The Healthcare Facilities Network welcomes Damian Mindley, Facilities Management Executive, Atlanta VA Healthcare System to the airwaves. 

Damian says that to work at the VA is to work on "A Noble Mission." And in this episode, you will learn why Damian talks fondly of this worthy mission, serving our nation's veterans who have served us, the American citizens. 

And if you are looking for a management opportunity, we spend the first couple of minutes of our episode discussing a Supervisory role Damian seeks to fill at the Atlanta VA. This is a role with a great deal of management responsibility, and enticements.  From job openings, our conversation advances to:

00:00 Introduction
04:48 Bow ties and neckties
05:00 Damian seeks a new member for his management team 
20:40 A Noble Mission: The VA Healthcare System
35:38 Managing through Change
51:15  "Now is a great time to join the VA:" Enticements and opportunities

Link to the job discussed in this episode:
https://www.usajobs.gov/job/823089700

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The Healthcare Facilities Network welcomes Donya Brown, Regional Director of Facilities & Support Services, Mount Carmel Health System, Columbus, OH to the airwaves.

Donya's journey with the five-hospital system began in the depths of the Covid pandemic. We look back to that time as Donya discusses some of the challenges he faced as he began with a new system, in a new state, in a challenging time for all leaders, never mind new leaders. 

Topics discussed include:

* Creating a net of psychological safety
* Balancing the hospital's hustle culture
* Intentional communication
* Tyranny of the Now
* Prioritizing employee development
* Changing department culture one win at a time
* Pivoting from Biology to Facilities
* Working in "The Complaint Department"

As always, thank you for listening!

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Or send an email to [email protected]

Back in the early 2000's Skip Smith was an employee of Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI). From his role in facilities management leadership, he built one of the nation's most accomplished and enduring Facilities Management / Support Services departments. At the time, CHI had roughly 80 member hospitals.

Skip, now a Senior Consultant at MSL Healthcare joins the Healthcare Facilities Network to discuss the department's formation. He is joined by three men he hired, three men who now lead departments of their own at CommonSpirit Health; the roots of CommonSpirit are found in CHI and Dignity Health.

Join Tim Livesay, Brian Symmonds, and Andy Woommavovah as they join Skip to talk about their experiences forming the department.

00:00 Introduction
04:07 Why this episode? 
17:44 Taking a risk on EVS
22:27 A seat at the meeting table for the "Non-believers" 
24:00 Proceed until apprehended 
45:46 Sustaining culture 

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Healthcare facility operators typically use hand-me-downs; that is, they use software and products that are designed for non-facilities functional areas. They make it work, even though it doesn't really for their needs. Vytal flips that script.

It is a technology designed by facility operators for facility operators. It is software made for the areas of accountability that FM leadership manages. Vytal elevates facility management by extending asset lifespan, ensuring regulatory adherence, streamlining capital projects, and championing sustainability.

The High Reliability podcast is joined by Neil Ravitz,  Senior VP of Operations for Vytal. In this far-ranging discussion, we discuss careers, military service, academic medical centers and yes, even Vytal.

00:00 Introduction
02:00 Serving with a sense of mission 
10:40 Software that ties the enterprise together
15:22 An end-to-end  healthcare facilities-centric solution   
28:20 Incorporating Artificial Intelligence into Vytal 
37:20 Built for healthcare

Our thanks to Neil for his time.
See https://vytalassets.com for more information. 

This episode was originally broadcast on the Healthcare Facilities Network.

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Paul DeViller, President of the New England Healthcare Engineers' Society, joins the Healthcare Facility Network from Vermont at the NEHES Fall conference. Paul provides his perspective on Chapter leadership, the trades, and priority balancing in this discussion. Topics include:

00:00 Introduction
02:10 Jumping in
03:30 Career journey from the trades to hospital management
09:10  Talking NEHES
18:30 Balancing priorities
23:50 Adapting your management style

Our thanks to Paul for taking time from his busy conference schedule.

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High Reliability, The Healthcare FM Podcast is brought to you by Cref. Our show discusses the issues, challenges, and opportunities within the Healthcare Facilities Management (FM) function.

In a show that is repurposed from our Healthcare Facilities Network, we discuss a pressing issue facing hospitals nationwide: the ability to attract and retain skilled healthcare facilities management professionals. Our guest, David Emery, Facility Manager at Utah Valley Hospital, Provo, UT, is tackling this challenge head-on. Through innovative facility staffing models, he's offering insights on maintaining talent beyond competitive salaries. 

Apart from the personal satisfaction you gain from working in healthcare and making a difference in a patient's life, what strategies can give you an edge in talent retention? In this episode, David delves into scheduling and employee development tactics he uses at his facility.  

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Or send an email to [email protected]

High Reliability, The Healthcare FM Podcast is brought to you by Cref. Our show discusses the issues, challenges, and opportunities within the Healthcare Facilities Management (FM) function.

In a show that is repurposed from our Healthcare Facilities Network, Dr. Lindsey Butler, Vice President of Sustainability at Cref, shares valuable insights on demystifying sustainability. Whether you're just starting your organization's sustainable journey or well along the path, this discussion is a must-listen. Topics covered include: 

01:44 Destined for a sustainable career
13:18 Sustainability differentiators
18:52 What is sustainability
29:32 Getting sustainable wins
37:04 Avoid these missteps

As always, thank you for listening. 

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Or send an email to [email protected]

The Healthcare Facilities Network sat down with Dennis Ford, Corporate Facilities Management for Atrium Health in Charlotte, NC. Dennis is running for the 2025 American Society of Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) Presidency. In this episode, we discuss Dennis' thoughts and strategies on:

* The recently held ASHE Innovation Conference
* His background and career path
* Why he is running for the ASHE Presidency
* His proposed platform as President
* Challenges and opportunities in healthcare facilities management

Our thanks to Dennis for his time, and good luck to him in the election. Voting closes August 21.

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Or send an email to [email protected]

The Healthcare Facilities Network sat down with Alison Brisson, Vice President of Facilities and Support Services for Cambridge Health Alliance in Cambridge, MA. Alison is running for the 2025 American Society of Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) Presidency. 

In this episode, we discuss Alison's thoughts and strategies on:

* The recently held ASHE Innovation Conference
* Her background and career path
* Why she is running for the ASHE Presidency
* Her proposed platform as President
* Challenges and opportunities in healthcare facilities management

Our thanks to Alison for her time, and good luck to her in the election. Voting closes August 21.

Check us out at https://cref.com

Or send an email to [email protected]

The Healthcare Facilities Network sat down with Danielle Gathje, Vice President of Operations for the Fairview Health System in Minneapolis, MN. Danielle is running for the 2025 American Society of Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) Presidency. 

In this episode, we discuss Danielle's thoughts and strategies on:

* The recently held ASHE Innovation Conference
* Her background and career path
* Why she is running for the ASHE Presidency
* Her proposed platform as President
* Challenges and opportunities in healthcare facilities management

Our thanks to Danielle for her time, and good luck to her in the election. Voting closes August 21.

Check us out at https://cref.com

Or send an email to [email protected]