A gathering of stars: Fontana’s UBT summit

We thought we were going to meet with 14 or 15 UBT co-leads from the Fontana Medical Center in Southern California for a discussion about unit-based teams. But when we pulled into the lot and couldn’t find a place to park, we became suspicious. People were streaming into a large recreation center, and we assumed we were lost again (that’s right, Paul was driving). When we ventured into the meeting, we were shocked to see some 232 co-leads, managers and union leaders packed into the auditorium.

We found ourselves at a gathering to discuss the Performance Sharing Program (PSP) goals for 2011 and hear report-outs on teams’ 2010 PSP successes. We gave a quick presentation on the national picture and were followed by the co-leads. Because five different unions (Teamsters, UNAC, UFCW, SEIU UHW and Steelworkers) represent workers at Fontana Medical Center and its 12 medical office buildings, there were sometimes multiple labor co-leads presenting with their managers.

Top leadership in the house

Union and KP leaders also addressed the group. Roy Wiles, president of United Steelworkers Local 7600, talked about the importance of mutual respect among team members, and of making time for team work. He stated in no uncertain terms that meeting only once every two or three months was unacceptable for teams that strive for high performance. Sandy Wohler, business representative of Teamsters Local 166, told us that she is concerned about where some of the teams have been ranked on the Path to Performance. As a senior sponsor of UBTs, she’s checking into the validity of those decisions. Once again, a senior labor leader was actively supporting and questioning teams she sponsored. Would we have seen this three or even two years ago? Probably not.

Growing and going strong

Fontana gained 13,000 health plan members in January 2011, and the service area has more than 400,000 members in sprawling San Bernardino County. Fontana is the second largest medical center in Southern California, and the place where Permanente medicine began. When the new hospitals in Ontario and Moreno Valley open, there will be four hospitals in the area, including Riverside, which currently has some 320,000 members -- 15,000 of whom are new members. In fact, the Southern California region grew by 110,000 members since the first of the year. With this huge influx of new members, we were concerned that teams would feel overwhelmed. So far, they are figuring out how to handle the added pressure of so many new patients.

Boosting service and quality for years to come

Georgina Garcia, RN and COO for the Fontana and Ontario Medical Centers, told us that three years ago, Fontana was in the 15^th percentile in service and quality scores. Currently they passed the 70 ^th percentile and are moving up, she said. Garcia credited unit-based teams with figuring out what needed to be done to boost the scores.

One team working on attendance reported that since instituting its reward and recognition program, four nurses now have perfect attendance for the year. Last year, only one did. The Orthopedic Department has a monthly celebration for people with perfect attendance, which includes a luncheon featuring the “humpty dance.” Only people with perfect attendance get to see it — and we weren’t too upset hearing that we couldn’t.

Greg Christian, executive director of the medical center, closed the session. He talked about how excited he was to see the co-leads and hear about their work, and he promised more such gatherings in the future. He also mentioned the battle in Wisconsin over the denial of bargaining rights to public employees, who are losing their voice in the work they perform every day. Christian said that the Labor Management Partnership was special because “we see our labor partners and the Partnership as a strength, not a hindrance.” With leaders like that, we predict great things happening in Fontana for years to come.