Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms Instills Culture of High Reliability

Photo By David Marks | Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms Commanding Officer (center) stands with the Lean Six Sigma Greenbelt process improvement class. Michael Teegardin (far right), class instructor, said it's the largest Lean Six Sigma class he's conducted.  

TWENTYNINE PALMS, CA, UNITED STATES

07.21.2021

Story by David Marks 

Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. Navy Medicine and Training Command Twentynine Palms sponsored a Lean Six Sigma five-day process improvement class that garnered 32 registrations and 27 actual students. Course instructor, Michael Teegardin, noted that he usually sees classes of 10 to 12 students in much larger installations that aren’t considered remote, referencing the Naval hospital’s location in the Mojave Desert.
The purpose of the course is to instruct students in Lean Six Sigma methodology and to impart the skills necessary to use those methods in process-improvement projects, Teegardin said.
In February 2020, the command held its Fifth Annual Process Improvement Fair with 13 departments submitting process-improvement posters. Process-improvement projects ran the gamut from improving pharmacy technician training to developing a stroke protocol which streamlines initial assessments for the Emergency Department.
“It’s the culture of the NMRTC Twentynine Palms command that accounts for the large class size,” Teegardin said. “The students in this class understand the importance of improvement and working in a high-reliability organization.”

• Date Taken: 07.21.2021
• Date Posted: 08.19.2021 16:39
• Story ID: 401420
• Location: TWENTYNINE PALMS, CA, US