2023
Year In Review

Year In Review Video

 

Dear Friends and Supporters

Tom Shufflebarger

In 2023, we saw the end of the public health emergency for COVID-19—an event that brought about great change at both Children’s of Alabama and throughout the world of health care. But the closing of this era doesn’t mean we stopped evolving as an organization. On the contrary, 2023 was a year of significant growth and improvement.

In response to record inpatient numbers around the end of 2022, we made the decision to add a new behavioral health space in the emergency department in 2023. Known as the Nature Hall, the new 16-bed unit opened in March. In the fall, we received approval from the State Health Planning and Development Agency for renovations that will benefit patients in behavioral health, critical care and the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). We also broke ground on a new practice, Pediatrics West Hueytown, which we expect to open this fall.

Our biggest project last year was the implementation of the Epic information technology platform. It replaced clinical and business systems throughout the organization and represents the largest investment in technology infrastructure in our history. These new tools allow us to improve communication, safety, efficiency and data management. The return on this investment will be realized throughout the organization.

At Children’s, we take pride in providing care and education for both patients and parents. That’s why we assembled a firearm injury steering committee last year to address the growing problem of firearm injuries among children and teens. We also began offering new procedures—such as deep brain stimulation for patients with progressive dystonia—and new technology, including an endoscope that can improve transnasal endoscopy procedures for patients with eosinophilic esophagitis.

We wouldn’t be who we are without our employees. That’s why we were honored to be recognized by Forbes Magazine as one of America’s best employers. And we didn’t stop there. Last year, we continued our efforts on workplace violence prevention to help keep employees safe, adding new strategies to a plan we developed in 2021.

We will continue to grow, improve and innovate in 2024, and we look forward to again providing our patients with the best care available.

Sincerely,

Thomas G. Shufflebarger, FACHE
President and CEO