President's Message - Caring for the Future

In reflecting over the past two years that I have been at Saint Francis, I feel a great sense of pride in what our dedicated directors, volunteers, physicians, and staff have  accomplished.  Through their leadership, we have made great strides in enhancing the clinical care we provide to our community.  Following are just a few of the highlights of fiscal year 2006:

• We established a dedicated unit that provides comprehensive care for congestive heart failure patients. This is the first of its kind in Connecticut.
  
  
• We introduced CyberKnife, Connecticut’s only stereotactic radiosurgery technology for the treatment of cancerous tumors and lesions.
  
  
• We broke ground for two major medical offices, in Enfield and East Hartford.
  
  
• We renamed the Rehabilitation Hospital of Connecticut to reflect its true heritage – a remarkable facility that now proudly calls itself the Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital.
  
  
• We introduced medication bar coding to ensure, at bedside, that medications prescribed exactly match the patients receiving them.  We are the first hospital in Connecticut to do so and one of only 1% of all U.S. hospitals that have this life-saving technology.
  
  
• We were one of just 45 hospitals nationwide to be named a 2006 CareScience Select Practice National Quality Leader, an award for exceptional quality and efficiency given to fewer than 1% of all U.S. hospitals.
  
  
• We were included among just 50 U.S. hospitals to be named a Leapfrog Top Hospital, an award granted by a consortium of Fortune 500 companies and public healthcare purchasers in recognition of our superior patient safety measures and clinical outcomes.  We were the only Connecticut hospital to achieve this designation.
  

It is with great pleasure that I welcome Paul Pendergast as President and Chief Development Officer for the Foundation.  He previously served as the Senior Associate Athletic Director of Development at the University of Connecticut, Storrs. Paul brings with him a depth and breadth of knowledge and experience that promises to be a tremendous asset to the Foundation and Hospital.

We extend our deepest gratitude to two very special groups, the Women’s Auxiliary of Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center and the Mount Sinai Hospital Foundation.  The Auxiliary has committed $1.5 million to the New Beginnings Family Birth Care program. The Mount Sinai Hospital Foundation has pledged $1 million to the Capital Campaign.
 

As the Campaign for Saint Francis Care nears its successful completion, I am again reminded of the incredible support of so many within the Hospital family and the Greater Hartford community.  Many of the articles and photos in this newsletter certainly attest to that generosity.  Our community is deeply indebted to this magnificent spirit of giving.

Sincerely,

Christopher M. Dadlez
President and Chief Executive Officer