Healthcare is an ever-evolving global entity. Not realizing this and not having a plan for the future is setting yourself up for disaster. Without a roadmap to follow, this hospital and any other organization without a plan will end up off course and on the path to failure. Strategic planning is the vehicle that will allow this hospital to pivot into the future and dictate where it lands. Using strategic planning, the hospital can build a map that can lead it out of 1970 and give it the flexibility to face the future (Zuckerman, 2005). Such a plan will unite the hospital under common goals and ideals, leading to better communication throughout the organization. What better way to involve employees in the growth and future of this hospital than by involving them in its planning? By encouraging the planning process with an open mind, it would encourage this hospital as a whole to welcome the future with open arms and evolve from the past. To be a successful business of any kind, those who run it need to know where it's going, to get there; strategic planning is the way to make this happen. Opening the doors in 1970, without a plan for the future, only makes a plan more necessary today. Healthcare is an ever-evolving and ever-growing “business” that if you don't have a plan; one will drown in the future. To be successful you must know the purpose and rules of the “game,” the strengths and weaknesses of the “crew,” and be well conditioned and prepared for what is to come (Bryson, 1988). If the hospital knows how to plan, unite and conquer; the future will be successful. Strategic thinking and action are important to the vitality and effectiveness of any agency. Without initiating a strategic plan… halfway… to begin with, this changing hospital will have no foundation to stand on. This healthcare organization must set goals, push for change, and lay out a road map that will lead it into the future. Works Cited Bryson, J. (1988). A strategic planning process for public and non-profit organizations. Long-term planning (21). 73-81. Pitt, M. (1997). A generalized simulation system to support strategic resource planning in healthcare. Medical Informatics Group: Department of Informatics. Manchester, UK.Williams, G., Mabon, J., & Heim-Myers, B. (2006). Best practice: Strategic planning in a complex environment: the example of healthcare. Ivey Business Journal Online, 1-6. http://search.proquest.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/docview/216179571?accountid=28180Zuckerman, A. M. (2005). Strategic Healthcare Planning 2nd ed. Chicago, IL: Health Administration Press.