Stradtners Invest in Community HealthCare for the Future

Jim and Jackie Stradtner have seen GBMC through many changes in their nearly two decades with the healthcare system. To this point, most of those changes have not been physical. So, when GBMC announced the current capital campaign – The Promise Project – the couple didn't hesitate to support what, to them, is a "worthwhile" project led by an organization they love.

"It's a wonderful hospital," Jackie said. "It's my first choice to go to, but it makes it a lot easier to be your first choice with these updates."

"We focus most of our larger giving on a limited number of organizations that are highest on our priority list because we think they are doing the best work in the world. And, of course, GBMC is one of the organizations at the top of that list," Jim said. "So, when GBMC announces a capital campaign, which is very rare, we want to pay particular attention because it’s one of our favorite institutions to give to."

Throughout Jim's 10 years as a volunteer leader on the GBMC Healthcare Board of Directors, serving on multiple committees, he witnessed the change in GBMC's vision, but also how healthcare is being delivered.

"When I joined the Board, the most important statistic we heard all the time was how many patients came into the hospital. Now that's maybe the least important statistic that we look at because so much of healthcare is devoted to keeping people healthy and out of the hospital," Jim said.

"We were a hospital expecting patients who were sick to come in. And now, we're expecting to keep patients healthy and treat them through our patient-centered medical homes. The hospital is there if they must be admitted, but we’re more interested in providing care that keeps you out of the hospital. I think that's what's changed about healthcare in general."

Lifelong Baltimore residents – in fact, they live less than five miles from GBMC – Jim and Jackie understand the importance of community, and preserving the hallmark institutions that serve them. They are passionate about quality and believe the project is "overdue" in optimizing and modernizing GBMC's space to match the wonderful care going on inside.

"I think people feel that it's a welcoming place when you have a problem and whether you come in through the patient-centered medical home or you show up in the Emergency Department, you feel confident that you're in the hands of good doctors and nurses and a place for healing," Jim said.

To meet the changing needs of patients, continue to attract the best medical staff, and further strengthen GBMC's position as the premier space for patient care in this community, The Promise Project will give GBMC space to deliver care and ensure the highest standards of safety for patients, families and caregivers alike. The Stradtners believe this project will allow GBMC to remain attractive and competitive in the market.

"It's going to be a new age for GBMC," Jim said. "The hospital is 55 years old, and when you pull up to the front of GBMC, it doesn’t strike you as a wonderful, wonderful community hospital. It should have a better way to greet patients and families that are arriving. It should make a statement that this is a welcoming institution and we want everybody to recognize that we're newer, we're modern and we're doing things that should be done, now."