| Call To Action | Print Page | Return to Previous Page |
A Message from - Chris Power, President & CEO, Capital Health
January 30, 2009
We did not have a crisis last week. We have been in a crisis for much, much longer. I believe it is a crisis when we do not have the agility to make the changes we are being called to make to meet the needs of our patients; when we do not listen when our colleagues call to us for help; when we lay blame with others for our lack of will to change; and when our own politics become more important than people.
We have allowed ourselves to be paralyzed by our internal politics, our fears, our structures and our personal agendas. We are not incompetent and we are not uncaring. And yet we have come to accept the crisis that has emerged around us.
We did not have a crisis last week. We had a wake-up call.
The time for internal politics, fear, structures and personal agendas is over. Every person who works within Capital Health is here to serve others. Don’t read into this message something that is not there - we are not overlooking our academic mission or our research agenda. We are drawing a line in the sand - a line that says if we cannot see our way clear to focus on doing what is right for the health of our patients and our communities - then we should rethink our reasons for coming to work here.
This past week I have experienced more frustration, anger, fear, sadness and disappointment than in any other time in my career. I know many of you felt the same way. I’m not going to choke that down and get past it or pretend that we are powerless to change it. I am choosing to carry it with me so that we learn from it and we take actions to change it - actions that begin right now.
At the meeting of the senior executive team (“LET”) this week there were some decisions made that directly impact the situation at the QEII Emergency specifically, and the district as a whole. Some of these changes will bring new energy, ideas and relationships to those areas. Others will set new direction and a new level of accountability for LET, our physician leads and you. You will hear more about these in the days to come.
I was clear about my expectations with LET - and I am being clear with you now - what happened last week is not the fault of physicians in our community, the inappropriate use of health care resources by the public and it is not a problem of the Emergency Department. There are challenges and there are shortages. That isn’t going to change. What is going to change is that we are going to stop talking about what we can’t do and start doing what we can do.
In case you have any doubts, I will be very clear about this as well. The changes we are making are not optional.
We have a responsibility to raise our line of sight and demonstrate the agility, the wisdom, the courage and the compassion required for the changes we are being called to make. I know we can do this because I see glimmers of it today in pockets of our organization. If I did not believe we are capable of doing better, I would not be here. So if you’re still feeling numb, or thinking this is a problem that someone else is going to fix, it’s time to wake up and look around. We are the system - you, me and everyone else who comes to work at Capital Health. We have work to get done.
Take care
Chris
