Posts Tagged ‘>hot links’

Prescription for a Happy Face

Health isn’t the only thing that needs to get better in Hospitals. Customer dissatisfaction is more contagious than the Flu!  Think about it. Pre-internet when a customer was dissatisfied he’d maybe tell ten people, but in the current social media world complaints broadcast to thousands… maybe millions if your YouTube hits big.

Patient Satisfaction Overhaul (Finally!)

Did you see that L.A. Times article over the weekend about how federal payments to hospitals are being tied to customer satisfaction? That’s a major topic at the hospital where I volunteer. Everyone’s suddenly scrambling to figure out ways to make sure customer surveys are filled out positively — OR ELSE!

At my hospital they hire more people to act as Liasons between the Patient’s family and the Hospital.  I guess it helps everyone navigate the system, but we could do more. Much more. A great example of Hospital know-WOW comes from Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital.

Caped Cleaners

It’s a bird, It’s a plane…

I mean how cool would it be for anyone entering the hospital to look up and see Super Hero Window Washers? Read the rest of this entry »

No one would argue that L.A. is super COOL —  but it can also be confusing and costly. Want to experience the JOY of SUMMER without getting lost or breaking the bank? Join the club! (Hey, I should be president of it!)

Fun & Free — L.A. July-August

1. Spotify your latest and greatest, blast your sounds on your iPhone, and run your firm body (or at least firm it up on the run) along the beach where you’ll soothe your soul and breathe in fresh salty air. Ahhhh…
2. Bike along the Venice canals (between Washington Avenue and Venice Blvd.) and wind your way around bridges, quaint houses and charming gardens. (I’m an L.A. native and I didn’t even know about this gem of a neighborhood till I saw it in a movie – Truth! So crazy!)
3. On the second Thursday of the month, check out the hipsters and creatives (and oh, yeah – the art) at the Downtown L.A. Art Walk.
4. Step-up and start “Stairing” in Silver Lake or Santa Monica. It’s a great way to get tan, get in-shape and meet new friends. (Seriously, the stairs are packed with potential love interests, bffs-to-be and frenemies who should be on a watchlist, ahaha).  Read the rest of this entry »

Working in the hospital has the side benefit of Sensitivity Training. I’m not referring to overcoming prejudices, though that’s certainly a big part of helping people. I’m talking about assumptions as in, do not make them. When I make them, they backfire.  Learn from my mistakes. 

Generalizations lead to Oops Moments —

Part of my job as an ER Volunteer is to take Patients in labor up to the 3rd Floor — the Floor for Labor and Delivery and Post Partum. It’s where we get to look through the windows and see all of those cutey-patooty-newborns in their first hours of life. And it’s a Floor where Patients usually get to take home more than just a hospital bill.  For months whenever I’d meet people in the elevator going up to the 3rd Floor  I’d say something like — Read the rest of this entry »

Last night I went to a friend’s birthday party at Katsuya — one gigantic rectangle of people I kinda knew with a few I didn’t, including a lovely network exec whose mere presence put me back into pimply high school mode. It had nothing to do with what she did — she was warm and open — and it wasn’t because we were talking about the business —I doubt that she even knows I’m an Actress. We were just two people saying “hi” for the first time, except that one of us was behaving like a mental freak show for no apparent reason. And though I knew I wasn’t doing myself any favors, I couldn’t get out of my own way.

Sabotage Syndrome

Why do we sabotage ourselves like that? People like CONFIDENCE. Insecurity makes people nervous, uncomfortable and everything gets so awkward. This is pretty true across the board – at work, in auditions, in relationships… Read the rest of this entry »

You know how when you step on gum, you can’t get it completely off? Your favorite shoes are never quite the same because part of the yuck stays with you wherever you go? Like you’ve tarnished your sole?

That’s kinda how my soul feels about an school friend “B” who has now come back to haunt me where I volunteer in the ER. Six years have past, we’ve both become adults (supposedly) and the guy who came between us is probably in some residential facility, or wearing an orange jumpsuit or pumping gas in Oxnard. Clearly he’s not a part of her life or my life, but for some reason his past connection has had an indelible effect on our frenemy-ship.  Sad…   Read the rest of this entry »

Be nice, or else…

On my ER shift, a Little Kid’s freaking out about having to get stitches, so I ask him if he can keep a secret? Uh-huh.

Wanna know our  SECRET CODE WORD ?

Yeah!…
…so I whisper: “Owww!”

Minutes later when  Dr. A dabs numbing cream on his wound, the kid yells, “Owww!” So I SHUSH! him about giving away the CODE WORD and he actually giggles — PLUS I get a “trying-not-to-smile-but-I-can’t-help-it” from Dr. A! So it’s a win/WIN of epic proportions! (My Mom would be so proud!)

Then in Triage, ANTHONY shouts at me for taking too many visitors back to see their Mom (c’mon Chan!) which is sooo frustrating! As I’ve said before — working in the ER is a LOVE|HATE situation!

ER Ambivalence —
THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WHATEVER! Read the rest of this entry »

it reveals who you are

The sad news about Debbie Martin, Angelina Jolie’s Aunt, has stayed with me since I read the email alert hours ago. It’s like every day an onion is unpeeling, and we’re getting a glimpse into a very private and painful part of Angelina Jolie’s life.

That Girl’s Got Guts!

I’m in awe of Angelina Jolie’s COURAGE as she faces her genetic challenges head-on.  If we were in her shoes would we? Could we? There’s no way to know. Courage is required in-the-moment. We don’t know if we’ll meet the requirement until we’re called upon.

I’ve loved and lost someone extremely close to me to Ovarian Cancer. It’s tough on everyone. Beyond…  My heart goes out to Angelina Jolie and her family now that they’ve lost two loved ones to this awful disease.

Moments like these seem to put everything into perspective. Read the rest of this entry »