Two health system CEOs recently shared with Becker's what they are most optimistic about in the new year, from adjusting to long-term changes to addressing maternal mortality:
Russ Johnson. President and CEO of LMH Health (Lawrence, Kan.): In 2024 I think we will fully emerge from the "pandemic years." While there are clearly long-term results and changes from our last four years, they will begin to assimilate into our usual and routine operations being seen less as changes and more as new paradigms resulting from that time. I am optimistic about this because it allows leadership to shift from a reactionary mode where we are adjusting our operations and processes based on what we think may be temporary measures and making deeper and broader organizational adjustments to respond to the industry and market as we now know it to be. This may be most evident in the arena of workforce, where many of us have scrambled to make sense of new expectations, demands for greater flexibility, the financial challenges of contract and agency labor and, in my opinion, the more concerning phenomenon of workers feeling disconnected from their sense of purpose and unity with the broader organization. In 2024, I am optimistic that we can reconnect on the deeply meaningful and important work that our employees make happen every day in our hospitals.
Michael Young. President and CEO of Temple University Health System (Philadelphia): We are committed to reducing maternal mortality and morbidity in North Philadelphia, which are rising nationwide particularly among women of color. Addressing this crisis requires understanding, innovation, expertise, resolve and resources. Temple Health's new Women & Families Hospital launches [in 2024]. And with strong community partnerships, grants and state and philanthropic support, our new hospital campus will offer expert, trauma-informed care that addresses personal, clinical and social determinants of health while also providing employment opportunities to our community members.