Partnership for Public Service’s Best Places to Work Rankings Recognition

Friday, Jan. 11, 2019

Noon (CT)/1 p.m. (ET)

David Isaacks Remarks

I want to thank Secretary Wilkie and the VA Central Office for inviting me to be here today to recognize the importance of workplace engagement. As director of Truman VA in Columbia, Missouri, I am proud to represent our medical center. However, I am just one member of a comprehensive team that has the great honor of caring for our nation’s heroes. Therefore, I also want to recognize my colleagues at Truman VA for their devotion to each other and to the Veterans we serve.

As director, I routinely receive letters from Veterans and family members, who express gratitude for the care they or their loved one received at one of our facilities. I am both amazed and humbled that so many take the time to write and mail words of praise and encouragement – especially in today’s digital age. I ask that you please indulge me as I share a portion of one recent letter.

This Veteran wrote:

“I wanted to let you know how great the staff is at Truman VA hospital. They always have a smile and they go out of their way to make sure all my care needs are met. I do get treatment from the outside. But I have found that the staff here listens better, teaches better and finds more time for me. I wish I could single out one person that does better than anyone else at Truman VA, but I cannot.”

I received this letter a few weeks ago, and I have reflected on it since. Especially the last sentence about not being able to single out one employee as more deserving than another. For me, these letters validate that we truly are on the right track. That we are committed to providing our Veterans with the kind of care we would want for our own family members. It certainly speaks to the level of customer service that we all expect from each other. As a proponent of high reliability, I know there never will be a time that improvement is impossible. However, I cannot help but feel pride each time we receive such praise.

Engagement fuels the passion and efforts our staff put into everyday work activities. Each month at Truman VA, we honor our colleagues by presenting them with awards for their dedication to excellence. At every ceremony I am reminded of their level of commitment through the nominations they receive from their peers.

Although each nomination is unique, there is a common thread — their willingness to go above and beyond. It’s an honor to lead staff who not only provide excellent service, but who also donate personal time and resources, to assist those who have needs in addition to medical care.

Perhaps a more tangible measure of engagement is employee satisfaction. Truman VA recently was ranked No. 1 nationally by VA as a “Best Place to Work” through our administration’s annual All Employee Survey. This is the second consecutive year that we have been ranked No. 1 throughout VA by staff.

Although satisfaction is important, we also believe that fostering an environment of trust and self-worth is crucial to delivering excellent, safe care. Therefore, we also embrace the kinds of changes that must occur to enable us to provide the best for our Veterans.

Our team – from top to bottom – is committed to modernization, innovation and reliability. It’s our goal to realize high reliability as the foundation for every activity we’re involved in. In this way each of us has “skin in the game” — as engagement often is referred to.

I’ve talked about positive efforts we are making to improve care for our Veterans. However, as with all health providers, we too face challenges and obstacles.

Although there are approximately 20 million Veterans in the United States, only six million seek care from VA each year. Out of this group, about 70 percent also receive health care from additional sources outside of VA. And this is where community partnerships become vital.

There is no doubt that our team at Truman VA understands the importance of caring for those who have served. We want to ensure that all Veterans have access to the best care possible. However, it needs to be care that makes sense to them, so that each Veteran can achieve their desired health outcome. That can only happen when care is collaborative, coordinated and accessible.

Community partnerships are very important. When we focus on providing the right care, at the right time and the right place, we achieve what is best for everyone.

A big part of providing this kind of optimal care involves health information that is shared fully, and in a timely manner — so that care is made through informed decisions.

In the coming months, we at Truman VA look forward to continuing our journey to high reliability through practicing excellent customer service; implementing the MISSION Act for improved, patient-centered care; improving the use of electronic health information for our Veterans, their families and community providers; and engaging with others as we work to reduce Veteran homelessness and prevent suicide.

Thank you very much.