Smooshed
A funny thing happened on the way to creating the plan for the 2009 renovation of our facility.
As part of the planning process, James and Jennifer, the administrative team, listened to ideas from the staff.
One reason for the renovation was that some staffers were smooshed together in tiny rooms with barely enough space to turn around. In asking for feelings and ideas, however, James and Jennifer discovered that the people who worked together at Maple City Health Care Center actually appreciated some aspects of being smooshed.
The new hub for the providers team
The biggest concern of staff members about the new space was that people would end up isolated in private offices.
James and Jennifer took the concern seriously and worked with the builders to create plans for 'hubs’ -- large open spaces where teams of people work together.
After the builders finished the renovation, Maple City staffers moved into four new hubs: a providers' hub, a support staff hub, a medical assistants' hub, and an administrative hub.
The new configuration allows maximum interaction and reduced isolation -- attributes that help maintain and build healthy staff relationships.