VCU Health System is an organization that reflects the community it is privileged to serve. Our more than 8,000 employees are a precise snapshot of the diversity in our own neighborhoods. With such a range of ages, ethnicities and lifestyles, VCUHS strives to meet each employee’s needs – just like we tailor care to each individual patient.

We constantly develop new programs to meet our employees where they need help. We listen to their concerns, and we respond. No matter what position our employees are in, we want to help our employees when, where and how they need it most.

“My own wife rejoined full-time employment this year, and as a couple we struggle for a work-life balance that seems elusive at times,” says Dr. Sheldon Retchin, CEO of VCUHS. “As parents to three children, we know what it’s like to be a hardworking family and we appreciate all the give and take that it requires. But it is a challenge made easier by working here. As a father I benefit from these innovative policies, too.”

Among the more than 400 programs, policies and benefits focused on work-life issues at VCUHS, we believe these five rise to the top:

BEST PRACTICE: Our on-site adult care center opened in 2007 and today provides intergenerational care for our employees’ families.

In 2007, VCUHS opened an on-site adult care center for employee dependents, whether elderly or challenged by mental or physical disability. With the average age of our employees being 40.3 years, many on our staff are part of the “sandwich generation,” raising a family and caring for aging relatives. Our on-site child care center addresses part of that challenge, and now, with the adult care center, we are pleased to meet our employees’ complete needs.

As evidence of our achievements, the Virginia Psychological Association awarded our center in 2007 a gold citation for our commitment to providing work-life balance for our employees.

Our adult care center is the first in our region for any employer not in the primary business of eldercare. Any adult dependent in need of care, regardless of relationship to the employee, is eligible to participate.

At our center, employees can drop off participants on the way into work, visit them at lunchtime and check on them whenever it is convenient throughout the day.

Program highlights are:

• music and art therapy
• cooking
• craft classes
• guest lectures
• gardening
• current events

Perhaps most important, our adult care facility is managed and housed near our newly built infant center and newly renovated child care center. Adults who are interested and able are invited to rock the babies and play with the children in our child care centers. This intergenerational approach to care is unique in our region and is positive for both the children and the adults. Caregivers rest easier too, knowing that their loved one is in a secure and caring environment.

Other unique adult care facility features include:

• Financial subsidy provided to employees to offset cost (offered at $55/day – less than half the market rate)
• A staff to participant ratio of 1:4 (state law allows 1:10)
• Frequent visits from our gerontology physicians to provide additional resources, including our CEO, Dr. Sheldon Retchin, a practicing geriatrician who still sees patients despite his rigorous administrative duties

BEST PRACTICE: In 2007, we launched an innovative community-based program to mentor at-risk women into health care careers. We also grew our higher education program for employees, their spouses and their dependents.

We are the proud employer of a workforce with some of the best medical and academic minds in the world, and we strongly believe in not cloistering our employees in their specific jobs. We provide strategic programs for our employees to work with each other – across disciplines, age, gender and ethnic lines – in an effort to challenge our employees and expand our abilities.

Out of an array of progressive policies and programs, the following two best represent our commitment to mentoring women and growing our employees.

Center for Workforce Excellence

In 2007, VCUHS formed a Center for Workforce Excellence to serve as a bridge between those in the community who need jobs and an employer searching for qualified workers. After identifying people within our community who are or could be on public assistance, we bring them in and offer them the opportunity for a job and a track to a four-year degree at our university if that is their goal.

Our intention is to train and educate these individuals, giving them the chance at a lifelong career in positions like phlebotomy or radiology. To assist them in this pursuit, we have a slate of mostly female employees who are eager to work alongside them in training, mentoring, educating and shadowing.

In the end, our employees are instrumental in helping their neighbors achieve a new start on life, and VCUHS adds to its loyal, well-trained workforce, which reflects a rich environment of diversity at all levels.

Higher education

A good education is the key to having success in life and at VCUHS we embody that belief by making education available to all of our employees and their families. In 2007, VCUHS invested almost $3.3 million for employees and their dependents in tuition assistance. Almost $350,000 of the total tuition amount went to helping 230 employee dependents, whether spouse, child, foster child or stepchild.

We assisted 230 employee dependents with tuition in 2007, up from 161 in 2006. About 30 percent of our nearly 8,000 employees received tuition assistance in a given semester in 2007. Our pre-paid tuition benefits require no reimbursement. We pay the school directly, saving employees the hassle of paperwork and out-of-pocket expenses.

But simply footing the bill is only half the equation. We also insist upon an atmosphere of flexible schedules, so our employees can attend school while keeping their jobs and benefits.

BEST PRACTICE: In 2007, we enhanced our generous policies for paid time off, while expanding our services for back-up and sick child care.

As a medical center, we never close our doors. We must have the appropriate staff to work around the clock to meet patient needs. Flexible schedules and time off are essential to keep our workforce feeling balanced and energetic. And we do this with no mandatory overtime, a rare find in our industry.

Paid Time Off (PTO)

Upon starting work here, employees immediately begin accruing up to 27 days of PTO in their first year – that’s more than five weeks off. As employment continues, staff can earn up to 43 days off per year.

PTO can be used in a variety of ways to meet employees’ needs. PTO can be converted to cash, carried over for future use or a mixture of the two. Our work schedules don’t fit into a traditional mold, so our benefits can’t either.

Sick Time Bank (STB)

New in 2007, employees who adopt or accept foster care children have the same level of benefits and leave as new birth parents. With a combination of STB and PTO, we provide the utmost allowances for welcoming home the children.

Our employees are not restricted to the 12 weeks of FMLA leave mandated by federal law. Instead, they have options available for extended unconditional and conditional leaves of absence of up to one year, providing access to continuation of benefits during this time.

Back-up and Sick Child Care

In a healthcare environment, our employees often are torn between staying home with a mildly ill child and knowing that so many patients depend upon their services. To help reduce the stress – and guilt – that this can cause, VCUHS expanded its services in 2007 for back-up and sick child care. In the program’s first six months, employees used 118 days of back-up care, proving the need for such a service.

• Employees receive 20 days of back-up and sick child care per year, per child.
• Our own on-site child care center maintains open slots for employees’ children.
• In-home arrangements also can be made for children too sick to attend a group center or when regularly-scheduled day care falls through.
• We even respond when our employees are called out of town on business and their children need overnight care.
• When schools are closed for holidays or inclement weather, we provide on-site child care for any employee children.

Self-scheduling

Many groups of employees required to work rotating schedules are encouraged to tell us of their availability so we can rearrange their schedules to meet family needs or for educational pursuits.

Leave Share & Military Leave

Employees can accrue PTO and donate it to co-workers in times of need. In 2007, more than 4,200 hours were donated. Also, our employees in active military duty continue to receive full salary during their military service.

BEST PRACTICE: In 2007, we expanded our employee mental and emotional health programs. We also launched a postpartum doula program and expanded our chaplain services for employees.

VCUHS treats the sickest, most at-risk patients and operates the only Level One trauma center in Central Virginia. Sometimes just simply being in the building and seeing what goes on can be heart wrenching. We combat that and the typical stresses of life by presenting a unique assortment of programs.

Mental Health Expertise

We are proud to have the preeminent, mental health expert Dr. Bela Sood, professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, on staff at VCUHS. As with many of our nationally and internationally-acclaimed faculty, we encourage and support their service on committees and task forces that impact the well-being of Virginians and beyond. Dr. Sood was the only mental health expert who served on Governor Tim Kaine’s Virginia Tech Review Panel. As a direct result of her diligence and findings, Governor Kaine’s budget reflected a $42 million mental health budget, a proposal that, if passed, will have far-reaching impacts for years to come.

Employee Assistance Program

Our Employee Assistance Program is intended to help employees with personal challenges in the early stage – before they become a problem. EAP calls are managed within our Department of Psychiatry’s Intake & Referral Service. Consultations with qualified counselors are completely confidential and are available to employees and members of their household 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Employees and their families can receive up to five free visits per “problem episode,” including the initial consultation and four follow-up visits.

Postpartum Doula Program

Evidence has shown that quality support during the postpartum period can ease the transition of having a new baby in the family. Our exciting, new Postpartum Doula Program for Employees provides professionally trained advisors who offer postpartum support to our working mothers and their families. Our doulas facilitate the transition into parenthood by providing education, hands-on support and reliable information to the mother and whole family. The doulas are available for home visits and by telephone.

Chaplain Care

The anxiety and depression of losing a loved one or a colleague can be devastating. That’s why eight times a year our chaplains conduct memorial services for employees’ lost friends and loved ones. Once a year, we hold a memorial service for all of the employees who died. This is a caring way to deal with the loss of colleagues and to offer pastoral care.

Recently, a senior leader on our staff passed away unexpectedly. Her death was shocking and reverberated throughout our organization. We immediately responded by offering times for our employees to meet with chaplains who helped guide us through the grieving process.

Other initiatives include:

· The Rainbow Society disbursed in 2007 more than $16,000 to 43 fellow co-workers who experienced financial hardships. The society is fully funded by employees for employees.

· We switched our behavioral health insurance provider to Aetna who offers a comprehensive approach to behavioral healthcare.

· We offer an eight-hour retreat for staff entitled “Compassion Fatigue and Self Care.” This popular workshop focuses on stress management in healthcare careers.

· In 2007 we instituted monthly gatherings for employees who are raising children with special needs.

BEST PRACTICE: In 2007, we worked to expand opportunities for women in leadership positions, as recognized be NAFE for the second consecutive year.

In early 2008, we were named, for the second straight year, a National Association of Female Executives (NAFE) Top Company. With this designation, we glean knowledge from NAFE and bring that expertise back to our own workforce.

“As a female leader in this organization, I can attest to the fact that this award is well deserved,” says Maria Curran, vice president of human resources. “Our training and educational programs set us apart as an organization that nurtures women into management positions.”

Nine of our top 18 executives are women. And our new CNO is female not by chance but by design. As mandated by our CEO, all of our board and search committees must have strong female representation. And, we have infrastructure in place to ensure the advancement of women:

· Committee for Women of Color. Employee research from our most recent survey indicates that 87% of employees believe our health system “understands cultural differences and values diversity.”

· Our vice president of Human Resources serves on an Advancement of Women taskforce – an umbrella entity for both the health system and Virginia Commonwealth University.

· We have specific language in our manager performance reviews, scoring them on their approach to advancing women and minorities.

Physician Leadership Academy

The first class of 50 VCUHS leaders, more than 50 percent of whom were female, completed the academy in May 2007 after starting in March 2005. Through coursework, distance-learning materials, and mentoring, the leaders develop the skills, perspective and knowledge necessary to become more effective in their work environments.

VCUHS encourages its physicians to pursue supplemental education that will heighten their abilities and improve their overall professional talents. The academy graduates enrich our medical center by becoming champions in their specialties for clinical, strategic and operational reforms.

Monthly leadership meetings

Each month, we hold meetings for our leaders across all departments so they can come together, network and share ideas. They share their knowledge, offer tips on how to be better leaders and give warnings on efforts that don’t seem to work. Of everyone who attends, 75 percent are female.

These are the practices we do best. We believe they set us apart. In our 170-year history, we have evolved with the times and demands of our workforce – a tradition that we intend to continue.