Sturgis Hospital

Dear Friends, Many people ask me about the future of Sturgis Hospital and what I think will happen to Sturgis Hospital and other small hospitals. In today's fast changing healthcare environment, this is not the easiest question to answer. There are currently political and financial winds that are affecting hospitals in general, but small hospitals in a special way. One thing is for certain: How we look and how we do business will continue to change. The measure of our success should never be whether we look like we do today, but rather whether we are still providing care to the community and the region. Our goal is to change and grow so that we are here to provide the care future generations in our area need. A clear trend that is emerging is that we are entering an "era of partnerships." I believe the days of standing fully alone are likely gone for rural hospitals such as ours. I don't view that as something negative, but rather an opportunity to define our future in a new and exciting way. Over this last year we have had discussions with Three Rivers Health about how our two hospitals might more effectively work together to serve the healthcare needs of the whole county. I believe that the collaboration between our two hospitals will challenge us to find more creative and effective ways to provide care to our patients. Our partnership with Three Rivers Health is most likely the first of many partnerships that will develop over the next few years. As we think more about how to keep patients healthy and move our focus to ambulatory care and population health, we will link with others to be more effective in our endeavors. Those links will take many forms and structures, but will always target improving quality, enhancing access to care, and reducing the cost of health care. The uncertainty of the political climate in Washington will provide obstacles and opportunities, just as it has for the last 30 years. Our focus will remain on how to best care for the patients right here in St. Joseph County. We approach the future with optimism and are excited about working with others to improve services throughout our county. We appreciate the trust placed in us by the community and look forward to continuing to serve our patients for years to come. Sincerely, Robert J. LaBarge, FACHE President and CEO A MESSAGE TO OUR COMMUNITY Robert J. LaBarge, FACHE, President and CEO STURGIS HOSPITAL 916 Myrtle Ave. Sturgis, Michigan 49091 269-651-7824 www.SturgisHospital.com HOSPITAL MISSION Our Mission is to provide a broad range of high-quality medical services that promote a healthy community, and to serve as the primary resource for the community's need for primary care and specialty services. HOSPITAL VISION Our Vision is to be the preferred healthcare provider and the driving force for a healthy community through collaboration and the promotion of healthy lifestyles. We desire to continually improve our range of services; increase our financial viability and efficiency; and utilize our staff and facilities to provide the best possible patient experience. STURGIS HOSPITAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS John Mayer, President P. Joseph Haas Jr., Vice President Thomas Rock, Secretary/Treasurer Jose Albarran Jeannie Gerchow Eric Jones Rev. Floyd Kunce Bharat Vakharia, MD Philip Ward, PhD Vicki Watson Eric Wynes FOUNDATION ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS John Dresser, President Dan Czajkowski Mike Doe Kathy Earl Don Eaton Julie Evans Tommy Hamilton Gary Hansen Eric Jones Rev. Floyd Kunce Lynn Lego Bhumit Patel, MD Phyllis Youga THE MISSION OF THE FOUNDATION The Sturgis Hospital Foundation is a nonprofit organization that values the community's health needs and believes the community will be enhanced by the long- term viability of our Hospital. We generate financial and volunteer support to improve the community's health and wellness. Photographic contributions from eStudios Designs & Photography and Michael Koch Photography 2 S T U RG I S H O S P I TA L | www.SturgisHospital.com

• Cover