The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award is our nation's highest presidential honor for quality and organizational performance. Since the first Baldrige Award in 1987 up to the present time, only 67 organizations have achieved this distinction, and of them, just six represented healthcare.

On April 19, 2006, Bronson Methodist Hospital was recognized in Washington D.C. and received the Baldrige Award for 2005 from Vice President Dick Cheney.

Contact Us:  For information about our Baldrige journey, please e-mail baldrige@bronsonhg.org or call (269) 341-6065.

Six Organizations Receive 2005 Presidential Award for Quality and Performance Excellence

WASHINGTON, D.C.-President George W. Bush and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez today announced six organizations as recipients of the 2005 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation's highest Presidential honor for quality and organizational performance excellence.

The 2005 Baldrige Award recipients are: Sunny Fresh Foods, Inc., Monticello, Minn. (manufacturing); DynMcDermott Petroleum Operations, New Orleans, La. (service); Park Place Lexus, Plano, Texas (small business); Richland College, Dallas, Texas (education); Jenks Public Schools, Jenks, Okla. (education); and Bronson Methodist Hospital, Kalamazoo, Mich. (health care).

This is the first time that a community college, an automotive dealership and an oil industry business have been named as Baldrige Award recipients. Sunny Fresh Foods is a two-time Baldrige Award recipient; it received the award in the small business category in 1999. Baldrige Award recipients can reapply after five years.

"President Bush and I proudly announce these organizations as recipients of the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award," said Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez. "By pursuing excellence in every aspect of their operations, the men and women of these innovative, high-performing organizations have proven ready to meet the competitive challenges of the future. The recipients of the Baldrige Award provide inspiration for all U.S. organizations in their quest for excellence," he said.

The 2005 Baldrige Award recipients were selected from among 64 applicants. All six recipients were evaluated rigorously by an independent board of examiners in seven areas: leadership; strategic planning; customer and market focus; measurement, analysis and knowledge management; human resource focus; process management;

and results. The evaluation process included about 1,000 hours of review and an on-site visit by teams of examiners to clarify questions and verify information in the applications.

"This recognition is significant to the award recipients because they understand the rigor and objectivity of the Baldrige Award evaluation. Each step of the award process is structured to continually refine the board of examiners' depth of knowledge and understanding of the applicants' performance excellence system, ensuring that only the most outstanding applicants

are recognized, and that all applicants receive objective feedback for improvement," said Roy Bauer, chair of the Baldrige Award panel of judges and president and chief operating officer, Pemstar Inc.

The 2005 Baldrige Award recipients are expected to be presented with the Baldrige Award in a ceremony in Washington, D.C., early next year.

Named after the 26th Secretary of Commerce, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award was established by Congress in 1987 to enhance the competitiveness and performance of U.S. businesses and expanded in 1998 to include education and health care. The award promotes excellence in organizational performance, recognizes the quality and performance achievements of U.S. organizations, and publicizes successful performance strategies. The award may be presented to five types of organizations: manufacturers, service companies, small businesses, education organizations and health care organizations. The award is not given for specific products or services. Since 1988, 68 Baldrige Awards have been presented to 64 organizations.

The Baldrige program is managed by NIST in conjunction with the private sector. As a non-regulatory agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce's Technology Administration, NIST promotes U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life.

Quote from Frank J. Sardone, Bronson President and CEO, in response to Bronson Methodist Hospital being named a 2005 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient:

"Bronson has been on a journey to excellence for many years, continuously raising the bar as we benchmark our performance against best practice organizations in healthcare and in other industries. That's why we participate in the Baldrige process - to learn from other high performing organizations. It is a remarkable honor to find out that Bronson Methodist Hospital has been named a national Baldrige recipient, and that we are now a role model for others across the country to learn from. This achievement places another national spotlight on our city and state and on everyone at Bronson who has worked so hard to be the best, because it is the right thing to do for the patients and families we serve."