Good Samaritan General Hospital Vision 2015

VISION THE GOOD SAMARITAN GENERAL HOSPITAL FOUNDATION, WILL BE RECOGNIZED AS HAVING THE BEST REPUTATION FOR COMPASSIONATELY PROVIDING HIGH QUALITY MEDICAL SERVICES TO ALL WHO SEEK IT IN THE EASTERN REGION OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC BY THE YEAR 2015.

VALUES 1) Fear God: We put God first in all of our decisions 2) Compassion: With a permanent attitude of service, we focus on discovering people’s deepest needs.

3) Honesty: We work with purity; our processes are clean and transparent.

4) Confidentiality: We treat information with the highest regard for privacy and individuality.

5) Courage: We back up all decisions we make in every case.

6) Responsibility: We carry out what we promise.

7) Prudence: We proceed carefully in all circumstances, we make the best decisions, maintain our composure and kind treatment at all times, and builds a strong, open, and understanding personality.

MISSION THE GOOD SAMARITAN GENERAL HOSPITAL: IS BASED ON CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES, COMMITTED TO PROVIDE HEALTH CARE UNDER THE NORMS OF RESPECT AND COMPASSION, WITH THE HIGHEST STANDARDS OF QUALITY AND TECHNOLOGY, FOR ALL WHO SEEK IT.

This overview presents the current plans and strategies for attaining the goals set forward as the vision for the Good Samaritan Hospital. The genesis for this vision was cast well before the first shovel of earth was turned over. It was spoken by the late Jean Luc Phanord as he traveled to churches throughout the United States gathering support.

A great deal of planning and discussion has gone into this vision but, it is still very much a work in process.

Construction of the hospital began around 1990. At that time the vision for our project was a great facility providing for two buildings. An ambitious under taking that would stress the resources of the most sound business plan. We undertook the task with a passion and the faith that God would provide what was necessary for our success.

For the next seven years we toiled under the hot and humid sun at the Tropic of Cancer. The early years were difficult because for all the effort that was being put into building there was very little to show for our efforts. Each year our numbers increased as the word got out to the churches, first in the Northeast and then across the country. Each year as we returned home supporters would ask if the hospital was finished and we would answer ‘soon’. After several years of answering ‘soon’ we began to add ‘o’s as we would say ‘sooooooon’ to emphasize we were still hard at work and we could see the reward of our efforts. From one or two churches growth steadily increased and by 1997 the first floor of the building was ready to open offering services as a day clinic.

With the Good Samaritan Clinic in operation we focused our efforts on building exam rooms, consultation rooms, surgeries, the emergency room, administration, and of course the second floor. In 1999 La Romana was hit by Hurricane George and so we took a couple years off from the hospital to rebuild churches and schools in the bateys.

When we returned to the hospital in 2002 our world had changed. Jean Luc, the visionary we had relied upon as leader and brother, was killed in the crash of American Airlines flight 587 in Queens, NY. Now his vision was to become his legacy and we were in the midst of making it happen. As we returned to work it was with a renewed spirt to see the completion of the hospital he had brought out of the ground.

The loss of Jean Luc, tragic as it was, was made more difficult as we found ourselves in the position of managing a hospital as well as constructing one. We soon learned that running a cement mixer is much easier than running a hospital. From the start we believed that God is in charge of building the Good Samaritan Hospital, but never have we needed to trust in His judgement as much as necessary over the past several years.

In 2007 we began moving into the second floor. With eight new consultation rooms and fourteen new patient rooms it seemed the hospital was well positioned for the foreseeable future. Opening a pediatric ward added to the services the hospital was providing, but it also added to the cost of operation. As quickly as consultation rooms on the second floor were pressed into use the space freed up on the first floor was quickly remodeled and placed back into service.

In the ten years since opening as a walk in clinic the hospital had grown to a notable medical center providing care to more than 40,000 clients annually. From General Consultations and Ultra Sound it now offers services in sixteen specialities, dialysis treatment, emergency treatment, an imaging department, and provides employment for close to 100 people.

For the past several years construction of the hospital has not stopped but it has slowed considerably. This is not due to losing the vision for the hospital nor a lack of enthusiasm from you or anyone else involved as a stakeholder of this project. Quite to the contrary, activity has never been higher, only in a different areas.

Since opening we grew quickly from a few hundred patients to more than 40,000 in less than five years.

Growth of this magnitude is great to have but it brings with it the requirements of hiring professional staff, providing equipment necessary for doctors and nurses to offer the quality of care that continues to bring new patients into the hospital. Human resource management changes from a hand shake to the development of job descriptions, departmental organization, and filling key management positions with experienced leaders.

Behind all this is the establishment of business controls through creating a valid budget and controlling costs.

Each year, as we became more experienced, budgeting and cost control has become more reliable and closer to reality.

During this period the Dominican Government implemented a form of Social Security. This action, while providing insurance to all that have a job, has impacted the business plan that was in place. It’s implementation is some what of a double edge sword. Over time this new program will benefit the hospital greatly but it has required significant planning and negotiating with insurance companies.

The introduction of employer subsidized insurance has increased the competition among the hospitals in La Romana, and has already seen the opening of one new hospital. The mission of the Good Samaritan Hospital remains to provide medical treatment to all that need it without regard for their ability to pay.

The new insurance program will make health care affordable those employed and under the plan but not everyone will be covered. Most of those without coverage are the same people the hospital was first conceived to serve. In order to remain a viable medical facility serving the poorest in the community and in the bateyes, Good Sam must maintain its position as one of the finest medical institutions in the eastern regions of the Dominican Republic. Much consideration and planning has been accomplished over the past eighteen months to ensure the success of the hospital.

Vision2015 is more than a plan for the future. It embodies the intent and purpose of the Good Samaritan Hospital in the most fundamental sense. A vision that has been formed on the anvil of faith and dedication by all whom have selflessly given of themselves.

Well before construction began towards the realization of this vision the hospital Board of Directors, Administration, Doctors and Staff established business guidelines and processes that will meet the standards of our vision. The entire staff fully understands the important role they maintain in the success of the hospital today and into the future. They are committed to their obligation, even in the face of personal sacrifice.

To attain principles set forth in the mission statement requires the hospital to continually pursue every opportunity that leads directly or indirectly to success. Sustaining the professionalism of the administrative and medical staff is paramount to our goals.

Mission Statement

The Good Samaritan General Hospital Foundation Will Be Recognized As Having The Best Reputation For Compassionately Providing High Quality Medical Services To All Who Seek It, In The Eastern Region Of The Dominican Republic By The Year 2015.

The Good Samaritan General Hospital: Key to our success will be the ability to continue attracting the brightest and most talented Is based on Christian principles. medical professionals in the Dominican Republic. The strategy Is committed to providing health care to accomplish this is embodied in our mission statement and our under the norms of respect and com- vision. passion; with the highest standards of quality and technology, for all who seek it.

To enable this strategy requires the expansion and re-configuration of the building. Re-configuring is necessary to provide health care in a more efficient and effective manner. The construction of the new Emergency Department entrance will provide faster access to life saving care. Over the next months, as new emergency department facilities are brought on-line, Good Samaritan Hospital will provide the finest emergency care in the city.

Relocating emergency services to the central core of the first floor provided the space necessary to expand the department to accommodate the care demanded by our mission statement but it was also required to open up sufficient resources to allow re-construction of the Surgery Department.

From the beginning the hospital has provided the best in surgical procedures in the city. Our facilities have been in demand by teams from the United States. For years they have visited the hospital, bringing with them equipment and skills that have benefitted Good Sam. Each year, as additional surgical teams schedule time for our facilities the hospital’s surgeons increase their skills as the US teams keep them updated with new or changing techniques used in North American hospitals.

Since before the hospital opened teams of doctors from American hospitals have arranged for people requiring surgeries too complex for facilities available at Good Sam to go to the United States for care. Currently only a few US hospitals are involved in these life changing procedures. We are currently establishing relationships with many of the best teaching hospitals in the United States to broaden opportunities for those in the La Romana region requiring assistance.

Beyond providing health care in US hospitals the long term benefit to Good Sam, and to the region, is the establishment of a program inviting teams of US surgeons to La Romana to teach surgical procedures and techniques to doctors throughout the region. This program is in keeping with our vision that Good Sam will be recognized as the best hospital throughout the La Romana region. Our compassion for all people of the region will be demonstrated by our willingness to share our skills with others.

To realize this objective of our vision requires the expansion of the surgical facilities. Currently there are two surgery suites and the plan is to double that resource to four. As soon as the relocation of the Emergency Department is completed work will begin on this aspect of the project.

With the construction of the new Emergency Department five consultation rooms on the first floor will be removed. These rooms are providing service to twelve doctors and they must be replaced. Additional consultations are also required to accommodate the growing number of doctors and practitioners joining the hospital staff. On a temporary basis some of these rooms may be made available on the second floor. However this option would be short lived as office space on the second floor is already at a premium.

Also areas on the second floor designated for patients are currently utilized for meeting rooms and storage space.

To resolve the need for additional floor space to continue the expansion of the hospital, and to keep us on track for VISION2015 the third and forth floors are planned to provide space to double the number of hospital beds currently in use and provide the necessary classroom and clinical space to bring our vision to fruition.

The ultimate plan for the third floor is building a total of 32 patient rooms for over night care. These rooms will provide housing for three tiers of hospital inpatient options. While all patients will receive the same level of compassionate and professional care, private, semi private, and four bed wards will be made available, providing the patient the ability to select the accommodations that best fit their budget.

Initially the third floor will provide relief for the need for more consultation rooms and patient living as well as meeting rooms and classrooms.

Use of the fourth is intended as an educational facility for surgery and other advanced medical treatment.

By providing this level of training it is hoped training received here, and practiced throughout the country will lead surgeons, physicians and medical technicians towards providing superior care to their patients.

Completion of the fourth floor enables the future and destiny of the Good Samaritan Hospital in La Romana. As it marks the end of our expansion plans it brings life the vision cast by Jean Luc Phanord in 1986.

This VISION2015 being cast in 2009 will be looked upon by many as very ambitious and there would be little argument from any of us. If you speak with those that heard the vision cast in 1986 their memory of how they reacted might well echo your thoughts.

If you have supported this project for any length of time you know that it is through our faith in God and the steadfast support of all who labor that has brought us to where we are today. A hospital providing excellent care to people that would otherwise go untreated. An institution that cares deeply for all that enter it’s doors. A caring resting place living its values.

eg 1. Fear God: We put God first in all of our decisions 2. Compassion: With a permanent attitude of service, we focus on discovering people’s deepest needs.

3. Honesty: We work with purity; our processes are clean and transparent.

4. Confidentiality: We treat information with the highest regard for privacy and individuality.

5. Courage: We back up all decisions we make in every case.

6. Responsibility: We carry out what we promise.

7. Prudence: We proceed carefully in all circumstances, we make the best decisions, maintain our composure and kind treatment at all times, and builds a strong, open, and understanding personality.