9-27-09 Welcome to what I hope will become the first place you turn to learn about what’s going on at your hospital. In an ever changing world of health care, rest assured Logan Medical Center is changing too. First I would like to tell you a little about Steve Rowley. I have been in health care most of my adult life (over 30 years) at every level. My first job was as an aide in a small hospital in Missouri. I moved up through the ranks to become the CEO of a 400-bed medical center in Texas prior to coming to Guthrie. I have been a Regional Vice President in a major health system in charge of 15 hospitals and managed several other hospitals in a broad range of responsibilities. As a Registered Therapist early in my career, I spent many years delivering one on one care to the patients I served. The early part of my profession dealing with people made me realize that it wasn’t just a job but a true passion for helping others. I have carried that realization with me throughout my career and as your administrator at LMC I draw on it every day. If you didn’t already know, here is a little history. The cornerstone for the building at 19th & Warner was laid by the Methodist Episcopal Church of Oklahoma in 1927. Construction was halted due to the depression and the skeleton of that building stood empty for nearly two decades. The hospital was eventually completed in 1947 and sold to the Benedictine Sisters of the Sacred Heart in 1948. There is a complete history of medical institutes in Guthrie on our web page at www.LoganMedicalCenter.com. Thirty years and several names changes later, our current facility was built. It cost $1.7 million and was financed by general bond issues. These bonds were retired in July 2007. We actually still have four employees that made the move from “the old hospital” in 1978 that still work at LMC today. Around 30 patients were moved into the new facility that day, they were served fried chicken for lunch and by the evening shift, all 50 beds were full. Several years ago the community again acknowledged its commitment to the hospital by voting a one-cent sales tax to support the hospital. These funds have allowed us to expand and greatly improve our services to the community. As the need for quality health care continues to grow due to a growing and aging population, we anticipate an even greater need for health-care in the future. Back then, the majority of our services were inpatient (when people actually come and stay in a hospital bed) and outpatient services were just beginning. Today, that trend has reversed and 80% of our business is outpatient related. That continuing trend combined with continued growth has created a capacity dilemma. Needless to say, one of our biggest issues is space. Today’s facility wasn’t built for outpatient services and we have just about exhausted all options for space efficiency. This brings me to the future of our hospital. My highest priority is the ability for our hospital to provide all the services and care necessary to take care of your needs right here at home. The vision we have in our community is that those services will be your choice for high quality healthcare that exceed your expectations. With this column, I want to address topics of interest to you and provide trustworthy insightful information. If you ever have any questions about your hospital, send me a message via our website, www.LoganMedicalCenter.com. My door is always open if you would like to stop by and visit. I hope you look forward to learning about the real issues facing your hospital and the approach we are taking to better educate you about them. Next week, the impact a hospital has in it’s community and how we contribute to the economic growth and stability of our region.