Knox's Blog

Wow, what a hot weekend we just had. I hope that like me, you were able to spend time with your families in a safe way.

I am happy to be in town the next couple of weeks, and I will be in a number of meetings that are directly related to Vision 2015.  I’ll be starting off this week attending a recognition lunch Tuesday for some of our Inova Leadership Institute leaders. Good leaders are very important for our organization as we face the challenges future state of healthcare.

Another meeting this week includes Dr. Niederhueber, who leads our Inova Translational Medicine Institute. The work that’s being done at the Translational Medicine Institute represents the future of healthcare, where we can use genomic information personalize the care we provide. Dr. Niederhueber and I are excited to share our vision and ideas with leaders in the community this week.

I also hold regular meetings with the 2015 Vision Group, a group of Inova employees from throughout the organization. In these meetings, we openly discuss the Vision 2015 plan and its impact to our entire system. Lastly, I end the week with my first meeting with the Cancer Center Planning Group.

It feels like I have a lot of meetings this week, but I always find meetings to be productive. But I know that’s not always the case – we could always use some tips to keep them that way. How do you make sure your meetings are productive?

I just got back from a trip to Haiti, where I led a team of 20 people (mostly teenagers) working on building a house and clinic to replace facilities lost in last year’s earthquake. I do this work in connection with my church and its youth program, and it is always the highlight of my personal year. I enjoy the enthusiasm and energy which these young people bring to any undertaking.

While in Haiti, we worked with young children in three different orphanages, paying more attention to children who have not had much contact with people for some time. Haiti is slowly recovering and is still very much a “work in progress” which means it takes a great deal of patience to volunteer there. At the same time, the sense of purpose I receive from this work is so strong that I am ready to go back again really soon. (Plus, it seems I lost a little weight from the hot sun and work schedule — a few more points toward my “Team Up” weight loss goals!)

This week I am back at work (and happy to be here). Monday’s bi-monthly “CEO Council” meeting is a great opportunity for me to get an overview of the successes and challenges faced by each of our hospitals.

Also this week, I meet with a local pastor to talk about Inova’s safety net programs. I find time regularly to meet with leaders in the community to discuss the ways our hospitals help serve our community. They, in turn, help us spread word of our services and help us reach as many people in need as we possibly can.

Temperatures outside are getting hotter, so I am avoiding the heat as much as possible. I work out regularly indoors at the gym but if I do exercise outside, I try to get out early or after the sun falls. Also, we all have to remember to drink plenty of water and don’t overdo it!

p.s. This week I’ll be making the opening remarks at a leadership event. I believe strongly in our future leaders, and I enjoy having the chance to serve as a mentor. What are YOUR favorite words of wisdom?

Bowtie Kitty

Bowtie Kitty from the previous post still has me thinking.  This time, Bowtie Kitty has me thinking about preventative care.  My daughter, Leah, waited a few months to have Bowtie Kitty spayed because the cost was $110.  You have heard the saying, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” (or a pound of kittens, in Leah’s case). One of the keys to offering world class healthcare is a plan to effectively communicate the benefits of preventative care and medicine.

Again, kittens aren’t really a “bad” outcome, right? They are cute and cuddly and make great noises. But, Leah had to spend time finding appropriate homes for them, and there were plenty of extra costs involved—costs of both time and money. In our lives, the costs and benefits of preventative care impact our health long-term, influencing the health, well-being and quality of life of an individual for years, even decades.

How should we communicate, to the public, the immense benefits of preventative care?