When I came to The Baptist Home from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (MBTS), I brought with me a conviction Dr. Jason Allen, MBTS president, regularly impressed upon his leadership, which was, “Organizations achieve not what they expect, but what they inspect.” That first year, The Baptist Home leadership and board established a strategic plan with seven priority initiatives. That process continues to inform opportunities for improvement as well as opportunities for celebration.
Strategic planning, when followed through with intentionality, identifies the priorities that support the sustainability of the mission, which in our case is to provide Christlike care for the aging. In 2021, only 16% of our strategic priorities were met in a year when healthcare was forever changed by the pandemic. By 2022 the number had risen to 50% and in 2023 a record 78% of the strategic goals were achieved. In 2024 the ministry saw 70% of our initiatives achieved. While we continue to strive for 100%, staffing and census continue to be our greatest challenge, thus these priorities are carried over for 2025.
Below are the priorities we will measure going into 2025. In many ways, these priorities serve as a “Prayer List” for this ministry.
Build Census: Every empty bed is a missed ministry opportunity. With over 230 beds awaiting Medicaid approval, this goal is unquestionably our #1 priority. Over the past four years the board had affirmed projects that reduced or eliminated shared bathrooms and provided other improvements that help our facilities qualify for Medicare or Medicaid reimbursement.
Staffing that Supports the Mission: The senior care industry is still recovering from a pandemic era exodus from healthcare that resulted in providers hiring staff with this rationale: “You have the necessary credentials and a pulse. You’re hired.” Baptist Homes is seeking to recruit staff who support the mission of providing Christlike Care to all we serve.
Quality Training: From onboarding to continuing education, Baptist Homes seeks to provide relevant training and professional development for team members. Quality training reaps dividends such as excellent care, low staff turnover, employee satisfaction and shared purpose.
Focus on Quality Residential Care: At Baptist Homes, we believe quality care involves the body, soul and spirit. We compare industry standard benchmarks from our campuses with those from across the state and nation to assess physical care. Our campus pastors assess the spiritual needs of each resident and visit them every week. From nursing, dietary, housekeeping and the business office, we are always asking, “how can we do better.”
Enhancing Church and Community Involvement: The church is a piece of the senior care puzzle that few providers take into consideration. Discipleship, a sense of purpose and one’s overall well-being are supported by robust church and community relationships. This year we are hoping to be in a record number of churches to share about Baptist Homes and we can help churches support their seniors and those who are in care communities.
Baptist Homes is currently in a season of austerity. We anticipate the much delayed CMS certification for Adrian and Smithville this month. Medicaid approval for Assisted Living and Residential Care is pending for Ironton, Chillicothe and Ozark. While these approvals have the potential to significantly improve our census by making care affordable and accessible, our hope is in God, not the government. Our board-approved purpose statement reads, “We exist to please God and help other do the same.” How appropriate to consider that pleasing God can only be measured by faith (Hebrews 11:6). May we never lose sight of the role of faith in all that we seek to accomplish.
