By following a simple yet carefully thought-out mission statement, Robert E. Welsh has successfully made a number of decisions that benefit the health and wellness of the population served by the hospitals of the Crozer-Keystone Health System.
“I believe that a member of the board of a not-for-profit institution does not represent the institution, he represents the community,” Mr. Welsh says. “We are simply outsiders who happen to be involved in the oversight of the institution.”
As a member of the Board of Directors of Crozer-Keystone Health System, Mr. Welsh puts that philosophy into practice every day, overseeing the day-to-day and “big-picture” operations of the largest health care provider in Delaware County. A board member since 1983, he has witnessed and participated in many of the major moments in the health system’s history, including the original merger of Crozer-Chester Medical Center and Delaware County Memorial Hospital, the acquisition of Sacred Heart Hospital [now Community Hospital], Metropolitan Hospital [now Springfield Hospital] and Taylor Hospital, and the creation of several key board committees.
“We feel that it is our mission to serve all of the residents of Delaware County, no matter what their health or financial status,” he says. “To that end, we make decisions based on the needs of the community. Many of our acquisitions were completed not because they benefited the financial health of the company, but because they benefited the physical and mental health of the members of the community.”
Mr. Welsh was instrumental in the formation of the Crozer-Keystone Board of Directors, as well as Crozer-Chester Medical Center’s Quality of Care Committee (serving as its first co-chair) and the Ethics Committee (where he continues to serve as vice chair). He also currently serves on the Crozer-Chester Medical Center Joint Policy and Patient Safety Committees.
“My greatest interests are mission and quality, which I believe serves the board well,” Mr. Welsh says. “Many of my colleagues have backgrounds in the financial sector, which balances well with my focus on the more non-financial aspects of Crozer-Keystone.”
Mr. Welsh retired in 1986 as senior vice president of Scott Paper Company, where he was responsible for the strategic direction of all non-paper operations. He joined Scott Paper in 1957 as a paper mill engineer, and after three years was transferred to the manufacturing operations of Scott’s Foam Division, a fledgling product line. As director of Manufacturing and later president of the Foam Division, Mr. Welsh led the division’s growth from two to five plants. This accomplishment led to his appointment as senior vice president of Scott Paper Company, as well as an appointment to the Corporate Executive Committee. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Mr. Welsh served as a pilot in the U.S. Navy from 1950 to 1954.
Mr. Welsh notes that he is extremely impressed with the staff and management teams at all of Crozer-Keystone’s five hospitals.
“I am always impressed by the technological competence and sheer dedication of the staff here at Crozer-Keystone,” he says. “There is a joyousness that the employees have about their work. Their spirit is exactly what their patients and families need in an often stressful environment. I’m also very impressed with the way Crozer-Keystone’s management teams have been able to cope with the effects of legislation passed by the state and federal governments — they are always able to see what’s coming, and by the time it gets here, the adjustment has already been made.”
In the future, Mr. Welsh looks forward to the “western expansion” of Crozer-Keystone, particularly with the opening of the Crozer Medical Plaza at Brinton Lake in Glen Mills.
“This is an exciting time for us,” he says. “We’re feeling very enthusiastic about the future of Crozer-Keystone and our increasing ability to serve populations beyond Delaware County.”
Mr. Welsh and his wife, Rita, live in Wallingford, Pa. They have three grown children.