Each nursing unit in the new Oakland Medical Center will select a specific “CENTERING Tile" to be installed at the threshold of every individual patient private room. This two-fold process will create ownership and commitment to “Centering” self.

1. Kaiser Permanente, Northern California
Caritas Consortium 2013
Open Your Heart Through Centering
Caritas in Action
How Caring Science informs and inspires KP caregivers and affirms our commitment to provide our
patients and their families exceptional care

2. Open Your Heart Through Centering
Intent to Contribute Statement:
The second part of this project is to have each nursing unit select a 4”x4” ceramic tile for their nursing unit
in the new Oakland Medical Center slated to open in June 2014. Their unit specific “CENTERING Tile" will
be selected to match their unit décor and will be installed at the threshold of every individual patient
private room. This two-fold process will create ownership and commitment to “Centering” self. As we are
rolling out this project we are having multiple meeting with the Project Leader for the new OMC hospital
to ensure inclusion of the installation of the selected tiles on each of the nursing units. All Service Lines are
included in this project. A series of Individual meetings are scheduled with nursing units to review and
train the "CENTERING" techniques with the staff, providing opportunities to practice the centering process
to set intention. They will have the opportunity to appreciate the calming affects that they experience just
by pausing and quietly breathing and how to prepare their hearts for the sacred work they do.
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3. Open Your Heart Through Centering
… Continued
By pausing in the midst of the chaotic work environment they will be able to re-focus on their
patient as an individual human being, practicing ethics of face, to really see the spirit-filled
person, the whole being, mind-body-spirit. We must stress the importance of centering since a
patient knows in an instant if the nurse is "in the moment" with them or somewhere else. The
power of setting one's intention to be authentically presence with every patient, every time
guarantees the practice of loving kindness and equanimity, Caritas Process #1 of the Science of
Human Caring. Initially we are training all of the frontline caregivers to “CENTER’ to create
authentic presence, however it is our hope that all who cross the threshold of any patient room will
quietly touch the centering tile and pause to enter this sacred, caring-healing environment.
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4. Open Your Heart Through Centering
Inspired Contributor(s) 1 :
Esther Kearn-Frolich

-----Service Area: East Bay
Medical Center: OAK
Affiliation: PCS
-----Year Shared: 2013
Venue: Caritas Consortium
Format: Poster
ID #: W01 (brochure title: Centering to Create an Authentic Heart)
1
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Names as listed in Lotus Notes, otherwise personal e-mails indicated
Keyword TAGs:
Identifier
 Consortium2013-July, East
Bay, Oakland, Poster, Patient
Care Services
 Education & Staff Dev, Healing
Environments, Self
Descriptor
 Building Design, Centering

5. Open Your Heart Through Centering
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6. Open Your Heart Through Centering
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