Town Halls Are Just One Way We Stay Connected

A few weeks ago, we held our latest systemwide Town Hall. Across the two virtual sessions, 509 people joined us — more than 10% of our roughly 4,000-person workforce.

That matters to me. Not because we are chasing attendance, but because it tells me people want to be part of the conversation — to understand where GBMC HealthCare is headed and what it means for your work, your teams, and the people we serve.

That is exactly why we do Town Halls.

They are one way for us to share updates, answer questions, and be transparent about what we are working through. We did not get to every question live, and I know that can be frustrating. Sometimes, honestly, the best answer is not the fastest answer.

So we are following up.

The recording, along with responses to the questions we did not get to live, is now on the InfoWeb. If you missed it, or want to revisit part of the discussion, I hope you will take a look.

A quick behind-the-scenes moment: for the 5:30 a.m. session, every one of my executive team members was in the admin suite before dawn, ready to go. Nobody phoned it in from home. That was their choice, and it said a lot about how much this team values showing up for you — especially for our early-shift and overnight colleagues. Small thing, but it stuck with me. I will admit I made more trips than usual to my friends at Zime Café that morning. What is that saying — "America runs on Dunkin"…. truth be told, I run on Zime!

But I want to make one thing very clear: Town Halls are not the only place to talk with the executive team.

They are one mechanism. An important one, yes, but still just one.

You should also see us during rounding, at snack carts, through executive shadowing, and when you pass the senior team huddle board there's a QR code there that walks through all our metrics and goals. And when you have a question, concern, or idea, please send us an email. You do not have to wait for the next Town Hall.

This is part of what we meant in our Leadership Pledge when we said we would show up, listen with intention, and communicate honestly and transparently.

I meant it when I said those were not just words on a page.

Looking ahead to the next Town Hall

Our next Town Hall will be in late Fall. We will hold at least one in-person session — I hear the request for face-to-face time, and we will make it happen. I will also keep leaning into virtual, because it reaches the most people and meets folks where they are. And I am committed to figuring out how to do hybrid well, without either group feeling like the "other" audience.

A direct ask to our night-shift teams

Our overnight team is the smallest group working at any given hour — and one of the most critical. I want to be honest: I have not yet nailed the right forum for you, and I want to.

We tried 8 p.m. the first time. We tried 5:30 a.m. this last time. Attendance has been okay, but "okay" isn't what I am aiming for with this team.

Here is what I am considering: a hybrid Town Hall at 7 a.m. — early enough that folks leaving the hospital could stop and join in person, listen on the drive home, or watch live before heading to bed. But I do not want to guess from a daytime conference room. So I need your help. Would 7 a.m. work? A different time or format? Would summaries through huddles or break room postings help? Tell me — drop it in the comments, send me an email, or grab me on rounds.

The goal is to add access points, not take away something that is working.

That is really the spirit of all of this.

Communication is not one meeting. Listening is not one survey. Transparency is not one posting on the InfoWeb. Trust is built over time, through repeated actions that show we meant what we said.

So we will keep doing Town Halls. We will keep improving them. And we will keep creating other ways for you to ask questions, share feedback, and help shape where we go next.

Please keep the feedback coming.

Employee Spotlight

Michael Massimei, BSN, RN, SCRN

Stroke Clinical Program Manager

GBMC Hospital

How long have you been at GBMC HealthCare?

>1 year

What is one key way you support a zero harm/safety culture?

One key way I support a zero harm/safety culture is by building trusted, collaborative relationships across the multidisciplinary stroke team so that I can serve as a subject matter expert, help reduce variation in stroke care, and support reliable, timely, evidence-based stroke processes.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?

The most rewarding part of my job is seeing clinicians and staff become as engaged and excited about stroke care as I am. When they recognize how their interventions and care can positively impact a patient’s outcome, it feels like a full-circle moment for me. It brings me back to my own bedside nursing experience and reminds me of how meaningful it is to be part of a patient’s recovery.

What's your favorite hobby?

Now that it is summertime, my favorite hobby is to be out in the garden. Although I do grow different types of flowers and shrubs, I have a vegetable garden that is growing tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, watermelon, strawberries, carrots, and other vegetables.