For immediate release: May 2023
Deerfield, FL: Watson Caring Science Institute (WCSI) is pleased to announce that the latest Lotus Recognition™ has been awarded to the Santa Clara Caritas in Action Council at Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center, a 343-bed hospital including services for maternal-child health, adult services, critical care, and perioperative care.
The Santa Clara Caritas in Action Council has been active for over 10 years. This dedicated team of nurses aims to promote Caring Science in the different nursing units by providing opportunities for frontline nurses to engage in self-care and caring acts for others. They utilize the 10 Caritas Processes® as a framework for their projects and activities.
One of their activities was their Elf on the Shelf, a Holiday Elf-in Challenge. Every day, staff nurses were challenged to take a photo of the “naughty elf on the shelf” embodying a Caritas Process. Not only did this activity spark joy and laughter, but it also allowed staff to implement the different Caritas Processes in their day-to-day work and activities.
There were 22 entries across multiple departments. This activity encouraged collaboration, creative expression, teamwork, camaraderie and celebrated acts of kindness throughout the hospital, thus creating an environment of caring.
“It was inspiring to see how each department highlighted the Caritas Processes from their personal interpretation, experiences, and practices. This activity unveiled new opportunities to implement the Caritas Processes in daily patient care and reminded staff about the sanctity of their service to patients,” said Eric Williams, Senior Vice President and Area Manager for Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara.
WCSI Founder/Director Jean Watson, Ph.D., RN, AHN-BC, FAAN, LL (AAN) said, “I am so inspired and delighted by this creative and engaging adaptation of the 10 Caritas Processes. It is with great joy and appreciation that I present this Lotus Recognition to Rosselle Libunao and the Caritas in Action Council, who truly embrace compassion and loving-kindness to their patients, families, communities, and each other."
This activity embodied seven of the 10 Caritas Processes, including: 1. Embrace (Loving-Kindness), 4. Nurture (Relationship), 6. Deepen (Creative Self), and 8. Co-create (Caritas Field).
WCSI created Lotus Recognition™ to celebrate real-life examples of the values, philosophy, and human caring theory guided by Watson's Caring Science and reflects the organization's caring-healing culture for team members, patients, and communities. For further information, contact Dianne Reid, Program Enrichment Director, at dianne@watsoncaringscience.org.
About Kaiser Permanente: Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 12.6 million members in 8 states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists, and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery, and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education, and the support of community health. For more information, go to about.kp.org.