Bookmarked: Heartfelt Reads

            February is American Heart Month, and with it a reminder that heart disease is the number-one killer of women. To shine a light on the vital work of the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign, Frontdoors Magazine asked the local Go Red for Women co-chairs for their book recommendations this month.

Chief nursing officer at Dignity Mercy Gilbert Medical Center and 2020 Go Red for Women co-chair

RECOMMENDS: “The Engaged Caregiver” by Joseph Cabral, Thomas H. Lee, M.D. and Martin Wright

HER TAKE

            “As the healthcare arena becomes more complex, ‘The Engaged Caregiver’ provides information and recommendations to build a workforce sustainable through all of the changes, without losing sight of our purpose of caring for patients.

            This read enhanced the work we are currently doing in our organization. It contains six pillars with goals that our organization strives to meet or exceed. They are safety, quality, patient experience, people, growth and finance — our strategic plan. As ‘The Engaged Caregiver’ communicates, “If it is important, it must be part of the plan.” This message must be consistent and communicated clearly to all. We must speak the same language.

            ‘The Engaged Caregiver’ provides the reader with the what, the why and the how. It is a great resource to help leaders of today work toward a highly reliable organization focused on safety, quality, patient experience and the employee experience.”

President & CEO of Dignity Health Arizona General Hospital Phoenix and 2020 Go Red for Women co-chair

RECOMMENDS: “The Power of Personal Accountability: Achieve What Matters to You” by Mark Samuel and Sophie Chiche

HER TAKE

            “I first read this book in 2006 as part of a class I was taking, called Leading an Accountable Culture. I have reread it since then and refer to it frequently as I talk with leaders about methods that best support accountability individually and in a team. The book is based on a fairly simple model that is used to move oneself or others into higher levels of accountable behavior.