News from the University Hospital at Downstate
January 2023

A Message from David H. Berger, MD, MHCM, FACS, CEO of University Hospital at Downstate

Fair and Just Culture

As we kick off the New Year and continue with our We Care Journey, this is a perfect opportunity to go into what a “Fair and Just Culture” means at Downstate. We use Fair and Just Culture to promote a values-supportive system of shared accountability between the organization and the workforce.

As part of our guiding principles, we commit and strive to provide a safe healthcare environment to all our patients, visitors, and staff. The Fair and Just Culture philosophy supports an environment where everyone feels safe, encouraged, and enabled to discuss quality and safety issues and where reporting and learning are key elements.

The Fair and Just Culture philosophy means that reporting is conducted within a psychologically safe environment where there is demonstrated respect and support for the individual, and the potential for human and systems fallibility is acknowledged. Everyone can trust that those within the organization will demonstrate, through their behaviors and decisions, a fair and consistent approach in responding to issues raised.

As we continue on our We Care Journey, we strive to embrace new ideas and encourage our team to openly discuss any issues with leadership so we can continue to be the ‘Best Place to Get Care and the Best Place to Give Care.’

Welcome To Downstate: In Any Language

In Ghanaian culture, welcoming people is the first depiction of hospitality and it symbolizes acceptance, friendliness, and cooperation. For Paulina Marfo-Boateng, RN, MSN, Assistant Director of Nursing, she and her team in NS 72/74 discovered that welcoming patients in their native language brings patients joy and happiness. That happiness extends to their families as well.

The NS 72/74 team incorporated identifying patients who speak different languages on the huddle board. In addition, they included translating, then writing “good morning” on patient boards and incorporating saying “good morning” into their unit’s WE CARE initiatives. These practices not only promote UHD’s values, they also put a smile on our patients’ faces and potentially increase patient satisfaction scores.

The “Good Morning” initiative inspired a video featuring staff from across UHD saying ‘Welcome’ in many different languages. In the video, Ms. Marfo-Boateng welcomes everyone in the Ghanaian Akan dialect (Twi) Akwaaba.  

Please click the image below to view the video:

It’s a testament to what one person and a committed team with an idea can accomplish!

UHD Receives Prestigious Baby-Friendly Designation

We are thrilled to announce that we have achieved the highly prestigious international Baby-Friendly designation after a rigorous review process conducted by Baby-Friendly USA, the organization responsible for bestowing this certification in the United States.

This distinguished honor demonstrates our adherence to the highest standards of care for parents and their babies. These standards are built on the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, a set of evidence-based practices recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for optimal infant feeding support in the precious first days of a newborn’s life.

Being “Baby-Friendly” means that UHD recognizes the importance of breastfeeding, has staff with sufficient knowledge, competence, and skills to support breastfeeding, and incorporates key clinical practices.

These include discussing the importance of breastfeeding; facilitating immediate and uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact and supporting parents to initiate breastfeeding as soon as possible after birth; helping to recognize and respond to an infants’ cues for feeding; and coordinating discharge so that parents and their infants have timely access to ongoing support and care. Our staff educates parents to provide optimal care for infant feeding and meeting the nutritional needs of their infant regardless if a parent chooses to breastfeed or formula feed.

We join a growing list of more than 20,000 Baby-Friendly hospitals and birth centers throughout the world, 603 of which are in the United States. This designation shows that we are a facility that provides an environment that supports breastfeeding while respecting everyone’s right to make the best decision for themselves and their families.

Employee of the Month for December 2022 - Melissa Pennant, CNA,
Labor & Delivery/Post-Partum

Ms. Melissa Pennant, CNA, was initially hired as a Greeter at the hospital.  One year ago, she was hired to work as a CNA on the Post-Partum/Mother-Baby unit. She has added tremendous value to the team on NS 31/32 through her contributions to creating an initial perception that sets the tone for a positive patient experience.

The “W” in UHD’s We Care mission statement stands for Welcoming to All, and Ms. Pennant is the definition of “Welcoming to All”.  She exemplifies this behavior every day to each patient.

Ms. Pennant walks into a patient room and greets patients with a smile. Her welcoming demeanor helps us provide our childbearing patients with a wonderful experience. In addition, she works well with our team in delivering excellent care and extends that beautiful smile to her colleagues to set the tone for the day. 

Ms. Pennant’s goals are focused on advancing her career in health care. This is evidenced by how she proactively engages in unit activities and professional development. We could not be happier to have Ms. Pennant as part of our team and look forward to her continuous development and advancement at Downstate!