April Update
At our Great Lakes Health Medical/Dental Staff meeting on April 2, we announced a historic partnership among our institutions
to address provider burnout, wellness and professionalism. This is a partnership among all of the institutions of Great Lakes Health, their Boards of Directors, administrations and Medicial/Dental Staffs. I would like to thank Jody Lomeo, Tom Quatroche and Michael Cain for their leadership in this critical initiative. I also greatly appreciate the strong support from David Hughes, Brian Murray and Kevin Gibbons.
We have formed a Great Lakes Health Provider Professionalism and Wellness Steering Committee to help us advance our efforts. The members of the committee are Roseanne Berger, Archana Mishra, Lisa Jane Jacobsen, Susan Orrange, Mathew Ruggieri, Jennifer Pugh, Katie Grimm and Gary Brice. I would like to thank them for their contributions and energy. Please feel free to reach out to any member of the committee with comments or suggestions.
As I said at the staff meeting, there is not any one single solution to what the Harvard School of Public Health calls a “crisis in healthcare” (https://www.hsph.harvard.edu). We can think of it as having three dimensions: the individual, the collegial and the environmental. We must address each of these in a proactive fashion. We need to be keenly aware of burnout among us. We need to find ways to reduce burnout along with ways to compassionately work with colleagues who are affected. I will regularly update you with progress reports and opportunities to participate.
In the “Prayer of Maimonides,” we ask for freedom from distractions so that we can concentrate on our patients: “Let me never be absent-minded. May no [extraneous] thoughts divert my attention at the bedside of the sick, or disturb my mind in its silent labors, for great and sacred are the thoughtful deliberations required to preserve the lives and health of Thy creatures.” We need to work together to create an environment where we can be focused and present in order to deliver the highest quality care.
Peter Winkelstein, MD, MS, MBA, FAAP
Medical/Dental Staff President
Kaleida Health