Team building: Medical surveyors’ friendship, consistency help Hoosier kids, each other
Learning “on the job” is a part of most vocations but taking over an already-expansive program -- and finding just the right personnel for it -- is something else entirely.
That’s where Nicole Tipton, BSN, RN found herself about two and a half years ago as the Indiana Department of Health’s (IDOH) Home and Community-Based Care division began the transition to surveying childcare institutions that previously were solely under the purview of the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS). Such locations include group homes, child caring institutions, emergency childcare shelters, and other similar institutions.
Fast forward to today and Tipton has assembled a team that, collectively, is responsible for surveying approximately 120 such facilities, spanning from South Bend to Evansville and everywhere in-between. The three women tasked with that important duty and their supervisor have forged a bond that has helped them not only excel at their work but also to lean on one another as the best of friends, through the good times and the bad. And because of those close connections, the team is thriving and making a real difference in the lives of Hoosier kids.
Success story
The IDOH Home and Community-Based Care medical surveying team includes Ashley Nevins, Grace Griggs, and Jennifer Hasbrook, who were hired between March and August 2020. Though they immediately shared a strong desire to ensure each of the facilities they inspected met all the state’s requirements, each of the surveyors brought with them a unique perspective and disparate work backgrounds.
Nevins previously worked in special education, while Griggs was part of the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles’ (BMV) communications team. Hasbrook once worked as a real estate development consultant in Chicago before becoming a family case manager (FCM) and FCM supervisor with Indiana’s DCS.
These differences have proven to be a strength for a team that quickly caught the attention of division leadership – for all the right reasons.
“Nicole [Tipton] and I started this together,” remarked Janelyn Kulik, Home and Community-Based Care department director. “We learned how to survey the homes and Nicole just ran with it. She is what made this team what it is.”
What it is is something close to family.
Photo caption: IDOH’s Nicole Tipton, Ashley Nevins, Grace Griggs, and Jennifer Hasbrook have formed a bond that has bolstered their working relationship and personal friendship and has helped them provide the best possible service to Hoosier children.
On the job training
Tipton trained each of the medical surveyors, and that was integral in helping the team establish continuity right from the get-go.
“That honestly built the family mentality, but it also made our team incredibly consistent across the board,” Tipton said.
Such uniformity is crucial. Each surveyor is charged with thoroughly examining multiple childcare facilities, making sure that nutrition, sanitation, and universal precautionary measures are followed in accordance with state regulations. The surveyors make unannounced visits and inspect kitchen areas, child immunization and other health records, staff certifications, and any hazards or safety concerns.
Tipton explained that the facility director typically gives the surveyor the tour during which time the location is assessed. Any facility not receiving a score of at least 80 percent will be followed-up on, and the survey team keeps in contact with staff to ensure recommendations or violations are corrected.
There is one overarching goal.
“We want the kids to have the best care possible,” Tipton said.
Budding friendships
Though the team is spread out throughout the state, it didn’t take long for them to form a friendship much closer than their actual proximity.
When Nevins married in May, Hasbrook, Griggs, and Tipton were there. When Hasbrook’s grandson was recently diagnosed with cancer, her friends were among the first to offer their support. The team has grown together professionally and has developed a deep sense of caring about one another and lifting each other up in the face of difficult personal and family circumstances.
“Our team is a very tight-knit group who are always eager to assist when needed,” Nevins said. “Working with each of these ladies has positively impacted my life. I consider each of them good friends and colleagues. We have a professional trusting relationship, and I can say with full confidence that each one of us can rely on each other without hesitation, whether that be during work hours or outside of work.”
The challenge of starting a new work journey amid the COVID-19 pandemic was touched on by Griggs.
“I’ve really enjoyed working with these ladies for the past two years,” she said. “It’s truly helped make work fun. Especially, with how isolating the pandemic was, it was nice to build camaraderie with a group of coworkers. We’ve all had some difficult times over the past couple of years, and I can honestly say that my team has been a source of strength and comfort for me.”
The notion of strength and comfort was reiterated by Hasbrook, who described how her team leaders and colleagues immediately stepped up to help in the wake of her 20-month-old grandson’s illness.
“Nicole, Jan, Ashley, and Grace did not hesitate to jump in. offering to assist with anything I needed on both the work front, and the personal front,” she said. ”The support and willingness to assist in any way provided me the ability to focus on my family without the strain and stress of juggling work deadlines. Their kindness and generosity has humbled me and I will never forget them as we move through this devastating time.”
All for the kids
Tipton noted that the DCS survey team has worked hard to revamp and even modernize the survey process since their work began in early 2020. They’re moving in a digital direction for some forms and have worked hard to stay on schedule and catch-up on items that had been left behind during the transition of the program from DCS to IDOH.
Helping it all along is the group’s determination to do their part to make certain the residents of the childcare facilities have the best possible opportunities to be – and stay – well. It’s an ongoing, fluid process that requires the sort of dedication Tipton and her team bring to the table each day.
The results have spoken for themselves and the division’s director, Amy Kent, is laudatory of the team’s work. She said the team has “worked incredibly hard to build a program from the ground up – developing survey processes, policies and procedures, and establishing positive rapport with the facilities we serve.”
“This team loves what they do and has so much pride in their work and the impact it has on the children cared for in these facilities,” Kent continued.
Kulik believes the team’s friendship and dedication have been key to their success.
“We hired a wonderful team and the bond between them all is so strong it is hard to explain,” she said. “They go to bat for each other and have formed their own little family within the agency but will help in any way they can when needed.”
Story by Brent Brown, Indiana Department of Health