by
Loren B. Hamel, MD - President, Spectrum Health Lakeland |
Jun 17, 2021
So, you must have heard the exciting news! Our Spectrum Health President & CEO Tina Freese Decker has shared it across the health system and the state. We’re transforming again. The Spectrum Health and Beaumont Health boards have announced a letter of intent to combine the organizations and form a new health system in Michigan. We expect to complete the process this fall.
Quite literally, this is huge! Two strong value leaders are coming together to transform health, health equity, health care, and health care coverage across Michigan. With 64,000 team members, 10,500 licensed providers, and 22 hospitals, we would be part of the largest health care team in the state.
I am so confident that we can create value through this integration. Why is that? Well, Lakeland has a history of creating value in the integrations we have led over the years. And Lakeland and Spectrum Health have a history of creating value together over the last three years. When we create value, we provide better services. We can help keep the cost affordable. We can help ensure we are taking care of our team members.
What does this all mean for us? For most, we will be doing the same job in the same way as we always have. We don’t expect jobs, titles, compensation, or benefits to change because of this new integration. Lakeland will remain a division of the new organization, along with Spectrum Health West Michigan and Priority Health. Our divisional board of directors, clinical staff, organizational structure, and foundation will not change because of this growth.
What changes do we expect? During the next year, we expect to get a new name, logo, badges, email addresses, website, and signage across Spectrum Health Lakeland.
We will also be part of a much larger and much more influential health system. That will give our leaders a better opportunity to advocate for the needs of our friends, neighbors, and team members at the state and national levels.
Just a few years ago, Lakeland was a relatively small health system, surrounded by five larger health systems. We worked so very hard to deliver excellent health care and compete with great neighboring health systems. We did that successfully. But it was obvious that we could not keep up that pace forever. We needed to grow and enjoy the benefits of scale.
In a few months, if we are able to successfully create a new combined health system with our friends at Beaumont Health, we will be part of an organization that is ranked within the top 15 health systems in the country, based on size. But it’s not really the size that matters. It’s about opportunities to improve our services and become more personalized, equitable, consistent, and competitive. It’s about opportunities to collaborate, learn from others, share with others, and grow together.
And that journey really needs you! What you contribute to the health and wellbeing of our friends and neighbors is so important. We will work hard to keep you well informed and do our best to make sure you have everything you need to do your job well. Thank you for staying strong during such an incredibly tough year. Thank you for committing your life to health care. And thank you for transforming with us to improve health, inspire hope, and save lives.
If you would like to read more of Message from the President, click here