More than an acronym: Northwell Health’s Culture of C.A.R.E Lived by Joseph Aigbojie Every Day

For Joseph Aigbojie, a practice admin manager, the Northwell Health Culture of C.A.R.E stands for more than connectedness, awareness, respect, and empathy for the patients and communities we serve. It began 8 years ago when he first joined Northwell Health and ever since, he’s been applying it to his day-to-day interactions with patients and co-workers each day.

A New Beginning at Northwell

Joseph started his journey with Northwell Health at Cohen Children’s Medical Center (CCMC) as an environmental services supervisor. Since that time, he’s been promoted twice: first to assistant director of Environmental Services at CCMC, and second to practice administrative manager for the division of Pediatrics Cardiology & CT Surgery, which followed his completion of a graduate program in Public and Health Care Administration.

“What I love most about being a Northwell employee is the feeling that the organization is willing to invest in me and further develop me.” One example is Joseph’s participation in Northwell’s High Potential Program, which is focused on career development. “I participated in a number of growth opportunity programs that have allowed me to broaden my horizons as a professional.”

The Culture of C.A.R.E in the Workplace

To Joseph, the Culture of C.A.R.E means, “displaying a genuine concern for the team members that you work with and patients you care for. It means going above and beyond for a patient or their family, or for a need that they might have, and responding to it. It means noticing when a coworker needs you to lift them up because you sense that they aren’t in the best of spirits.”

And Joseph has always made that effort to help patients feel that Culture of C.A.R.E. One example from his days in Environmental Services always stands out to him, “I was doing routine rounds on the unit and I met with a parent of a patient. When I asked her how her stay was, she stated that she felt like she was being treated differently.” Joseph discovered that the patient had previously received Mott’s Apple Juice but hadn’t during this stay. An item as simple as apple juice may seem small, but it made the difference for this child. After checking the patient’s dietary restrictions, Joseph worked with team members to deliver the apple juice to the child for the rest of their stay, along with additional snack selections to provide any comfort he could.

C.A.R.E for our Patients and Each Other

As much of Joseph lives the Culture of C.A.R.E for his patients, he sees it among his Northwell team as well. In August of 2014, when Joseph’s father passed away from Alzheimer’s, he only informed his director of his passing and no one else. Yet, on the day of his father’s funeral, he was at the door of the church greeting guests and in walked his coworkers from CCMC. “It was the first time that I was overwhelmed and brought to tears during my father’s passing. That day was when Northwell and CCMC became more than just a workplace to me. … I will never forget them being there for me during that time in my life.”

Learn more about our Culture of C.A.R.E