| |
Put recycling bins in the Cafe and lounges.
Elizabeth Lucia, MT, ASCP, microbiologist
Having been involved in recycling on her college campus before coming to Children's in 2005, Lucia understood how much of an impact large institutions can have on the environment if they recycle.ÝWhen she attended ECES training and learned she could make suggestions, she wrote in with her first recycling idea.ÝThe result? Recycling areas all around the hospital.
Lucia isn't the only one who has suggested ways to make the hospital greener: About 20 submissions relate to recycling. In response to Lucia and others, the recycling committee, which formed in 2007, is constantly looking for more ways to recycle. Recently, Environmental Services has begun providing bins for paper and cardboard in patient areas. Additionally, the committee is doing an analysis of One Autumn Street to see whether it's feasible for our vendor to offer its services there.
We should provide car seat carriers.
Christine Gallagher, former administrative assistant
Gallagher left Children's since submitting her suggestion, but her innovative idea remains with us. There are now five such carriers available at the main lobby's information desk, and more will be offered at Waltham, Lexington and Martha Eliot Health Center (MEHC).
As a member or the suggestion review committee, Katherine Tecci, manager of Business Planning and Analysis, helped evaluate Gallaher's idea. "We knew it would take a long time to implement, but we felt that it was a valuable service," she says. To roll out the system, the review team worked with several departments, including Lock Shop and Engineering, Legal, Safety, Interpreter Services, Marketing, Security and Parking.ÝIt was well worth the effort, as the carriers have been a hit: 20 families used them in the first month alone.
Every employee should know where each building is and its purpose.
Larry Barbell, team leader, Patient Management Systems
Barbell has been with Children's for more than a decade and has always enjoyed helping lost families. "I love to give people directions," he says. "My team jokes with me about it." But when Barbell, whose office is at 1295 Boylston Street, was unable to direct someone to a location at the main hospital, he got a brainstorm. "I felt badly not being able to help; I wear an ID badge so I should know where things are," he says.
Barbell's suggestion was the impetus for a new Children's campus map with a color-coded listing of services. The map is now provided to new hires in their welcome packets, is available at the Information Desk and given to Ask Me! volunteers so they can help direct families.
The signs outside and inside the Fegan elevators should say which clinics are on each floor.
Shelly Robinson, administrative associate III, Neurology
"I made my suggestion because there are so many subspecialties on the floors labeled 'outpatient clinic,' but none of them were specified," says Robinson. Her idea for improved signs took off, in part, thanks to the hard work of Royal Warren, graphics designer, and David Aiello, carpenter, of Engineering, who designed and created the signs. Rather than install traditional signs that have to be replaced when information changes, they created overlays, which can be peeled off and easily replaced. Not only does this make the system more efficient, it's also cost-effective. When the signs were improved this past summer, the results were immediate.Ý"I don't think I was the only person who made this suggestion, but it's been a huge help to our families," Robinson says.
We could add a sign outside of MEHC that associates them with Children's.
Alexandra Epee-Bounya, MD, assistant clinical director, MEHC
Before transferring to MEHC, Epee-Bounya worked as an attending physician in the Emergency Department at the main campus and at Beverly Hospital. She noticed that other Children's locations have great signage clearly identifying them as a part of the Children's network. But at MEHC, she was concerned that patients and residents of Jamaica Plain didn't know about the connection. "People thought MEHC was a separate and unrelated entity," she says.
This summer, new signs were installed along the street near MEHC and patients are now welcomed with a huge new sign that says Children's Hospital Boston/Martha Elliot Health Center. Another smaller sign over the main door clearly marks the building. All of these signs make the Children's connection clear, and Epee-Bounya reports that the big building sign is beautifully lit up at night.
|
|
| |
