This year has been one of growth and transformation for our health care system. In order to evolve and meet the changing needs of the patients and markets we serve, we need to keep raising the bar and improving. This isn’t something that a handful of leaders or even the most talented physicians and clinicians can accomplish on their own – it truly does take the efforts of everyone of us, everyday.

This year’s success is due to the incredible accomplishments of our 13,000 caregivers, including intense focus in the past four years on our strategic priorities, especially in the areas of clinical quality, patient satisfaction, access to our services and caregiver engagement. Last but not least, I attribute our success to the implementation of more than 45,000 caregiver ideas and the amazing work and dedication to make our Epic implementation successful.

None of this would have been possible without your invaluable commitment to our mission, our patients and each other. With sincere appreciation for your efforts in fiscal year 2017, the Board of Trustees and senior management team would like to acknowledge your contributions with a gift of your choosing.

By now, you should have received a letter in the mail with instructions on how to order your UMass Memorial Health Care appreciation gift. If you haven’t yet ordered your gift, please do so via the website by Friday, November 10, after which the site will officially close.

We are also acknowledging the amazing work carried out by our contractors and volunteers with a premium quality umbrella, branded with our UMass Memorial Health Care logo.

I sincerely thank you for everything you do to help us become the best place to give care and the best place to get care. I look forward to the year ahead, continuing to raise the bar on our performance as a health care system, and everything we will accomplish together.

Eric