The Arena's Bigger, the Game's the Same

As I listened to Dr. Peter Bath in his devotional at Leadership Meeting last week, I was impressed by what an important moment this is for our hospitals. It is always sad when a neighboring facility closes, and the recent news leaves a hole in this community. As Dr. Bath spoke of the current circumstances, he stressed that we will have an opportunity to serve a growing number of people in the months and years to come. Both Grandview and Southview can expect significant growth opportunities as we move forward. The opportunities are exciting, yet can also be overwhelming. How do we serve those in our community whom we haven’t had the opportunity to serve in the past?

In the 1986 movie Hoosiers, a small-town high school in Indiana brought in a new coach who, through some unorthodox methods, created a winning team against all odds. After a season of struggles which turned into a playoff run, the team finds themselves in the game for the state championship. As the young men walk into the Butler Fieldhouse, they are overwhelmed, amazed by the size of the arena. They never imagined playing in a place like this. The coach let them take it in for a few moments. Finally he handed them a tape measure. He told them to measure the distance from the free-throw line to the basket. He had them measure the height of the hoop. He reminded the team that, though the arena was overwhelming, the game was the same. The court was the same as the one they played on back home. (No spoilers here – you’ll have to go back and watch the movie to see if they win.)

I enjoyed hearing in our meeting last week about plans already taking place to increase our capacity, to serve more patients and their families. The tasks ahead are exciting, but might seem overwhelming. But I’m reminded that our mission is the same as it ever was – to answer the Call to Care for the patient in front of us right now, and their family. We will grow by doing even better today what we did incredibly well yesterday – providing compassion, care, and hope for the people we serve – every patient, every time, everywhere.

On the back of the Called to Care booklet is a quote from Marcus Engel, from his book The Other End of the Stethoscope. Engel says:

“I am your patient.

“I am a person with family, friends, faith, hope, longings, and plans for the future. Everything you do or say that helps me feel seen as a person, moves me one step closer to healing.

“When you do the things I’d do for myself if I could, I feel like you’ve got my back. Every time you help my family, you help me. Every time you hold my hand, I’m comforted.

“Every time you are in my room and you see me – not as a diagnosis or series of tasks – but for who I really am – I feel safe.”

At this important time in our journey, we prepare for new opportunities by continuing to focus on what matters – the Call to Care for each patient we interact with today.

Called to Care Action

Mention to your staff that no matter the size of the organization, the mission remains the same – answering the Call to Care for each patient. Ask them what they are feeling as they think about the coming growth opportunities.