This message posted at 12:01 a.m., February 1, 2018
On behalf of the board of directors of Ballad Health, it brings me great pleasure to announce to you that the boards of directors of Mountain States Health Alliance, Wellmont Health System and Ballad Health have voted unanimously to approve the final terms that will govern our merger. This is the final step required to complete this historic process, and we are now Ballad Health! We will hold our official launch tomorrow – Friday, February 2, 2018.
Later this morning, you’ll receive some more information about our launch schedule as well as an invitation to attend one of many launch celebrations taking place in care sites and offices throughout our organization tomorrow. There will be a launch experience room set up near your place of work, and you’ll go there tomorrow to pick up your new Ballad Health badge and learn more about our new brand and identity. Details about the experience rooms will be coming your way in a few hours.
But before any of that, I just want to be the first to welcome you to the Ballad Health team and let you know how excited I am about what we’re about to do together, and how honored I am to be part of such an incredible group of people.
The other day, I had the opportunity to visit one of our hospitals and get to know a team member who was celebrating her 50-year work anniversary. Fifty years. I asked her the same things I’ve asked many of you as I’ve visited care sites throughout the region – what is it that drives you to do what you do? And why have you chosen to work here as long as you have? Everywhere I go, the answers are the same: “Because these are my neighbors.” “Because I love what I do.” “I feel like I’m making a difference here.” “I love the people I work with.”
When we find joy and satisfaction in the work we do, it’s truly something to be cherished. And what better way to find satisfaction in our work than to lift others up? As healthcare workers, we have the opportunity to be involved in people’s life stories in such powerful ways. We have a front row seat for the moments that shape people’s lives, and how we care for them in those sacred moments is what defines us. Whether you’ve been with this organization for 50 years or less than a week, you are part of something special, and you have the opportunity to make a difference.
You probably know by now that the tagline for Ballad Health is:“It’s your story. We’re listening.” This is our promise to our patients and the community, but it also has to be our promise to each other. Every single one of us is a customer at some point during our work day. When a nurse in ICU calls down to the pharmacy for help, the nurse is the pharmacist’s customer at that moment. Later on, when the pharmacist is in the cafeteria looking for something to eat, the pharmacist becomes the customer. These relationships happen all day long, and every interaction is an opportunity to serve others by listening to them and understanding their needs. The better we are at serving each other, the better we’ll be at caring for and serving our patients.
As your leader, my job is to serve and support you, and that’s true for the rest of our leadership team as well. So right now as we get started on this transformational journey, I want you to know that your leadership team has the very best of intentions for you, for our health system, and for our region. What we’re about to do as a system has never been done before, but there’s no group of caregivers better suited to do it than we are, because there’s no group of people who are more passionate than we all are about serving this region and helping our communities achieve better health.
There’s no doubt that we’ll make some mistakes along the way, but I’m counting on you to give us feedback when that happens, so you can help us make this organization the best it can be. If we have the courage to try new ways of doing things and the humility to make adjustments when we need to, and if we truly listen to each other and to our patients, there’s nothing that’s going to stop us from being the highest performing health system in the country. I firmly believe this, and it’s why I’m so excited to be part of this team at this pivotal moment in our region’s history.
So welcome to Ballad Health! Thank you for what you’re doing today to serve others. We’ve got an exciting road ahead, and I can’t wait to get started.
Sincerely,
Alan