Written for Josh Kooistra, Senior Vice President, Spectrum Health West Michigan, Chief Medical Officer
For as often as we speak about the culture here at Spectrum Health, it can sometimes be difficult to feel that culture from the inside. We may know our “4C” values – Compassion, Collaboration, Curiosity and Courage – by heart, but we may not notice their true impact when we’re surrounded by them every day.
That’s why I was so moved when I heard from U.S. Army Col. Suzanne Cobleigh, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner with the United States Department of Defense. Cobleigh is the medical officer in charge of a team of clinicians – doctors, registered nurses and respiratory therapists – and administrative professionals from the DoD who were deployed last month to support our teams at Blodgett Hospital and Butterworth Hospital.
Cobleigh recently shared with our leadership team a message she received from one of her team members in which they described Spectrum Health as the “happiest, least stressed, most ‘family’ of places” they have ever worked at.
“This one is a solid “A,” a secret recipe. Whatever [Spectrum Health’s] model is, it should be cloned throughout the nation,” the DoD clinician wrote. After reading these kind words, I knew I had to speak with Cobleigh about her team’s experience.
“It’s been wonderful,” she said over a video call. “People are friendly, welcoming, have senses of humor, and their humanity is still intact after two years of this pandemic. Our team feels very lucky.”
Cobleigh said she immediately noticed a difference between Spectrum Health and the other civilian hospital she served at while supporting FEMA COVID-19 response missions.
“My hospitalists were integrated and given significant loads of work instantaneously,” she said. “But they didn’t feel pressure, angst or fear because there was always [a Spectrum Health team member] there to help them. It is a real team here; it’s beautiful to see.”
As for the city of Grand Rapids, Cobleigh felt welcomed right away.
“I previously had a break in service where I lived in Minneapolis, so I feel very much at home in the Midwest,” she said. “It’s nice to be back home.”
Cobleigh also shared she believes our culture has made an impact across West Michigan.
“Something's clearly working in this community,” she said. “People are adhering to their community values, so don't change that. At Spectrum Health, nurses are valued, residents and interns are treated with respect, and everyone is a real team. Keep those things going and it'll continue to inspire all of us.”
It has been my honor to work alongside the DoD team. They, too, have their own ‘secret sauce’ and have demonstrated outstanding skills, leadership and teamwork to help us care for our community during this surge.
I humbly thank Col. Cobleigh and our DoD colleagues for their service to our country, our community and our team members.
