Keith came to GBMC in 2007, after serving as Chief Operating Officer at St. Mary's Health Care in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to oversee patient care and support services as Chief Operating Officer of our hospital.
In 2010, Keith took on much more responsibility as he became Chief Operating Officer for the entire system. In this role, Keith has been the key designer of our system of care, accountable for the day-to-day operations of not only our hospital, but also GBMC Health Partners and Gilchrist. Among Keith’s many accomplishments is his development of the service line model that has put physician leaders, nurse leaders, and administrators in charge of large components of our system. Keith has overseen the strengthening of our strategic planning process and the creation of our strategy deployment process. This work has caused GBMC’s resurgence in surgery, the tremendous growth in the medical sub-specialties, especially in cancer, and the solidification of our position in the market in maternal and child health. With Keith’s calm demeanor and great depth of knowledge about care delivery, GBMC has moved steadily towards our vision. Achieving a second site visit (and potentially achieving the award!) for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award is a fitting testament to Keith’s legacy at GBMC. We would not have gotten this far without Keith’s oversight of the creation of standard work and an accountability model to sustain it.
Keith has mentored so many young leaders at GBMC and we can thank him for leaving us with the capabilities to keep moving forward as he departs. Keith has been a partner and friend to me and has often given me sage advice just when it was needed most.
GBMC has been very lucky to have Keith as a leader. He will be missed dearly, and we wish him all the best. Keith is relocating to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina with his wife, Liz. We will welcome Keith back to GBMC for the groundbreaking of our three-story hospital addition, and in recognition of his outstanding contributions to our system, we are naming him as a member of the Promise Project Campaign Committee.
We will never forget Keith and his dedication to GBMC. Please join me in thanking Keith for all that he has done for GBMC, our staff, and our patients.
GBMC was acknowledged recently by the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE) and the International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA) for excellence and dedication in supporting and promoting breastfeeding.
The IBCLC Care Award is reserved for hospitals and community-based facilities that are found to protect, promote, and support the clinical management of breastfeeding, provide regular training for staff members who care for breastfeeding families, and support evidence-based projects. This recognition validates the efforts being made by our multidisciplinary team of nurses, nursing support technicians, lactation consultants, obstetricians, advanced practitioners, neonatologists, pediatricians, and anesthesiologists to help mothers get off to a good start with breastfeeding during their hospital stay, and beyond discharge.
GBMC is one of a few hospitals in the Baltimore region to receive this designation and this is the fourth concurrent two-year cycle since 2014 that GBMC has received the global recognition. Congrats to Jodie Bell, MSN, RNC-LRN, IBCLC, Assistant Director of Women’s & Children’s Services at GBMC, and her colleagues for this achievement.
Emergency Department nurses never know what patient with what ailment is about to walk through our doors, and they can see many patients in a shift. When a patient comes to our ED, our nurses deal with them quickly and professionally regardless of the patient’s age, illness, or injury.
This week is Emergency Nurses Week (Oct. 11 – 17) and this year’s theme Heart of Gold, signifies the incredible heart that every emergency nurse has and how vitally important they are to hospitals. This is more than evident during these challenging times of COVID-19. Please thank our emergency nurses for their often heroic and compassionate service and for having a “heart of gold."
I want to thank all the members of our GBMC security staff, as this week is Healthcare Safety and Security Week (Oct. 11-17).
Each day, GBMC security officers help maintain a safe and secure workplace. They can be seen walking or stationed throughout our medical center from the emergency department to labor and delivery.
They are vital members of the healthcare team and we cannot be successful without them. Please join me in thanking our security staff for their hard work and for the strong commitment and diligence they display in the practice of their profession.
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