Thanks to the recent great weather significant progress has been made on the hospital but due to the 50 inches of rain earlier in the year, we are currently looking at opening the hospital to patients in the early spring of 2009. Just as the Methodist Stone Oak Hospital “high tech” building continues to take shape, we are laying our “high touch” foundation by hiring the best and the brightest.

We are proud to announce the hiring of Candace Cole, RN, as the Director of Surgery. Candace joins Methodist Stone Oak Hospital as an eight year veteran of Methodist Healthcare where she most recently serviced as Assistant Nurse Director at Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital. In addition, Stephanie Fritz joins us as our recruiter who will work full-time helping to recruit the best possible caregivers for the Methodist Stone Oak team.

Several of the tools that should help us recruit the best health care providers include our Shared Employee Program (SEP) and the Harcourt evaluation tool. The Shared Employee Program allows future Methodist Stone Oak Team members to join the Methodist Healthcare System now and get oriented and work until their position is ready at Methodist Stone Oak Hospital. I would like to extend a warm welcome to the RNs that have joined the team under the SEP: Kelley Sloan, Tracy Bridges, Laura Vaughn, Debbie Saavedra and Marcela Flores. I would also like to the following Directors for their assistance in the interview process and training of our team through the Shared Employee Program: Stacy Mizell, Northeast Methodist Hospital, Anthony Tate, Northeast Methodist Hospital; Jaime Lingsch, Methodist Heart Hospital and Betsy Grimaldi, Methodist Hospital.

The Harcourt evaluation tool uses a baseline personality profile of the best current Methodist Healthcare System team members to help evaluate potential Methodist Stone Oak Hospital team members. Methodist Stone Oak Hospital is the first hospital in San Antonio to utilize this evaluation tool.

We are proud to be a part of Stone Oak and embrace the opportunity to support the community. On September 27, we participated in the Stone Oak Business Association Expo held at Ronald Reagan High School. On October 30, we sponsored the Fall Festival at Reagan High and truly appreciate the efforts of the student council and their sponsor Debbie Schaefer for putting together such a great celebration for children throughout the community. On November 1, the fund-raising golf tournament sponsored by SKANSKA and Methodist Stone Oak Hospital resulted in a check presentation of $30,000 to Harper’s Embrace, a non-profit organization that provides free CPR training to the general public. We were a sponsor of the Stone Oak Winter Festival on December 1.

I extend a special thank you to the members of the Methodist Stone Oak Advisory Panel for their support in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Light the Night mission to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. With their support, we reached our individual team goal. More importantly, the Light the Night campaign and its city-wide supporters have to date raised $580,000. Thank you!

I thank you for all for your support and welcome your input.

Dean Alexander, CEO
Methodist Stone Oak Hospital