Griffin Hospital honors employees at annual event in Southbury

Derby's Griffin Hospital recently honored more than 180 employees who reached service milestones and announced its employee award winners at its 43^rd Annual Service Awards Dinner at the Crowne Plaza in Southbury.

Susan Gucwa-Bucasas was named Griffin Hospital’s 2013-14 Employee of the Year, Michael Currie won The Spirit of Planetree Award and the Childbirth Center at Griffin Hospital was named Department of the Year.

Griffin Hospital CEO and President Patrick Charmel handed out gifts to employees who worked at Griffin for more than 20 years and made the award announcements at the ceremony, held each year during National Hospital Week to recognize employees and physicians for years of service and for outstanding performance.

This year’s Employee of the Year Susan Gucwa-Bucasas, center, and last year’s winners Bonnie Halligan, RN, left, and Pat Thibodeau. / Contributed photo

Gucwa-Bucasas Named Top Employee

Gucwa-Bucasas is a 10-year employee of Griffin Hospital and currently the Nurse Manager of Regulatory Compliance.

She was nominated for Employee of the Year for exemplifying the Griffin Hospital Customer Service Standards and the Planetree Model of Care in her daily work, and for being a team player who is consistently responsive to departmental needs and always willing to help with both education and training.

“Susan takes her job responsibilities seriously, and strives to share information from the various regulators, including the Joint Commission, the Department of Health, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, always in a manner that is pertinent to each individual department,” Charmel said in giving out the award. “Susan is always available when asked to assist with interpretations and with performance improvement plans, and diligently helps the entire organization to prepare for surveys and to develop corrective action plans, when indicated.”

The hospital's Employee of the Year selections come from its monthly ITIP (I Take It Personally) program, in which employees are nominated by their colleagues for the honor. Each month, one employee is selected from the hospital’s four service divisions - Ancillary, Nursing, Service and Support - for his or her efforts to improve patient satisfaction and promote Griffin Hospital’s commitment to patient driven care.. Of these employees, four are selected as finalists for the honor of “Employee of the Year.”

In addition to Gucwa-Bucasas, Michael Currie, Nancy Corvigno and June Newton, MST, were finalists for the top honor.

Griffin Hospital President and CEO Patrick Charmel, left, congratulates Spirit of Planetree Award winner Michael Currie.

Currie Wins Spirit of Planetree
Michael Currie has been a full-time employee at Griffin Hospital since March 2008 as a member of its Environmental Services department.

He was selected for the Spirit of Planetree Award for his commitment to excellent service, professionalism and his ability to create a positive work environment.
His care for Griffin’s customers, patients and family members has made him a great asset to the hospital, Charmel said.

“Mike has a passion for seeking out work and ensuring the outcome is positive,” he said. “He is known by his peers for his kindness and energy. He is seen as a very positive person and exhibits a ‘win-win’ philosophy. The combination of his ethical standards and vast experience enable him to be an excellent mentor to other employees. He is highly respected by those with whom he comes in contact and is an exemplary role model to others. Mike represents the hospital well as he strives for excellence in problem solving.”

The Spirit of Planetree Awards recognizes healthcare workers who promote patient- and person-centered care by personalizing the health care experience.

Childbirth Center Named Department of the Year

The Childbirth Center was named the Griffin Hospital Department of the Year for 2013 in recognition of its quality and continued high patient satisfaction.

Approximately 700 babies are delivered at Griffin’s Childbirth Center annually by obstetricians who are active members of Griffin’s medical staff, including: Dr. Michael O’Reilly (Chairman of the Department), Dr. Roy Kalman, Dr. Neelima Kaushal, Dr. Rudali Rawal, Dr. Cynthia Ronan and Dr. Scott Vander Vennet.  Together with the staff of the Childbirth Center, they ensure that mother, baby and family have an exceptional patient experience as affirmed by a patient satisfaction rate of over 98%.

Griffin’s CBC nurses have always demonstrated a high degree of professionalism and commitment to mothers and their babies. Nearly 80 percent of the nurses are certified in their specialty and they have offered Healthy Beginnings - the state’s only post-partum return visit program for mothers and babies - free of charge for 19 years.
The Center maintains a 95 percent return rate for these visits, ensuring that any issues with mother or baby are identified early and resolved.
Baby-Friendly Designation

Last October, the Childbirth Center received Baby-Friendly Designation from the World Health Organization and UNICEF, joining a select group of only 159 U.S. hospitals and birthing centers that have achieved Baby-Friendly Designation. Griffin is the only hospital in the country to have also achieved Planetree Patient Centered Designation.
The designation shows the commitment to helping parents make informed choices about feeding and caring for their babies.

Earlier this year the Childbirth Center implemented the Peri-Gen Central Monitoring System, an advanced fetal surveillance system with unique clinical decision support-based applications that include fetal heart rate pattern recognition software and labor progression software that are early warning systems for clinical problems.

Griffin’s CBC is dedicated to the community with a staff of Certified Infant Car Seat technicians that ensure the safety of newborns leaving the Center and its recent initiation of the “Read to Grow” program dedicated to improving early literacy for children.
The CBC staff hosts an Annual Baby Fair for babies born at Griffin in the previous year and their family.
Baby Fair attendance continues to grow each year at the fun day event, and more than 40 vendors exhibited at the 2013 fair.

“The combination of clinical quality, many unique programs and services, a patient and family centered environment and nurses, physicians, and other professionals who are specifically trained in providing patient-centered maternal and newborn care continue to differentiate Griffin’s Childbirth Center from others and maintain it as a Center of Excellence,” Charmel said.
“The recent accomplishments are impressive, are a source of pride for the hospital and our community and certainly make the Childbirth Center worthy of being named Department of the Year.”

Four hospital departments are honored annually as “Department of the Quarter,” with one selected as “Department of the Year.”
In addition to the Childbirth Center, Department of the Quarter winners were Business Services, Professional Development/School of Allied Health Careers, and the Infusion Center.

This information is taken from a press release from Griffin Hospital.