Planetree has honored extraordinary achievements in patient-centered care at its 2011 Spirit of Planetree Awards and is pleased to announce that Planetree Senior Vice President Randall Carter has received the 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award.
“Randy has spent the last 20 years of his career dedicated to Planetree, first as a member of the administrative team of the first community hospital to adopt the model and for the last decade as a member of Planetree’s core staff. He has shown exemplary dedication and commitment to the spirit and intention of the Planetree philosophy of personalizing, humanizing and demystifying the patient-care experience,” said Planetree President Susan B. Frampton, Ph.D.
The Spirit of Planetree Awards were were also created to promote programs and services that support extraordinary achievement in service excellence and provide meaningful opportunities for patients and families to be actively involved in their care. The initiative helps communicate the character and quality of the caregivers and healthcare organizations in the Planetree network. Caregivers, physician champions and therapy animal awards are presented as well as best practice awards for programs representing each of the 10 components of the Planetree model of care. A committee evaluates each program based upon criteria such as innovation, sustainability, customer impact and utilization and outcomes measurement.
The annual Spirit of Planetree Awards Dinner was held the evening of Nov. 2 as part of the organization’s annual conference held Oct. 30-Nov. 2 in Nashville. It was held for physicians, nurses, academics, patient advocates, hospital staff and administrators and architects. More than 500 caregivers from the Veterans Health Administration attended.
Program award winners include:
Human Interactions: VA Medical Center, San Diego, Calif.
A multi-disciplinary workgroup, including Veterans, redesigned the primary care model to ensure quicker access to care. Eighty percent of patients receive care within 14 days and 15,000 primary care patients are able to get same-day appointments with preferred providers.
Architectural and Interior Design-Large Project: Northern Westchester Hospital, N.Y.
The new state-of-the-art Mary and David Boies Emergency Department was designed by The S/L/A/M Collaborative based upon input from physicians, nurses and patient families in order to create optimal privacy and comfort for more than 28,000 patients per year.
Architectural and Interior Design-Small Project: Centre jeunesse de l’Estrie, Quebec
A new reception area incorporating Planetree’s components of healing design creates a warm, safe atmosphere for apprehensive clientele at a youth protection agency.
Nutritional and Nurturing Aspects of Food: St. Mary’s Health System, Ind.
A Farmer’s Market held weekly July through September makes local fruits and vegetables easily accessible for staff, patient families as well as the community.
Healthy Communities: Stamford Hospital, Conn.
Paint the Town Pink is a month-long, community-wide education campaign about breast cancer.
About Planetree
Founded in 1978 by a San Francisco patient who endured a traumatic hospitalization, Planetree has been at the forefront of the effort to personalize, humanize and demystify the healthcare system for more than three decades.
Today, the Planetree membership network is a global community of acute care hospitals, continuing care facilities and outpatient clinics, each at various phases of the journey to transform healthcare by considering every aspect of the experience from the perspective of patients, and reconnecting staff to the passion for caring for others. A complete list of Planetree hospitals is available at www.planetree.org/planetreenetwork.html.
