KPLA October 2011 Newsletter

Over 400 people attended the 20th anniversary cele-bration of KPLA at this year’s Hispanic Award and Scholarship Banquet. Check out the photos in-cluded on pages two, three and four of this newsletter.

OCTOBER 2011 NCAL Kaiser Permanente Latino

NCAL Kaiser Permanente Latino Association—Intercambio Newsletter

Inside this issue:

Heritage Banquet 2,3,4

Lean 101 (part 2) 5

Day of Volunteer-ism Photos

6

Global Warming 7

Bernard J. Tyson’s Column

8

CELEBRANDO LO NUESTRO: PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE

Newsletter Editor: Shira Wight Phone: 8-441-3139 (tie line) Phone: 415-444-3139 KP San Rafael Medical Center

We were honored to spend the evening with our colleagues, guests, honorees, and headlined guest speaker, Dolores Huerta, President of the Dolores Huerta Founda-tion and co-founder of the United Farm Workers (UFW).

César Villalpando, Senior Vice President and Chief Administra-tive Officer, NCAL Region Execu-tive Offices, Kaiser Foundation

Health Plan & Hospitals, Inc. delivered the Leadership Mes-sage and introduced the guest speaker, Dolores Huerta.

CELEBRANDO LO NUESTRO: PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE 20TH ANNIVERSARY HISPANIC HERITAGE AWARDS & SCHOLARSHIP BANQUET

NCAL Kaiser Permanente Latino Association—Intercambio Newsletter Volume 2, Issue 5 OCTOBER 2011

Volume 2, Issue 5 OCTOBER 2011

Master of Ceremonies: Edgar Quiroz

NCAL KPLA Board President and Hostess for the evening: Berta Alicia Bejarano

Visión con Pasión Physician Award winners in alphabetical order included: Luba Abascal, MD, Yeseli X. Arias, MD, Roberto Azcarraga, MD, Patricia Castaneda-Davis, MD, Scott Cohen, MD, Raquel Cripe, MD, Joseph Derrough, MD, Tsz Mei Fong, MD, Ralph Herrera, MD, Kellie Kute, MD, Lorraine Lopez, MD, Jeff Ortiz, MD, George Paz, MD

Signature Award winners: Guadalupe Roldan, MD, Manuel Abul-larade, Anamaria Delgado and Bernard J. Tyson. Antonio Wong with the Scholarship Award Winners.

Bernard J. Tyson salutes the Past Presidents of KPLA (listed in alphabetical order): Frank Alvarez, Mario Castañeda, Humberto Garcia, John Garcia, Betty González, Beverly Hayon, Susan Korn, Marta Moreno, MD, Edgar Quiroz, José Rivera, Maria L. Servin, Nancy Shemick, Sylvia Townsend, Michael Tully Cintrón, Merry Zavala.


CELEBRANDO LO NUESTRO: PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE EVERYONE WANTED A PICTURE WITH DOLORES HUERTA


CELEBRANDO LO NUESTRO: PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE AND THEN THERE WAS THE DANCING


Welcome back to part 2 of Lean 101—the Future of Healthcare in America. For those readers who have just joined into this series, Lean part 1 provided a “State of the Economy” within Ameri-can Healthcare and laid out the business case as to how Lean can help drive your or-ganization forward in these uncertain times. In this arti-cle I will briefly expand on the case for change and deep dive into the Lean 5S tool that is the foundation for a suc-cessful Lean program.

So to avoid wasting your valuable time let’s cut straight to the point made in part 1 of this series! If you and your organization are clinging to the hope that a government bailout, in the form of insuring 30 million more Americans is Shangri La you need to take a second look at the details of the plan and watch your inspiration turn to perspiration! The dol-lar reimbursement rate of this bailout is about to take a dive and so are your bottom line financials if your organization does not adapt and embrace this new reality that the Healthcare industry faces. With the proposal of Health-care provider performance reporting mandates in the near future, only a Lean, effi-cient, customer centric Healthcare system will pre-vail.

5S is the starting block to a successful Lean program. If resources are limited and the need for a high impact effort is critical 5S is where you should start. Broken down to the essential parts 5S is simply a system-atic method designed to re-move clutter and ensure what remains both has a place and remains in its place.

SORT. The first of the 5S’s is the chance to “spring clean” and remove

the items never or rarely used. I was working on a 5S effort within a Nursing unit to help gain control of their space and drive improvement both to reduce search time and improve the patients’ perception of a “clean” envi-ronment. In one of their spaces the team uncovered over 100 Beta video training tapes and other obsolete medical equipment. Last time I checked this form of video training was abandoned with the standardization of VHS in the 1980’s. Following the Sort principle, a “Red Tag” event was completed. During this phase of 5S the team tagged, dated and removed these obsolete items to a storage site for a short period of time before their final dis-posal. In the end this simple effort allowed the Nursing unit to remove the items no longer utilized, created an opportunity to update their training aids, and also im-proved the patients’ percep-tion of “clean.” The measur-able improvement of this 5S program moved the hospital from a dismal starting rank of 5th percentile to exceeding 75th percentile by the conclu-sion of the effort. Not bad for a simple effort that required minimal financial resources!

SET IN PLACE. The second of the 5S’s is a chance to further reduce search times by the creating of standardized areas to place equipment and supplies once the Sort effort is com-pleted. The use of visual management techniques and standardized storage systems along with RFID tracking de-vices can and has decreased staff search time by as much as 50%. This reduction in search waste allows staff members more time to inter-act with patients and com-plete their tasks more effi-ciently. The utilization of

shadow boards in the operat-ing room has significantly decreased the chance of re-tained foreign objects in pa-tients, a never event with both CMS and Joint Commis-sion. In the age of increased regulation and audits in-creased tracking accuracy and reduced search time by staff is invaluable. Set in Place can achieve both of these needs in a relatively low cost way.

SHINE is the daily practice of ensuring items remain in their designated places and are in good work-ing order post use. This step provides the opportunity to inspect the equipment for potential maintenance or safety issues. Nothing is more embarrassing than hav-ing CMS show up at your doorstep with equipment behind on scheduled preven-tive maintenance and/or pos-sibly in non-working order. Shine is the chance to catch these issues before they fail at the worst possible time. I do not know about your or-ganization but I do not want my staff searching for a work-ing defibrillator in the middle of an emergency because staff members forgot to re-charge the defibrillator after its previous use. Not a pretty picture but sadly this can and does happen.

STANDARDIZE is putting the practice of 5S into writing for all staff members to follow. The old adage of check but verify is the es-sence of this step. If you do not have a systematic way to audit and ensure the 5S pro-gram is both followed and embraced, the effort will eventually fade and fail. It is important to engage the front-line staff running the 5S pro-gram to design and imple-ment these audit points. Their buy-in will be the key ingredient to ensure the effort

Lean 101—The Future of Healthcare in America (part 2) By Steven Province, MBA & Lean Six Sigma Black Belt

becomes hardwired. SUSTAIN is the disci-

pline required to maintain the effort over time. We have all heard the saying that to build a new habit one must repeat the action for at least 20-30 days. The same concept ap-plies to Sustain. Repeat, repeat, repeat and then re-peat again! Without the com-mitment to sustain the effort, the time and resources com-mitted to the previous 5S steps will have been wasted. It is management’s responsi-bility to ensure that staff members are following the standardized procedures and that they understand the con-sequences for not following those procedures.

If these stories of need sound familiar and you are ready to embrace and integrate the 5S mindset, be prepared to see your bottom line results improve and em-ployee engagement skyrocket within your organization. To take a deeper dive into 5S and what it can do for your Facility, the Kaiser National Performance Improvement program offers you the chance to increase your skill and knowledge.

Steve Province holds an MBA and is an Active member of the

American Society for Quality where he has earned his Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. He has led numerous Lean Six Sigma efforts

within Healthcare achieving remarkable results. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and is in the process to become a fel-low. He is currently serving as the Interim Support Services Assistant Administrator and Supply Chain Director for Kaiser Fresno and is a KPLA Fresno Chapter Member.

KPLA members volun-teered, walked, and fund-raised at events across Northern California on October 9th. For the Autism Walk in Sacramento, KPLA repre-sentation came from Sac-

ramento, Vallejo and Re-gional offices. At the Hydrocephalus Walk event in Fresno, KPLA had a total of 15 volunteers / walkers. KPLA members arrived at 7am to help with set up

and registration. Then everyone walked except Irma, as they needed a volunteer to cheer, pass out ribbons and water at the finish line. Go team! The Diabetes Walk in San Jose had KPLA chapter

DAY OF VOLUNTEERISM—OCTOBER 9, 2011


members from San Jose, GSAA and Regional of-fices. Check out just a few of participants’ pictures be-low.

Over the past few years I can’t help but notice the overwhelming fervor about being “green” and the ever celebrated “Earth Day”. From President Obama to mothers in the park with strollers, “green” and “global warming” seems to be the prevailing wind these days. My own personal commu-nity barometer to certain cultural topics is not a political opinion poll or book. I’ve learned over the years that my mother and her cadre of friends are one of the best community think tanks to explore cul-tural opinions. These women live in a lower mid-dle income neighborhood in San Francisco. Accord-ing to these Latina and Indigenous women, most of their information about the world is attained through Spanish language media. I recently asked my mother if she had heard the term “global warming”. “Uy!” She said. Global warming means “men are in heat and they should all take cold showers.” One of her visiting friends chimed in and said that climate change had something to do with the heating sys-tem in her Toyota? They both answered sincerely. I chuckled and began to explain my layman’s ver-sion of what I understood to be “climate change” as respectfully and as lov-ingly as I could. Even though their responses were somewhat funny it was also unnerving. These elders missed the

meaning altogether and equated climate change with male friskiness and turning a knob in a Toyota. It appears that there is a gap in the Spanish lan-guage media to these criti-cal issues. For me, this personal story may be foretelling of not only the Latino-Indigenous commu-nity but all facets of our society. Today many don’t seem to realize the ur-gency of climate change or other ecological issues. Another facet missing from the environmental conversation is the visibil-ity of minorities and re-sources dedicated to their education at a local and national level. Underrep-resented communities and the role they play or don’t play in being “green” are of critical importance to all of us. This is not an indictment towards the environmental movement for not recognizing com-munities of color or critical of minorities for not doing enough to be “sustainable”, but a no-ticeable reality that needs to be addressed. What I do know is that long before it was slick to be green, many impover-ished communities and grandmothers everywhere were recycling fruit jars, clothes and carpooling. Interestingly enough to some degree, the men and women of the Canal neighborhood exemplify these green principals for the rest of us. Most folks in the Canal are actively reducing the carbon foot-print by walking to the

local fruit stands, markets, school and work. A multi-tude of people are seen going back and forth on East Francisco Boulevard on bicycles, public transit and walking. It’s time to support educational ef-forts in underrepresented communities and recog-nize their daily work ethic that lessens the carbon footprint as a matter of daily habit. We have to go back to a more simplistic way of doing things like our grandparents used to. The reality is that many of us still need to shift our consciousness and make the decision to move from-“I ride the bus because I have to” over to “I take the bus because I want to.” Together as a commu-nity we need to reach out and build a green move-ment from the Canal neighborhood, Marin City and elsewhere in Marin and address what it really means to be green. At this time I call out to Al Gore, community organiza-tions, Spanish media, and others to cross the barri-ers of race and class and formulate a multifaceted action approach and cre-ate a more sustainable future. Let’s put forth the first climate change con-ference in Spanish and encompass all people. Let’s begin here in Marin County, one of the bed-rock communities of eco-logical preservation in the State.

GLOBAL WARMING IS NOT CLIMATE CHANGE IN MY TOYOTA

NCAL Kaiser Permanente Latino Association—Intercambio Newsletter Volume 2, Issue 5

April 22, 2012 is the 42nd Anniversary of Earth Day.

Global warming—fact or fiction? David Escobar

David Escobar is the Aide to Supervisor, Steve

Kinsey, District 4, Marin County. Salvadoran born of the indigenous group called the Lenca-Poton,

David grew up in the Mission and Excelsior

districts of San Francisco.

Recently, I had the pleasure of attending the Kaiser Per-manente Latino Association (KPLA) Northern California Chapter’s 20th Anniversary Scholarship Dinner. It was a spectacular event. The group handed out more than $40,000 in scholarships to deserving students, as well as awards to a number of individuals who are active in Kaiser Permanente or the community at large in sup-porting and promoting issues important to the Latino com-munity. September 15 to October 15 is National Latino Heritage Month. This month-long cele-bration, as well as my excite-ment for the upcoming An-nual Diversity Conference later this month, makes for the perfect opportunity to reflect upon the deep impact that Latinos have had upon our organization. A rich heritage of inclusion Even before the founding of Kaiser Permanente, Latinos were shaping values in Kai-ser Industries that we con-tinue to embrace in our medi-cal care program today. Kaiser Permanente co-founder Henry J. Kaiser was a titan of industry, running a global corporation with com-bined annual revenues of more than $1 billion. Kaiser Industries’ chief lieutenant, A.B. Ordway, widely credits building Cuba’s highway sys-tem in the 1920s as the turn-ing point that put the organi-zation on the global map. In the 1950s, when Kaiser elected to build his first auto-mobile plant in Latin Amer-ica, he insisted that both the board and the majority share-holders be from the nation

where they would build. This way of thinking was not the way global corporations oper-ated at the time. Kaiser be-lieved that when members of the community have leader-ship and ownership stakes in the company, it helped build trust and goodwill for efforts in Brazil and Argentina. These examples illustrate values we embrace in Kaiser Permanente today. We recog-nize the importance of having employees and leaders that are representative of the communities that we serve, and we nurture cultural com-petencies to better serve these communities. Latin-inspired influences Today, approximately 17 percent of KP’s workforce — nearly 30,000 people and growing — is of Latin descent. Latinos are represented at all levels and job functions of the organization, from our board of directors and senior executives, to physicians and caregivers, to front-line and support staff. There are 27 official chapters of KPLA across six regions whose mission is to inspire, support, and retain Latinos to achieve success throughout the organization. Multicul-tural staff associations like KPLA are a rich source of cultural expertise and serve as a significant link to our community. These groups play an important role in pro-viding cultural knowledge to inform the development of product and business initia-tives, as well as essential community advocacy and feedback to the Program. More than 1 million Kaiser Permanente members are Latino. Our electronic medi-cal record system is now the world’s largest care database with ethnicity data for every member. This data will allow us to better define, address, and eliminate disparities of health and health care in the

Latino community as well as for African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Native Ameri-cans, and others of diverse backgrounds. We also operate Centers of Excellence in Culturally Com-petent Care focusing on La-tino health in two regions (Mid-Atlantic and Colorado), and are actively building com-petencies in additional re-gions to expand our offerings. We publish A Provider’s Handbook for Culturally Com-petent Care for Latinos, dis-tribute Escoge la Salud – Choose Health (a Latino health DVD and reference guide for our members), and provide Spanish language interpreter services across the Program as part of our ongoing efforts to improve the quality of care to our Latino members. Beyond our walls Through KP’s robust commu-nity benefit program and activities, we support a num-ber of programs that directly impact the Latino community. Last year, we contributed $1.9 billion nationally in di-rect care and grants to tradi-tionally underserved commu-nities. Our commitment to the community has great impact, especially in the La-tino community, where it is estimated that as many as 33 percent of the population is uninsured. Beyond Community Benefit, we are actively working to support the economic sus-tainability of Latino-owned businesses. We were recently one of 35 companies in-ducted in the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s Million Dollar Roundtable, which honors corporations who spend $25 million to $1 billion with Hispanic Business Enterprises (HBEs). In 2010 KP spent more than $120 million with HBEs and their subcontractors. All these efforts have gar-

CELEBRATING LATINO HERITAGE MONTH BY BERNARD TYSON, PRESIDENT & CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

NCAL Kaiser Permanente Latino Association—Intercambio Newsletter Volume 2, Issue 5

nered the notice of compa-nies honoring KP as a world leader in support of the La-tino community. For three years running, we’ve been recognized by LATINA Style magazine as a top company for diversity, and KP was named the “Top 50 Company of the Year” in 2009. We were also named the Corpo-ration of the Year by the His-panic College Fund in 2009, and the top company in the 2011 Diversity Inc. Top 50 Companies for Diversity®. How we achieve our mission All the awards and recogni-tion we receive are more than just pride points. They are an external validation that the investments we make in our people are pay-ing off. At Kaiser Permanente, we realize that our people are our most valuable resource. A large part of fully realizing that value is acknowledging our different backgrounds, learning from one another, and celebrating our differ-ences. For us, diversity isn’t just nice to have, it is essen-tial to the business and how we achieve our mission. We may not be perfect, but I am proud to be a part of an organization that under-stands we are much better off because of our diversity. An inherent problem with observances of the month is that the 30 days of increased focus on a particular topic, illness, or culture is never quite long enough to do jus-tice for the observed. Kaiser Permanente’s Latin influence is so deeply rooted in this organization, one column, one month, one year, is not enough to squeeze it all in. Fortunately, because diver-sity is so much a part of who we are, we don’t have to. Viva bien! I want to hear from you. How are you advancing our diversity agenda? I'd like to hear about it.

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KPLA October 2011 Newsletter

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