Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1452651
Retaining and Growing Talent AT AUBURN COMMUNIT Y Hospital (ACH), culture and teamwork are priorities. Recently Auburn Community Hospital celebrated Employee Recognition Day. One hundred and twenty employees were recognized with service to ACH from five years to 45 years. This says a lot about the employees and their commitment to the healthcare system and to their community. It also is interesting to note ACH has a very low turnover rate compared to other hospitals. This event is a reminder of how important it is for everyone to support the current workforce and continue to strengthen and grow the team. The pandemic has tested ACH, just like most hospitals. The headlines regularly herald hospitals are in crisis. Working in health care is a different kind of occupation. It is a vocation for many. There are challenging days but there is a strong commitment among the employees. Small rural community hospitals like ACH are the cornerstones of communities because they take care of family, friends and neighbors who live in the community. Similar to the larger hospitals in the region, Auburn is challenged by workforce issues, especially during a pandemic. Recruiting employees, especially nurses, medical technicians, lab technicians, radiology technicians, and many others come from a limited pool. It can be difficult to compete with the size and scale that larger hospitals offer. However, ACH has a lot to offer including steady and stable employment, a welcoming culture and a safe working environment. Auburn encourages employees and others to help recruit from personal and professional community contacts. The hospital is appealing for its pride and love of the community. This is more about their mission than economics. ACH is committed to strengthening their workforce and to meet whatever challenges come their way. A NEW CONTR ACT To further attract and retain talented employees, the board members of ACH recently signed a new union contract to increase nurse wages and benefits. The new union contract also benefits employees of Finger Lakes Center for Living. "ACH prides itself on its history of union collaboration," says Scott Berlucchi, President and CEO of Auburn Community Hospital. "We also recognize that the process of reaching an agreement during a contract negotiation is not always an easy one. We have enormous respect for our nurses because of their unwavering dedication and commitment to our patients and our community." "Not only do we take care of you and your family when you have health issues, but we are also the largest employer in the area and with that comes a significant responsibility," Berlucchi continues. "ACH generates more than 1,200 jobs in this community and helps maintain and improve our quality of life in this beautiful region of New York State." and treatment resources delivered by board-certified physicians and nurses with extensive experience in hematology and oncology. "We're very excited about bringing all of the resources of Upstate and an academic medical center to Auburn," Dr. Duggan says. "The physicians we work with are highly trained and have many years of specialized training." " B r i n g i n g t h e Up s t a t e t e a m t o Auburn provides that team approach to cancer care that all patients want," adds Christina Sherman, RN, Director of Cancer Services, Upstate Cancer Center at ACH. "We want second opinions. We want to know what other doctors think. These are doctors who are world-class in their fields of expertise. This practice is built with the patient in mind." RAISING THE BAR IN ORTHOPEDIC CARE A c o m b i n a t i o n o f s k i l le d phy sici a n s and advanced technologies allows ACH to provide top-quality orthopedic care for patients close to home. With expertise in a variety of fields ranging from hand and wrist surgery to sports medicine to joint replacement, ACH providers can meet the majority of patients' orthopedic needs. " W hen patients a nd prima r y ca re physicia ns ca n have the majorit y of orthopedic issues treated at a community hospita l, that's a great convenience to them both," says Michael Wilson, MD, MBA , or thopedic surgeon at Auburn Orthopedic Specialists and Chief Medical Officer at ACH. ACH plans to ma ke more additions to the or thopedic g roup, including a fel lowship-tra ined spor ts medicine specia list for patients of a ll ages a nd expanded capabilities in hand surgery. " R o u g h l y 2 5 % o f e m e r g e n c y department visits are related to hand and wrist trauma," Dr. Wilson says. "It would be greatly beneficia l if patients could receive treatment here for the majority of their hand problems." For patients needing joint replacement surgery, Auburn Orthopedic Specialists u s e a dv a nc e d M R I t e ch nolog y a nd m i n i m a l ly i nv a s ive s u r g ic a l t o ol s , s uc h a s t h e M a k o s y s t em . A u b u r n O r t h o p e d i c S p e c i a l i s t s u s e s t h e most up-to-date version of t he Ma ko system, ma k ing it t he most adva nced joi nt replacement surg ica l system i n t he a rea . " Patients who undergo surger y w ith t he Ma ko system ca n ex pect shor ter hospita l stays a nd less pa in fol low ing surger y," says Br ia n D. Ta l ler ico, DO, Chief of Or thopedic Surger y at Auburn Or t hoped ic Speci a l i s t s . " R efer r i n g prov iders shou ld a lso k now t hat t he Ma ko system offers increased accuracy M D N E W S . C O M /// M D N E W S C E N T R A l N E W Y O R K n 2 0 2 2 0 9