When Otis Health Care Center CEO AL Larochelle says that he's "walking on clouds these days," and he's caught singing in the hallways, people (particularly the staff) sit up and take notice. During the six years Al's been CEO at Grace Cottage, he's been known as "Mr. Gloom and Doom" because of his constant concern about O.H.C.C.'s tenuous financial position. "There's no question that, at times, if it weren't for Grace Cottage Foundation filling in the 'cash flow gaps', we wouldn't have made it," said Al."We've gone through some years that were so lean...well, you could see the bones!"

Although Al is very cautious in his optimism, and he's still (and will always be) watching every penny, the O.H.C.C. has been "in the black" during the past seven months. "Our hospital census is down, but outpatient services are more than compensating. I give all of our employees a lot of credit," Al observed. "At this time last year, we were quite a bit in the red, this year we're in the black. That's a change that I can handle quite happily!"