In a debut reception, Methodist Hospital welcomed its new CEO and President, Raymond Grady who joined the hospital on February 23rd. The reception was held at Methodist’s Northlake Campus complete with a beautifully displayed, pallet-pleasing buffet fit for a king.
Mamom Powers, Jr., Chair of Methodist’s Board of Directors served as emcee. Katrina Wright, M.D., President of Methodist’s medical staff and Gary Mayor Karen-Freeman Wilson offered remarks. Mayor Freeman-Wilson who was also part of Methodist’s national search committee expressed gratitude for her participation and spoke of the importance of Methodist’s role to the community and economic development in Gary.
Powers introduced Michael Davenport, M.D., Chief Medical Officer for Methodist who has served as Interim Director since 2014, thanking him for his distinctive service, noting that state and national benchmarks had been achieved through his tenure. Powers also noted that Davenport was successful because of his bedside manner and consummate ability as a physician who cares and is fully devoted to the well being of his patients and the community.
Davenport thanked the Board, stating that one of his blessings is that he gets to stay. Speaking of Grady, he said that it was easy to introduce someone when you respect and like them after only a week and jokingly added, “even though I really didn’t really want to.”
Grady said that he has spent his week listening to the hospital staff, interacting with the patients causing him determine that Methodist is one of the best-kept secrets in Northwest Indiana. He said that there has been a lot done, but added that there is still a lot to do. Grady said he met a woman who told him that when she used to walk into the hospital and no one paid attention to her, but all that has changed. She said that even though she was not born there, that is where she wants to die.
Grady said Methodist is financially stable and the goal is to maintain and build upon that stability. Other goals include improving the care and patient experience, healthcare reform, preserving and improving the experience regardless of a person’s ability to pay, to work with the community at large including churches, home, workplace, schools and city council.
“Let’s do bold things and not sit back on our laurels,” Grady said in closing.
Rather than take interviews from the media Grady took pictures and talked with the attendees.
Grady has spent the majority of his career at NorthShore University Health System just north of Chicago, where he served as President of the hospitals and clinics division and CEO of The Evanston Hospital, its flagship hospital. He also served as the Chief Administrative Officer of Aurora Healthcare, where he provided strategic oversight of system-wide initiatives in supply chain management, clinical research and Aurora Ventures, the for-profit arm of Aurora.
Grady is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and has chaired the Illinois Hospital Association, The Institute for Diversity and currently serves on the board of the Association of University Programs in Health Administration. Grady currently is Executive in Residence, Department of Health Policy and Management of the Graduate School of Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh, and has also served on the adjunct faculty of the Marquette University Graduate School of Business, where he taught healthcare management.