While it has only been just over two months since I joined the Baystate Franklin Medical Center team as president and chief administrative officer, I feel like I have been part of this lovely community forever.
This is because of the heartfelt welcome I’ve received both within the hospital and throughout the community. From staff to physicians to volunteers to members of the community, everyone has helped me feel assured that I made the right decision to move to Franklin County and join Baystate Health.
Besides feeling welcomed, I am also feeling grateful for the loyalty and commitment to Baystate Franklin that is so evident throughout the community. Everyone I have met in this short time is making sure that Baystate Franklin flourishes and that it will be here to serve the healthcare needs of the people of the Franklin community. What I notice among everyone is a pride in and sense of ownership of our fine hospital!
That sense of ownership was apparent when on Monday, June 27, not long after I joined Baystate, our new Surgery Center opened. The building is a direct result of the commitment that businesses and individuals in our community have made to ensure that Baystate Franklin will continue to offer the best care possible, close to home.
I have many people to thank for helping us reach this milestone; many of you have played a vital role in the opening of the new operating rooms and patient care areas.
First and foremost, I must share my admiration of and appreciation for two couples who co-chaired our “Keeping Care Local” campaign, leading the way to raising $5 million toward our $26 million building.
Rob and Mary Cohn and Charles and Betty Barker spent countless hours championing our cause, sharing our story with businesses and individuals throughout Franklin County — playing a major role in the success of this campaign and the resulting modern, spacious, state-of-the-art building that is now an active part of our Baystate Franklin Medical Center campus. Thank you, Rob, Mary, Charles and Betty, for all you have done and continue to do for Baystate Franklin!
I also want to thank our dedicated surgeons and hard-working staff, who have gone out of their way to provide exceptional care and a positive experience for our patients and their families. I am so pleased to be able to “reward” them with the new center that will allow them to continue their excellent care in a setting that is, frankly, “bigger and better!”
Our surgical team has been excited to use this new space, and the patients they have treated have expressed great satisfaction with the experience they have had.
Many kind and generous commitments to the campaign for Keeping Care Local have made a tremendous difference in our ability to fund this important project. Together, we have raised $5 million, which ensures we will maintain and enhance healthcare close to home. This level of commitment makes a tremendous difference, particularly at a time when the financing of healthcare — globally and locally for our own organization — is under extreme pressure.
Some surgery will always be most appropriately performed at our tertiary care partner, Baystate Medical Center. However, our new surgical center enables us to provide a higher level of care with quality and compassion, using the best resources in a state-of-the-art facility. The charitable gifts we continue to receive are also helping support repurposing our existing five operating rooms for endoscopy procedures and a new specialized broncoscopy suite opening in January 2017.
This is an exciting time at Baystate Franklin Medical Center. We have new physicians joining our medical practices, an outstanding team of compassionate and skilled staff caring for patients and the enhancement of our services and facilities. Knowing we have a hospital made up of professionals who provide outstanding care strengthens our community each day.
I could not be more honored to be the new president and chief administrative officer for this fine organization.
While, on one hand, I feel as if I have been part of this community forever, on the other hand, I know I have much to learn about the community and the people who make it such a special place to live and work. In the coming months and years, I will strive to continue to research and learn what our community members need and want to make Baystate Franklin their choice for excellent health care. I will be listening to your “wish lists,” your concerns, your suggestions for what we at Baystate Franklin can do to continue to offer you the best care possible while keeping care local whenever we can.
I look forward to serving the community in my new role, and to being part of the Franklin County community for many years to come.
On behalf of my colleagues and team members at Baystate Franklin Medical Center, thank you again for your outstanding support of your community hospital and for being a special part of shaping Baystate Franklin for a successful future as your local healthcare provider. Together, we deliver a higher state of caring.
Cindy Russo joined Baystate Franklin Medical Center as president and chief administrative officer on May 31. She presently lives in Cheshire, Conn., and plans to relocate to Franklin County soon.