Transformational Leadership

The inaugural Northern California Research and Innovation Academy (RIA) Conference was a landmark event that brought together health care professionals and researchers to share their innovative work and insights. The conference, which accepted 50 abstracts in total, featured a wide range of excellent lectures and presentations from leading experts in various fields. Among the contributions were the five abstracts and poster presentations from the CVA team, which demonstrated the organization’s commitment to advancing health care practices and improving patient outcomes.

One of the highlights of the conference was the poster presentation titled, Pediatric Perioperative Bays Provide a Caring Environment During Pre and Post Operative Care presented by Farah Cardenas, BSN, RN; Yasmine Baricaua, BSN, RN; and Susan Thimon, MSN, RN, PHN, NE-BC, CCRN. This poster was awarded for being the Best Poster Design for which this team received a certificate and trophy, a well-deserved recognition for the abstract poster and for its innovative approach to creating a supportive, child-friendly environment for pediatric patients undergoing surgery.

All the abstract poster presentations showcased dedication to research, evidence-based practice, patient-centered care, and innovation. The 2-day conference had fantastic speakers, lectures, and break-out sessions with interesting innovative and educational topics and was not only a platform for sharing research, knowledge, best practices, and great learnings, but also a celebration of the remarkable contributions made by all Northern California Kaiser Permanente Medical Centers to the field of health care.

In 2023, our Labor and Delivery Unit-Based Council launched a pumpkin decorating contest to enhance employee engagement across all 3 units. This fun and collaborative activity brought together providers, midwives, nurses, obstetric technicians, and unit assistants, fostering teamwork and creativity. The contest has quickly become a cherished fall tradition, eagerly anticipated by staff each year. It provides a valuable opportunity for both staff and leadership to collaborate, share ideas, and work together as a team.

The Central Valley Service Area continues to broaden and expand our focus on employee engagement as a key driver for employee satisfaction, consumer experience, and overall performance outcomes. Most recently we have created a front-line driven advisory committee, with a core vision of representing the employees voice to drive best practices from the frontline employee and supervisor perspective.

This advisory workgroup exists to recommend, evaluate, and track local engagement strategy activities that achieve the Employee Promise of them feeling heard, valued, included. This multidimensional group strives for Kaiser Central Valley to truly be the Best Place to Work by evaluating our current state, understanding strengths and opportunities, and recommend practices determined from both within and outside of Kaiser Permanente to create meaningful recommendations that will drive our People outcomes. As part of this journey, and CNE partnership, our front-lined nurses from each of our 5 Magnet Professional Governance Councils are part of this advisory group to ensure nursing’s voice, bidirectional communication and spread information throughout all nursing units at both Modesto and Manteca Medical Centers and our Stockton Ambulatory Surgery site.

Our initial membership has representation from Kaiser Foundation Hospital (KFH), KFH/Plan (KFH/P), and The Permanente Medical Group (TPMG), including various job roles, locations, shifts, and schedules to be as inclusive as possible. The team is aware that they should bring not only their own voice, as a perspective of their personal experience, but a voice for the entire frontline group as much as they can.

The first project is underway, where this workgroup is going to be “interviewing” groups with high outcomes or tremendous improvements on the most recent Engagement Index survey results. These interactions will be frontline-to-frontline conversations, where we intend to have 3-5 recommendations presented to Senior Leadership before the end of 2024.

This is a workgroup that we are excited about and will continue to mature as an effective advisory function as the voice of the frontline employees.

Kaiser Permanente’s Central Valley Area (CVA) is committed to strengthening the emotional and intellectual engagement of its workforce, with a focus on transforming workplace culture.

Culture C.R.E.W. is the overarching People strategy central to our culture transformation. The approach and deployment of intentional initiatives, activities, and events are directly aligned with the organization’s mission, vision, values, and strategic priorities. Its purpose is to strengthen the emotional and intellectual commitment of Kaiser Permanente’s Central Valley workforce through thoughtfully designed, purposeful experiences. By fostering deeper connections to our organizational objectives, the strategy promotes a culture of transformation, driving greater engagement, empowerment, and overall well-being within the workplace. This is a grassroots strategy collaborating with frontline employees honoring our Speak Up culture.

One of the key initiatives is the creation of an Employee Engagement Committee, comprised of at least 80% frontline staff, that will help drive initiatives reflecting the organization’s Service Values and its Culture of Health initiatives, including Rise & Renew, Live Well Be Well, Community, Equity, Inclusion & Diversity, Highly Reliable Organization, and Workplace Safety. A focus on promoting joy at work and fostering a supportive, inclusive environment is also prioritized.

While the Culture C.R.E.W. Thank You Rounds play a crucial role in advancing the broader objective of creating an environment where employees feel heard, valued, and included. They offer a dedicated space for pause & play, feedback, sharing updates on key initiatives, and reinforcing organizational priorities. The insights gained from these interactions are instrumental in shaping decisions that drive improvements in employee satisfaction, engagement, and performance that drive engagement and position CVA as the best place to work, fostering an environment of well-being and fulfillment, and ensuring CVA is a place where employees want to work, providers want to practice, and members want to seek care.

The expected outcomes include recruiting and retaining top talent, fostering an inclusive and diverse work environment, and promoting a culture of health. The initiative aims to create a supportive atmosphere where employees feel valued, contributing to Kaiser Permanente’s ability to provide world-class care and service to the communities it serves.

Aphriekah Duhaney-West, MSN, MBA, FACHE, PHN, CPPS
Senior Vice President and Area Manager