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Brookside's medical staff gather for a group photo by their new staff compact, framed and hung on the left wall above.
Whenever staff members walk down the medical area corridor at Brookside Community Health Center, they are visibly reminded of their commitment to their patients and each other.
Earlier this fall, staff at Brookside-one of BWH's two community health centers-came together to craft a compact that would guide how they work with patients and each other. Staff recently signed, framed and hung the compact as a way to culminate the process and proudly display their commitment.
"As Brookside continues to grow and transform into a patient-centered medical home, the themes of team-building, collaboration, fairness and empowerment have become increasingly meaningful to staff," said Brookside Executive Director Paula McNichols.
The center provides comprehensive, team-based care in a wide variety of services, including adult and pediatric medicine, obstetrics, dentistry, nutrition, mental health and social services. Each year, more than 11,000 patients from Jamaica Plain and surrounding communities receive their care at Brookside, generating nearly 70,000 visits per year.
In surveys and follow-up focus groups during the past year, the staff had expressed a strong desire to improve their work environment and working relationships. Everyone's participation in developing the compact and signing the final version were critical first steps in the staff-driven process. The team came together to verbalize ways they could improve teamwork within and across Brookside's Medical Services, develop clear standards of behavior and create a document that would empower all team members to feel free to share their input and opinions in order to improve patient care. Brookside Medical Director Bob Hartley, MD, and Nursing Director Pam Cormier, RN, MSN, supported the work, and BWH Human Resources' Office of Organizational Development and Learning and the Center for Clinical Excellence provided assistance throughout the process.
"The staff's development of the compact has been refreshing and helpful to leadership and empowering for staff," said Hartley.
Additionally, every new Brookside employee will be given a copy of the compact and asked to commit to it.