Lutheran safely moves all patients, teams to new address
Years of planning and weeks of mock events by multiple teams, including dozens of physician leaders, paid off on Saturday, Aug. 3, when the hospital successfully and safely moved 122 patients from the legacy campus to the new facility on West 40th Avenue.
Twenty ambulances, eight hours. Just a few miles west and within the new walls, a whole new Lutheran.
“The feedback from the community has been very satisfying and positive. Our patients and bedside care teams can’t say enough about these big, beautiful, full-of-light, shiny new patient rooms,” said Kathy Crabtree, MD, Lutheran ACMO.
“And I can’t say enough about this medical staff,” she said. “Our physicians came together beautifully, with energy and excitement, to ensure their patients and families enjoyed a seamless, comfortable and supportive move. I’m seriously proud of these physicians.”
But of course, the move is just the beginning. Some of you are reading these words and thinking about operational issues causing delays or changes to your workflows that you weren’t anticipating. Lutheran physician leaders want to assure you 1) problems will be fixed and remind you that 2) adjustments take time and can lead to changes that you might prefer.
“We are aggressively tackling the punch list, prioritized according to patient safety,” Crabtree said. “In the meantime, we ask physicians to settle in for the next 60 days and allow themselves the opportunity to familiarize themselves with this new environment.”
“The move was very, very smooth and safe, remarkably glitch-free, and I want to thank everyone who had a hand in that,” said Allan Brants, MD, chief of staff.
“But now we ask for everyone’s forbearance,” he said. “We’re living out a well-known paradox: Everyone loves new and hates change. Managing the constant tension between the two can be uncomfortable. Let’s stay positive and supportive, lean into trust and patience. This Lutheran will become our Lutheran. We’ll make sure of it.”
One hundred nineteen years, now two campuses. Just a few miles west and within the new walls, the same beloved Lutheran.
“Our culture remains intact. The heart of who we are is proudly, defiantly, passionately Lutheran,” said Crabtree. “That’s where our camaraderie, our care for our patients and our commitment to this community all live. I still see and feel our culture every day with this medical staff.
“We’ll fix all the issues and adjust to the rest and begin to build a new and exceptional legacy for the new Lutheran because of who we are. Most everything else, literally, is just window dressing.”
In the spirit of waiting 60 days, we’re not publishing the punch list here. As mentioned, all items are prioritized according to their impact on patient safety. Further, the process of developing and implementing solutions for top-tier items is well underway.
If you have a care concern or suggestion for improvement that you have not yet shared with leadership, you can reach Crabtree at kathy.crabtree@imail.org or Brants at allan.brants@imail.org. Thank you for your patience and partnership as we begin this exciting new era for Lutheran Hospital.