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Insight in Indian CountryAuthor: REDW Advisors & CPAs
REDW Advisors and CPAs is proud to bring you the Insight in Indian Country Podcast, covering important advisory, accounting, and finance topics that impact Tribal Nations and business affairs. Gain expertise on building bright futures futures with our trusted advisors. Press play on your commute or coffee break! Language: en-us Genres: Business, Entrepreneurship, Management Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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"Treating our patients as relatives." 💚 Building Sage Memorial Hospital's Future with Melinda White
Episode 55
Friday, 3 October, 2025
Send us a textSage Memorial Hospital's journey from a four-room adobe building in 1911 to a state-of-the-art healthcare facility represents more than a century of serving the Ganado community. This episode, REDW National Tribal Practice Leader Wes Benally welcomes Melinda White, CEO of Sage Memorial Hospital, to discuss the hospital's remarkable transformation and its commitment to blending Western medicine with traditional Navajo healing practices.Melinda, who was born at Sage and returned as CEO three years ago, shares how the hospital is redefining healthcare in Indian Country—from building sweat lodges and hiring traditional healers to implementing cutting-edge technology and expanding critical services like ICU, dialysis, and elder care. She discusses workforce challenges, the importance of keeping patients close to home, and the vision for continued growth while maintaining the strong foundation of traditional values.Chapters00:00 - Introduction and Welcome01:03 - Melinda's Background and Connection to Sage Memorial Hospital03:54 - The History: From 1911 Mission to Modern Healthcare08:47 - Incorporating Traditional Values in Modern Care12:34 - Innovation and Modernizing Healthcare Delivery15:55 - Workforce Challenges and Hiring the Right People19:49 - Patient Stories and Keeping Families Closer to Home23:16 - Measuring Success: KPIs and Quality Indicators26:55 - Vision for the Next 5-10 YearsTakeawaysAt Sage Memorial Hospital, traditional healing programs, including sweat lodges, medicine men/women, and future hooghan construction, are being integrated with Western medical care.The new facility achieved a complete transition to paperless operations with comprehensive electronic health records encompassing clinical and financial systems.Key expansion services include ICU, inpatient dialysis, swing beds, elder care facilities, and future plans for labor and delivery and surgical units.The hospital's core mission focuses on reducing patient transfers and keeping families closer to home, lessening the financial and emotional burden of traveling to distant facilities.Quality initiatives are measured through hospital-wide KPIs across four pillars: finance, community, people (HR), and quality.Quality Services. Quality Outcomes. REDW was honored to support Sage Memorial Hospital's transformation through our Client Advisory and Accounting Services (CAAS), Business Valuation, and Risk Advisory expertise. This journey demonstrates a powerful truth: investing in quality advisory services yields the best return. If your tribal healthcare organization is navigating growth or transformation, our team is here to help.👉 Connect with WesREDW Advisors and CPAs is proud to bring you the Insight in Indian Country Podcast, covering important advisory, accounting, and finance topics that impact Tribal Nations and business affairs. Thanks for listening!
