This issue of Hospital Quarterly features two important articles offering "lessons learned." In both cases the authors used those words in their respective titles and we decided to leave them in. They reflect, I believe, our reputation for delivering timely evidence-based best practices. The first, by Paul Garfinkel, Jean Simpson and Andrea Baumann gives an account of merging four specialty hospitals - a daunting task offering valuable information for many readers. The second article by Jeff Lozon and Rosemary MacGilchrist describes a communications program that supported the management of a crisis complicated by the subsequent integration with another hospital. Well worth reading.

In previous issues we have dealt with event-driven crisis management programs responding to the floods in Winnipeg and the ice storms in Eastern Canada. Readers would do well to reflect on these accounts together with the perspectives on management of issue-driven crisis on page 31. Authors Bart Mindszenthy and Gail Roberts provide a ten-point program to help prepare for the worst. They suggest that crisis will inevitably never happen when we are prepared. Sounds like a good risk management program.

Continuing on the theme of 'issues management' and communications we present perspectives on community relations. These relationships are an important element in building and maintaining our organizations' reputations, which in turn affect almost everything we set out to do. This initial factor will be amply demonstrated in our next issue as it explores the war for talent - recruiting and retaining motivated leaders and providers - especially nurses.

We are also working with a distinguished group of experts to present you with a full analysis of healthcare in the new millennium. This is a challenge as technology and drug therapies affect every one of us individually, as members of the healthcare community and as providers for the wellbeing of society which is so directly affected by change and the pace of change. Your ideas and suggestions are welcome as our editors endeavor, first and foremost, to present what is important - and so provide the high standards and value our readers have learned to expect.

Please participate in our survey of "Most Admired Hospitals." This survey will represent a measure of opinion. With our large readership it should provide some interesting and perhaps controversial responses. We appreciate the work that the HayGroup has done to design this survey which has been adapted from similar work they have done internationally for Fortune magazine.

Finally I cannot ignore the honors awarded to Joe Mapa of Toronto and Anne Neufeld of Saskatoon for their papers published in Hospital Quarterly. Each of their papers was recognized for Graduate Literary Awards by the Society of Graduates in Health Administration. Congratulations.

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