Turning Points, Transitions, and Transformations

Anyone looking for truth in the old saying, "The only thing constant in life is change," need look only at health care in general and South Shore Hospital in particular. 

At our hospital, we must balance two types of change. 
The first involves the numbers of patients we serve. 
More people are turning to us for care with increasingly complex health conditions, many of which are life-threatening.  The second change involves how we care for our patients. 
We know we play an important role in assuring that new medications, technologies and procedures that are emerging globally are made available to benefit our patients locally.

How did we do at both in 2004?  Our success is evidenced in the following turning points, transitions, and transformations.

Turning points

We continued to expand our services to the 600,000 residents of Southeastern Massachusetts.  Each initiative marks a turning point in our evolution from a community hospital into a regional medical center:

• Opening the state's first and only community-based neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Our NICU has provided dozens of local families
  with access to expert clinical and nursing talent in a setting much closer
  to their homes.
• Expanding clinical bench depth in our surgical program by initiating a Harvard Medical School/Brigham and Women's Hospital surgical residency program, and by adding surgical physician assistants.
• Earning designation as a Primary Stroke Service by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, which recognizes our ability to expertly diagnose and treat patients experiencing symptoms of the nation's number-three killer.
• Offering eligible cancer patients access to select clinical trials for the treatment of breast, lung, colon, and prostate cancer, thanks to our new partnership with Dana-Farber/Partners CancerCare.
• Finalizing our multi-year program to equip South Shore VNA's nurses, therapists, hospice team, and social workers with handheld computers
  — making them one of the most technologically sophisticated home health teams in the state.
• Increasing patient and family satisfaction with their experiences in our emergency department by implementing operational and service enhancements — many of which were recommended by our Friends of Emergency Care advisory group.
• Introducing a urogynecology program in association with Brigham and Women's Hospital to help women experiencing incontinence and other bladder-control disorders.
• Achieving a positive hospital financial operating margin of $4.1 million, and earning more than $3.1 million in donations from generous patients, businesses, foundations, and community residents.

Transitions

As a not-for-profit, tax-exempt charity, South Shore Hospital is guided by dedicated community leaders who voluntarily serve on our Board of Directors and in other positions of responsibility.  We have been fortunate that Atty. Jacqueline H. Haley has served as our Board chairman for two years. 
Her commitment and focus have well served our hospital and the region. 
Her successor is John C. Doody, who brings his own ample leadership and experience to the role.

My thanks also go to several other vital team members: Our medical staff and its president, Dr. Edward Nalband; our charitable Foundation Trustees, ably chaired by Elena Kirkiles; and the members of our auxiliary, The Friends of South Shore Hospital, led by its president, Lois Bisson.

Transformations

Also this year we concluded a leadership transition plan that culminated in my appointment as president/chief executive officer of South Shore Health and Educational Corporation, in addition to my role as hospital president/CEO.
My visionary predecessor, David Hannan, remains with us as a senior advisor.

Our team of 3,400 employees, 700 doctors, and 500 volunteers is unmatched when it comes to embracing changes that will benefit our community.  I applaud them for their flexibility, ingenuity, and unwavering dedication to our collective mission of healing, caring, and comforting.

Richard H. Aubut
President and Chief Executive Officer
South Shore Hospital and
South Shore Health and Educational Corporation