Change for a New Day

Let's face it:  Change stirs up fear. But it's also a birthplace of courage. Change requires us to believe in what we cannot quite yet see, and to know without moving forward things will worsen rather than improve. The healthcare industry is currently in a time of change - a time that requires courage, a belief that healthcare will be better, and the determination to do the work that will make it happen. Northeast Connecticut and Day Kimball Healthcare (DKH) are living through this time together.

In the last three years alone, there have been many changes at DKH: the opening of new Day Kimball Healthcare Centers in Putnam and Plainfield, the integration of services with primary care at the center, the implementation of connected electronic medical records across the system, the formation of Day Kimball Medical Group, restoration of the cancer care program and facilities, and the construction of an expanded emergency department at Day Kimball Hospital. This is just a short list of what's been accomplished in a short time, and none of it would have been possible without collaboration with our community.

These transformational initiatives at DKH mean our employees are working together differently. It means our patients are using our services differently. 

These changes require that we all have courage - and put in the effort - to make things work better. For example:

• Our employees have learned how to use new technology to collect patient information, and our patients have literally been "patient" as we introduce new ways we use and manage medical records.

• Our primary care physicians are learning to work differently with advanced nurse practitioners, medical assistants and front desk teams to care for patients, and patients are trusting primary care teams to ensure that the changes in how a doctor's office visit is managed maintains a high quality of care.

It isn't always easy - for DKH employees or for our patients. But change is seldom easy. 

Still, we all continue to courageously move forward to keep ahead of the changes within the national healthcare system and, in turn, continue to provide high-quality care to the people of Northeast Connecticut. 

Because at Day Kimball we believe:

• Sustaining healthcare for this region isn't optional, and therefore requires the board of directors, senior management and our entire healthcare team to seek and secure innovative business practices that will strengthen DKH's financial foundation.

• Integrating services across DKH's medical network with primary care at the center is the key to improved patient outcomes, and requires advanced technology connections, new patient pathways from service to service, and teamwork between care providers and the patient.

• Improving the well-being of the people of Northeast Connecticut - as a healthcare provider and as the largest employer in our region - requires us to continue to grow and evolve, or we perish.

Sure, change can be scary. It's also the perfect opportunity to rise above the challenges, see the possibilities, decide what needs to be done to achieve the benefits that await, and work at making them a reality.

Day Kimball Healthcare's dedication to the people of Northeast Connecticut continues today as it has for 120 years. We're making change happen for a new day.

Watch daykimball.org/newday for more New Day announcements over the coming months to learn how Day Kimball is staying true to our mission to meet the health needs of our community through our core values of clinical quality, customer service, fiscal responsibility and local control.