Sheridan Memorial Hospital (SMH) recently completed its 2023-2026 Strategic Plan, which outlines the organization’s focus areas and growth initiatives for four years.
SMH gathered input from the community through processes such as the Community Health Needs Assessment, other research and day-to-day interactions. That data was utilized alongside feedback from SMH staff, stakeholders and leadership to develop the Strategic Plan.
The 2023-2026 Strategic Plan identifies four priority areas for strategic initiatives – SMH employees, services, facilities and models of operation.
“The things that we’ve identified as growth opportunities came out of multiple layers of discussions with the community and within the hospital,” said Mike McCafferty, CEO of SMH. “The strategic plan highlights where we intend to invest our resources over the next four years in order to best position the hospital for the future while also taking care of the immediate needs of our community.”
SMH leadership noted hospital employees are the organization’s greatest resource, and therefore have identified investment in principle-based culture and engagement as one strategic growth initiative. In addition, developing community support for workforce housing will aid not only the hospital as it recruits and seeks to retain new employees, but the community as a whole as it continues to grow.
SMH will also continue evaluating the services it offers. Among the hospital’s priorities are development of a behavioral health system of care and clinical infrastructure. Plans and fundraising for that project have already begun. In addition, the hospital will continue utilizing information gathered through the Community Health Needs Assessment completed earlier this year to evaluate additional services needed in the community.
Development of virtual care outreach for primary and specialty care clinics was also identified as a strategic initiative, and several clinics have already implemented texting with patients as a convenient option. Sheridan Memorial Hospital Urgent Care also utilizes telemedicine appointments for patients, reducing time needed to travel to and from appointments and providing a convenient option for care.
Several facilities projects have also been identified in the SMH 2023-2026 Strategic Plan. They include development of behavioral health facilities; an ambulatory procedures suite for colonoscopy and endoscopy; and a renovation and reorganization of the surgical services suite.
“We want to ensure patients have the best experience possible when receiving services at Sheridan Memorial Hospital,” McCafferty said. “Having top-notch facilities is part of ensuring a quality experience for anyone in the community who visits us.”
SMH has for years utilized proven management strategies to ensure a culture of continuous improvement. As part of the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan, SMH will continue working to ensure effective execution and deployment of strategic priorities while also improving consumer-based digital connectivity and communication that allows providers to meet patients where they are.
McCafferty said the teams at SMH will evaluate 2023-2026 Strategic Plan after two years to ensure the hospital is on track to meet its goals and to assess whether the priorities outlined in the strategic plan remain the community’s top priorities.