On behalf of my wife Donna and myself, I want to thank everyone for the
friendly welcome and wonderful hospitality during our recent move to Jackson
Hole. This is a very special community, one that we are thrilled to now
call home.
Even in a small community, a medical center is a complex and dynamic institution.
Due to the stability and strength of the board and hospital leadership,
I am benefiting from a thorough and rapid orientation to the state and
operations of St. John’s Medical Center.
The outstanding facilities aside, what has impressed me most in my short
time here are the quality and caring of this medical community. The physicians
and providers possess great depth of experience and expertise. And the
nurses and technologists, along with the rest of the hospital staff, are
highly skilled and compassionate professionals.
This entire team has begun to build a foundation for the future and is
already being recognized for quality of care and patient experience by
important national agencies such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services (CMS) and National Research Corporation (NRC).St. John’s
recent four-star rating by CMS is a clear sign that the medical center
is on the right track. The CMS Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating system
reflects comprehensive quality information, synthesizing 64 established
quality measures into a unified rating of one to five stars. I commend
the hospital leadership, the physicians, and the entire staff for this
exceptional accomplishment.
In addition to the highest quality of care, the best hospitals focus on
delivering a superior patient experience. I am greatly encouraged to see
the recent advances at St John’s, which have resulted in three Dimension
Awards (in patient-centered care) from NRC. St. John’s had the highest
combined percentages of patient ratings — outscoring 453 other eligible
facilities to achieve the awards — in the areas of emotional support,
information and education, and involvement of family and friends.
It is my strong feeling that a community is only as healthy as its local
hospital. As St. John’s celebrates its 100th anniversary milestone,
it is a great honor to help lead this important institution into its next
century of service to Jackson Hole and surrounding communities. I look
forward to ensuring that St. John’s Medical Center thrives in the
years to come.