Richard Burruss, M.D.

I am a very lucky man. The last two years have challenged and stretched me in ways that I could not have imagined when I started my term. I have had to work very hard, but I am far from complaining. Instead, I am grateful, grateful to have had the opportunity to represent the Tri-City Healthcare District Medical Staff during these last two years.

In spite of recent disappointment, the positive accomplishments of the last two years leave me with a sense of pride. Don’t misunderstand; all of the accomplishments highlighted below are the result of others’ hard work, not mine. First, I look back with pride at TCMC’s response to the October 2007 Firestorm Disaster. Tri-City was truly inspirational as the entire Hospital family calmly went about its business in the face of overwhelming circumstances caring for patients from all over North County when other hospitals were unable to do so. Second, I am proud of all of the new clinical programs implemented and improved during the last two years: Rapid Response Team, Code Sepsis, STEMI Receiving Center, Stroke Center, Hypothermia in post-cardiac arrest patients, Hyperbaric Oxygen, Wound Care Center, and the new Wellness Center. I am also proud of our process improvement efforts, our use of the data, and the integrity with which we analyze our own clinical shortcomings and make improvements for the future. Third, I am proud of the relationships developed by the Medical Staff with the various TCMC stakeholders: the Auxiliary, the Junior Volunteers, the Foundation, the Corporate Council, the three Chambers of Commerce, the League of Women Voters, the three Mayors, City Councils, and the North County Economic Development Council.

But as I look back to assess my term, I am most proud of Tri-City Medical Center as an inspirational example of the power of teamwork. Everyday, in spite of negativity in the press, in spite of squabbles at Board meetings, over 2000 employees come to work everyday and function as a team delivering the best care possible to the residents of North County. They are willing to engage in focused unfiltered debate and then hold their colleagues accountable for following through on care plans, procedures, and processes in order to get patients the care they need in an efficient, effective, and patient- centered way.

It is that commitment to the patient that will continue to move this institution forward. There is a lot to be done: Computerized Physician Order Entry, Orthopedic Institute, Vascular Institute, LEAN projects and others, all of which will require the hard work of many participants from diverse backgrounds in order to make them a reality, but with teamwork, and with a little “luck”, these goals will also be actualized. And with a lot of hard work, TCMC will prosper no matter what obstacles confront us.

Finally, it is often said that it is better to be “lucky” than good and I, for one, am truly “lucky” to work with such dedicated people at TCMC. Thank you.