Fishermen’s focuses on moving forward

A group of people standing in front of a crowd - Car
Fishermen’s Community Hospital Trustee Board member Jeff Coldren (left) and Vice President Daniel Samess (right) speak with Dr. Scott Smith during the hospital’s new sign and logo unveiling last week.

New name, logo for Middle Keys hospital

A host of local dignitaries joined the board and staff of Fishermen’s Hospital last week in ushering in a new era for the Middle Keys institution.

Opened nearly a half century ago, it is now officially known as Fishermen’s Community Hospital. “It’s just a one-word addition to the hospital name, but it carries tremendous significance for the future of health care in this area,” said Scott Landrum, chief transition officer (CTO) for the hospital from Quorum Intensive Resources, the firm hired to handle the complicated transition from for profit to a nonprofit community-operated hospital. “Now all the revenues, after expenses, will stay in the community, reinvested in the hospital rather than sent to corporate shareholders.”

With the transition to community-based, nonprofit status in July, the Board of Trustees determined that the addition of “Community” was appropriate to signify the renewed commitment of the hospital and its staff to provide the best possible care for every member of the community.

Fishermen’s Community Hospital Trustee Board member Jeff Coldren (left) and Vice President Daniel Samess (right) speak with Dr. Scott Smith during the hospital’s new sign and logo unveiling last week.

According to graphic designer Kendra Scott who created it, the new Fishermen’s Community Hospital logo can it can be viewed from many perspectives. It can be seen as a single fish representing the hospital moving forward. Within the design there are overlapping fish that signify individual yet cohesive parts of the whole, and finally as a school of fish, an entire team—hospital staff and health care professionals–moving in unison toward the single goal of delivering the best community-based, patient centered health care possible.

Landrum will remain CTO until the Board of Trustees chooses a permanent CEO, likely by early winter.

The hospital has a fresh new logo as well as an important new theme: “Health Care Starts Here.”

The new theme imparts that for the Middle Keys and beyond, Fishermen’s is to be a center and repository of a wealth of medical expertise; whatever medical services an individual may need, Fishermen’s should be the starting place.

“The entire staff at the hospital is to be commended for their help and assistance in making this move from for profit to community-based nonprofit,” said Michael Cunningham, Board of Trustees chairman. “This was a major undertaking, and everyone involved – volunteers, maintenance staff, nurses, doctors, medical technicians, and administrative staff – did their part to make this a smooth and effective transition. The staff has been engaged from the start of this process, from helping pick the new logo, identifying needed equipment and technologies, to suggesting new ways to make the hospital work more efficiently and deliver better care to our patients.”

The hospital debuted its new website – www.fishermenshospital.org – on Sept. 30.

“I’m optimistic about the change in the hospital to a community-based health care organization,” said Harlan Pettit, MD, Chief of Medical Staff. “Rather than take direction from a management company located in another part of the state, we now have a great opportunity to protect, improve and invest in high quality health care that meets the particular needs of this community. Our medical staff has traditionally delivered outstanding medical care to the community, and this change allows us to be even more responsive to our patients.”

In 1959, a group of concerned citizens headed by Phil Sadowski created a nonprofit organization to raise funds to construct a hospital in then fast growing Marathon. Fishermen’s Hospital admitted its first patient in September 1962 and was operated as a nonprofit hospital until it became a leased for profit organization in 1986. It reverted to nonprofit status in July 2011.

Fishermen’s Community Hospital offers a state-of-the-art emergency department, full array of diagnostic and laboratory services, an intensive care unit, inpatient and outpatient surgery, physical and occupational therapy, pharmacy, and other services.

“With our new status, a revitalized Fishermen’s Community Hospital is ready to earn the community’s trust by consistently delivering high quality, personalized health care services to every one of our patients,” Cunningham concluded.

Fishermen’s Hospital Board of Trustees

• President Michael Cunningham, CEO of Keys AHEC, a countywide community health and education organization

• Vice President Daniel Samess, executive director of the Marathon Chamber of Commerce

• Secretary Ginger Snead, Mayor of the City of Marathon and a physical therapist

• Treasurer Peter Chapman, co-owner of Chapman Cardwell Asset Management, a financial services firm

• Member David Kirwan, attorney

• Member Jeff Coldren, owner of Sunshine Quality Roofing

• Member Richard Malafy, attorney