| Women's Health Leadership TrustJuly 16, 2010 A Letter from TRUST President, Cathy BarrI am honored to have been selected to serve as president of The Women's Health Leadership TRUST (WHLT) for 2010/2011. It is both an opportunity and a privilege to work with such a highly engaged board of directors and to be able to network with each of you at the various meetings, programs and events. Our past president, Sheila Riggs, has paved the way for great things to happen at the TRUST. We are over 200 members strong with a phenomenal growth in membership of over 40 percent this last year. Additionally, we have elected a number of highly talented individuals for the board of directors and will soon be embarking on our annual strategic planning session for the board. More to come on that in August!
Because I believe it's important for leaders to be transparent in who they are, where they come from and where their passions lie, I want to tell you a little bit about myself. I was elected to the TRUST board of directors two years ago and have actively participated on the Program Committee for most of that time. Currently, I am CEO and Vice President for Bethesda Hospital, a specialty hospital that serves patients with highly specialized medical needs. Bethesda is one of only two long term acute care hospitals in the State of Minnesota that serve patients requiring ventilator weaning or highly complex medical care such as wound care or brain injury rehabilitation services. Bethesda is part of HealthEast Care System; an organization which I am proud to say has consistently championed the growth and development of female leaders across the continuum. In addition to my role at Bethesda, I am the Vice President for Health East Home Care and Community Based Services including community care management. My career began in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as a nurse. My time spent at the bedside with patients and families showed me the important impact that all our work in healthcare has on the community. I hold a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing as well as an MBA from St. Thomas University. Most importantly, I am a mother of three wonderful young adults, married to my husband, Bob, and have two small dogs.
As you know, the purpose of the TRUST is to support, educate, and promote our members. We believe that the TRUST makes a difference in the lives of women leaders who are in healthcare by providing:
- Opportunities for networking and development of professional relationships through our programs, networking and events.
- Resources to members and help linking our members to other organizations for professional opportunities.
- Leadership opportunities to learn and apply new skills through committee membership, presentations or event coordination.
- Access to publicity that highlights our members' achievements and enhances their leadership standing.
- Educational opportunities such as forums, special topic events and industry updates.
In my role as President, I have the opportunity to work closely with members of the WHLT board of directors. Our board is comprised of experienced executive women leaders, who represent many different facets of the health care industry, including provider organizations, education, the disability community and information technology. These dynamic women are key decision makers who have the authority to vote and make decisions on behalf of our membership with a keen eye on keeping pace with our local environment and women in leadership roles. Just this last year, Sheila Riggs and Paula Hart represented the TRUST in the design and development of a research project to identify and measure sample indicators of gender equality in health care leadership in our communities - known as the 'TRUST Index'. The goal was to identify key factors, raise public awareness and promote dialogue and further understanding regarding choices that can enhance leadership opportunities in health care. Log in to the MEMBERS ONLY area of the TRUST website to gain access to the TRUST Index. Consistently, we have offered programs that open the door to new learnings. I hope you will take advantage of our monthly programs that will allow you to grow individually and collectively as a member of the TRUST in new ways. And, we will take to heart the feedback that you recently provided through our membership survey on how to further enhance and improve our programs, networking events and the value of the TRUST. In the coming year we will strive to improve communication with our membership through the website, educational opportunities, networking events and email updates. I am available for your feedback, ideas, or any observations you would like to share. You can reach me at 651.232.2185; or by e-mail at cbarr@healtheast.org.On behalf of the entire board of directors, I would like to extend our thanks and gratitude for your partnership and collaboration as we move forward. Please enjoy a warm and relaxing summer--and I look forward to seeing you at an upcoming TRUST event!Sincerely, Cathy Barr, President Women's Health Leadership Trust
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