Hines VA Hospital Named Federal Agency of the Year

Hines received the Federal Agency of the Year award for the initiatives and community partnerships implemented in its Homeless Veterans Program.

“It is such an honor to be recognized as Federal Agency of the Year, and I am proud to receive this award for Hines VA Hospital, where providing the care our nation’s heroes have earned and deserve is our top priority,” said Joan Ricard, Hines Director. “In 2009, President Obama and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs announced the goal of ending Veteran homelessness by the end of 2015. Hines has continuously been out in front of this endeavor as it syncs perfectly with our efforts. Each and every day, our staff works diligently towards our mission to leave no Veteran behind in our journey to eradicate homelessness. Our specific goal is simple: end homelessness among Veterans and help those who are housed, stay housed.”

Hines also won in three other categories of the award competition.

Dr. Bruce Roberts, Chief of the Hines Mental Health Service Line, won the John F. Kennedy Leadership Award for his outstanding leadership skills and abilities.

“Dr. Roberts’ leadership has had a profound, positive, and sustained impact on the Veterans we serve, the community and his co-workers,” said Ricard. “In 2004, when Dr. Roberts accepted the position as Chief of Hines Mental Health Service Line, the position had been vacant for a year. Through Dr. Roberts’ leadership, the Service Line has now become a premier system of Mental Health care delivery.”

The Hines Safety and Office of Information Technology team won the Outstanding Safety Team award for their development of a Workplace Accident Prevention Report (WAPR), a web- based platform that allows staff to report potentially unsafe conditions prior to workplace injury.

“The WAPR initiative was a coordinated effort amongst our Safety, Facilities Management Service and Office of Information and Technology teams,” said Ricard. “Using creativity and innovation to improve work processes, we’ve increased and improved communication, accountability and accuracy of data reported.”  

The Hines Patient Safety Team was also a finalist in this category for their comprehensive “Missing Patient Program” that allows the facility to be proactive in identifying patients who are at risk for wandering, ensuring their safety while hospitalized, and creating a systematic process for searching for patients who go missing.

Hines won the Federal Green Challenge Outreach and Education award for its work in reducing pharmaceutical waste in landfills.

“Our team leveraged the existing VA Pharmacy’s Take Back Medication Return Program, normally utilized only in the Outpatient Pharmacy setting, and expanded it drastically to better assist our nation’s Veterans, and to reduce the VA’s impact on the environment,” said Ricard.

These Hines winners were among the 43 total individual and team nominations from Hines that were judged in the award competition.

Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital Public Affairs Office

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