Griffin Hospital names Orange resident employee of year

Liz Laden of Orange was named Griffin Hospital Employee of the Year for 2017./ Contributed photo

DERBY - Griffin Hospital recently honored more than 700 employees and physicians who reached service milestones of five years and more and announced the employee and department of the year award winners at its 47th Annual Service Awards Dinner at Aria in Prospect.

Accountable Care Organization Coordinator Elizabeth Laden of Orange was named Griffin Hospital’s 2017 Employee of the Year, and the hospital’s Surgical Services Department was named the 2017 Department of the Year.

At a “High School Yearbook” inspired celebration, Griffin Hospital CEO and President Patrick Charmel personally presented gifts of appreciation to longtime employees and announced the winners.

The celebration is held each May during National Hospital Week to recognize employees and physicians for years of service and for outstanding performance.

Laden named top employee

Laden began her career at Griffin Hospital in 2005 as part of the Emergency Department, and assumed the newly created position of ACO Coordinator in the Case Management Department in 2014. 

In this role, she provides follow up assistance to patients who have visited the ED, ensuring they understand their discharge instructions, have follow up appointments with their community physicians and have filled their prescriptions.

As a result of these efforts, Laden has been able to reduce avoidable ED visits for Griffin’s ACO patient population by 32 percent. 

She is a key member of multiple hospital committees, including preferred provider meetings with area skilled nursing facilities, home care, and physical therapy partners.

Laden is also currently participating in Griffin’s Healthcare Leadership Academy program, and in the hospital’s Medical Spanish program to better communicate with her Spanish speaking clients.

The hospital's Employee of the Year selection come from its monthly I Take It Personally (ITIP) program where employees are nominated by their colleagues for outstanding work. Each month, one employee is selected from the hospital’s four service divisions - Ancillary, Nursing, Service and Support - for his or her efforts to improve patient satisfaction and promote Griffin Hospital’s commitment to patient-centered care. 

Of these employees, four are selected as finalists for the honor of “Employee of the Year.” In addition to Laden, Kyle Finnucan, of the Distribution Department, Dike Miller, RN, and Tracy Volpe, RN, of The Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital, were finalists for the top honor.

Surgical Services named departments of the year

Griffin Hospital’s Surgical Services Department was honored with Department of the Year for effectively maintaining excellent service during renovation projects, significantly improving patient safety, and meeting ambitious financial goals for the year.

The department’s Short Term Surgery staff seamlessly transitioned to a temporary location in the hospital during construction of the new Ambulatory Surgical Suite, including creating a new unit, redesigning workflow, and collaborating with Interventional Radiology caregivers to minimize impact on start times, turnover times or inconvenience to patients, their families and surgeons.

Surgical Services has reported no Surgical Care Improvement Project infections in more than two years, and has significantly decreased sharps injuries and sterilization errors. 

The department achieved its goal of 75 percent on-time starts and surpassed savings goal. Surgical Services also increased hip replacement surgeries by 451 percent, knee replacement surgeries by 165 percent, and increased overall surgical volume by 19 percent. 

The Department of the Year is selected from the four hospital departments selected as “Department of the Quarter” by the ITIP program. 

In addition to Surgical Services, Department of the Quarter winners were Planetree Programs & Services, Business Services and The Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital.

This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.