The initiative is a systemwide town hall-style forum wherein Mr. Armato visits one of Novant Health’s 900 facilities each month to do live webcasts, connecting with around 40,000 system employees.
“No topic is off limits,” Mr. Armato said during a Becker’s Healthcare Podcast episode. “Hearing directly from our team members during Carl’s Corner Live, I believe, allows me not only to strengthen our relationships internally with our team members, but it also makes sure that we’re on the right track to provide our patients with the best possible care and experiences. These town halls really help not only myself but our entire leadership team align our operational strengths, the culture and resources with broader goals by hearing how it’s impacting our people.”
While the Carl’s Corner Live initiative is new, the mission is not. Mr. Armato said he made a commitment nearly 20 years as a healthcare leader to always stay well connected and engaged with his employees. It started in 2006, when he began doing rounds to facilities, eventually adding town halls and then weekly blogs and “COVID chat” during the pandemic.
“Carl’s Corner Live really is the present-day equivalent of an open-door policy for all of the Novant Health team members,” he said.
To determine which facility he visits monthly, Mr. Armato said he looks at factors like outstanding performance, patient safety and quality care, or to facilities that might be close to hitting a yearly goal to get them excited and across the finish line.
“We look at a number of different indicators, but if I could show up at each and every place every month, I would do that, because it’s that exciting to watch the team that comes together live.”
The initiative has also led to real change. After employees in Charleston raised concerns about the cost of living and affordable housing during one of his Carl’s Corner Live visits, Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Novant Health launched two “transformative investments” to address this issue.
Novant Health is partnering with a developer to build 140 workforce housing units for healthcare professionals, first responders and other essential workers on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. The health system also committed $1 million to nonprofit Coastal Community Development Corporation to help purchase 23 housing units in Beaufort County, South Carolina to provide income-based affordable housing.
On the patient side, Mr. Armato also shared a personal moment from a hospital visit where he had the opportunity to sit down and really connect with a patient about her upcoming surgery and the great care provided by her nurses.
“You hear people’s concerns, you hear nurses’ concerns, and [think], is there a way that you can connect with people in a unique way and just let them know you care, both from a patient perspective and a nursing perspective, and I’ll never forget those moments as I’ve gone around and done Carl’s Corner live at different locations.”
For other health system leaders looking to kick off similar initiatives, Mr. Armato said the best way to get started is to actively make rounds at facilities to connect on a deeper level. Looking to the future of Carl’s Corner Live, Mr. Armato said it’s here to stay.
“I’ve gotten over 6,000 questions just in the last few years that have been submitted by team members and we take those very seriously,” he said. “I get to not only hear [the questions], but I can answer in real time, really lay out transparency, build trust, and it shows to the Novant Health team that we’re going to act on those conversations, we’re going to act on the input they give us or the concerns they have. I feel really confident in Carl’s Corner Live and what it’s done for the culture of our organization.”
