Good Shepherd Health Care System | 

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In October, GSHCS held its first Annual Community Meeting at the Hermiston 
Community Center. Since its founding, GSHCS was organized around a 
community corporate membership structure and we held annual corporate 
membership meetings. This year, GSHCS moved to an Annual Community 
Meeting – hoping to encourage more community participation; letting more 
people know of the work we are doing and the advances we are making. Our 
community meeting featured Mr. Joseph Piscatella – who told his personal story 
on improving his health and lifestyle. We also had various booths reflecting new 
programs and educational offerings. Approximately 150 attended, which we 
consider an outstanding success. Thank you to all who attended!

Our most all-encompassing 2018 project was our migration to a new electronic 
health record (EHR) – Epic – which went live November 3. This major upgrade 
entailed two years of planning and preparation. It began with a physician-
led steering committee, chaired by Dr. Leila Keeler (OB/GYN) and included a 
significant vetting process of various software and partner options. An affiliation 
with Legacy Health System was selected, using their LEAF (Legacy Epic for 
Affiliated Facilities) program. This upgrade included hardware changes and 
extensive medical staff and employee training. The new system has many 
features – an enhanced flow of information, ease of use, reporting and statistical 
recordkeeping and a very user-friendly patient portal. I want to thank our 
Physician EHR Committee and our staff for their hard work in making this a 
smooth transition. 

This year, GSHCS received The Oregonian’s “Top Workplaces in Oregon” award 
(for the third time). This award is based on numerous criteria, as determined by 
an employee survey conducted by Energage. 

Looking forward, we will be updating, expanding and remodeling our 
Cardiopulmonary Rehab Center and our Diagnostic Imaging and Laboratory 
waiting areas. We also look forward to opening a new Family Practice clinic, a 
comprehensive pain management program and industrial medicine program 
within the Good Shepherd Medical Plaza. 

We will soon begin the third of a three-year Service Excellence Initiative – 
focusing on improving patient experience and satisfaction. We are excited about 
the results that we have seen! Last year, we received 39 “break-through awards” 
for improved patient satisfaction results in relation to our Centers for Medicare 
and Medicaid Services (CMS) Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers 
and Systems (CAHPS) Surveys and 
awarded through Custom Learning 
Systems.

Again, we thank you for your support 
and the confidence that you place in us. 
We look forward to the new year as an 
opportunity to improve quality, expand 
services and make our community a 
healthier and better place to live. 

Thank you,

President & CEO 
Good Shepherd Health Care System

Management cont.

Robert Green 
Good Shepherd Community 
Health Foundation
Cathleen Jensen 
Materials Management
Sheri Lynn Miller 
Administration 
Doug Paine 
Maintenance/Biomed
Sid Rittenbach 
Home Medical Equipment 
Rob Rizk 
Information Technology
Heather Osborne 
Home Health/Hospice/Personal 
Home Care
Robert Rose 
Diagnostic Imaging
Cindy Schaan 
Volunteer Services
Debbie Neal 
Case Management
Blake Stevenson 
Anesthesia 
Martha Tibbs 
Laboratory
Tammy Martin 
Surgical Services
(VACANT) 
Acute Care Services
Heidii Roberts 
Speech Therapy

Community Connections is 

published as a community service 

for the friends and patrons of Good 

Shepherd Health Care System.

Information provided in Community 
Connections comes from a wide range 
of medical experts. If you would like 
to share your experience at Good 
Shepherd Health Care System, please 
contact our Customer Experience 
Hotline: 541.667.3427

To learn more about the  

services we offer please visit  

www.gshealth.org

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