Message from the President

April 9, 2010

 

Hello, I’m Jeannette Glen, President of the MHC, and I would like to extend a warm welcome to visitors to MiSHE and considering membership in the Michigan Housekeeping Council.

 

The MHC is a non-profit organization that has been in existence for over thirty years. Its mission has been to provide educational and networking opportunities for its membership at minimal cost. We need to be able to share best practices in healthcare housekeeping and do so in a safe and nurturing environment. This has been the vision of the MHC.

 

I have been an officer of the organization for the past sixteen years.  It has been a great experience for me to meet people, understand what they have learned about health care housekeeping, and share with others what I have come to know. I believe there is great value in participating in a professional organization such as the MHC, which is why I continue to serve. Having said that, we are excited about reaching out to some new Housekeeping/Environmental Services leaders and having them take an active role in the MHC.

 

To that end, my role with Oaklawn Hospital has grown to a point where I am learning more and more every day.  I have been the Director of Housekeeping, Safety and Bio Medical for nearly thirty years.   Wow, one might say, but I truly love my job.  We are commencing on three projects simultaneously, which makes both of my housekeeping and safety roles come into play.  We are excited that we are going to be opening a Women’s Center; Cardiac Therapy Center, along with moving our Pharmacy and adding a whole new surgical suite.  Talk about learning something every day. Whew!! I take great pleasure in working with the architects, construction management, and a host of others.  You can never stop learning.

 

I am also a big fan of college sports and find myself thinking of teamwork as the final four-college basketball tournament begins. Sixteen teams started and it will eventually end up with two for the National Championship.  Sixteen teams worked together for the same goal.  Win this game to move to the next.  Win the next game to move to the next until we reach the National Championship.  I use this as an example of Housekeeping/Environmental Services staff.  When I was hired 30 years ago, our staff were “just” housekeepers or “just” custodians.  I wanted to change that, and I did.  Not overnight, not in a week or even a month, but I did change it.  I started “teaming” up with the clinical departments talking highly of my staff and how they were assets to their departments.  We began the “teamwork” of winning the clinical staff over.  I assigned staff to areas in which they were comfortable.  For example, not all staff like working in surgery, so I found the right person for the job and the surgery staff love her.  The same happened with each department/area, which we clean.  It took some effort and teamwork from both the clinical and housekeeping/environmental services side to make this happen.  But over the years we have become a team at Oaklawn Hospital.  Clinical and non-clinical staff work together as a team.  If the housekeeper is busy, the clinical staff person pitches in to help.  Oaklawn Hospital recently became a Magnet Hospital and it truly was the “teamwork” of everyone to make this happen.  From the CEO to the Housekeeper, we all participated.

 

I share this story, as I believe in networking with others.  And to network you need to belong to an organization such as the MHC.  I have met many people over the years as being a member and have made some long lasting friendships as well.  When you get to know others from other organizations you find you’re not alone.  Each organization has their hic-ups, their challenges, and their success stories, such as ours. 

 

I would like to invite you to join the MiSHE organization by becoming an affiliated member of the MHC.  You won’t be sorry.  We are having an MHC Spring Event on May 12th at Gratiot Hospital in Alma, Room 1162 A&B.  The “MHC Spring Event” topics will be “Traits and Characteristics of Effective Leaders” and “Tightening Your Belt without Turning Blue” with guest speaker Martha Carpenter.  There will be a Technical Demonstration by Mark Maxwell, of Arnold Sales and a box lunch is also included.  I would like to invite each of you to join us.  For current members it is free, for non-members the cost is, $99.00 that includes your annual membership fee.  I hope to see you there!!

 

Please contact me either via e-mail or telephone if you have any questions regarding the MHC organization or if you are planning to attend the MHC Spring Event.

 

Sincerely,

 

Jeannette Glen

President, Michigan Housekeeping Council

Housekeeping/Safety Director

Oaklawn Hospital

jglen@oaklawnhospital.com

 

269-789-3950