Malcolm Baldridge award goes to RWJ in Hamilton

Christy Stephenson, a Pennington resident for 21 years, is president and CEO of the hospital.

By John Tredrea
   At 8:30 a.m. the Monday before Thanksgiving, Christy Stephenson was at her desk in Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton when she took a phone call.
   Ms. Stephenson, a Pennington resident for 21 years and president and CEO of the hospital, was surprised both by who was calling and what he had to say.
   "It was Don Evans, the secretary of Commerce," Ms. Stephenson said Monday night. "The first thing he said was that he was calling on behalf of the president of the United States. Talk about getting your attention."
   Then Mr. Evans told Ms. Stephenson that the hospital she leads had been selected a recipient of the prestigious Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award for 2004 in the category of health care.
   "I felt good when I heard that," she recalled, adding with a laugh: "I felt outstanding."
   Ms. Stephenson, who is married to Pennington Borough Councilman Jim Lytle, will be one of the Robert Wood Johnson officials to be presented with the award, named after a former secretary of Commerce, by President George W. Bush himself.
   "We should be notified this week or next of the date when the presentation will take place," she said. "It should be in about five or six weeks. We’ll accept the award from President Bush and will get to meet him beforehand. It’s absolutely wonderful."
   RWJ Hamilton is the first hospital in this state to receive the Baldridge award and the only health care recipient for 2004. RWJ joins a group of only three other health-care organizations that have ever received the award, which is given for business excellence.
   "We are deeply honored to be recognized for our performance excellence," Ms. Stephenson said in a written statement after learning of the award. "We attribute our success to the employees and physicians who provide outstanding health care every day. The people of RWJ Hamilton live our mission by providing Excellence through Service."
   The Baldridge award is the top honor a U.S. organization can receive from the federal government for quality management and quality achievement. Criteria for the award include leadership, strategic planning, customer and market focus, information and analysis, human resource focus, process management and business results.
   "The Baldridge award honors the outstanding performances and accomplishments of American organizations," said President Bush in a written statement. "These organizations embody the values of excellence, principled leadership and a commitment to employees, partners and community. They join an ever growing and diverse family of Baldridge award recipients that are leading the way to a future filled with progress and prosperity for all Americans."
   "It really means a lot to us," Ms. Stephenson said Monday night. "It’s an achievement award for our entire organization. To get a business excellence award when your business is a hospital says something, I feel. We’re dealing with people when they’re not at their best, when they’re worried about their health. We’ve been growing faster than any other hospital in New Jersey."
   Ms. Stephenson began working at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital Hamilton in 1989, as director of planning. She became president and CEO in 1998. She has two sons, both in the health-care field. Nathan Ruch, 32, is physician. Jordan Ruch, 25, is an information systems specialist for Robert Wood Johnson Hospital.