Editorial
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Community gem

A little more than a decade ago, if you were talking about Meriden’s hospital chances were high that the conversation was contentious. The hospitals were merging, then the hospital was moving out of the inner city to a spot next to the mall. Plenty of people were worried and more than a few were far less than happy.

That was last century.

Today, talk about MidState Medical Center is far more likely to center on how well the hospital is doing, about new technology, employee satisfaction, patient satisfaction, awards and recognition. There are no doubt complaints and difficulties. No hospital can be expected to operate without them. But to a large degree, news that comes out of MidState these days is positive. It is generally regarded, and quite rightly so, as being a gem in the community.

The hospital’s recent board of governors meeting, which serves as a kind of annual review, gave no indication of lessening luster. The hospital’s profit margin of $ 4.1 million for 2006 was down from the $ 6.1 million of the year before, but today fluctuating reimbursements from Medicaid and elsewhere can put a lot of strain on a hospital operating budget. What matters is that the hospital remains in good health at a time that in many ways is very challenging for the health-care industry.

Much of this can be credited to the hospital’s leadership. With Lucille A. Janatka, president and chief executive, at the helm, MidState has consistently pursued progressive strategies that stretch conventional notions of what community hospital is or should be. While forward thinking, this leadership has also recognized the importance of keeping the community involved, ensuring that initiatives receive the backing they need to succeed.

In the past year, MidState has expanded its building, added staff and invested in technology. The Cornerstone Pavilion enabled the hospital to move its support departments to a unified location and opened other areas of the hospital to new opportunities, including a spine and pain clinic. By proving its commitment to well proven cutting-edge technology, MidState draws high-quality physicians.

No doubt challenges remain. MidState must contend with a problem facing all hospitals in the nation, for example, the dramatic increase in emergency department demand. In this century, here’s no reason to think that Meriden’s hospital is anything but well poised to take on such challenges.