Monthly Public Board Meeting Highlights

St. John's Health Board of Trustees - June 29, 2023

Workforce Housing/Hitching Post Project Update
St. John’s Health’s (SJH) Administration and Finance Committee have reviewed employee input from four housing surveys conducted over the past few years to identify themes that will help inform specifics of upcoming housing projects, including the Hitching Post. Themes under discussion include employee interest in options for both renting and purchasing deed-restricted housing, the consistent need for two-bedroom units, and the employee preference for amenities such as pet- friendly units, storage space, and adequate parking. The recent survey also solicited feedback on expectations for rental rates, which will help SJH evaluate options for a financing plan that is feasible for SJH and employees. This information will be rolled into the Strategic Planning process that is underway. SJH does not expect to receive SPET funding for the Hitching Post project until late 2024.

Budget Updates
Although SJH has achieved its budget target for the past two months, SJH will finish FY 2022/23 with an operating loss due to expenses that grew at a faster rate than revenues, as well as a shift in payer mix away from commercial insurance to governmental insurance, such as Medicare and Medicaid. This is in line with national trends. After reviewing healthcare cost inflationary factors, an average 3.5% price increase will be built into the budget for Fiscal Year 2023/24. The full budget, which will include an employee compensation adjustment plan, will be brought to the Board of Trustees for approval at the July board meeting.

Strategic Plan
Kaufman Hall Associates (KFA) has conducted approximately twenty individual interviews with administrative and physician leaders. A short employee survey will be emailed to hospital and medical staff within the next week to capture additional internal perspectives on strategic operational issues that should be considered in the development of the long-range strategic plan for SJH. Opportunities to
engage the community in these discussions will be scheduled for August. KFA will continue to collect and analyze data throughout the summer.

Press Ganey Employee Engagement Report
Seventy-one percent of employees participated in the Press Ganey Employee Engagement Survey this spring. The survey results indicate that 75% of SJH employees identify as engaged or highly engaged, and SJH overall is in the 64th percentile for employee engagement compared to the national benchmark. Employees reported highly favorable perceptions around quality of care and service, along with patient safety. A high percentage of respondents said they would refer their own friends and family to SJH for care. In many areas across the organization, employees report strong relationships with their direct manager, a key indicator of overall engagement and retention. Scores also showed improvement in self-reported resilience.

Action plans are being developed to drive improvement in areas where lower scores were reported. For example, results showed there is opportunity for improvement in how employees perceive their prospects for professional growth and development, as well as the sense of teamwork across work units. Another area that needs attention is the uncertainty expressed by employees regarding how the survey results will be used to drive improvement. The next steps are to drill down to team-level feedback; each department will develop an action plan with milestones and accountability. Pulse surveys will be used to check in on progress for specific action plan items. The entire staff was thanked for the time and attention they took to complete the survey, which is a vital improvement tool for SJH—not only for employee retention but also due to the link between high employee engagement and high-quality patient outcomes.

The next regular public board meeting of the SJH Board of Trustees is Thursday, July 20 at 12:00 pm in the hospital boardroom. The agenda, as well as a zoom option for those who wish to participate virtually, will be posted on the hospital website.

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Media Contact: Karen Connelly, Chief Communications Officer, kconnelly@stjohns.health