Greetings from the CEO and Board Chair of NVRH

Once again we, the CEO and Chairman of the Board of NVRH, would like to thank you for your support of the hospital during this past year. As you read this, the 1999 Annual Report, we would like to take this opportunity to highlight both our successful year and also invite you to read about some of the wonderful community work that our dedicated NVRH staff members have been involved in over the past 12 months.

First, we would like to state that in March, NVRH once again achieved, with flying colors, accreditation from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Such national accreditation is the result of our demonstrated compliance with the Joint Commission's nationally recognized health care standards. The process consists of the JCAHO's intensive investigation of hospital policies and practices, and is an important measure of hospital performance. Following the national review, NVRH also received full accreditation from the State of Vermont's review board. Final accreditation thus reflects the high regard in which NVRH is viewed both statewide and nationally. Everyone concerned with this process, both in the hospital and in the community, deserves to be proud of this recognition of NVRH's commitment to provide quality care on an ongoing basis.

Another high point occurred in September, when NVRH became only the 19th hospital in the United States to be designated "Baby-Friendly"(TM)."Baby-Friendly" is a global initiative sponsored by UNICEF (the United Nation's Children's Fund) and WHO (the World Health Organization) which encourages and recognizes hospitals and birthing centers that offer the highest level of care and support for breastfeeding mothers and their babies. Recognition by this international organization is an honor which the entire NVRH community has worked hard to achieve, and one in which we may all take great pride.

Also in 1999, after extensive planning, NVRH implemented a comprehensive patient satisfaction survey program, which provides us with valuable information about how the way we do our work affects all patients who use the hospital's services.

The FY 2000 budget was approved by the Vermont Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities and Health Care Administration, without alterations. This approval recognizes that NVRH continues to operate within our stipulated budget, as we have in the past. The financial statements printed elsewhere in this report indicate that we are doing well at husbanding our resources and planning for appropriate services in the ever-changing regulatory
and cultural health care environment.

Our chaplaincy program, an integral component of NVRH life, is now being replicated in other hospitals around the state. This is a gratifying acknowledgment of the vital importance of this element of health care.

Although we are not formally affiliated with local or state home health care agencies, we provided crucial testimony to regulators and legislators in 1999 to ease a mounting financial pressure on the home health care system.

NVRH was named 1999 Employer of the Year by the St. Johnsbury Business and Professional Women's Club. This award reflects the recognition of the community of NVRH's ongoing commitment to our staff and the community we serve.

Underlying all of these accomplishments, however, is our continuing effort to refine our mission, vision, and values as a hospital and to improve the way in which we conduct our business. As the demands on our health care system change due to new technologies, changing regulations, and a changing population, we are constantly obliged to assess our relevance to our community, patients, employees, and physicians.

One of the most important ways that we can assess this relevance is to look closely at how our staff works, not just here at the hospital, but in the communities where they live. This is why our Annual Report this year focuses on the variety of ways in which NVRH staff, by using their skills, experience and good will outside of the hospital as well, keep us knit to the community we serve.

Our health care system is slowly learning the basic truth that health care is as much about health as it is about sickness. Obvious as this may sound, it is yet an ever-evolving awareness. The first impression many of us have is that a hospital is where we go when we are sick. There is no doubt that this is an essential piece of our mission, but it doesn't tell the whole story. When we celebrate the ways that our staff contributes to the health of our communities, not just in their work on the job, but in their community life, we begin to be able to think more clearly about how fostering good health is as important as curing illness. This knowledge helps us to shape an institution that best meets the needs of its community.

So, we invite you to read on. Let us introduce you to some of our staff and see how they celebrate health. Their dedication will make you feel good about yourself and those who care for and about you, and that's a big part of what being healthy is.
With thanks and best wishes,

Paul Bengtson, CEO
Ron Steen, Chairman of the Board