, the Vice President of Corporate Services at Eastern Health, in Newfoundland.

Debbie has responsibility for a number of programs including Human Resources, Quality, Patient Safety and Risk Management, Infection Prevention and Control,  Occupational Health & Safety, and Rehabilitation. She has over 20 years of experience in the healthcare, energy, and hospitality industries, and has worked in both the public and private sectors. Debbie has a broad understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing healthcare and uses her knowledge and leadership to help shape Eastern Health into a healthier workplace — improving quality and safety throughout.

Key Takeaways:

[:36] Debbie explains her role at Eastern Health.

[1:25] The geographic reach of Eastern Health in Newfoundland.

[1:57] Where Debbie started her career in healthcare.

[2:44] What Debbie took from her work in the private sector of human resources and organizational effectiveness to her current position at Eastern Health.

[4:11] About the big projects Debbie is engaged with right now.

[5:25] Are people open about changes they’d like to see made?

[6:18] An example of an initiative where the feedback really affected the direction Debbie took in terms of making it work to achieve a successful outcome.

[9:23] How does isolation impact Eastern Health’s work?

[11:20] The physical challenges of remotely providing healthcare.

[13:13] Steps Debbie has taken to reduce adverse events through Quality, Patient Safety, and Risk Management.

[16:12] What is one common mistake Debbie sees leaders make?

[17:02] How Debbie learns and moves forward from setbacks in the workplace.

[19:53] Leadership lessons Debbie tries to impart to new, young workers.

[21:33] Debbie reflects on what she is most proud of in her career.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Eastern Health

Bridge the gAPP

Canada Health Infoway

HIROC Conference

Read More Interviews with Healthcare Leaders at HIROC.com

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Show Summary:

Welcome to Healthcare Change Makers, a podcast from HIROC where we talk to leaders about the joys and challenges of driving change in our complex and demanding healthcare organizations.

Today, your host, Ellen Gardner interviews Sarah Downey — the President and CEO of Michael Garron Hospital. Sarah strives for MGH to continue to be an outstanding healthcare provider to the people in Eastern Toronto and is inspiring the community to change the face of health. Join Ellen and Sarah to see change through the eyes of a healthcare leader.

Key Takeaways:

[:46] What motivated Sarah to get into healthcare administration.

[2:05] What was it that drew Sarah to the Michael Garron Hospital?

[3:19] How MGH is maintaining their tradition as a community hospital while becoming a bigger institution.

[5:33] How has MGH developing into a bigger institution affected the formation of Sarah’s own vision?

[7:29] Sarah’s leadership philosophy.

[8:20] How have Sarah’s previous positions and experiences informed her current philosophy?

[9:28] How Sarah stays positive in the face of stress.

[10:40] Overcoming the impact of the winter surge volume at the hospital.

[12:35] Sarah’s take on the Patient Ombudsman’s annual report.

[15:30] The important mentors in Sarah’s life and the lessons she’s learned from them.

[17:22] How Sarah balances her naturally friendly nature with that of her CEO persona.

[18:54] Is Sarah optimistic about the state of our healthcare system?

[19:45] The shift in energy in the hospital after they received a $50 million donation.

[21:34] What Sarah is looking forward to at MGH.

[22:38] Reflecting on how far she’s come.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Michael Garron Hospital

University of Ottawa

Dr. Bob Bell

United Way Fundraiser

Annual Report — Patient Ombudsman

Read More Interviews with Healthcare Leaders at Hiroc.com

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Email us at [email protected].