Editors Note: This is the second half of a three part series. Memorial Health CEO, Maggie Gill, presented the hospital’s annual update to the Chatham County Commission at its semi-monthly meeting on May 23. See part one here.

Gill also talked about Population Health in her report. “We are willing to invest resources into helping our patients take better care of themselves,” she said. “We now have a Patient Centered Medical Home at our Family Medicine Center for treatment of diabetics.” This offering is in partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield. Memorial was able to hire care coordinators to help diabetic patients manage their A1c levels, reducing unnecessary hospitalization.

Understanding the importance of attracting and retaining the best healthcare professionals, Gill pointed out that the strategic plan calls for Memorial to be the employer of choice. “That’s important to us. We are a large employer; one of the largest in the region,” said Gill. “We have a tremendous resource in our team.” Gill went on to say that the hospital places a strong emphasis on succession planning and growth development. “This year alone, we’ve created 63 new jobs because we’ve been able to grow our patient services,” said Gill. The hospital offers Healthy for Life, a wellness program designed just for Team Members. Memorial is committed to creating partnerships with regional colleges and universities to offer undergraduate clinical rotations and Team Member educational opportunities, according to Gill. 

Another strategy for improved patient care is the creation of an integrated network of care providers that provides ease of access to all concerned so that patients are served much more efficiently. “We need to make sure that when people are receiving care that we are communicating with their caregivers wherever they are,” said Gill. “We are breaking down the barriers and redundancies in healthcare to create a more efficient system.” 

One recurring theme woven throughout Gill’s report was that of partnerships. In 2012, Memorial entered into a partnership with Novant Health, a regional healthcare provider based in Winston-Salem N.C. Gill said the partnership has made sharing economies of scale and best practices possible, and can be credited with saving the hospital some $6 million.

In December 2013, Memorial Health announced their plan to create a free-standing children’s hospital on campus. There is already a children’s hospital that is part of the Memorial complex, but the trustees and staff feel strongly that the time has come to establish a dedicated hospital for children The Children’s Hospital of Savannah, as it will be called, is also a partnership with Novant Health. Gill said the plan is to move the existing children’s hospital into what is currently the rehabilitation services building. There, it can stand on its own and develop its own identity. The hospital will identify a new space to house its rehabilitation services.