Support services and facilities improvements

Dr. Stites is on vacation this week and has asked me to update you on the improvements and efficiencies that we are implementing in KUMC's Support Services departments.

I'm pleased to have this opportunity to share with you an exciting initiative we've started in Support Services - "The Jayhawk Way: A Pathway to Excellence." It's a performance improvement program that will transform the way our Support Services departments serve the campus community. I look forward to sharing details and progress updates as this program is rolled out, and I hope that you will notice great things coming from Support Services in the months and years to come.

We're starting this new way of serving the campus with our facilities department. One of the first steps we're taking is the addition of a better and more efficient way to inform facilities about the issues in your office, department or around campus. In addition to the current online tool for entering your service request, you can now call 8-7928 to reach a service coordinator, who will work to resolve your facilities issues.You also may contact your zone manager directly. A listing of buildings by zone and the zone managers can be found here. We will shortly add an email address to the facilities website that you can use to communicate issues.

To highlight a few key names and contact numbers in facilities:

Service coordinators - Chris Puhr and Lance Toburen at 8-7928
South Zone manager - Wade Bestgen at 8-7962
Central Zone manager - Jeff Lockington at 8-1386
North Zone manager - Robb Palmer at 8-7975
Clinical Research Center Zone manager - Steve DeLorenzi at 8-1139
University Housekeeping - 8-3535
Housekeeping-KUMC Liaison and Pest Control Issues - Erica Wall at 8-7939

And in the spirit of "when you need something done, ask the busiest person," I'm delighted to announce that James Hawthorne, the administrative manager of our facilities department, has enthusiastically agreed to assume a new role as the point person in facilities for focusing on process improvement. I know he'll do a great job.

We're committed to serving the entire KUMC campus, and we hope that you'll be pleased with the continually improving services you receive from our facilities and support services areas.

The University of Kansas Cancer Center is recruiting members for this year's Race for the Cure team. The Race for the Cure in Kansas City is Sunday, Aug. 12, at Union Station. To register for the KU Cancer Center team, visit the Race for the Cure website. Select "Komen Race for the Cure and "Register." Click on "Join an Existing Team, find "Company Name" and select "The University of Kansas Cancer Center." For more information, contact Nichole Kempf at nkempf@kumc.edu.

Doug Horbelt, M.D., KU School of Medicine-Wichita OB-GYN former chair and clinical professor emeritus, received the National Faculty Award from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology. The award recognizes physicians who promote high standards of residency education in the OB-GYN field.

R.C. Andrew Symons, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Retina Service at KU Eye Center, has accepted a position as the new head of the Department of Ophthalmology of the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. Dr. Symons, who is a native of Melbourne, will assume his new position at the end of September.

Today (July 26) is Miracle Treat Day, which directly benefits KU Pediatrics through the Children's Miracle Network. For every Blizzard treat sold at 26 area participating Dairy Queen locations, DQ will donate $1 or more to local Children's Miracle Network hospitals. So let's all enjoy a Blizzard and help support KU Pediatrics!