Local 400 Member and Team Receive Two Kaiser Thrive Awards
UFCW Local 400 Executive Board Member, Jaki Bradley.
They may not be the Oscars, however for Local 400 health professionals working at Kaiser, the Kaiser Thrive Awards represent a pinnacle of achievement and a comparably great honor. One of the stars who has made Kaiser thrive over the years is Local 400 Executive Board member Jaki Bradley, a registered nurse who is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve and commander of the U.S. Army’s 7202nd Medical Support Unit.
Bradley was a part of two teams that received awards for the innovative project and programs that they created from start to finish.
First, the Capitol Hill Center Project was led by a transition team to bridge the gap between the detailed planning and delivery of the new HUB and Medical Center Operations, ultimately serving as the link between National Facility Services and Medical Center Operations. As a part of this team, Bradley always ensured labor was at the table at all of the decision making no matter how big or small when developing this state-of-the-art facility.
“It’s a big deal being the first region in the country to open up a center of this magnitude, where all the specialties are in one facility in the District of Columbia,” said Bradley. “Watching the first patient come into the building, all I could think of was ‘it’s about time we got all of this in D.C.’”
The other program that was being recognized at the Thrive Awards was the Community Ambassador Program. The team, which also included Local 400 member John Grander, created a program that placed Kaiser Nurse Practitioners and physician’s assistants talent and skill set in the community.
“You go out there into the community and impact someone’s life that may not have been able to get in to see a doctor in months all because you’re there,” said Bradley. “That’s just amazing that we as Kaiser members can make a difference not only to that individual that was able to come into the clinics, but also the community as a whole.”
Many of the Community Ambassadors Program health care professionals were adversely affected by a 2007 corporate realignment that eliminated nurse practitioner positions, costing some their jobs and forcing others to move to registered nurse positions at lower pay. Originally, the team asked for 10 new positions, they received 35. Thanks to their union contract, these former nurse practitioners were the first to be hired for the Community Ambassadors Program.
In the video below, Jaki Bradley describes the Capitol Hill HUB Center project as well as the Community Ambassador Program and her roles with each.
Local 400 Member, Jaki Bradley, and Team Receive to Kaiser Thrive Awards from UFCW Local 400 on Vimeo.