When Guy Medgalia led the separation of St. Anthony Hospital from St. Louis-based Ascension in 2010, many warned it would result in closure.
"That was 14 years ago, and we are still serving the community," he told Becker's.
Mr. Medaglia joined the Chicago-based hospital in 2007. Recently, he shared plans to retire as president and CEO on Jan. 10.
Successfully leading the transition to an independent community hospital is one of the biggest achievements throughout his tenure, he said. Combatting vaccine hesitancy during the COVID-19 pandemic by educating community members and meeting them where they are is another.
Members of St. Anthony Hospital's community-outreach program knocked on doors and visited churches, laundromats and supermarkets to share information to boost vaccination rates. Nearly 70% of its shots were given to residents of neighborhoods hit hardest by the pandemic, The Chicago Tribune reported in 2021.
Supporting St. Anthony during the leadership transition requires a commitment to working with the next CEO on finishing construction of its new hospital location, he said. He will also see through the conclusion of the hospital's federal lawsuit against the state of Illinois' Medicaid reimbursement process, he added.
Mr. Medaglia said rural and urban community hospitals are vital for patients who do not have access to facilities that are part of larger systems. Operating a safety-net hospital also differs from operating other hospitals, he said.
"It requires a different set of skills, the strategy is different," Mr. Medaglia said. "And more importantly, you have to learn how to do more with less, because your reimbursement is much less."
We tend to forget about these hospitals, he said.
"We need to think more about them because if they go away, there's a large group of people that will go without care," Mr. Medaglia said.