Navigating Healthcare: Strengthening Access and Services

A Message to the Community

Navigating Healthcare Together

Welcome to our Annual Report for the Fiscal Year ending September 30th, 2024, representing the collaborative efforts of South County Health, its esteemed Board of Trustees, and dedicated Medical Staff. Through this digital platform, we invite you to explore the progress of the past year and rediscover what sets South County Health apart. 

At South County Health, our mission is clear: to be Rhode Island’s Most Trusted Health Partner, delivering the highest quality, accessible, and sustainable healthcare to our community.

We are deeply committed to the health and well-being of our community. Our focus remains on expanding access, driving medical innovation, and delivering exceptional experiences to our patients through personalized, high-quality, and safe care—all close to home.

Health systems across Rhode Island and the U.S. are facing significant challenges, particularly in recruitment and retention, which are causing access issues across the entire healthcare system. However, South County Health has made significant strides in growing our medical staff by 35% since 2020. With new recruits in primary care and women’s health, we now employ more full-time equivalent physicians and advanced practice providers, such as NPs, PAs, and CNMs, than we did in 2019. Despite this progress, challenges remain, particularly in Rhode Island, where reimbursement rates are 20-30% lower than those in Massachusetts and Connecticut, and a third of our providers are approaching retirement age.

Despite these industry-wide challenges, South County Health has successfully navigated financial and industry challenges while maintaining its commitment to patient-centered care. Our management team, doctors and providers, nurses, support staff, and volunteers have consistently delivered nationally recognized results in quality, safety, and patient experience. At the same time, management has achieved key financial objectives set by the Board of Trustees to ensure operational sustainability. This has required us to implement productivity improvements to reduce operating costs, and while necessary, these adjustments have not been easy for anyone involved.

Over the past nine months, South County Health’s Administration and Board of Trustees have taken exhaustive efforts to engage a small group of disgruntled individuals who have formed a non-profit organization invoking our name, “South County Hospital.” Unfortunately, their actions, both before and after the creation of this organization, have caused confusion, concern, and anxiety in our community. Their efforts have specifically targeted disrupting our critical relationships with donors—efforts that have been aided by a former employee of South County Health (SCH) who violated their fiduciary duty to protect confidential donor information, placing millions of dollars in philanthropic support at risk.

Despite our attempts to resolve disagreements amicably, they have chosen to take a non-constructive way forward. By targeting donor contributions, they risk undermining the very care and quality they claim to protect.

Therefore, our fiduciary duty compelled us to take legal action to safeguard donor confidentiality and ensure that philanthropic contributions continue to support critical hospital services and patient care. Taking legal action was not our first choice, and we pursued every reasonable alternative before taking legal action. However, to protect the organization from further harm, it was our fiduciary responsibility to protect South County Health and our donors from misuse of confidential information.

We recognize that change can bring questions, and we remain dedicated to transparency and communication. As part of our ongoing efforts, we have streamlined and enhanced several key service lines to meet the growing needs of our community. Our focus has been on expanding access to essential services, maintaining excellence in patient outcomes, and aligning with industry best practices.
We understand that navigating healthcare can be complex, and we are committed to keeping you informed and engaged. Our new engagement initiatives, including a dedicated landing page, allow our community and staff to access clear, factual information about service updates, consolidations, and industry challenges. We also prioritize open dialogue through forums, direct communications, and a renewed focus on patient-centered care.

As we look ahead, South County Health will continue to evolve, grow, and adapt to meet the needs of those we serve. Thank you for your trust and partnership in building a healthier future for our community.