Facilities, Environmental Services help Nurse Put Patients First

Alice Hyde’s Readmissions Project is focused on putting patients first not only while they’re in the hospital, but once they return home. The program connects patients with education, support and tools to help them manage chronic diseases and conditions at home and keep themselves out of the hospital.

For Gabrielle Scott, RN, a Nurse Educator and one of the clinical members of the Readmissions Project,  ensuring that information is quickly available — both to patients and to nurses at the bedside acting as teachers — is critical.  In search of a place to house these important patient education materials on Alice Hyde’s Med-Surg floor, but put off by the high cost of buying something new, and the need to wait for it to be delivered, Gabby decided to reach out to Bob Dupra, Assistant Director of Alice Hyde’s Environmental Services Department.

“We’re always on the lookout for items that might be able to be used in other patient areas,” said Bob. “It’s not just about saving money; it’s about having things on-hand when we need them, so nobody has to wait and we can accomplish our goals quicker.”

ES team member Kyle Paquin had recently discarded an old clinical document rack from an unused office, but dusted the item off upon receiving Gabby’s request. She then went to Alice Hyde’s Facilities Department, in the hopes that the team could refurbish the rack. Robert Hosler, Lead Plant System Operator, was set to work a weekend shift and took Gabby’s request on, taking time out to repaint and repair the rack so it could be used on the Med-Surg floor.

“It’s one of those things we do all the time; the job isn’t just about keeping the building running,” said Robert. “It’s keeping the people happy too.”

Gabby and the Readmissions Project now have a shiny “new” repository for important patient education materials on Alice Hyde’s Med-Surg Floor, thanks to the work of Bob, Kyle and Robert.

“It’s perfect; we have a place that houses our materials that is easily accessible and helps us put patients first,” said Gabby. “That’s the stuff that, at the end of the day, makes our team so cool: working together to get things done for our patients.”