This large community healthcare system covering six counties in southeastern North Carolina achieved Level 2 in the North Carolina Awards for Excellence program. The North Carolina Awards of Excellence program is based on the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award criteria; a model designed to create and sustain operational excellence. CommWell Health has begun integration of the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria into its international award-winning Eagle Excellence program, a corporate curriculum that delivers organizational transcendence in quality, culture, governance and finance.
CommWell Health is distinguished by representing one of the first Community Health Centers in the nation to actively pursue the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.
“Compassionate delivery of quality, Medical, Dental and Behavioral health services for all.”
Johnson Tilghman, Chairman of the CommWell Health Board states, “CommWell Health has continuously benchmarked itself externally and internally in its insatiable commitment to deliver the best care possible to the communities it serves.”
For 40-years, CommWell Health has provided primary medical, dental, behavioral health, and specialty care to communities in southeastern North Carolina.
24,464 patients served in 2017
As a Joint Commission accredited and certified Patient Centered Medical Home model, CommWell Health provides multidisciplinary care using a patient-centric, holistic, team-based approach to improve patient quality of care and outcomes. As a Federally Qualified Health Center, CommWell Health partners with their patients – to deliver high quality care that meets and exceeds state and national clinical benchmarks for excellence.
“Our excellence tomorrow is greater than our excellence today”, said Christopher Vann, Chief Development Officer. “The desire to pursue excellence arose naturally from the spirit of our learning and questioning environment that feeds itself.”
CommWell Health’s Board and Leadership integrated the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria for Excellence into its national award-winning Eagle Excellence culture in fulfillment of their vision to become a premier Community Health Center in the nation. “Our definition of excellence represents a high-reliability organization serving all people, and this conviction lies at the heart of CommWell Health’s mission,” said Pamela Tripp, Chief Executive Officer. “This is a core value that resonates among all colleagues throughout the organization.”
CommWell Health’s colleagues have developed a mindset for innovation and creativity and for always improving and never settling for status quo. This culture of excellence has resulted in many best practices in performance improvement, operational efficiencies, and corporate strategic planning.
CommWell Health’s model for excellence is delivered utilizing a collaborative team leadership approach engaging all colleagues within the organization regardless of job description, role or responsibility. This learning model of transparency and accountability for all colleagues was a natural alignment with the high standards and excellence criteria of Malcolm Baldrige.
Over 260 colleagues provide and support primary medical, dental and behavioral health care; WIC; Nutrition; HIV, Hepatitis C and Diabetes Specialty Care; Transportation; Health Coaching; Case Management; Lab; X-Ray, and; Pharmacy
As a Milestone 2 achiever, CommWell Health continues the process of applying the criteria and identifying areas of strength, opportunities, aspirations, and results to become the first Federally Qualified Health Center in the nation to receive the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.
Pamela Tripp prefers the title of Chief Encouragement Officer. “At CommWell Health we have an Eagle Creed that reminds us that we are the gatekeepers of our destiny. And we encourage each other daily. CommWell Health colleagues, in one unified voice, have affirmed their desire to rise above ‘average’ and to become the best personally and professionally,” said Tripp. “That has made all the difference in the quality of care delivered and the prospects for a bright future for CommWell Health.”
