We serve with empathy - what that looks like to our caregivers

At Intermountain Health, one of our values is We serve with empathy. This means we care for each caregiver, patient, and member with compassion and respect. Our leaders and team members embody this value in their daily work.

Sebastian de Freitas, Marketing and Communications manager at Select Health, explains how he incorporates empathy into his work.

“I may not have the same lived experiences as someone else to acknowledge their struggles, fears, or concerns and bring that to a place of common ground and shared humanity. I review my actions, decisions, prioritization process, and analysis with the lens of how an initiative will benefit consumers wherever they are in the cycle with us (prospect, member, patient, partner, client, vendor) with their unique background and approach to things, which may be different from mine.”

Amy Rhodes, senior nurse manager, shares how her team members show their purpose in the care they bring to patients.

“Everyone on my team has their own purpose for coming to the hospital each day. They show that purpose in the care they bring to our patients. They speak up for safety, share important information across all departments as their patient moves from team to team or from team to family/friends to continue their care. My decisions throughout the day are aimed to support the team, to lift them up, and allow them to continue their purpose in caring.”

“I recently helped a gentleman who was discharged from the hospital after being readmitted with a new and life-altering diagnosis of cancer that was found after ongoing abdominal pain,” said Kaley Crouch, a Healthy Connections care manager. “After he answered my phone call, I let him know that I was with Select Health. He then stopped me and said that he had something to say about Select Health. I was a little nervous, but he proceeded to tell me he has had Select Health for many years and previously worked with a care manager. He said everyone at Select Health, from the benefits team to care management, are some of the best individuals he’s ever had the pleasure of working with. He said his hospital stay was an incredibly hard and confusing time for him but the staff at Intermountain were kind and patient and upon his discharge home, he was immediately greeted by home health and a Select Health care manager. He told me everyone made him feel seen and heard.

He was able to get all the support he needed to manage his new diagnoses and feel confident in moving forward. He wanted to let everyone know at Select Health that he plans to continue to be with us and would recommend our company to anyone.”

These quotes demonstrate the importance of empathy in our work at Intermountain. By serving with empathy, we can better understand and support our patients, team members, and community.