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PRACTICE MANAGEMENT THOUGHT LEADERSHIP 147 The Story About A Janitor at Johns Hopkins: A Must- Read for Any Hospital Executive By Tamara Rosin A ll healthcare institutions proudly tout missions to pro- vide high-quality, affordable medical care and improve the health of the communities they serve. Rarely, however, are those communities defined or the in- dividuals within them consulted, according to Benjamin J. Old- field, MD, a resident in internal medicine and pediatrics at Balti- more-based Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. In the article published in the New England Journal of Med- icine, Dr. Oldfield comments on this great contradiction. He el- oquently tells the story of a hospital janitor at Johns Hopkins, a young mother in her twenties, born and raised in East Baltimore. e janitor, who he refers to as Ms. F to protect her identity, had been working at the academic medical center for several years be- fore Dr. Oldfield began his residency. rough small interactions a couple times a month, Ms. F filled the gaps le open by Dr. Oldfield's medical training — such as where a piece of equipment was located in the hospital. She also offered him a new perspective. "From her, I hear about neighbors displaced by commercial expansion in East Baltimore, or the evo- lution of wage discussions between her and the hospital admin- istration." Ms. F. dealt with financial troubles of her own, spending two months in a homeless shelter as a result of financial insecurity brought on by the death of her father. With the help of public assistance programs, she can afford to buy food, and Medicaid pays for her son's bronchodilators to treat his asthma. e Johns Hopkins family health plan is unaffordable on her wage of $12 an hour. "Ms. F.'s story runs contrary to the purported mission of my academic medical center — and probably most others," Dr. Old- field wrote. "We claim on banners, websites, and pamphlets that, in addition to pursuing excellence in research and medical educa- tion, we seek to improve the health of our communities. But rare- ly, it seems to me, are those communities defined — or consulted. e people who live near and work in these institutions appear to have no place in these missions: they are not celebrated as our colleagues, nor can they afford to be our patients." When her son was admitted to the hospital for his asthma condition, Ms. F was worried she would no longer be able to make ends meet given the days of work she would have to miss to be there for her son. Dr. Oldfield said the experience made him real- ize his training as an internist — to foster healthy families — ex- cluded his friend, colleague and patient. "Ms. F.'s story echoes through neighborhoods surrounding many U.S. academic medical centers," Dr. Oldfield wrote. "And it helped me realize that, as physicians who serve our local commu- nities, we should advocate for policies that promote health, pro- ductivity, and dignity in the people who work alongside us. Ms. F. and her family deserve a place in our missions." n SAVE THE DATE CEO Roundtable + CFO/CIO Roundtable November 18-19, 2015 | Ritz Carlton, Chicago 44 Leading Hospital & Health System CEOs, 33 CFOs & CIOs & 100 Hospital Executives Total Speaking Register at http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/ november-ceo-roundtable-conference/