Community Health of South Florida Inc. (CHI), would first like to thank the University of Miami for allowing us to participate in the UM MIAMI SPEC Project. Our journey, which began in October 2008 has been fulfilling to say the least. We began as a little 4 member SPEC guiding team attending UM classes, and then we expanded to a 9 member CHI Transformation Team (T-team). We eventually chose as our SPEC project educating our 600+ employee organization on the SPEC philosophy, and set our sights on having "T-time" meetings with each dept to do so. We haven't looked back since, and our involvement in the SPEC project has enriched our T-team and organization in numerous ways. SPEC provided a "spec"-tacular opportunity to look into ourselves as an organization and discover some attributes that had been ignored while focusing on deficiencies. These attributes greatly impact how we deliver care, and ultimately, how we serve the community at large.The value of the wisdom we've received, the partnerships we've made, and the fulfillment we've experienced as participants cannot be expressed in words. Below, however, is a humble attempt to. Please note the following comments made by members of the CHI SPEC T-Team-
Consuelo Hoo-Martinez-" I am proud to say that I am a member of the SPEC project and T team. SPEC has taught me how to be a better individual and co-worker, as well as how to handle customer care with new improved ideas. It is a wonderful feeling that we as a SPEC T- team can create and give good quality service both within a corporation and out."
Jacqueline Bobadilla- "I Jacqueline Bobadilla, greatly enjoyed participating in the SPEC team. I felt proud to have opinions and suggestions that helped mold our team to what it is today in our organization."
Debra Harris- "SPEC has reinforced the importance of being responsible for ourselves, the organization, and the community."
3 Comments
Hi Erin,
I enjoyed your participation in the SPEC project. I can see that other members at CHI also benefited from t team work. I always thought about the struggle to implement SPEC in a large and decentralized organization like yours. You have an extra challenge in disseminating SPEC to so many people in so many locations. I can see that your emphasis has been on improving some internal practices, such as patient care. I can see SPEC being used to concentrate on patient and staff assets, giving them voice and choice, and encouraging everyone to engage in more preventive practices. I think that in your medical setting, perhaps one of the most challenging aspects of SPEC is doing C: community change.
I imagine the medical tradition of waiting for people to show up at your door to be treated for a problem, instead of looking for the community sources of hte problem, is very strongly rooted. I hope that the SPEC work at CHI continues to explore ways in which your organization can be an agent of wellness for all people in the community. Thanks very much for participating in the project.
H Erin:
It has been great to have you in the SPEC project and in the class over the past two and a half years. I have also greatly enjoyed the visit we had at CHI when we came to present at the Board meeting. It's good to know that SPEC is having resonance in the organization as you collectively work to meet the needs of community members. Thanks for including comments from some of your t-team members. I hope the t-team continues to have an impact on the organization long after project ends!
Ora
Hi Erin,
I appreciated reading your submission including the comments of the other T-team members. Having had the opportunity to visit the Doris Ison Health Center for both research and consultation, I was able see firsthand the high level of patient care CHI provides to a largely underserved and minority population. The level of traffic and the scope of services provided are impressive!
The T-team, although it met with some intermittent challenges, continues to demonstrate commitment to the SPEC principles and its goal of dissemination across a large and decentralized organization. By adopting the T-time approach which involves ‘taking the organizational discussions to the department’, the T-team has created a process to disseminate and engage the wider organization, including front-line staff whose hectic schedules can be barriers to participation.
Your noted comments from the other T-team members suggest that they value the opportunity to be part of a team where their voices are heard and their contributions recognized (the S & E) in SPEC. Creating a space such as this is not easy and can be counted among the meaningful gains of which the T-team can be proud! As it continues to address internal issues, I want to encourage the team to also extend the scope of discussion to further include external practice--- ways in which the organization can improve wellness in the community.
Thank you for allowing me to be a part of it all!
Adrine McKenzie