A Week of Reflection, Recognition, and Celebration
Published Friday, December 13, 2024 from the desk of John Chessare MD , MPH, President and CEO of GBMC HealthCare .
This past week, I had the privilege of attending the Institute for Healthcare Improvement ( IHI ) Forum, a gathering that always inspires those of us in healthcare. Among the many highlights was hearing from Dr. Anthony Fauci, a leader in public health whose career spans decades of service, from addressing the HIV/AIDS crisis to guiding us through the COVID-19 pandemic. His reflections were insightful and a reminder of what can be accomplished when public health is prioritized.
Another proud moment came when Carolyn Candiello, MA, CPHRM , our Senior Vice President of Quality and Patient Safety, accepted recognition on our behalf (as I was at the Gilchrist Ball…see below) for our past achievement of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. It’s always gratifying to see the work of our teams recognized on such a distinguished platform. This recognition reinforces the importance of staying focused on quality and patient safety in everything we do. I continue to be thankful to all our staff for their work in making this recognition possible and for their commitment to maintaining the same high level of quality of care for all our patients.
As part of the forum, we also enjoyed keynote addresses from Kedar Mate, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer at IHI; Donald M. Berwick, MD, MPP, FRCP, KBE, President Emeritus and Senior Fellow at IHI; best-selling author and executive producer, Tembi Locke; and Dannagal G. Young, Ph.D., Professor of Communication and Political Science at the University of Delaware.
I appreciated the opportunity to learn from and catch up with healthcare colleagues from across the world at the forum.
The Gilchrist Ball
On another celebratory note, on Saturday, December 7, Gilchrist held its biennial Gilchrist Ball, marking 30 years of compassionate care. The event, attended by more than 375 supporters, raised an incredible $750,000 to benefit Gilchrist’s hospice centers across Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and Howard County. Guests enjoyed a wonderful dinner, shared stories, and danced to live music—all in support of a mission that makes a difference for so many families.