pep talk

The State Employee Charitable Campaign kicked off about 10 days ago. Dr. Gary Hankins is the campaign chair this year, and I heard him speak about what the campaign means to him. It was really moving (his department, ObGyn, is always among the leaders in giving and participation). I love the campaign, have had the honor to be  involved in it since my early days at UTMB. I love it for two reasons: 1) the good it does so many people in so many ways; and 2) I love what it says about us.

Through good times and bad, flush times and lean ones (mostly lean lately), the people–you people– have consistently put aside your own fears, needs, concerns–and recognized that there were others who had greater needs, who needed help. I think last year may be the classic example, when still deep in pain from Hurricane Ike, we managed to come up with more than $300,000 to help others with recovery, even as many here were digging out from the debris of their own homes and putting their own lives back together.

That feels good, it restores my faith in people, embodies me with hope for a better future.

For the many we serve, I hope you’ll help me make Dr. Hankins’ campaign a record-setter. Get details and see where we stand… 

The Employee Advisory Council kicked off its elections this Monday. There’s a good field of candidates in the running, and I hope we get a good representation of people flexing their power to elect their representatives. Classified and Administrative & Professional employees get to vote (faculty have their own council) in the election, which runs until Dec. 4. Five new representatives will get chosen. Voting is online, with employees allowed one vote for a nominee from their university group. Check out the nominees…

I’m working hard to get ready for a beta or “soft” launch of a new web site we’re developing for patients. It’s a project we’ve been working with a great task force to get done. The tool and basic design are now in place, and we’re working at a furious pace to plug in content, fix stuff, and get ready to solicit more data about our care providers (info about our docs is currently the most heavily referenced part of our current clinical site). We’re shooting to “go live” by Thanksgiving. For being one of the three readers still with me, you get to take a very early & unofficial sneak peek. Let me know what you think.

The official start of the 2009 hurricane season is about 10 days away. I think folks everywhere are surprised at how fast this date came upon us again. Areas are busy reviewing their plans anew, wondering what they might have learned from Ike, what they might do different the next time, hoping to all heaven there isn’t a “next time.” I’m an advocate of good planning and preparation, but there’s one thing I’ve come to count on: expect the unexpected. Whatever we anticipate, experienced in the past, feared or counted as a blessing, Mama Nature will do her own thing, and it will bring with it surprises. At best, we can stockpile options, have a  plan b and a plan c, and hope for the few lucky breaks that seem to accompany the occassional crisis (like a cool front on the heels of a hurricane). The most important factor for successfully navigating an emergency? Good people. On that front, I’m happy to report we’re well prepared.

This past Tuesday I found myself planted in Levin Hall, watching President Callender at the recent Town Hall. There were about 200 people in attendance, more watching online, but my sense is the meeting and the messages may have slipped under a lot of people’s radar. It was really an informative meeting, and if you’re interested in what’s on the likely horizon for us, spend a few minutes scanning his presentation or  watching the video. My friends and former co-workers in Public Affairs have posted the info online…

Our blog server is recording a bunch of errors, and we’re working to figure out why. We set up “pep talk” as a working web laboratory, so we’re testing a few fixes here. The new template is helping us narrow down a few possible causes. I’ll be back with a real post, and a new photo, later this week.

I had an opportunity recently to work with the UTMB Access Center to develop an online mechanism for requesting refills on existing prescriptions. I like the folks at the Access Center; we used to be neighbors in Rebecca Sealy, so I know how hard they work and the “can do” attitude with which they tackle most challenges (like reestablishing services at a critical time in UTMB’s recovery, even though their entire operation—every phone, practice manual, computer, printer—was under 40 inches of water). Most of them are nurses, and my experience has been that nurses get stuff done. But I was really sold on the Access Center years ago, when my kids were still little and we lived way out on the West End. There are no words to describe a parent’s relief at being able to get qualified information from a medical professional at two in the morning, as a kid lays blazing in your arms with a 103.5 fever.

The Access Center saw a huge spike in demand for their services this past January, doubling to 40,000 calls per month for a handful of staff. They got some help, put some new practices and tools in place, and kept looking for ways to enhance service. This prescription form is one of those ways. We are “beta-testing” it with our internal UTMB audience this week. About half-a-dozen people used it today; the feedback so far has been generally good. Need a prescription refill? Give it a try and let us know what you think.  

Guess what I’ll be doing this holiday break (besides spending glorious time with my family and eating way too much)? This image is from a Thanksgiving trip to a friend’s cabin in North Carolina. The glistening on the boat is ice; we paddled a beautiful, narrow gorge that fed this lake, with temperatures barely breaking into the 40s. For a coastal paddler who’s used to balmy water and humid air, it was wonderful.

I wish you and your family all the best this holiday season, and great things in the new year.