A Word from the President
It certainly is an understatement to say that this past year was challenging. We're not alone in that. In fact, it's hard to find any business or individual who has not been affected by the worst economic conditions since the Great Depression.
In spite of this, I have to say I am pleased. Not with the situations we faced but with the spirit and resolve that we displayed in the midst of it all. I'm not about to claim that our Hospital (or our economy for that matter) is "out of the woods" at this point. There's no doubt that we still have a lot of work to do. But our performance in these conditions is a testament to our future viability.
Today we are a new, leaner organization. We have redefined and reinvented our services to position us for success. Part of this process was a reduction in the number of licensed beds. We are a 123-bed facility now, down from 139. I want to be clear that this is not an indication of decline but of growth.
As the science and technology of healthcare continue to improve, more services are provided on an outpatient basis. We continue to provide more of these advanced services, therefore our need for overnight patient beds has decreased. Through these and other efforts, we have improved our financial performance. Moving forward, our focus is on outpatient growth in areas such as breast care, telemedicine and new surgical procedures. Our leadership teams chose these because they match some of our strongest capabilities with significant needs within our community.
In the future, we will continue to be vigilant, keeping our community closely tied with its community hospital. Because one will not do well without the other.
Kay A. Hamilton, R.N., M.S.
President / C.E.O.