service

Senior Veep Barb Grimm recently caught up with Donna Lynne, president of the Colorado region. They talked about the success of a Colorado optical team and the Baseline clinic team in providing superior service. And they discussed what the region's teams have learned that can help other UBTs.

Many of us are thinking about the opportunities that could open up for Kaiser Permanente with health care reform. Experts talk about Kaiser Permanente as one of the models that could be the “gold standard” of how to provide health care in the country. While the specifics of health care reform are still being defined, it is clear that many people who currently do not have health insurance will have access to coverage.

The Ohio region is one of the hardest hit by the recession. It also has high rates of depression and chronic diseases. Yet KP Ohio has made great strides in improving the quality of care and service members receive and contributing to the overall health of the community. Barb Grimm recently spoke to Belva Denmark-Tibbs, vice president of medical operations in Ohio about the challenges and opportunities facing the region and its teams.

The United States Congress has passed a law that President Obama will sign that will guarantee access to health insurance for nearly everyone who lives in the US. This legislation is a huge step in the direction of making access to health care a right, not a privilege.

Finally.

There is much to be critical and unsure of in the new law. But, I don’t think that is what we should focus on.

Delegates at the “We’re With You” workshop engaged in a freewheeling discussion with four frontline leaders whose main message was summed up in the workshop name. 

Shawn Dufford, MD, director of peri-operative services in the Colorado region; Walter Allen, executive director of OPEIU Local 30;  Martha Gilmore, medical group administrator at the South San Francisco Medical Center, and Howard Fullman, MD, medical director of the West LA Medical Center, shared practical tips with participants—many of them UBT co-leads. 

Dr.

At the Union Delegate Conference, Barb Grimm ran into her friend and colleague, Alide Chase, senior vice president of quality and service for Kaiser Permanente. Chase was thrilled to be a conference of frontline workers who are committed to improving quality and service every day.