Envisioning a bright future thanks to employee generosity

Being a not-for-profit hospital system was one of Sharp HealthCare’s many qualities that appealed to Jeanne Fleming when she first became a clinical emergency department nurse at Sharp Grossmont Hospital.

“The difference between my firsthand experience working at a for-profit organization and at a not-for-profit organization was shocking,” Fleming says.

She resonated with Sharp’s values, and knowing she could deliver The Sharp Experience to patients would make her journey at Sharp even more fulfilling.

When Fleming learned about the Foundations of Sharp HealthCare’s impact on the greater San Diego community, she knew immediately she wanted to be part of something bigger than herself. “I believe in the charity portion of Grossmont Hospital Foundation and what they provide to the community very strongly,” she says.

‘It starts with people’

Sharp HealthCare has four acute care hospitals, three specialty hospitals, approximately 2,700 affiliated physicians and a full spectrum of other facilities and services.

“I think a lot of people in our culture think that a big entity automatically is not for the people,” Fleming says. “But here at Sharp, it starts with people. It’s people who run the ‘big machines.’”

When Fleming joined Sharp in 2015, she identified with Sharp’s philanthropic foundations in the community. She participated in Sharp’s Employee Giving Campaign with annual gifts of paid time off (PTO). And now, she uses payroll deductions to give back to ENVISION: The Campaign for Sharp HealthCare, a $250 million endeavor to transform health care across San Diego.

Thousands of employees support Sharp through charitable gifts. Together, they donate more than $1 million a year to help Sharp continue to be the best place to work, practice medicine and receive care. Employees can make annual renewable gifts, sign up for payroll deductions throughout the year, or donate their PTO during a designated period each year.

“We have big entities and of course the projects we do should be big,” Fleming says. “But there’s no reason why big companies can’t be thought of as benevolent, innovative and good.”

Transforming health care by giving back

Of the nine ENVISION initiatives, the most meaningful causes to Fleming are supported by Grossmont Hospital Foundation.

The first is Sharp HospiceCare’s fourth hospice home, Moore MountainView Hospice Home, which is set to open in early 2025. Located in Poway, Moore MountainView will provide compassionate and comprehensive end-of-life care, where patients and their families can spend quality time with each other and make the most of each day.

“I’ve always felt strongly about end-of-life care,” Fleming says. “When I became a nurse and saw people on a daily basis who had minimal quality of life, whose families were stressed, and who had hardly any resources, I’ve considered those injustices.”

Enter Moore MountainView, which will be a place where the sanctity of life is treasured, dignity is preserved and staff is dedicated to making the final phase of a person's life — alongside their loved ones — as comfortable and peaceful as possible.

“I love the idea that Sharp HospiceCare’s homes are nice places; they’re communities,” Fleming says. “That certainly spoke to me.”

The second cause Fleming consistently donates to is Sharp Grossmont Hospital for Neuroscience, which will be San Diego’s first single center of excellence for patients needing advanced neurosurgical, neurological and comprehensive spine care. “We see more and more brain injuries in the hospital, and more younger people are having strokes,” Fleming says.

Inside Sharp Grossmont Hospital for Neuroscience will be an inpatient progressive care unit, an inpatient rehabilitation unit and a new 16-bed neuro-intensive care unit (Neuro-ICU). There will also be a complete physical therapy and occupational therapy gymnasium area.

The project’s first phase is set to be completed in the fall of 2024, with the entire project finishing in early 2025. When it does open, Fleming may see herself transitioning into a new role there.

“Sharp has an educational allowance for employees each year, and I was able to use that to get a higher degree for nursing,” Fleming says. “That translates into a better understanding of what I’m doing in the big picture and increases my prospects for other jobs moving forward. Sharp is investing in me, and it feels good investing back into Sharp’s vision.”

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