Last Wednesday evening, Aunt Martha’s hosted many of the agency’s closest friends and strongest supporters at our 49th Anniversary Fundraiser event. We welcomed friends from: Iowa and Indiana; from communities across central and northern Illinois like Champaign, Bourbonnais, Joliet and Berwyn; from Peoria to Rockford, from Frankfort to Wilmette; and from all around Chicago – from the far South Side to Hyde Park, the South Loop and Downtown, to Logan Square, Humboldt Park, to the West Side and to the North Side.
For some the event was an introduction to Aunt Martha’s. For others, it was a reminder of what sets us apart. From my perspective, it was important that each of our guests, and you, know that the agency you turn to, partner with and support is committed to being the very best at what we do.
In fact, we learned this month that Aunt Martha’s has been recognized for the 5th straight year as a National Quality Leader. We’re proud of that work, and we’re proud of the people and organizations we work alongside. We’ve worked hard and been fortunate to find partners who share our vision. And we have worked hard to find partners who share our commitment to value.
Value. This is how we judge ourselves. This is what our integrated model is designed to create, by:
Enabling care teams to work together to achieve top quartile quality outcomes; and,
Driving down the cost of care – so much, in fact, that in calendar year 2020 Aunt Martha’s cost per patient was close to 50% lower than the national average (for health centers).
Ultimately, the event was it was an opportunity to share the story of our employees – their hard work, heart and heroism. But my words were not the only ones our guests heard. We also shared a new video with them, which I am proud to share with you today.
Please take a few minutes to watch. It is both a tribute and a renewed call to action. It reminds us how far we’ve come in 49 years, and it offers a glimpse ahead – to the next leg of our journey, to the hard work will do together as we write the next chapter of Aunt Martha’s story. And of our own.
