Welcoming New Colleagues and a New Leader

Every other Monday morning I spend an hour welcoming new employees and introducing them to our organization during their orientation. This week, I was really pleased to meet nearly 70 new colleagues. There was so much positive energy in the room.

My job at orientation is to begin to enroll my new colleagues in our vision and engage them in a conversation about our transformation towards being the healthcare system that treats everyone, every time the way we want our own loved ones treated. Our ongoing metamorphosis from an outstanding hospital into an outstanding system of care, requires people who understand and embrace our vision and their role in helping us achieve it.

This orientation was a bit different because preceding me in the program was our new Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, Anna-Maria Gonzalez Palmer. Anna-Maria exudes positive energy! She is an accomplished leader who has served in the human resources field with a number of organizations including McCormick and Company and Textron.

Anna-Maria will have responsibility and oversight for planning, organizing and providing leadership and direction for the organization’s human resources functions including policy development, interpretation and administration; recruitment, orientation and retention of employees; compensation and benefits programs; performance management and competency assessment; employee relations and labor relations; and training and development programs.

Prior to joining GBMC, she was the senior vice president and chief human resources officer of Compass Pointe Healthcare System. Anna-Maria earned her Bachelor of Science degree from West Virginia University and her Master’s degree in Administrative Science, Human Resources Development from The Johns Hopkins University. She is a ‘can-do’ person who hit the ground running at GBMC with our successful negotiation of a new union contract and a very successful employee barbecue. She is redesigning our Human Resources Department to be even better than it is today. I am really enjoying working with Anna-Maria as a senior team colleague and as our leader in increasing joy at work.

Please join me in welcoming Anna-Maria to the GBMC Family!

Raising Healthy Children

The proverb “it takes a village to raise a child” continues to resonate with many modern parents. The members of the village often include relatives, friends, neighbors, teachers and church leaders. What about a child’s primary care physician? People tend to think of doctors only when someone is sick, but healthcare is evolving to be more preventive and focused on the whole person rather than on just a symptom or episode of illness. If a primary care physician isn’t part of the village that is raising your family or that of someone you love, keep reading!

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all children have a well-child appointment with their physician annually, beginning at age 3*. Ideally, this appointment will align with the child’s birthday. The purpose of the visit is to:

• prevent illness
• identify early concerns over development or medical issues
• track development
• build a positive, consistent relationship between children, their parents and their physicians

These annual appointments allow physicians to interact with the child while he or she is happy and feeling well, establishing a benchmark against which future symptoms or test results can be compared. They give parents more opportunity to talk face-to-face about their child’s growth and development with the doctor. They offer a way for children to become familiar with their doctor, which can ease their anxiety when it’s time for a shot. Building a solid relationship with a physician at an early age can help set the stage for a child to develop into a health-conscious adolescent. And, the continuity of seeing the same physician (or small group of physicians) over time provides a more personal care experience.

Along with their teams, primary care physicians are valuable resources for parents. In addition to delivering medical care during an illness, your child’s doctor can also give guidance on subjects like:

• sleep quality and quantity
• hearing and vision
• body mass index and nutrition
• oral health
• mental and emotional health (separation anxiety, fear of the dark, expressing feelings)
• social behaviors (sharing, making friends)

If your family’s “village” is in need of a primary care provider, visit www.mygbmcdoctor.com for a list of practices and their contact information.

*Consult with a physician for more specifics about how often children under the age of 3 should be checked.

Spicy Peanut Tofu Pad Thai with Shirataki Noodles

Every month, GBMC holds a Facebook Live cooking demonstration featuring healthy recipes from The Sleeved Chef, Michael Salamon. Michael graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and is passionate about “teaching cooking techniques and recipes to pre- and post-operative bariatric patients.” He had a type of bariatric surgery known as a sleeve gastrectomy in September 2016 and enjoys sharing his knowledge of cooking with fellow weight loss patients. Co-hosting the demonstration with him is Jana Wolff, RD, LDN, Director of Nutrition for GBMC’s Comprehensive Obesity Management Program, where Michael was treated.

Please tune in to GBMC’s Facebook page on Tuesday, July 25 at 6pm for another live cooking demonstration with Michael and Jana! 

Ingredients

Spicy Tofu
1 lb extra firm tofu, pressed
1 Tbsp peanut butter
3 Tbsp light soy sauce
2 Tbsp Sriracha
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp finely minced ginger

Pad Thai
8 oz shirataki noodles
2 tsp sesame oil
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 Thai chili, minced
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped

Spicy Pad Thai Sauce
3 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 limes, juiced
1 Tbsp Sriracha
3 Tbsp vegetable broth
1 tsp honey
2 tsp garlic chili paste
3 garlic cloves, minced

Watch the Spicy Peanut Tofu Pad Thai cooking demonstration here

Instructions
Spicy Tofu
     Press Tofu

1. Place a dry paper towel on a plate and the extra firm tofu on top
2. Place a dry paper towel on top of the tofu and a similar plate on top of the paper towel
3. Place a weighted object (cans work well) on top of the plate and place in the fridge
4. Drain the extra water every 30 minutes or until no water is drained.
5. Place tofu aside

     Prepare Tofu & Marinade

1. Whisk all ingredients for the tofu marinade in a mixing bowl thoroughly and pour into a quart freezer bag
2. Place a cast iron skillet on the stove over a medium flame and pour 1 Tbsp of sesame oil in the skillet
3. When you smell the sesame oil, add the tofu to the pan and brown it on both sides.
4. Remove tofu from the pan and place on a cutting board to rest for 2 minutes
5. Large dice the tofu, place it in the marinade, close the bag and toss liberally.

Spicy Pad Thai Sauce

1. Whisk all ingredients together in a stainless steel mixing bowl and reserve

Shirataki Noodles

1. Drain the Shirataki noodles in a colander and rinse thoroughly with cold water
2. Bring water to a boil and add salt
3. Place the Shirataki noodles in the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes
4. Drain and reserve the Shirataki noodles

Putting it All Together

1. Thinly slice red bell pepper, yellow onion and carrots
2. Mince the Thai chili pepper
3. Finely chop cilantro
4. Place all ingredients on a plate
5. Place a cast iron skillet on the stove over a medium flame and add 2 tsp of sesame oil to the pan
6. When you smell the sesame oil, add the onion, bell pepper, carrot and Thai chili to the pan. Season with salt and pepper
7. Sauté all ingredients for 2-3 minutes until soft
8. Add the diced spicy tofu to the pan. Sauté for 1 minute
9. Add the spicy pad thai sauce and shirataki noodles to the pan
10. Toss all ingredients together and add cilantro.
11. Serve in a bowl and enjoy!!

Nutrition Information
Recipe yields 4 servings Calories: 220
Total Fat: 14g
Saturated Fat: 2g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 960mg
Protein: 16g
Carbohydrate: 14g

Recipe courtesy of Michael Salamon, The Sleeved Chef.