EPISODE #7: JACKIE BLANCHARD, VP, INFECTION PREVENTION, HCA HEALTHCARE - HOW TO REFRAME AND CELEBRATE SUCCESS DURING COVID-19

In today's episode, Christie had the opportunity to speak with Eunice “Jackie” Blanchard. Jackie joined the HCA family in September, 2017, as the Assistant Vice President, Infection Prevention, and reports directly to the Chief Epidemiologist and Patient Safety Officer in the Clinical Services Group. Jackie is responsible for assuring that standards of care in infection prevention are met throughout HCA facilities, and leads the HAI reduction initiatives in partnership with key stakeholders.

Before assuming leadership positions focusing on quality and infection prevention over a decade ago, Jackie held increasingly responsible nursing positions in both community and hospital settings. She has served as a med surg and oncology nurse, a school nurse, nursing supervisor, and as patient care manager of a children’s crisis intervention center. 

Jackie received her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from The College of New Jersey, and her Master of Science degree in Nursing from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. She is board certified in infection prevention and control, is a clinical nurse specialist in child adolescent psychiatry, and holds a Six Sigma greenbelt in process improvement methodology. Jackie is a member of APIC and SHEA and has served as a director to the APIC NJ chapter board for many years.

Connect with Jackie Blanchard on Linkedin.

Leading Forward with Christie Berger

Highlights: "How to Reframe and Celebrate Success during COVID"

• Jackie Blanchard started as a school nurse and worked her way up to their role as the Assistant Vice President of infection protection at HCA Healthcare.
• Change in the process: Always learn from what we received yesterday and implement that into the next opportunity and into the next phase to what we can give our customers.
• Leveraging technology to stand up very quickly: The only way to support and be there for our leaders is to never disengage from the one on ones. In that setting, no one is afraid of an audience, to say something first because it’s intimate so that they are able to open up and if they need to cry, they are allowed to. 
• We need to identify ourselves by many different types of accomplishments.
• Know your colleague’s baselines: The picture of someone who is completely disengaged can look like the exact same picture as someone who is absolutely exhausted. Being that we can’t just walk into someone’s offices, because everyone is remote, we need to check in on each other.
• Being there for a colleague or a loved one is a huge accomplishment, and that is more important than a checklist with a multitude of tasks.
• Reframe accomplishments: Figuring out how to define our success and the impact we are making and our fulfillment amidst the volume and the change.
• Monotasking: You have to be fully there for your colleagues. They know if you are talking to someone else on the call or are being distracted in another way. 
• Every single colleague has life outside of work and if the conversation has to shift to just listen to them, it makes you a better team. We need to truly listen.