Being a Mentor and a Friend Pays Dividends
There are numerous examples of Brine as a problem solver. In 32 years, she has amassed a great amount of responsibility and has learned the ins and outs of hospital operation. However, what truly stands out about Brine as a leader is the way she treats her staff. As director of public safety, Brine is responsible for a number of hospital work groups including public safety, parking, valet, shuttle transportation, the dispatch center, card access, alarms and camera systems, phone operators, patient transport and the mail room. She has over 384 employees altogether.
“I think she knows the name of every employee in these groups,” says Lauer. “And if she doesn’t, I guarantee she has had a personal conversation with every one of them at some point.” Brine has never forgotten her humble beginnings and strives to let her employees know how much they mean and how far they can go.
“I’ve had a lot of nurses who have come out of my work groups. I have some pharmacy techs that have been promoted from my work group, so I’m always making sure my entry-level employees know that they don’t have to just work at this job forever,” she says. “They can be whatever they want to be.”
She even created an employee recognition program called YMAD, which stands for You Made a Difference. When an employee displays exceptional performance, their supervisor awards them a YMAD certificate. As a reward, the employee is able to purchase equipment, uniform accessories or personal goods from a chosen catalogue. Brine also strives to find a way to reimburse employees for costs that would typically come out of their own pocket. This year she was able to reimburse every security officer for the handgun they carry and found the means to purchase body armor for every officer in the department.
“Margie is a people person,” Patterson says. “She exudes energy. She’s just the ‘get it done and get it done right’ leader. She’s the leader everyone hopes for on their team.”
The Brine File
NAME: Margaret (Margie) Brine is the director of public safety for Barnes-Jewish Hospital (BJH). She has served in that position for 16 years and has been at BJH for 32 years. Prior to becoming director of security, Brine held a number of positions at the hospital including shuttle bus driver, security officer and parking manager. She is currently a senior member of the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety (IAHSS) and a member of ASIS. Brine also sits on the advisory board for the Criminal Justice program at St. Louis Community College and on the 5th District Police Business Association board.
INSTITUTION: Barnes-Jewish Hospital is in St. Louis, Mo. It’s on the Washington University Medical Center Campus and shares its location with St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine. The campus is 164 acres and covers 17 city blocks. BJH is the largest hospital in Missouri and the largest private employer in the St. Louis region (9,215 employees).
DEPARTMENT: BJH has 135 nonsworn officers. Nine officers are unarmed. All officers are licensed through the St. Louis Police Department. Armed officers may carry either a .38 revolver or a 9mm semi-automatic weapon.
