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Boosting Worker Morale and Patient-Centricity

Grassroots activities at your organization can connect employees with their mission, improving quality and operations.

Employee engagement was on the rise in 2018. “Compared with business units in the bottom quartile, those in the top quartile of [employee] engagement realize substantially better customer engagement, higher productivity, better retention, fewer accidents, and 21% higher profitability, reported Gallup’s Jim Harter, who described engaged employees as involved in, enthusiastic about and committed to their work and workplace.“Engaged workers also report better health outcomes.”

And it’s no secret that engaging patients can positively impact health outcomes. But the connected supply chain linking healthcare manufacturer and patient hasn’t quite arrived.

Uniquely positioned as both patient and producer of a therapy, Malisa Rust, Associate Director at Shire, embarked on a mission to empower the people she works with at her manufacturing plant and the patients they serve.

“What got me started on this road was my personal journey. I’ve worked at Baxter, Baxalta and Shire for 12 years. After starting at Baxter, my dad was diagnosed with Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency [a hereditary and progressive condition that affects the lungs]. It was ironic to work at the plant that manufactured his treatment,” she says.

Ultimately, Rust was diagnosed with the same condition. She notes, “A lot of individuals come to work and manufacture but they don’t know the why. So I really wanted to focus, not on metrics and making sure we were in the green, but that the patient at the end of the road has a safe and effective drug and no interruption in supply.”

Initiating the effort

She reached out to employees at the Los Angeles plant to start a local patient connection group and began with four individuals from different groups at the facility. All shared the same interest in reaching patients, and the group developed a vision and mission statement. “From there it grew. We have over 30 individuals with four workstreams now. They come from different areas of the plant and shifts, and we have members outside of the plant as well. It's really taken off.”

Medical Device Innovations Report
Cutting-edge packaging technologies are transforming the medical device sector in PMMI’s “Innovation in Medical Device” report, featuring advanced materials, smart solutions, and evolving regulations. Editors share insights from nearly 300 PACK EXPO booth visits—each product deemed new and truly innovative—alongside video demonstrations of the equipment and materials on display.
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Medical Device Innovations Report
Break out of the ordinary: see what’s new in life sciences packaging
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Break out of the ordinary: see what’s new in life sciences packaging