Transformational Leadership

The Kaiser Permanente Fremont Medical Center’s backpack drive in July beautifully showcases its commitment to the local community by helping families prepare for the upcoming school year. By providing free backpacks filled with essential school supplies, the initiative helped children in Fremont have what they needed to begin their new school year.

The event brought together volunteers from our medical center, creating an atmosphere of teamwork and community spirit. Families were able to access these resources without the burden of financial stress, fostering a sense of unity and support among neighbors. Through the hard work from Fremont employees, we were able to give out over 275 backpacks!

This backpack drive is a testament to our medical center’s dedication to health care as well as the overall well-being of the community. By focusing on education, we recognized that having the right supplies can make a significant difference in a child’s success and confidence. We care deeply about the future of the children in Fremont, going beyond traditional health care services to uplift families in practical ways. Initiatives like this equip students for their educational journeys and inspire a sense of hope and resilience. We embrace our role as a vital partner in the community and we are committed to creating a brighter future for children and families in our communities.

Sam Suchak, RN from Emergency Department is featured with distributing backpacks to prepare parents and children for the new school year.

On September 13, 2024, Senior Surgical Care Program Nurse Champions and physicians held an education session at Beth Eden Baptist Church located in Oakland in collaboration with Day Break Adult Care. The Senior Surgical Care program focuses on improving the surgical care of older adults based on evidence on what matters most to patients.

Sessions included discussion on importance of Goal Concordant Conversations, Advance Health Care Directives, and preventing Geriatric Syndromes and post-operative care.

The Caritas Coach Education Program® (CCEP) is a six-month professional development program focused on inner reflective work and emersion in theory. This role involves a deep understanding of human caring, transpersonal care, reflective practice, and caring literacy. The role of a Caritas Coach® is to integrate Caring Science into professional practice

After completing the 6-month CCEP®, Caritas Coaches return to their local facilities with new insight, wisdom, skills and confidence to give voice and help translate and live out the theory and philosophy of human caring-healing in service for deep system transformation.

The value of a Caritas Coach in a medical center is significant. These coaches, as graduates of the CCEP, return to their facilities equipped with the skills and knowledge to transform health care delivery. They are prepared to transfer this knowledge to other health care professionals, contributing to a transformation in care that emphasizes meaning, purpose, dignity and wholeness. This transformation is not just limited to patient care but extends to the personal and professional lives of health care providers as well.

Congratulations to:

Joanne Groves, MSN, RN, CNL, NEA-BC, WCSI CCEP® Cohort #32
Arveena Balu, MSN, RN – Kaiser Permanente CCEP® Cohort #1

Members of the Kaiser Permanente Fremont Professional Governance Research and Evidence-based Practice (EBP) Council were excited to attend the KP Evidence-Based Practice Council Retreat on December 2, 2024.

It was hosted by Nurse Scholars Academy and Academic Partner University California of San Francisco. Harmeet Brar, MSN, RN, Melissa Ann Banatao, BSN, RN, and Sengamo Sakana, MSN, RN were chosen to participate in this educational opportunity to expand their knowledge and return with valuable information for their EBP & Research Council.

The retreat centered on establishing a shared mental model regarding the key aspects of the EBP Council. As representatives of the EBP and Research Council, Harmeet, Sengamo and Melissa engaged in building their skills to support evidence-based practices in nursing and interprofessional teams to enhance patient care.

Kaiser Permanente Fremont’s EBP and Research Council also provides guidance in encouraging clinical inquiry and leveraging the best available research to improve clinical decision-making. The council developed the medical center’s research policy and procedure to provide guidelines for research protocols and projects.

Council members are learning to conduct a research project by reviewing literature, completing a Research Determination Office form, and submitting their project to the Institutional Review Board. After attending the retreat, they were well-prepared to strengthen the council charter, formulate a strategic plan and develop an agenda for their council.