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He called the announcement a "change of direction for Pikeville Medical Center."
"I really believe that this relationship of collaboration will lead to world-class patient care here in Pikeville, similar to what is offered in Rochester, Minnesota; Jacksonville, Florida and Scottsdale, Arizona," he told the crowd of hundreds who gathered at the Mark V in Pikeville. "Learning the Mayo Clinic's processes and procedures will help us immensely to have a better hospital, and it will help our patients."
Mayo Clinic officials reviewed PMC patient outcomes, quality indicators and finances to determine whether the hospital qualified to become a part of its network.
"I have long admired the Mayo Clinic," May said. "I first became familiar with the organization in 1973. I have been a hospital board member here in Pikeville since 1962, so for at least 40 of those years, I have been trying to emulate the Mayo Clinic, trying to see what I could learn there and bring here to better help our patients."
When May stepped into his current role in 1990, a board member asked him what his vision was for the hospital.
"I never hesitated," he said. "I looked him in the eye and I said, 'To become another Mayo Clinic.'"
Pikeville Medical Center Chief Legal Counsel, Pamela Todd May, said Walter E. May's dream started after he sought care at Mayo Clinic for his father, who was battling a terminal illness.
"With the unique specialties and depth and breadth of physicians there, they were able to diagnose what was wrong with Walter's father, who flew home commercially 14 days later and lived another 10 years," Pamela Todd May said. "That underscored to Walter that there was work to be done and there were lives to be saved if we could bring our facility to greater levels."
Walter E. May has been the "driving force" behind the hospital's effort to continuously improve care to its patients, she said.
"The dream of becoming connected to Mayo Clinic seemed impossible," she said. "But as we went along, every day focusing on quality, beginning to strive for excellence in the small things, the dream moved from impossible to improbable. As momentum was gained, other people bought in, what had seemed impossible, then improbable, then became the inevitable."
Pikeville Medical Center Chief Operating Officer Juanita Deskins said the collaboration will improve the quality of life in this region. She talked about how Walter E. May's dream became reality over the past two decades.
"Over the last 23 years, there has been tremendous number of small things and things that have been addressed so that the achievements can be continued," she said. "It has taken a lot of determination, self-discipline and effort."
She commended the effort.
"To achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself and others, hard work, determination and dedication, because we all know all things are possible for those who believe," she said.
"God has truly blessed Walter May to give him the opportunity to dream big and not to be afraid to express his vision down to the smallest thing to ensure that we at Pikeville Medical achieve his vision."
Pikeville Medical Center is now among only 18 hospitals nationwide that are a part of the Mayo Clinic Care Network. The decision wasn't made lightly.
Dr. Stephen Lange, southeast medical director of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, thanked PMC officials and physicians who played a role in creating the collaboration and commended PMC for the accomplishment.
"Pikeville Medical Center is already the premier provider of health care in this region. Today's announcement recognizes that working together, we can be stronger," he said.
"Our changes in medicine can be broader, deeper, and more transformative than if we try to do it alone."
He explained that the relationship between the two hospitals will help both organizations accelerate innovative health care and provide better care to patients.
"There will be direct benefits to the patients," Lange said. "They will have access to Mayo knowledge and expertise here in their community. They will have access to evolving trends in clinical care, breakthrough research here in this community. Fewer patients will have to travel to get answers to complex questions, compared to the past."
PMC physicians are thrilled with opportunity to collaborate with Mayo Clinic experts.
"We've seen this hospital grow up from a small hospital to a nationally-recognized hospital," Pikeville Medical Center Chief of Staff Dr. Naveed Ahmed said. "We have won many awards and laurels in many specialties, not once, not twice, but multiple times. We have exceeded it at all levels. I can tell you that I'm sure we'll continue to do so with our association with the Mayo Clinic."
Walter E. May already has that vision.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is one of the most important days in the history of Pikeville Medical Center. We've come a long, long way, but we still have a long way to go," he told the crowd.