MESSAGE FROM JOHN
Supporting Brain Injury Survivors
News Flash! The economy is doing poorly…
When all we hear about is our failing economy, how is it that we are able to keep a positive attitude? It starts with what we do! We have the opportunity to help others. But it doesn't end there. We have the mission of performing our duties with passion. It is that passion that gets us through the next newscast, through the next legislative session, or through that next meeting. Governor Granholm spoke of hope, courage, and strength. These are not new concepts for Eisenhower Center.
One bright spot in Michigan is the healthcare industry. It continues to employ people helping people - what a concept! We are always aware of the presence of pressure in working to reduce the cost of health care, the cost of auto no-fault insurance, and the cost of quality services. These pressures can wear on a system, but they can also push them to new heights. We choose to move to new heights.
There are always improvements to be made, and Eisenhower Center is working hard to ensure that we continue to seek ways to improve. We are now 100% employee owned. This, in itself, has been a sobering and eye-opening event. It is the realization that every interaction plays a role and can take on a life of its own. Each of us owns a part of and has stock in every successful outcome for our clients. It has even changed how we walk through our programs. We see improvements in South Main, as we rebuild the bathrooms and spruce up the bedrooms to better meet the needs of our clients. We have started the process of beautifying the lobby area. We are planning similar remodeling goals for the Congregate program as well.
We all have hope that President Obama will turn around the economy. We have hope that our neighbors will find relief from their worries. And, we have hope that the future will bring us all something to smile about. Where I find my smile is when I am with our clients; helping them to "find their way" brings true perspective and purpose to my life. It is in this mission that we can feel more alive and build strength. It is in this mission that we develop our future.
Eyes are upon us...
There are ample checks and balances in the healthcare field to ensure quality service. The eyes that keep us in check are many, but they all bring fresh perspective to the services we deliver. This is balanced by the input we receive from our clients, families, guardians, case managers and other professionals. Going through a series of inspections is never timely and, to be honest, makes us a touch frantic. Yet, the direction and support we obtain from these endeavors help shape our current and future programs. State of Michigan Inspections (Adult Foster Care, Fire and Health) and the CARF Survey (Commission of the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities) - these are some of the entities and professionals charged with the important task of ensuring the safest, healthiest, most dignified, and highest level of quality services provided to our clients. What that means to Eisenhower Center is that we have visitors who have more than just a casual eye on the services we deliver.
With every level of the survey or inspection process, a manual filled with rules or standards gives direction so programs can make a difference in the lives of the persons served. We continuously strive to meet or exceed the intent of the standards. Eisenhower Center's attention to detail is what sets us apart.
Many of the surveyors have a commonality about their approach; the categories on which they focus are typically business practices, client rights, health and safety, human resources, client programming, food service delivery, environmental conditions, and quality improvement. Each surveyor has a unique perspective on how to conduct the inspection process. Some rely mainly on record review and the policies and procedures that directly impact our clients. Others do walk-throughs, getting firsthand data to support our compliance, and others connect all the dots; they read the records and policies, interview clients, families, and staff, and conduct walk-throughs looking for experiences that separate reality from perception. Whichever style is utilized, we need to be open and forthright with the information requested to ensure that the feedback we receive can help us to run a better program.
State Survey
The State manual "Licensing Rules for Adult Foster Care" is filled with rules varying from the "Scope of Services," the programs we develop to meet the needs of our clients, to the "Environmental Conditions" that we must maintain to keep a clean, safe, and comfortable facility in which our clients can live. Meeting all the requirements takes a team of dedicated and competent staff that is focused daily on what the needs are and then acts to address those needs. Eisenhower Center has been successful during these surveys because of these actions, strong communication, and the promotion of continuous improvement. Once the surveys are completed, the State Consultant writes a report, "Renewal Licensing Study Report," that highlights rules he/she feels could be better addressed to meet the needs of our clients. Once a corrective action plan is put in place, a license renewal is issued.
CARF Survey
The CARF Survey is an accrediting body that takes an in-depth look into all rehabilitation processes for the purposes of providing care to our clients. Contrary to the State process, which is driven from a strict rule-based system, the CARF process is directed by a complete set of standards. Policies and procedures must be in place, reporting structures must be current, and accurate and quality programming must be evident and documented. This voluntary accreditation process utilizes tools and monitoring techniques that ensure adherence to the standards and to our commitment of enhancing people's lives. A team of rehabilitation professionals breaks our processes down and evaluates every move we make. The feedback from these peers is some of the most important information from which we can build new programs and make improvements on our existing services. Their survey protocols incorporate all the forms of data collection. What impresses me about Eisenhower Center is that most of our meetings and training in-services automatically document our compliance to the rules and standards. Even though we have a good deal of work ahead of us to prepare for such an in-depth review, it is comforting to know that our foundation is set soundly in our day-to-day operations.
Fire Inspection
Annually, a State Fire Marshall thoroughly evaluates our fire suppression systems and critiques the level of safety we maintain. The manuals that come with those rules are too numerous to discuss here and too in-depth to understand. We rely on their experience to keep us moving in the right direction. In-services we then provide to our staff are a direct reflection of the input we receive from these highly specialized professionals.
Health Department
As with any establishment that provides food service, the State Health Department visits us annually. All kitchens and sinks are scrutinized from top to bottom. All menus are reviewed to ensure they meet nutritional standards and safe serving temperatures, for example, every item in every refrigerator must be dated and initialed to ensure freshness. Recently, we had our annual inspection and cleared with no concerns that were not remedied immediately while the inspector was on-campus.
We place an immense amount of pressure on ourselves to maintain these systems to meet the needs of our clients and their families, to meet the requirements of the State, to meet the expectations of CARF, to meet the requirements of all other surveying bodies, and to meet the needs of our staff. The systems in place have performed well, and with our ongoing commitment for improvement, we will be ready for the next set of eyes.