Pomeroy addresses employees about State of the Health System

Posted Feb. 2011

To an overflow crowd of UC Davis Health System employees, Claire Pomeroy, vice chancellor for Human Health Sciences and dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine, recently shared a year of accomplishments as she gave an overview of the goals for 2011 during her annual State of the Health System address.

A new strategic plan for the health system will be implemented in 2011 giving the institution a new road map for the next five years and ensuring continued excellence.

"The reason we all come to work every day and all of us work so hard is to advance health. It's really about the health of the people that we serve and the communities that we live in," Pomeroy said. "Advancing health through bold innovation — that is the special thing about being an academic health center. We are defining the future; we are making the discoveries that define the future."

Pomeroy also said leadership will work to ensure faculty, staff and students have the space and tools they need to excel.

Pomeroy highlighted the great strides the health system has achieved in its four key missions: education, research, clinical care and community engagement. Among the highlights:

• Research funding is at an all-time high of $200 million annually and growing at one of the fastest rates in the nation.
• The expanded medical center opened in the fall, including a new emergency department and state-of-the-art operating rooms, and patient satisfaction with the health system is at an all-time high.
• Outstanding and diverse medical and nursing students are being recruited through our new multiple mini-interview process and excelling in academic achievement.
• The health system achieved a HIMSS Analytics Stage 6 award for its implementation of electronic health records, joining fewer than 3 percent of the hospitals that have earned this distinction.
• The California Telehealth Network was launched at UC Davis as construction accelerates on the Sacramento campus for the new Telemedicine Resource Center.

Pomeroy addressed state budget concerns, including a proposal from Gov. Jerry Brown to cut $500 million from the UC system in his first budget proposal. She said that while state general funding accounts for only about $35.6 million of the health system's $1.6 billion budget, the proposal is a reminder to everyone to become more efficient and create more value in the work each employee does.

Pomeroy urged employees to talk about the health system's achievements to their friends, neighbors and family, and in their communities. This is particularly key in supporting the Campaign for UC Davis, which has a goal of raising $1 billion by 2014. The health system is raising $330 million as part of the campaign.

Pomeroy thanked employees for their contributions and credited them for the health system's outstanding year and its bright future.

"Teamwork is the key to our success," she said.