The only constant in life is change and nowhere is that more evident than health care. The business of health care has transformed in the last several decades, even more so in the last few years. On the cusp of a substantial change myself, I write today—as the new president of Adventist Health—to tell you that despite changes on the horizon, our commitment to mission is as strong as ever.
This commitment is demonstrated through the very vision of Adventist Health. Through our people. Through their stories. Through our ever-advancing technologies. And through our building for the future.
At Adventist Health, we view building as a multi-faceted concept; it's not just physical construction, but the building of people, the building of community and the building of our mission.
Throughout the next several pages, you will discover the "building" of Adventist Health.
You'll read about the retirement of Donald R. Ammon, Adventist Health president, and how he built a 43-year career in Adventist health care. You'll learn about the incredible bricks-and-mortar projects throughout our system that make our health care not only safe and accessible, but state-of-the-art. You'll see how we build character in our hospitals through the encouragement and uplifting of our staff and physicians.
As you read, I hope you will also see that we're building vision for the future at Adventist Health.
In 1877, James White wrote, "It is a disgrace to Seventh-day Adventists to do a second-class job in anything... all of our institutions here shall be No. 1."
And so we strive at Adventist Health... To be a recognized leader in quality care. To be the No. 1 choice for health care in the communities we serve. To be a living example of mission and stewardship for our patients, employees and communities.
I hope you enjoy this spotlight on Adventist Health, and if you wish to know more about us, please visit www.adventisthealth.org.
Facts about Adventist Health:
Headquartered in Roseville, California
19 hospitals in California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington
22 rural health clinics
16 home care agencies offering home health, hospice, personal care, medical equipment and infusion therapy services
Three joint-venture retirement centers, with a fourth on the way
Approximately 18,000 employees
More than 2,800 beds
109,094 admissions in 2006
397,821 emergency room visits in 2006
1,812,486 outpatient visits in 2006
215,225 home care visits in 2006
75,746 hospice days in 2006
Provided more than $2.4 million in free and low-cost services to our communities in 2006
Robert G. Carmen, new Adventist Health president.
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