The election is getting closer. The last day to register to vote is April 7th. Please register, not only for this upcoming election but for the national election in November. It's your voice; let it be heard. Early voting begins April 25th through the 29th and election day is Saturday, May 7th.
I am continuing my door to door campaigning and enjoying speaking with you all. Thank you for all your support.
Elect Sharina Rodriguez, RN
for Terry County Hospital Board
Patient Advocate
Support Positive Changes at an Administrative Level
A Vote for me is a Vote for the Patients of BRMC
Friday, April 1, 2016
Friday, February 12, 2016
If At First You Don't Succeed
I cannot believe it has already been a year since the last election. My, how the time flies. First, I would like to say thank you to those who voted for me last election. I lost by about three percent of the vote. That's a bunch of support! I am grateful. I have decided to run again. After much prayer have I made this decision. My heart has not changed. I still love BRMC and I still feel it can be a really great facility.
This is the platform I am running on, albeit simple: I want to help make the facility all it can be. I am not changing my campaign slogan or points. With that in mind, allow me to explain my three campaign points.
1. Patient Advocate: I am a registered nurse. I work at a big hospital in Lubbock as a renal and medical surgical staff nurse. The floor I work on is busy and I work very hard every day I'm there. I am proud to say I am a patient care nurse. Nurses are the heart of health care; I believe this with every fiber of my being. We are the patient advocates, serving as the eyes of the blind, the voice for the voiceless, the hands for the paralysed, the caregivers for the forgetful minds, often the first arms to cradle a newborn and the last hand to hold for the dying. I take this role very seriously. I am a patient advocate.
2. Support Positive Change at an Administrative Level: I have spoken with many Terry County residents who are afraid to go to BRMC, mostly related to a past negative experience. I want to start by saying that I have also spoken with others who have high praise for the experience they have had with the hospital. I also want to add that hearing these stories of bad experiences breaks my heart. I want the overall opinion in this community regarding the hospital to be positive. That community opinion must be earned through hard work and changes need to be made. Any business changes will involve preparing everyone involved with the organization to accept that change is necessary, which will involve the breakdown of the existing status quo before building a new way of operating. Administration must change in order to assist all of the staff members to buy-in and participate in a new vision for the facility. This does not necessarily mean a personnel change, which would be dependent upon multiple factors.
3. A Vote For me is a Vote for the Patients of BRMC: As a nurse, I feel that, at the end of the day, it is all about good patient care. Let us consider the reality: Within a forty-five minute drive there is top-notch health care available. How can BRMC possibly compete with that? I believe it is possible by providing home town friendly quality-matching service. Our local emergency room is important, as they are able to stabilize a patient in a trauma before transport to a higher level of care. They save lives. I've seen it happen, as I worked there as a nurse for years. Beyond that, the hospital could be a wonderful place for in-patients, as well. Anyone with pneumonia, pancreatitis, dehydration, cellulitis and many other diagnoses can receive the same treatments in Brownfield they could in Lubbock. Also, BRMC provides labor, delivery and postpartum care, as well as endoscopy. Quality, friendly patient care will bring back lost market share.
Thank you for reading and feel free to share this post.
Elect Sharina Rodriguez, RN for Hospital Board
* Patient Advocate
* Support Positive Change at an Administrative Level
* A Vote for me is a Vote for the Patients of BRMC
This is the platform I am running on, albeit simple: I want to help make the facility all it can be. I am not changing my campaign slogan or points. With that in mind, allow me to explain my three campaign points.
1. Patient Advocate: I am a registered nurse. I work at a big hospital in Lubbock as a renal and medical surgical staff nurse. The floor I work on is busy and I work very hard every day I'm there. I am proud to say I am a patient care nurse. Nurses are the heart of health care; I believe this with every fiber of my being. We are the patient advocates, serving as the eyes of the blind, the voice for the voiceless, the hands for the paralysed, the caregivers for the forgetful minds, often the first arms to cradle a newborn and the last hand to hold for the dying. I take this role very seriously. I am a patient advocate.
2. Support Positive Change at an Administrative Level: I have spoken with many Terry County residents who are afraid to go to BRMC, mostly related to a past negative experience. I want to start by saying that I have also spoken with others who have high praise for the experience they have had with the hospital. I also want to add that hearing these stories of bad experiences breaks my heart. I want the overall opinion in this community regarding the hospital to be positive. That community opinion must be earned through hard work and changes need to be made. Any business changes will involve preparing everyone involved with the organization to accept that change is necessary, which will involve the breakdown of the existing status quo before building a new way of operating. Administration must change in order to assist all of the staff members to buy-in and participate in a new vision for the facility. This does not necessarily mean a personnel change, which would be dependent upon multiple factors.
3. A Vote For me is a Vote for the Patients of BRMC: As a nurse, I feel that, at the end of the day, it is all about good patient care. Let us consider the reality: Within a forty-five minute drive there is top-notch health care available. How can BRMC possibly compete with that? I believe it is possible by providing home town friendly quality-matching service. Our local emergency room is important, as they are able to stabilize a patient in a trauma before transport to a higher level of care. They save lives. I've seen it happen, as I worked there as a nurse for years. Beyond that, the hospital could be a wonderful place for in-patients, as well. Anyone with pneumonia, pancreatitis, dehydration, cellulitis and many other diagnoses can receive the same treatments in Brownfield they could in Lubbock. Also, BRMC provides labor, delivery and postpartum care, as well as endoscopy. Quality, friendly patient care will bring back lost market share.
Thank you for reading and feel free to share this post.
Elect Sharina Rodriguez, RN for Hospital Board
* Patient Advocate
* Support Positive Change at an Administrative Level
* A Vote for me is a Vote for the Patients of BRMC
Monday, April 27, 2015
The Time has Arrived
Today was the first day of early voting. Early voting continues through May 5 and election day is May 9. I certainly hope to be elected but, even if I am not, I have gained so much from campaigning. The opportunity to talk to my neighbors and fellow community members has been wonderful. We have great people living in our town. I have been overwhelmed by your kindness and your willingness to listen and share your thoughts, as well. I have worked really hard because I believe in BRMC and I want to see the facility become a beacon for great service and the best patient experiences.
I also want to praise our physicians, as I have heard so many compliments on your professionalism and service. We are blessed in this community to have five doctors. I want the hospital to be the best place for our practitioners to admit their patients.
Believe me when I say that our local hospital can provide safe, effective quality care. Measures can be put in place to produce continuity of service and consistency in great customer care. Please help me to spread this vision to the other board members and employees of BRMC. Join me in this passion. Go out and support me at the polls. Thank you in advance.
Elect Sharina Rodriguez, RN for Hospital Board
* Patient Advocate
* Support Positive Change at an Administrative Level
* A Vote for me is a Vote for the Patients of BRMC
* Patient Advocate
* Support Positive Change at an Administrative Level
* A Vote for me is a Vote for the Patients of BRMC
Friday, April 17, 2015
Quality Assurance
I am running for the board of directors for BRMC with the intention of being a voice for quality assurance related to patient care. It is very much the responsibility of the governing board of any health care facility to reduce patient harm, or the potential thereof, and to improve quality care. The finances of an institution are directly related to the quality care and prevention of adverse events. Medicare reimbursements for care are reduced and often eliminated when certain events occur, including adverse drug events, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, central line-associated blood stream infections, injuries from falls, obstetrical adverse events, early elective deliveries, pressure ulcers, surgical site infections, venous thromboembolisms and ventilator-associated pneumonias.
In short, quality care is essential, not only for the patients but also for the health of the facility. It matters, greatly, and it is the board of directors' responsibility!
But to reinforce what I am communicating, I have included below some quotes from respected healthcare experts. Thank you for reading.
"Hospital boards have long had the duty of overseeing the delivery of patient care in their organizations, and are ultimately responsible for the quality and safety of that care. The traditional reluctance of boards, particularly the outside directors, to fully exercise their authority for supervision is breaking down in the face of growing awareness that the success of quality-improvement and patient safety activities involves more than medical decision making. As quality issues become more tightly intertwined with the financial health of hospitals, board members may find it easier to take a more active leadership role on the hospital's quality agenda and firmly establish quality improvement as a top priority for the organization. The adoption of national quality-reporting and quality improvement programs and the development of evidence-based best practices for the board, are raising the quality bar for both hospitals and their governing boards. Not only do these initiatives reveal what can be accomplished, they are beginning to demonstrate how. Boards have the authority, responsibility and skill to insist on the implementation of effective and accountable quality-improvement and patient safety systems and processes. It is hoped that advances in the field, and that a transparent sharing of relevant and necessary information, will give them the tools and confidence to do so."
Youngberg, Barbara. Principles of Risk Management and Patient Safety. Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 2010.
"When examining the success of high performing hospitals and health systems, a common thread often found among such organizations are Trustees who are highly educated on the importance of quality, actively engaged in setting performance goals and committed to advancing quality and safety within the organization."
""Improving patient safety and eliminating patient harm is job number one for Trustees."– Rich Umbdenstock, President & CEO, American Hospital Association"
"Boards must ensure that their hospital/health system has a clearly defined culture that centers on the patient and emphasizes transparency, reward and recognition. Boards must oversee the process of assessing their organizations’ values, policies and leadership actions against its desired culture and then implement changes as needed. Boards must understand that a “safety culture” involves training, education, resources, trust, respect and a clear set of expected values and behaviors – and it is the Board’s role to ensure that the desired culture is achieved."
Eliminating Harm, Improving Patient Care: A Trustee Guide. American Hospital Association, Health Research & Educational Trust, Center for Healthcare Governance and Trustee Magazine as part of the Partnership for Patients’ Hospital Engagement Network initiative.
Elect Sharina Rodriguez, RN for Hospital Board
* Patient Advocate
* Support Positive Change at an Administrative Level
* A Vote for me is a Vote for the Patients of BRMC
In short, quality care is essential, not only for the patients but also for the health of the facility. It matters, greatly, and it is the board of directors' responsibility!
But to reinforce what I am communicating, I have included below some quotes from respected healthcare experts. Thank you for reading.
"Hospital boards have long had the duty of overseeing the delivery of patient care in their organizations, and are ultimately responsible for the quality and safety of that care. The traditional reluctance of boards, particularly the outside directors, to fully exercise their authority for supervision is breaking down in the face of growing awareness that the success of quality-improvement and patient safety activities involves more than medical decision making. As quality issues become more tightly intertwined with the financial health of hospitals, board members may find it easier to take a more active leadership role on the hospital's quality agenda and firmly establish quality improvement as a top priority for the organization. The adoption of national quality-reporting and quality improvement programs and the development of evidence-based best practices for the board, are raising the quality bar for both hospitals and their governing boards. Not only do these initiatives reveal what can be accomplished, they are beginning to demonstrate how. Boards have the authority, responsibility and skill to insist on the implementation of effective and accountable quality-improvement and patient safety systems and processes. It is hoped that advances in the field, and that a transparent sharing of relevant and necessary information, will give them the tools and confidence to do so."
Youngberg, Barbara. Principles of Risk Management and Patient Safety. Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 2010.
"When examining the success of high performing hospitals and health systems, a common thread often found among such organizations are Trustees who are highly educated on the importance of quality, actively engaged in setting performance goals and committed to advancing quality and safety within the organization."
""Improving patient safety and eliminating patient harm is job number one for Trustees."– Rich Umbdenstock, President & CEO, American Hospital Association"
"Boards must ensure that their hospital/health system has a clearly defined culture that centers on the patient and emphasizes transparency, reward and recognition. Boards must oversee the process of assessing their organizations’ values, policies and leadership actions against its desired culture and then implement changes as needed. Boards must understand that a “safety culture” involves training, education, resources, trust, respect and a clear set of expected values and behaviors – and it is the Board’s role to ensure that the desired culture is achieved."
Eliminating Harm, Improving Patient Care: A Trustee Guide. American Hospital Association, Health Research & Educational Trust, Center for Healthcare Governance and Trustee Magazine as part of the Partnership for Patients’ Hospital Engagement Network initiative.
Elect Sharina Rodriguez, RN for Hospital Board
* Patient Advocate
* Support Positive Change at an Administrative Level
* A Vote for me is a Vote for the Patients of BRMC
Thursday, April 16, 2015
First Printing
My advertisement appeared in the paper! It came out really well, I think. There is one thing that is incorrect, however in this first printing: I am not running for an At-Large position, I am running for the Unexpired Term. My name will appear at the bottom of the ballot. I am running against the incumbent, Sylvia Dingus, (who is a very kind lady.) I also want to mention the potential for confusion with the ballot. The At-Large seats will be the first item on the ballot. There are five individuals running for two seats. Each of these individuals appear twice on the ballot. The voter is allowed two votes in this top section. You may vote for the same candidate twice, vote for two individuals or not vote at all for the at-large seats. I will appear below that section and Ms. Dingus' and my name appear only once. You may vote for either Ms. Dingus, me or neither if you are only voting for the at-large chairs, which are longer terms. I would greatly appreciate your vote! I welcome any comments or questions.
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Clearing the Air
The election is getting closer; less than a month away. Early voting is closer than that. I am really grateful for those of you that support me. I have learned a great deal talking to members of the community in my door-to-door campaigning. I appreciate the good questions and the insights you have provided.
There has been some adversity to running, however. The CEO of the hospital said some unkind things, (to be very diplomatic), about me in a hospital-wide meeting. Many thinly veiled accusations were tossed about regarding me. That is not very nice and I will refrain from any trumped up retaliatory comment regarding that.
Also, my signs have been systematically disappearing from yards. It is a mystery in the truest sense. (If you are reading this and you have been taking them please return them. Technically, taking something that doesn't belong to you is theft.) These signs cost money. Any information regarding the whereabouts would be appreciated. One last thing, if someone has taken my signs I would like to know who, of course, but more importantly I would like to know why.
That brings me to this point. Why is the hospital administration so upset about me running? (Not associating the sign theft with the administration.) Trust me, I am not a disgruntled ex-employee with a vendetta, as I was accused of being.
Believe me, I am not this cool. And this election is in May, not the fifth of November. (For those of you familiar with this reference.)
So, let me clarify; I am passionate about Brownfield Regional Medical Center. I went to nursing school to work there. What happened to me as a nurse in the facility after the nursing administration change was unjust. Although I am no longer physically there working my heart remains. I know that our local hospital can be a wonderful place for our patients but there need to be changes! My son was a patient there for four days just last week. I experienced some wonderful service from some of the nurses, nurse aides and ancillary staff but I also experienced sub-par care from others. There is no sugar coating that. Orders were missed, (only caught by myself because I am a nurse.) There are real issues, my friends and neighbors in this great community. I want to make it better. I know the right questions to ask. Let me help make this the best patient care facility it can be. This is not a vendetta, this is a passion!
So, thank you to those of you that are my supporters and a special thank you to those of you that would steal signs or slander me, as well. Both are great motivators.
Elect Sharina Rodriguez, RN for Hospital Board
* Patient Advocate
* Support Positive Change at an Administrative Level
* A Vote for me is a Vote for the Patients of BRMC
There has been some adversity to running, however. The CEO of the hospital said some unkind things, (to be very diplomatic), about me in a hospital-wide meeting. Many thinly veiled accusations were tossed about regarding me. That is not very nice and I will refrain from any trumped up retaliatory comment regarding that.
Also, my signs have been systematically disappearing from yards. It is a mystery in the truest sense. (If you are reading this and you have been taking them please return them. Technically, taking something that doesn't belong to you is theft.) These signs cost money. Any information regarding the whereabouts would be appreciated. One last thing, if someone has taken my signs I would like to know who, of course, but more importantly I would like to know why.
That brings me to this point. Why is the hospital administration so upset about me running? (Not associating the sign theft with the administration.) Trust me, I am not a disgruntled ex-employee with a vendetta, as I was accused of being.
Believe me, I am not this cool. And this election is in May, not the fifth of November. (For those of you familiar with this reference.)So, let me clarify; I am passionate about Brownfield Regional Medical Center. I went to nursing school to work there. What happened to me as a nurse in the facility after the nursing administration change was unjust. Although I am no longer physically there working my heart remains. I know that our local hospital can be a wonderful place for our patients but there need to be changes! My son was a patient there for four days just last week. I experienced some wonderful service from some of the nurses, nurse aides and ancillary staff but I also experienced sub-par care from others. There is no sugar coating that. Orders were missed, (only caught by myself because I am a nurse.) There are real issues, my friends and neighbors in this great community. I want to make it better. I know the right questions to ask. Let me help make this the best patient care facility it can be. This is not a vendetta, this is a passion!
So, thank you to those of you that are my supporters and a special thank you to those of you that would steal signs or slander me, as well. Both are great motivators.
Elect Sharina Rodriguez, RN for Hospital Board
* Patient Advocate
* Support Positive Change at an Administrative Level
* A Vote for me is a Vote for the Patients of BRMC
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Some Basic Information
Just to clarify, early voting is April 27- May 5 and election day is May 9. You can vote by mail. I have some applications for a mail ballot. If you need one let me know or you can pick one up at the courthouse annex. Voting will be at the courthouse annex. I also have a sample ballot if you want to see what it will look like ahead of time. Thank you all for your support.
Elect Sharina Rodriguez, RN for Hospital Board
* Patient Advocate
* Support Positive Change at an Administrative Level
* A Vote for me is a Vote for the Patients of BRMC
Elect Sharina Rodriguez, RN for Hospital Board
* Patient Advocate
* Support Positive Change at an Administrative Level
* A Vote for me is a Vote for the Patients of BRMC
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