At UChicago Medicine AdventHealth, our mission is not a sentence on a wall. It is something we live. Across our four hospitals and medical group in the Chicago suburbs, I see it every day in the care, commitment and quiet strength of team members who show up for our neighbors. Their work often arrives in small moments: a handheld, a prayer offered, a family comforted. But those moments are sacred. They shape trust, they carry hope and they remind us why we are here.
This year, we have embraced a simple theme: Motivated by Mission. For me, the question underneath it is the one that has always defined this work. What does it truly mean to extend the healing ministry of Christ? It means staying rooted in a purpose larger than any one role, department or hospital. And it means remembering whose character we are called to reflect.
Jesus was a beacon of hope and a beacon of light. He moved toward people in need and he met them with compassion and care. That is who we are called to be, not only inside our walls, but wherever people are hurting. Our Mission Integration Pillars — Missional Leadership, Wholehearted Teams, Whole-Person Care, Community and Environment — give us a clear path to become that kind of presence. They keep us centered on our purpose, our team and the communities we are called to serve.
Reflecting Christ is intentional work, and it begins with our own people. We cannot pour out what we have not first received. So, we care for the hearts of our team members, forming missional leaders who go the extra mile and creating a culture where people feel seen, supported and encouraged. When our team is whole, that wholeness flows outward to everyone we touch.
From there, the light reaches beyond our walls. Healing does not begin only when a patient walks through our doors. On the pages that follow, you will see it take many forms. You will read about team members bringing comfort to families experiencing unimaginable loss through our Still Missed program. You will meet Spiritual Ambassadors tending to the spirits of their colleagues. You will see our teams carry care into the community through screenings, food pantries and outreach that reach neighbors who too often lack access to care.
At first glance, these stories may seem different. Yet they are held together by one conviction: we are called to be a beacon of hope for those who are overlooked and underserved, bringing the compassion of Christ to people who have nowhere else to turn. This is what it means to be the healing presence of Jesus in our communities, not a mission we talk about, but a mission we embody.
I believe this is one of the greatest gifts of our calling. When we choose to be that light for our neighbors, offering hope to the discouraged and dignity to every person, we discover that same wholeness within ourselves. We leave each day changed by the people we have served, grateful for the privilege of serving them.
That is our aim within our four hospitals and medical group — to extend the healing ministry of Christ far beyond the walls of any hospital, beginning with our own team and reaching every community we are blessed to serve. This is what it truly means to be motivated by mission.
Dr. Monica Reed is president and CEO of the AdventHealth Great Lakes Region.