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Overview
Alongside the physical assessment and historical research, information gleaned from stakeholder meetings constitutes the basis of the recommendations outlined in the CMP.
Throughout the CMP planning process, the project team interviewed dozens of stakeholders across a broad cross section of stakeholder groups including: “Pennsy” employees and volunteers, scholars, colleagues from other local historic and cultural institutions, and members of the Hospital Preservation Committee.
The purpose of these interviews was to assess the associative values of the Hospital as a place, institution, and locus of identity. The stakeholder assessment process also helped the team identify potentially conflicting values and visions for the Hospital as well as existing vulnerabilities.
Stakeholder Assessment Methodology
A preliminary list of stakeholders was developed by the project team with input from Pennsylvania Hospital representatives and members of the Hospital Preservation Committee.
Additional stakeholders were identified through interviews and focus group discussions. Due to Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, most individual stakeholder interviews and focus group conversations were conducted via telephone and Zoom.
The three focus groups each consisted of three to four Preservation Committee members and the project team (Kecia Fong, Starr Herr-Cardillo, Stacey Peeples, and Jeffrey O’Neill).
Interviews were recorded and notes were transcribed for each meeting. Meeting notes were subsequently analysed and distilled into recurrent themes of concerns, vulnerabilities, and potential to be addressed by the Plan.
CMP Team members Kecia Fong and Rohan Lewis interview Kate McGrann, who volunteers in the Physic Garden.
Summary of Stakeholder Input
Balance:
It was clear from stakeholder conversations that there is a balance to be struck between the healthcare mission of the Hospital and the cultural values of the institution. The CMP is designed to practically negotiate this tension. Stakeholders agree that the Hospital mission and historical value are integral to one another and that caring for both aspects--and highlighting the ways in which they overlap--is mutually beneficial.
Access:
Broadly speaking, access was a key theme. There was an expressed desire to enhance access to the site, archives and collections for scholars, students, researchers and public visitors. There is an explicit need to enhance access to the narrative of the institution.
There is great potential to interpret these various contexts using the Hospital’s collections, spaces, landscapes and through active partnerships with other institutions.
Potential & Relevance:
Moving beyond the founding fathers narratives creates space to explore the actual and under-interpreted depth and dimensionality of the Hospital’s significance and relevance. There are many more stories to tell.
Partnerships:
As part of PennMedicine, there may be opportunities to explore academic partnerships that encourage access to and analysis of the Hospital’s archives and historic collections in pursuit of new research and engagement.
Identity:
The Hospital is a locus of multi-generational identity. The depth of its history has fostered a distinct sense of identity among its patients and employees, (both long-term and past), who express a strong connection to the place. The Hospital is both part of and distinct from the University of Pennsylvania Healthcare System.
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