Union Members Play Key Role In New Kaiser Med Center

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

Union members played a key role in planning and developing a new state-of-the-art medical center in the nation’s capital. “I am extremely proud of the role Local 400 members played in the planning, development, design and implementation” of the new Kaiser Permanente Capitol Hill Medical Center, said UFCW 400 President Tom McNutt. Consciously designed to be “warm and inviting,” the new center, at 700 Second St., NE, is “less sterile looking than the typical health care facility,” said physician’s assistant – and UFCW 400 Executive Board member -- Jaki Bradley, noting that the planning team’s goal was to make patient’s experience there “a pleasant and positive one.” Local 400 represents healthcare professional workers and OPEIU Local 2 will represent clinical employees at the just-opened Center, which has added new services, including speech therapy, nuclear medicine, nuclear cardiology, blood transfusion, peritoneal dialysis, occupational services, and PET scan, the only scan of its type in the region. To help patients quickly find their way, lights in the ceiling guide patients to the nearest reception area, and lines in the hallway carpeting guide them to the nearest bilingual and interactive map kiosk, which help steer patients in the right direction. The facility also provides Internet workstations for patients to schedule appointments and check e-mail. Built-in speakers throughout the hospital ensure that hospital staffers are quickly notified when a fellow staff member needs assistance. “Patients and employees will enjoy this new environment of receiving and providing care,” Local 2’s Mike Cowan says. “This showcase facility will be a model that will be used by Kaiser nationwide as they build new medical centers.” Click here to read the full story on UFCW 400’s website.
– photo: UFCW 400 member Annie Borkowski helps set up rooms in the 27/7 medical care department; photo courtesy UFCW 400