By the end of an all-day retreat on June. 12, 2019 the leadership team of Baylor Scott & White's Grapevine Medical Center had heard enough from me. Their president, Chris York, rose to speak & delivered what seemed a startling challenge:

   "We're going to become a 5-star hospital (under Medicare's tough guidelines) & we are going to achieve that soon," he told his team. "We will do that not by seeking recognition but by delivering great care to every patient." 

   Much as I believe in Chris' leadership his goal seemed optimistic. This hospital had never won such a coveted designation & he had not been its president for long. 

   Even Chris was surprised to years when, at year's end the five stars were awarded.  A "tough-minded, tender-hearted" leader, this  6'3" former football player knows about persistence, faith in God & turning the spotlight on his entire team.

   Healing Hospital Gold Level Certification™ was awarded to Grapevine not because of Medicare's 5 stars but because they have built a culture of Radical Loving Care™. 

   Early on, Chris made the tough calls that loving leadership requires. His decisions included removing two key executives & replacing them with people he believed would grow cultures of peak excellence.  

   Erie Chapman Foundation claims the trademark for a standard higher than Medicare's 5 stars. It is The Mother Test™. To pass, every leader must ensure that every caregiver is someone they would want caring for their mother.   

   No hospital is perfect. BSW-Grapevine is coming so close the difference fades. Patients now routinely recommend it, quality scores are superb & even financial performance has soared. 

   It is always a team effort. Chris York was named Healing Hospital CEO of the Year because among the thousands of leaders I have observed across 50 years he is the best. He sets standards no else thinks can be reached & often delivers.

   Best of all, Chris understands that Love cannot be measured. Those who think it can discard loving leadership as "touchy-feely nonsense." You live loving leadership…or you do not. Most turn to manuals. Chris starts with the Bible. 

   As this essay is published (March 16, 2020) COVID-19 crises is omnipresent. One hospital I would count on to deliver the right care to my loved ones is BSW's Grapevine Medical Center.

   And there is one leader I would hire were I still running OhioHealth (the hospital system of which I was founding president.) It is Chris York.

-Erie Chapman

Note: Erie Chapman Foundation is a non-profit, 501c(3) corporation dedicated to advancing Radical Loving Care™ in healthcare & the arts.