For Jeremy Strong, Chicago-based Rush University System for Health's vice president for supply chain operations, the ability to affect both patients and the community is one of the most rewarding parts of hospital supply chain.
He has partnered with several community organizations to train community members in supply chain, moved a distribution center to create jobs and is always on the lookout for ways to improve patient outcomes within his hospital.
Here he discusses his passion for healthcare supply chain and how to give back to the community.
Question: What piqued your interest in healthcare supply chain?
Jeremy Strong: The fact that supply chain touches every aspect of an organization is what piqued my interest. In supply chain, we get to impact financial performance, partner with clinicians to improve patient care and outcomes, contract for the services that bring value to the organization, improve our communities through local spend and job creation initiatives and bring sustainable practices and processes to reduce our carbon footprint.
Q: What are a few of your top priorities for 2023?
JS: 1. Leverage our digital platform and tools to make proactive real time decisions to continue to improve resiliency against the disruption and inflation in the market and to lower our carbon footprint.
2. Continued development of our great supply chain team.
3. Training and development of the talented individuals in our local underserved communities to become supply chain professionals.
Q: What has been your biggest accomplishment as chief supply chain officer?
JS: I am most proud of the impact we have made in our local communities through several unique partnerships, like moving a distribution center to the West Side of Chicago to create new jobs and partnering in JumpHire to train and connect individuals in our local community with jobs in supply chain.
Q: If you could pass along a piece of advice to other hospital supply chain leaders, what would it be?
JS: We are in an era of rapid transformation. Don't get stuck in "this is how we do things" logic, but rather embrace change and use your unique perspective to bring new ideas to the table to help shape the future of supply chain.
Q: What's the best piece of leadership advice you ever received?
JS: Growth and change is uncomfortable, but critical, and requires you to stretch and expand yourself to become something better.