Loren Morey Nomination for MHA S Bruce and Denise Rueben Courage Award

Loren Morey – Nomination for MHA’s Bruce and Denise Rueben Courage Award

Summary of nominee

Lakewood Health System in Staples elected Loren Morey to its System Board in August, 2007. In January, 2010, Loren was elected to be Board Chair. Loren earned his MHA trustee certification in July of 2009, has served on MHA’s Trustee Council since 2010 and has been a trustee representative on MHA’s Board of Directors since 2012.

As Board Chair, Loren Morey has demonstrated courage in ways that have directly influenced Lakewood’s patient and operational outcomes including developing the first-ever governance committee and advocating for board member education and MHA certification. Under Loren’s leadership, Lakewood has experienced improvements in patient satisfaction scores, employee engagement and patient safety including reducing avoidable hospital readmissions, decreasing post-operation infections, and reducing the number of early elective deliveries.

Even in the midst of his own serious health challenges over the last year, Loren has continued to honor his commitments and responsibilities. He continues to inspire Lakewood’s board members, administration, medical staff, employees and patients by demonstrating courage, both personally and professionally. Loren Morey Nomination – Narrative

In 1964, Loren Morey joined his father in the family business based out of Motley, MN, which eventually grew to be Morey’s Seafood International – a leading distributor of wholesale seafood and products. Loren has worked for the company most of his life in many capacities, including president. He and his wife, Kathy, still reside in Motley.

Lakewood Health System (LHS) in nearby Staples, MN, was fortunate to elect Loren to its System Board in

August, 2007. Loren had always been a loyal supporter of Lakewood and the timing was right for LHS to benefit from his years of business leadership and acumen. In January of 2010, Loren was elected to chair the board. Loren earned his MHA trustee certification in July of 2009, has served on MHA’s Trustee Council since

2010 and has been a trustee representative on MHA’s Board of Directors since 2012.

During his tenure on LHS’s board, Loren has demonstrated courage in remarkable ways that have directly and positively influenced LHS’s patient and operational outcomes. He created Lakewood’s first governance committee which is responsible for recruiting new board members, board training and education programs, and evaluating board members' performance. Loren has been a strong advocate for board member education and MHA trustee certification, resulting in LHS having the highest number of MHA-certified trustees in the state. At Lakewood, Loren also serves on the compensation and finance committees and has been relentless in the pursuit of meeting LHS’s financial goals to ensure the viability of the organization into the future. Even in

2013 – a year of drastic change in the industry which brought tumultuous financial challenges for rural healthcare – Lakewood was able to enjoy a positive net operating income and exceed the board’s financial expectations, due to Loren’s courage and direction. Though there were difficult operational decisions and cutbacks that had to be made in order for LHS to reach its financial goals, Loren made one thing clear: that quality, service and employee engagement must not be compromised in any way. And they weren’t. Under Loren’s leadership, LHS has reached noteworthy milestones in service, employee engagement, healthcare quality and safety:

 Top-notch patient satisfaction scores. According to Press Ganey patient satisfaction surveys, Lakewood Health System’s hospital consistently ranks in the top 5% of hospitals in the United States.  Best-in-class employee engagement. In 2011 and 2012, LHS was awarded the Best-in-Class® Seal by HR Solutions. This honor is awarded to select organizations whose employee survey scores are within the top 10 percent of Employee Engagement and Overall Job Satisfaction levels.  Reducing avoidable hospital readmissions. Readmission rates have steadily dropped and have recently been at or below the target rate designated by the state. In 2009 LHS’s readmission rate was 1.06; and third quarter 2013 results were .70.  Decreasing post-operation infections. By ensuring that prophylactic antibiotic is received within one hour prior to surgical incision, LHS has greatly improved patient outcomes in this area. In 2011, LHS was at an average administration rate of 62.7%. In 2012, this increased to 98.7% and in 2013 LHS achieved quarterly results of 100%, 95.2% and 100%.  Promoting healthy babies. In 2014, Lakewood was recognized by the MHA and March of Dimes for their efforts in reducing the number of elective inductions and Cesarean deliveries performed before 39 weeks of pregnancy. LHS is one of only 10 hospitals in the state to have an elective induction rate of less than 5%.

On a personal level, one does not find a more dedicated or loyal servant than Loren Morey. Even in the midst of his own serious health challenges over the last year, Loren has honored all of his commitments and responsibilities, rarely missing a meeting or overlooking a task. He has been known to call into meetings from his hospital bed or humbly ask others to provide transportation if he was physically unable to drive. One day last fall Loren finished a treatment session at LHS, walked downstairs to a board meeting, then went back to outpatient services for his second treatment of the day.

Demonstrating courage, both personally and professionally – that IS Loren Morey. It is also the reason behind his history of success and his pursuit to lead Lakewood Health System into a new world of healthcare.