Push for dramatic change, take calculated risks, project confidence and prioritize your goals, advised Nancy Schlichting, Sloan '79, president and CEO of Detroit-based Henry Ford Health System, May 8 in speaking to nearly 120 Sloan Program in Health Administration alumni and students at the program's annual Wagner Memorial Dinner.

In her keynote, "Going Radical: Creating the Hospital of the Future," Schlichting described how she applied these principles and took an atypical approach for the system's newest facility, Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital in suburban Detroit.

The 300-bed hospital, which opened in March 2009, resembles a luxurious Michigan lodge, with such amenities as 24-hour room service featuring gourmet organic food, upscale patient rooms with a view of the surrounding woodlands and a retail corridor with shops related to health and dining. It is also a silver LEED-certified facility by the U.S. Green Building Council for its use of green roofing and other sustainability features.

"We set out to design a hospital that would be a community center for health and well-being," said Schlichting. "Our intention is that people don't just come to the hospital when they are sick, but they also come when they are well."

Schlichting joked that when out-of-town guests visit she takes them to the hospital on weekends, where they can eat, shop and go to the spa.

She added that patient and staff response to the facility has been exceedingly positive, with patient satisfaction scores in the 99th percentile and employee turnover rates at half the industry average for new hospitals.

Schlichting also detailed the history of the Henry Ford Health System and how she reshaped its leadership team and reversed its financial losses since becoming the top executive in 2003.

"Hearing from Nancy was very inspiring," said Claudia Chujoy '11, who met Schlichting at a breakfast with other Sloan first-year women students. "She has a strong business background with a proven track record and great leadership skills."

The dinner is part of the annual Wagner Weekend on campus, which brings together alumni, students and faculty. Other events included student research presentations, a book talk with Roger Battistella, professor emeritus and author of "Health Care Turning Point: Why Single Payer Won't Work," and a student-alumni barbecue.

Ted Boscia is assistant director of communications for the College of Human Ecology.