A Message from the President
Thomas P. Pipicelli, President and Chief Executive Officer, at the groundbreaking event for the BackusCare construction project on July 25, 2005. |
“THIS IS WHERE OUR FUTURE BEGINS.”
That's what I said on July 25, the day The William W. Backus Hospital broke ground on the largest construction project in its history. It's a fitting summary of a busy 2005 at Backus, and a clear sign for the direction of our growing community Hospital.
The groundbreaking was a pivotal moment in this institution's rich 112-year history. It capped more than three years of intense planning, and it continues our proud tradition of progress. When the project is complete by late 2007, our Hospital will be well-equipped to handle the changing healthcare needs of our community for years to come.
The project is truly comprehensive and far-reaching — the most complex endeavor we have ever undertaken. It will modernize buildings, patient units and facility infrastructure; increase patient privacy, comfort, safety and amenities; improve patient orientation, access and circulation; reconfigure beds for flexibility and acuity; and raise the level of workplace efficiency. The result will be care that is more comfortable, convenient and efficient for our patients and their families.
Four growing areas of the Hospital will be fundamentally enhanced:
- The Emergency Department.
- Surgical Services for inpatients and outpatients.
- Medical-surgical inpatient units.
- Radiation therapy for cancer patients.
An incredible amount of work over the past two years had to be done before the cranes and heavy machinery even appeared on our Hospital campus. We began by devising and refining a plan to address changes in volume and healthcare trends through a series of internal and external need assessments — all driven by our mission and strategic plan.
We developed a multi-phased plan that involved more than 20 “enabling moves,” in which various departments were temporarily or permanently relocated on and off campus to accommodate the construction. Our employees, physicians, volunteers and patients have demonstrated an amazing ability to cope with change this past year, and they deserve a great deal of credit.
Next, the state Office of Health Care Access (OHCA) approved the project on July 13.
And, finally, we needed to secure financing for this complex project. After the Board of Trustees approved the funding plan on May 23, bonds were issued by the Connecticut Health and Educational Facilities Authority (CHEFA) on August 10. With approvals and funding in hand, we wasted no time getting started.
As I write this report for you, our construction is well underway, and the project is on track to be complete in 2007. You can learn more about the details of this exciting and necessary project on pages 8 through 11 of this Annual Report to the Community.
As significant as our expansion project is, this was also a year of forward movement in a number of important areas. We have continued in the past year to find strategic ways of bringing healthcare to the communities we serve at outpatient locations, and to better utilize the limited space available on the main Hospital campus. Our offsite locations include health centers in Colchester, Gales Ferry and Montville; a radiology center in Groton; an occupational health center at Foxwoods Resort Casino; as well as an extensive and growing outpatient care center in Norwich at Great Plain Plaza.
The Backus Outpatient Care Center, a 57,000-square-foot former department store, opened in 2004 with Diabetes, Endocrinology, Wound Care and Rheumatology services. It continues to grow as the Hospital strategically locates services there.
In 2005, the Hospital's Patient Accounts Department moved into the outpatient care center. In addition, two hyperbaric oxygen chambers were added, complementing the comprehensive treatment available for wound care. Other programs — including Rehabilitation Services and our Anti-Coagulation Clinic — will be added to this impressive facility soon. The Backus Outpatient Care Center offers great convenience for highvolume services. It is a solid example of how we meet the community's needs.
This past year, your Hospital also purchased a women's care imaging service in Groton off Route 117, and opened the Groton Backus Outpatient Center in January. We began by offering mammography and bone density screening services, and as the year progressed expanded to include ultrasound and X-Ray — addressing key needs for Backus patients in the southern tier of our service area.
After renovating, expanding and re-opening our Colchester Backus Health Center in 2004, we spent time in the past year adding more services for this growing community. In addition to existing X-Ray and MRI services, we added CT Scan, ultrasound and mammography. Colchester's population increase and its location as a nexus for patients in the western edge of our service area make our expansion there both logical and strategic. Computer technology connects our Colchester, Montville and Groton sites to our physicians on our main Hospital campus, which allows physicians to instantly access pertinent medical information or images collected at our offsite locations.
Private patient rooms under construction in the Hospital’s E-Building will assure greater comfort for patients and their families. |
As information systems continue to evolve and grow, we remain committed to integrating this technology into the day-to-day care of our patients. Our focus on patient safety and healthcare quality remains strong, and by putting the latest technological advances into the hands of compassionate medical professionals, we are improving our ability to provide high quality healthcare in a community hospital setting. You can read more about our patient safety and quality efforts on the pages that follow.
As you can see, Backus Hospital does not — it cannot — stand still.
The future we have embarked upon will not always be an easy one. We are all aware of the serious issues facing healthcare today — staffing and recruitment challenges, increasing numbers of uninsured and underinsured patients, razor-thin margins and far-from-adequate government reimbursement, to name just a few.
Still, I have unwavering hope in Backus Hospital's strong future because we have a reliable roadmap. It is one grounded on our mission to provide responsive and accountable care; propelled by our vision to be one of New England's most progressive community hospitals; and guided by our values of commitment and service.
The activities of 2005 are a testament to how we consistently apply those principles to create a future of which we can be proud. We have achieved national recognition for clinical excellence. We have put into force life-saving initiatives. We have added programs and services to outpatient locations. The largest construction project in our history is under way and on schedule.
Healthcare delivery is a complex business, and — as you will see in the following pages of our Annual Report — it is really not about bricks and mortar, but about caring people and responsive programs. It has been quite an eventful year. I am confident that you will agree: It has set us on a clear path for our future.
Thomas P. Pipicelli,
President and Chief Executive Officer