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Aftermath of Irma, Staff Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation

Engagement, Patient Care … Celebrates 50th Years

Hopefully by the time this dedication is pos- Nearly 90% of the 100 trillion
you read this, Irma will sible, I answer with microbes in the human body are To celebrate this work, the
seem like a distant memo- one word “Engag - made of bacteria. 500-1000 of those Foundation will host the Take
ry. I am writing this ement.” bacteria live in the gut and serve a
though just days after the Our Associates feel a specific function. Thanks to support Steps Walk in West Palm Beach
storm cut through Florida. deep sense of duty to from the Crohn’s & Colitis on November 4, 2017. The Walk
Despite the devastation, it what they do which is Foundation, scientists are discover- will bring together hundreds of
was inspiring to see neigh- why they all came in. ing how those bacteria work for
bor helping neighbor, gov- It took years to create those suffering from digestive dis- people dedicated to finding a cure
ernment offices coordinat- this culture, but the eases. The Microbiome Initiative is for the debilitating diseases.
ing recovery efforts, utility challenge to the lead- only one ofnumerous programs sup- Beginning at 8:30 a.m. at City
companies working all ership team at that ported by the Foundation to
night shifts, businesses location has always improve the lives of the more than Place in downtown West Palm
slowly reopening and an BY JAY JUFFRE been, to get our team 1.6 million U.S. residents afflicted Beach, walkers will be treated to
overall sense that the to L-O-V-E coming to with Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative
storm could knock us work. If they do, they colitis. This year, the Crohn’s & entertainment, food, and fun
down but not out. will take pride in achieving their best. Colitis Foundation is celebrating before descending on the walk
There was a similar sense of commu- So how important is staff engage- the advancements it has helped course. Registration can be made
nity witnessed weeks before in the ment in your organization. There is a make towards finding a cure for
aftermath of Harvey in Texas. wise saying, your patients will NEVER digestive diseases for the past five by contacting Alyssa Rich at
Personally it was all truly inspirational. be happier than your employees. There decades. arich@crohnscolitisfoundation.org
One thing I found professionally is a direct correlation between the two. To date, the Crohn’s & Colitis or (561) 218-2929.
inspiring was our team of Associate It is always great when focusing on one Foundation has invested $298 mil-
employees my company has in Miami. thing has a ripple effect on multiple lion in research alone. And, in addi-
We asked each of them to come to items. When you look to drive out- tion to the millions of patients and
work Tuesday morning following the comes, scores, safety, KPIs and an families they’ve helped manage their
storm (if it was safe to do so). Despite unbelievable patient care, look no fur- disease, they have also assisted more
almost all of them having no electricity ther than staff engagement and creat- than 14,000 patients online. This has allowed the Foundation to gain an even
and a debris field littering their lawns, ing a culture others will envy. Be safe! greater understanding of issues facing IBD patients and to partner with other
99% of them made it into work to sep- organizations to educate and to provide assistance for the more than millions of
arate, wash and iron medical linen for children and adults living with digestive diseases each year.
our customers. Not to brag, but the Jay Juffre is Vice President of
ImageFIRST team in Miami gets how Operations / National Service Director, The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s impact has grown each year, and will continue its
important what they do is to not only ImageFIRST. For more information on work until a cure can be found for every person afflicted withIBD.
our clients, but also the patients. ImageFIRST, call 1-800-932-7472 or visit For more information, visit www.ccfa.org.
When my colleagues ask me how www.imagefirst.com.

South Florida Hospital News southfloridahospitalnews.com October 2017 9