A Year in Review – 2009
by
Scott A. Berlucchi, FACHE, NHA,
President/Chief Executive Officer
I am pleased to report to our community that Auburn Memorial Hospital is in excellent health. The Hospital made extremely important strides during 2009, and now stands as a very stable pillar of our local economy. Throughout the year we’ve remained committed to our mission: to provide compassionate, quality care and improve the health of our community. We are living our mission at AMH – touching lives every day. In a time when the health care system of this country is facing many challenges, AMH is playing a leadership role by offering new and creative approaches.
Both inpatient admissions and outpatient registrations increased substantially in 2009. Many will point to the resulting operating surplus as an indicator of our success. I certainly agree, but I also want to emphasize that as a nonprofit organization, we reinvest every dollar of this gain into the Hospital.
Our accomplishments result from the efforts and contributions of our physicians, nurses, employees and volunteers, our Board of Trustees and related committees upon which many community leaders serve, as well as our administrative team. We developed the AMH Strategic Plan for 2009 – 2014 with input from leaders throughout the community. The plan is now guiding us toward excellence.
A major focus is the recruitment and retention of excellent physicians. In 2009, we added to our Medical Staff physicians in the areas of Surgery, OB/GYN, Psychiatry, Orthopaedics, Cardiology, Emergency Care, and Hospitalists.
The HEAL II construction project was completed in early 2009. We now have three completely remodeled surgical suites which allow surgery to be more efficient with the best possible results for patients. Also through this project, we have added private patient rooms and a new HVAC system. The Center for Behavioral Health, a 14-bed inpatient psychiatric unit located in a newly remodeled area of the hospital, was also part of the successful HEAL II construction.
We have launched a major conversion of the hospital computer systems, including electronic medical records. The McKesson Paragon hardware is installed and staff training is underway. This puts us ahead of the curve in this vital step into the future.
Our services to women are expanding with very positive results.
We derive great satisfaction from the knowledge that we make a difference in the lives of so many, and we are very grateful for this ongoing opportunity. Thank you for your support as we continue to strive toward our goal of becoming one of the top community hospitals in the country.
Scott Berlucchi, FACHE, NHA, President/Chief Executive Officer