The grand opening of the Friedman Building symbolizes the next big step in fulfilling our vision and promise to always put the patient first. Following a Board visioning retreat about 13 years ago, we embarked on a mission to create a true health system that would be capable of delivering the care we would want for our own loved ones from birth to the end of life, and at every point along the way.
Building upon the strength of GBMC hospital and Gilchrist, we added our patient-centered medical homes, with physician-led teams that hold themselves accountable for managing our patients’ health. We now have the best performance in the state for keeping our patients with diabetes in control of their A1C levels and out of the hospital. And, Gilchrist has expanded beyond its exceptional hospice and bereavement services to also offer early support to individuals with serious illnesses, providing primary care for frail elders at home well before the end of life.
During the ribbon cutting ceremony, the Friedmans shared details about their relationship with GBMC, which spans four generations. Hearing the stories of how our health system has affected them, their loved ones and friends was impactful. Also poignant to me was their explanation of “Tikkun Olam,” a Hebrew term that translates to “Repairing the World.” In their remarks, the Friedmans explained that the term speaks to our collective responsibility to heal, mend, and transform the world for the better. They shared their belief that health is fundamental to anything you want to accomplish and that investing in the health of our community is one of the best ways they could participate in repairing the world.
The features of this new building, which they and many others have so generously supported, will undoubtedly benefit the health of our community. With larger, state-of-the-art patient rooms and spaces that foster spiritual and emotional wellbeing in addition to medical needs, we will be able to enhance the care experience for our patients, their loved ones, and our staff, and we look forward to serving our community in this capacity for years to come.
I would like to recognize our incredible teams who meticulously planned, thoughtfully designed and built The Promise Project: Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Stacey McGreevy; Senior Director of Planning, Construction and Energy Russ Sadler; and Director of Project Management Becky Stover.
Under the leadership of our Campaign Chair, Dr. John Saunders, Jr., Chair of our Philanthropy Committee Heidi Kenny-Berman, and Vice President for Philanthropy and Marketing, Jenny Coldiron, we’ve seen a truly unprecedented number of community supporters to the Promise Project. Although the first phase of the Promise Project is complete with the opening of the Friedman Building, we are not stopping here. The next step of the project is to complete the Sandra R. Berman Pavilion, which we expect to open in about 12 months. The Berman Pavilion will connect to the Friedman Building and consolidate cancer care services for the convenience of our oncology patients. I look forward to sharing updates and sneak peeks into the Berman Pavilion as progress continues!
What an exciting week for GBMC! Honored to be a part of GBMC’s history.
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