June 18, 2004

Mayor Menino visits MGH, thanks employees for DNC plans

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino came to the MGH June 16 to thank MGH employees for their hard work in preparing for the impact of the upcoming Democratic National Convention (DNC) July 26 to 29. Menino offered brief remarks at the hospital leadership meeting, following a presentation about hospital DNC plans by Bonnie Michelman, director of MGH Police, Security and Outside Services and chair of the hospital's DNC planning committee. The mayor assured the audience that the DNC will be good for the city and that the road closure decisions being dictated by the Secret Service are for the safety and well being of Boston residents and guests to the city.

From left, Slavin, Michelman and Menino

"Bonnie and her team have done an excellent job in preparing the hospital for the convention," said Menino. "I came here to thank everyone at the MGH for all the great work you've done. If we all work together, it will be a great four days. This is an opportunity for us to show off what Boston is all about."

During her presentation, Michelman provided updates about city road closures and transportation changes. She also addressed questions about parking locations for employees, noting that those who park in the Orange Lot and the Fleet Center garage will be able to park in the new Yawkey Center garage from July 6 to Aug. 9. Employees who park in the Lomasney Garage can continue to park there. She spoke about additional parking for evening- and night- shift employees. One option is located in Cambridge across from the Lechmere T station beside the old Gilmore lot on East Street. The second location is at the Bayside Expo Center in Dorchester. More information about these parking areas will follow when plans have been finalized.

Michelman reviewed the hospital's security plan and emphasized that all MGH employees and staff will be required to wear their ID badges at all times while on hospital property during the convention dates. She also suggested that employees regularly check the hospital's DNC website — at www.massgeneral.org/dnc — for current information about hospital plans. Patients and visitors should be referred to the site as well.

Sally Mason Boemer, chief financial officer for the MGH, and Katie Hope, budget director, gave an overview of the hospital's budget process for fiscal year '05. They said that the good news is that they are projecting $115 million in new revenue, which is a significant increase compared to FY'04. Of that total, $106 million is available to fund expense growth in FY'05.

Although this substantial revenue is available, unavoidable areas of expenses
continue to grow, such as the new Yawkey Center for Outpatient Care, the new research building at Charles River Plaza, the wage and salary program, employee benefits and market adjustments to current salaries. The total requested expense growth is $213 million, leaving a gap of $107 million to achieve the FY'05 margin target. Hope outlined the plans for reducing the gap, which included a proposal to scale back the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) positions requested for FY'05 to 350 and to hold the increases in non-salary expenses to $30 million.

Peter L. Slavin, MD, president of the MGH, and David Torchiana, MD, chairman and CEO of the Massachusetts General Physicians Organization, gave an overview of the hospitalwide strategic plan and outlined the next steps in implementing the plan. Ann Prestipino, senior vice president for MGH Surgery, Anesthesia and the Cardiac Program, gave a presentation about the clinical growth portion of the strategic plan, and Jeanette Ives Erickson, RN, MS, senior vice president for Patient Care Services and chief nurse, spoke about capacity management. More details about the strategic plan implementation will be included in the next issue of Hotline.