At Adventist Health, we know that if we plan to be around tomorrow, we must start planning for tomorrow today. Which is why the following pages are filled with new faces, features and physical plants—all of which are designed to ensure the longevity of our mission. You see, we believe in sticking around for the long haul, as illustrated by Adventist Medical Center in Portland and Walla Walla General Hospital, both of which have served their communities for more than 100 years.
In preparation for the future, dozens of our hospitals have seen forklifts and facelifts—as have our mission, vision and values, which were recently updated to better reflect who we are as an organization. The Lord continues to bless our operations despite the many challenges facing our industry. As a result, we’re installing new equipment, stepping up our recruiting efforts and putting the finishing touches on a computerized clinical information system that promises to transform the health care experience for both patients and caregivers.
Speaking of caregivers, you may have heard that we’re facing a national nursing shortage. And our staff is aging alongside our patient population. For these reasons, we feel it’s essential to foster young talent at every level of our organization. You’ll see some of these fresh faces on the pages that follow.
Freshly turned earth has also become a familiar sight. Perhaps at no time in Adventist Health’s history have we had as many building projects in progress—and subsequent demands for capital. To ensure that we have adequate funding available, our 10-year Capital Plan called for us to enter the credit rating arena as part of a bond issuance. Thanks to a strong financial record, we earned an "A" credit rating from both Standard & Poors Rating Services and Fitch Ratings.
Yes, we’re in a good place. And yes, we plan to stay there for a good long time. But the best news is that we’ve got some of the most dedicated people in the business behind every building project, microscope and new initiative—and beside every bed. And with their help, we will face the future with hope and innovation.
Donald R. Ammon is president and CEO of Adventist Health, which operates health care facilities throughout California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington.
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