Over the years I have had the privilege of writing about a number of special people in our industry who have demonstrated incredible courage and persistence in helping others. Well, here's another such person, who personifies the word "humanitarian": Bill Considine, the CEO of Akron (Ohio) Children's Hospital.
Bill has led Akron since 1979, and is certainly one of if not the longest-serving active hospital chief execs in the country. Akron is his hometown — he graduated from Archbishop Hoban High School in Akron and received his undergraduate degree from the University of Akron. He holds a master's degree in health science administration from Ohio State University, and he and his wife Rebecca have left their mark throughout the community.
The reason I write about Bill Considine is because I think all of us in healthcare should take pride in leaders who have stayed true to the mission of their institutions. This is a man who truly cares about his patients. If you have ever been with him, you are struck by his candor and honesty. He is a man of few words, and when he speaks on any subject I take the time to listen closely to what he has to say.
One of his favorite sayings is, "In the end, the only thing you get to take with you is what you leave behind." Well, taking stock of what he has already left behind is quite a chore.
When he stepped into his role in 1979 the hospital had gross revenues of $27 million. From day one he knew what he had to do, and over the years because of his business acumen, the hospital achieved sound financial footing, posting revenue of more than $1 billion in 2013. Akron Children's is now the largest pediatric healthcare provider in northern Ohio, with nearly 800,000 annual patient visits in nearly 80 locations. He also started the first pediatric transport helicopter service in Ohio in 2008, in order to efficiently transport critically ill infants and children to Akron Children's facilities.
Under Bill Considine's leadership the scope of healthcare services offered by Akron Children's to the region's children and parents is exceptional, including advanced cardiac care, neurology and neurosurgery, neonatology, orthopedics, intensive care, trauma, behavioral health, maternal fetal medicine, genetics, infectious disease and even Ohio's first pediatric sports medicine center.
Back in 2009 he and Rebecca were instrumental in the establishment of the Akron Children's Hospital Rebecca D. Considine Research Institute. The Institute reflects their vision for a world-class research organization capable of making significant healthcare advances for infants, children and adolescents through creativity and scientific discovery. Their $1 million dollar endowment helped to put the research institute on solid ground from the very beginning.
Nationally, Bill is a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and a board member of the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions and American Hospital Association. He is also relentless in his lobbying for children's issues as well as equitable funding for children through Medicaid and other public policy initiatives In Columbus and Washington. He is consulted by policymakers for information and insight on pediatric healthcare, child advocacy and medical education.
He has been recognized by numerous organizations for his visionary leadership at Akron Children's Hospital. Two special awards include his 2009 induction into the Northeast Ohio Business Hall of Fame and the 2011 Bert A. Polsky Humanitarian Award in recognition of his many years of selfless dedication and contributions to humanitarian causes in the greater Akron community.
Bill also serves on the boards of many local organizations, including being chairman of Akron Tomorrow and the Austen BioInnovation Institute.
Terry Mulligan, who is the vice-chairman of the board at MedAssets and a longtime icon in healthcare himself, has this to say about Bill Considine: "I know you are not eligible for the Health Care Hall of Fame until you retire, but in my mind Bill's enormous contribution to children's healthcare in Akron and around the world makes him a perfect selection right now."
No doubt about it, Bill Considine is a true servant leader who also believes strongly in treating his colleagues with great kindness, dignity and respect. Despite all the honors he has won, he remains a decidedly humble person.
The true essence of the man can be found in the promises that Akron Children's makes to all those who are in any way involved with the hospital. They are:
"Treat others as we would like to be treated."
"To care for every child as we would our own."
"To turn no child away for any reason."
That describes him better than anything else I could say! He is somebody that embodies what this industry is all about and we should all be proud of that. He is the best!