What does 2018 hold for CCH?

What will 2018 hold for Campbell County Health, and for each of us as individuals? The truth is none of us really knows the answer to either of those questions.

The life of an organization is much like our own personal lives—sometimes we are surprised by our good fortune, and other times we are disappointed with sudden sorrows.

If we are healthy human beings, somehow we find a way to move on knowing that taking the good and the bad of life is just part of the journey. You cannot rest too long on the joy that success brings, nor should you hang your head too long if failures and setbacks are your portion. CCH as a healthcare organization is actually much the same. We must continually press forward knowing that our mission drives our reason for existence—not the fleeting elation of success, nor the equally temporary setback from missing a goal or making a mistake.

This past year had many successes, but we had some failures as well. We were recognized as one of the Top 20 Rural Hospitals in the nation, we began our Baldrige journey with a successful first step, and Mountain Pacific Quality Health identified us as having exemplary methods to improve patient care. However, we also experienced a security incident with employees’ information, we were challenged financially as our expenses outstripped our revenues, and violence found its way into many of our departments and facilities.

So do we just add up the “wins and losses” to determine whether we were successful in 2017 or not? I believe that every year that we are true to our Mission and Values is a successful year.

As an organization, we provided thousands of our friends, family, and neighbors with a healing touch. We saved lives, repaired broken bodies, and reached into the souls of many human beings. We prevented people from living in pain, brought new children into the world, and held the hands of our elderly community members as they passed from this life into the next. We saw kids get care that they might not have received if it wasn’t for CCH. We saw physicians and advanced practice providers use every bit of their training and experience to diagnose and treat diseases. Nurses, therapists, technicians, and caregivers through all of CCH gave of their expertise and their heart to treat that one human being in front of them. Everyone at CCH did something to change the life of another person this last year, whether they work in a clinical area or in a support department. Everyone contributed to improving the lives of our community.

Yes, I think we were successful. While there will be many changes we can’t anticipate at the federal level, there are many projects and plans that we will integrate into our strategic planning process. This next year we anticipate the start of a major remodel of our inpatient facilities. This project will provide brand new rooms, clinical space, and family areas for all of Women’s Services, Medical / Surgical Unit, and the Intensive Care Unit. We will be combining our hospital and clinic billing departments into one department in a new area being developed at the Pioneer Building. We will begin a new and very deliberate process of succession planning as we identify and train upcoming leaders.

Virtual medicine will be a growing part of CCH as telemedicine and other uses of clinical information technology find their way more and more into our organization in an effort to treat people outside of the physical organization.

Finally, we will continue to work toward the long-term goal of fully implementing the Baldrige Excellence Framework. Our first step in that direction was successful, but there is a long road ahead in that journey.

Undoubtedly, change is in our future, and some of changes may prove painful. We may not be able to afford to do everything we’ve always done exactly the way we’ve always done it. That is reality. But we will continue to serve our community with a lifetime of care with dedication, skill, and compassion. Those aren’t just words; that is why we exist.

This year, I encourage all of CCH's medical staff and employees to recommit to our patients, our residents, and all those whom we have the privilege to serve. I believe that your work here makes a difference every day.

I want to say thank you to everyone for giving care and compassion. Thank you for your work The year of 2018 will be a successful year.

~ Andy

Click here for an infographic.