ST MARYS REGIONAL HEALTHCARE CASE STUDY
St. Mary’s regional healthcare center conducts various activities as part of its strategic approach to healthcare. The main hospital offers emergency service, diagnostic and treatment of all types. The organization operates several facilities in other locations. Recently, st marys management team with the approval of the organizations’ board of directors created a new path. In the past patients would travel to the hospital or its other facilities when a health problem emerged. Someone who suspected he or she was experiencing heart or cardiovascular issues would be sent to the heart center, and diagnosed with cancer would be referred to the cancer treatment center and so forth.
The top management after many long discussions decided it was time for st marys to redefine itself. The concept was that members of the community and potential patients of the system should become partners in the healthcare process. Rather than passively waiting until an illness or injury occurs, citizens of the areas should be encouraged to proactively prevent as many health problems as possible. To help achieve this new strategic vision, the proprietors founded the st. Mary’s wellness center, among the directives for the organization’s new wing, where the following
provide low-cost health screening tools such as blood pressure, tests and weigh-ins
encourage healthy activities by patrons including watching diet, managing weight and exercising
Offer low-free programs to help individuals engage in healthy activities including clubs, exercise groups and support groups
Link physical wellness to mental well-being
Establish an immunization program at low cost for flu shots, shingles vaccinations and other similar preventive steps. Creating this new partnership required more than public relations activities and a new building. Physicians in the community were contacted directly and asked the talk with their patients about the wellness program when giving routine physicals and when other contacts took place. Advertising the system and its benefits would take place the following year. The St mary’s wellness sponsor closed-captioning of the news in two local TV stations which would provide daily reminders of its existence to the viewers
while explaining the new program to the community members two points were to be emphasized. First real wellness such as lowering blood pressure, easting fewer fatty foods, watching calories, engaging in mild exercise, and working to manage stress, offers direct benefits to the individuals. As time passes, a person who actively engages in preventive steps would be far less prone to suffer from diabetes some forms of cancer, heart problems and other maladies. second the program should assist in cutting healthcare costs. This benefits extends to both the patient and the hospital. When community members actively work to maintain a healthy lifestlye they can expect to pay less for the healthcare and lose less time to sick days away from work. The hospital benefits by reducing the need for expensive treatments and recoveries from various illnesses. As one board member put it, this new vision for our organization creates a win-win situation.
Write a mission statement that reflects this new direction for St. MARYS
Write a vision statement reflecting the new mission statement
what type of strategy did the leadership at st. marys pursue?
which organizations in the community might view the wellness center a new competition?
what factors decribed in this chapter might affect the implementation of this strategy