National Health & Safety Expert Joins Bronson Board of Directors

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Bronson Healthcare Group welcomes William C. Richardson, Ph.D., of Hickory Corners, Mich. to its board of directors. Richardson, former president and CEO of the Johns Hopkins University, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, is a nationally recognized expert in health policy and management and an active proponent of safe practices in healthcare. Richardson received his M.B.A. and Ph. D. from the University of Chicago. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences, and is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Public Health Association.

In 1997, Richardson served as chairman of the IOM, Review of National Council on Medical Care, and from 1998-2001 he chaired the IOM, National Academy of Sciences, Committee on Quality of Health Care in America. This committee laid out a vision for how the healthcare system and related policy environment must be radically transformed in order to close the chasm between what is known to be good quality care and what actually exists in practice. Two groundbreaking reports were released – To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System (1999) and Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century (2001). To Err is Human put the spotlight on how tens of thousands of Americans die each year from medical errors and effectively put the issue of patient safety and quality on the radar screen of public and private policymakers. The Quality Chasm report described broader quality issues and defined six aims to ensure that health care is safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient and equitable. Bronson has adopted and put into practice all six aims.

“Bill’s extensive involvement in healthcare at the national level brings a valuable new perspective to the Bronson board,” said Bronson Healthcare Group board chair Randall Eberts. “His expertise and national prominence in the healthcare field, combined with his knowledge of the communities we serve in southwest Michigan, makes him a wonderful addition. We are most fortunate to have such expertise in our community and delighted to have him join us.”

In addition to his interest in healthcare, Richardson is actively involved with numerous foundations, non-profit institutions, and the corporate and public sectors. Besides his Bronson appointment, locally he serves on the board of trustees of Kalamazoo College, the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, Southwest Michigan First, the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival, and the Lyric Opera of Chicago. He has also served as chair of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Trust, a director of the Kellogg Company and CSX Corporation, and is a director of Bank of New York Mellon and Exelon Corporations.

“In my work around the country, I have learned that many hospitals are not performing up to the high quality and safety standards the public expects of them,” said Richardson. “Bronson, however, is one of the nation’s top performers. I am looking forward to seeing how the organization works from the inside and being a part of its next important innovations and achievements.”