Year after year, nurses are overwhelmingly ranked the most trusted professionals in a Gallup survey that measures the public’s perception of honesty and ethics.

When you’re in the business of caring, as Adventist Health is, this perception must translate to reality, because we’re entrusting the lives of our patients to these dedicated men and women day in and day out. As a result, we’re committed to putting the right people at the bedside, in the operating room, even in patient homes.

In looking around our system, I believe we have gotten it right. As the following pages will demonstrate, we have an amazing group of nurses who believe in what they do and the mission that guides us to “share God’s love by providing physical mental and spiritual healing.”

While it’s true that most of our nurses spend their days at the bedside, you will discover that health and healing can take many forms. For instance, you will read about a home care nurse who learned sign language so she could communicate with a pint-sized patient. You will hear about a nurse executive who takes great joy in mentoring her fellow professionals. And you will learn about parish nurses who are partnering with area churches to promote prevention and wellness.

To ensure that this caring continues and that we meet increasingly stringent staffing requirements, we are constantly on the lookout for new nurses. Not only are we actively recruiting qualified individuals, we are working to create an environment where nurses feel valued and opportunities abound. So you also will read about mentoring programs and onsite training options conveniently designed for working adults.

In all you read, I hope it will be obvious that we take our mission seriously at Adventist Health. That our nurses — like all of our employees — care enough to make a difference.

Fast Facts About Adventist Health

Ø Headquartered in Roseville, Calif.

Ø 20 hospitals in California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington

Ø 16 home care agencies offering home health, hospice, personal care, medical equipment and infusion therapy services

Ø Three joint-venture retirement centers

Ø Over 18,800 employees

Ø More than 3,100 beds

Ø 123,474 admissions

Ø 414,065 emergency room visits

Ø 2,095,443 outpatient visits

Ø 217,563 home care visits

Ø 62,114 hospice days

Ø Provided more than $291 million in free and low-cost services to our communities in 2004

For more about the organization, visit www.adventisthealth.org.