At the end of last month, I received a letter in the mail here at work addressed to “Administrator of Good Samaritan Hospital.” From the looks of it, I knew the letter wasn’t regular business correspondence or junk mail (I get plenty of that to know the difference!), so I was excited to see what the envelope held.

Inside was a great treat—a step back in time! It was a postcard bearing a photo of Good Samaritan Hospital circa 1930!

An 82-year-old gentleman found the postcard at an antique shop in Arizona where he lives. Part of his letter read as follows:

Good Morning,

I sure hope this letter brightens your day.

I was at an antique store here and found this old circa 1930 picture card of your hospital. It also has the Nebr. Surcharge on the stamp which was meant to deter post office burglaries.

It’s an old time classic, for sure. I thought to myself, “By golly, I think I’ll send it back to where it can be appreciated.” Our heritage is valuable to all of us. Lots of changes, too, over the years I’m sure.

I like to call my little hobby, “A re-distribution of happiness.” Our world sure needs it.

Thank you, and Godspeed in your work. And best wishes for a successful New Year.

Lowell Joerg

Tuscon, Arizona

My day was certainly brightened by this treasure in the mail. Connections to our heritage don’t get much more tangible than that. What a find!

On behalf of Mr. Joerg, Godspeed in your work this day and every day.

Mike

Admittedly, my blog entries have been a bit sparse lately. That’s absolutely no reflection on the amount of activity at Good Samaritan as of late because we’ve all been really busy!

One of the items that made a big splash in the news department was Nebraska Heart Institute/Nebraska Heart Hospital’s (NHI/NHH) announcement that they have signed a letter of intent to join forces with CHI Nebraska. This news was carried border to border in Nebraska, and over the next three months, work will be taking place to bring this partnership to fruition.

The idea that NHI/NHH could be joining us at CHI Nebraska is exciting. Does it mean that we’ll abandon our cardiac service line at Good Samaritan? Absolutely not! I’ve heard that concern expressed and you may have heard it too. Cardiac care is a cornerstone of Good Samaritan Hospital and it will continue to be for years to come. The addition of the Ron and Carol Cope Heart Center is a perfect example. The residents of central Nebraska and northern Kansas have come to rely on us for expert cardiac care. The Ron and Carol Cope Heart Center will bring all of our heart services into one geographic location on our campus where we will continue providing that much needed care right here in the heart of the state.

In their announcement, NHI/NHH identified their main reason for wanting to join CHI Nebraska was healthcare reform. The changes on the horizon for our industry are significant and will necessitate closer working relationships between everyone who provides care across the continuum, but especially physicians and hospitals. NHI/NHH evaluated their current operating model and identified their need to make some major changes in order to maintain a viable business structure in the context of this changing environment.  They issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) last fall. There have been many discussions between the leadership of NHI/NHH and CHI Nebraska over the last few months. 

But NHI/NHH wasn’t just looking for any partner. They wanted to work with someone that had a shared vision of the future, a passion for quality care, and assurance of being able to continue to provide that quality care. They picked CHI Nebraska because our Mission, Vision and Values closely align with theirs. 

In January, more than 100 of your fellow staff members attended Values Coach training here in Kearney led by Joe Tye, a former hospital administrator and CEO of Values Coach, Inc. If you had the opportunity to attend Joe’s training, I hope you were able to leave refreshed and motivated to come back and implement what you learned within your departments here at Good Samaritan.

I am proud of the commitment many of you have made to implement the 12 Core Action Values (authenticity, integrity, awareness, courage, perseverance, faith, purpose, vision, enthusiasm, focus, service and leadership) into your work. By making these pledges daily, we’re ensuring EXCELLENT interactions with our patients and visitors—and each other.

You may not be aware, but Good Samaritan has taken a lead role related to the Values Coach initiative in the state of Nebraska. In addition to our employees, 68 representatives from other Nebraska hospitals also attended the training session in Kearney and are taking what they learned and presenting it to others. Good Samaritan has taken such a lead, in fact, that we’ve earned recognition as Nebraska’s Resource Hospital when it comes to Values Coach!

If you didn’t see the article in the Kearney Hub showcasing the launch of the Values Coach campaign in Nebraska, I encourage you to take a look. Just click here to read the story online. Thank you to those of you who took time out of your busy schedules to attend the training. I look forward to the impact you’ll make not only here at Good Samaritan, but throughout the state of Nebraska.

Last, I want to spotlight a creative way one of our employees is reminding himself and others to follow one of Joe’s philosophies—the Pickle Challenge. According to Joe, the Pickle Challenge replaces negative attitudes and victim thinking with can-do enthusiasm, positive thinking, and optimistic expectations. Doug Tillman, clinical educator at RYH brought a larger-than-life reminder to work (see picture below) to get his coworkers on-board with the transformation offered by the Pickle Challenge. However you choose to participate, I hope you’ll remember this fun and effective challenge of keeping a positive attitude.

Doug Tillman and his "Pickle Challenge" mascot. Doug is a clinical educator at RYH.

On Saturday, January 22, we hosted the annual Employee Recognition Banquet at the Buffalo County Fairgrounds. The theme was “Totally 80’s” and from the looks of things at the event, the 80’s were a very fond time for many staff members. The costumes were great (I was told many of them came out of the backs of your own closets) and I had a blast as the emcee of the 80’s style show. There are some pictures below if you weren’t able to make it.

But what was more totally awesome than the big hair and popped collars was our real reason for celebrating: Your many years of service. Gathered together in one room were hundreds of dedicated staff with years of service to Good Samaritan that combined to total in the thousands! For example, 15 staff members celebrated 35 or more years with Good Samaritan last year. Thirteen celebrated 25 years, and 20 people observed their 20^th year of service. Rounding out the honors were 28 staffers in the 15-year category, 47 marked their 10-year anniversary, and 120 were recognized for their 5^th year of service. And we certainly can’t forget everyone celebrating work anniversaries on the years in between!

My sincere appreciation goes to each of you—whether it’s your 40^th year of work or your first day—for embracing our mission and values everyday.  Your commitment to EXCELLENCE is what sets us apart from any other place you could choose to work. You are the living mission of this hospital and you are the Good Samaritan! Thank you for lending your time and talents here at Good Samaritan.

I hope all of your 80’s gear made it safely back into the archives—I mean, your closets.

Mike

For those of you who don't recognize them, that's Prince on the left and Robert Palmer and one of the models from his famous "Addicted to Love" and "Simply Irresistible" videos.

Finalists in the "Best 80's Costume" category.

Winners of "Best 80's Hair" and "Best 80's Costume" in both the male and female categories.

3D In Your Face provided great 80's rock for the event.