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Staffing, employee engagement among most pressing issues for healthcare professionals

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Modern healthcare providers practice a wide range of disciplines but tend to be united by one age-old maxim: “first, do no harm.”

This shared dedication to human wellness, as well as common concern for the pressing issues facing the healthcare industry, informed much of the conversation at the 2022 Crain’s Cleveland Business Healthcare Forum on Sept. 29. Hailing from a wide range of practices, organizations and backgrounds, participants of the forum took time from their hectic schedules to share insights and solutions in open-table discussion sessions.

Among the central topics was staffing. Attendees tackled questions such as “What factors besides labor stand to shape how you recruit new employees to join your organization?” “How do you plan to identify and meet the evolving demand for health care workers?,” And “How has your organization adapted to staffing shortages in recent years — and how could such adaptations be made permanent to continue to meet your mission as these challenges are forecasted to continue?”

The looming challenge of finding and retaining enough talented personnel to properly care for the Northeast Ohio community held center stage in keynote remarks from Dr. Akram Boutros, president and CEO of MetroHealth. Boutros, who is preparing to step down after a decade leading the public health care system, shared several insights gathered from MetroHealth’s long-term efforts to enhance employee engagement.

“We are devoted to hope, health and humanity. That applies as much to our employees as is does to our patients and our community,” Boutros said. “So now, when it comes to the way you treat your employees, this shouldn’t just appear on the wall somewhere in writing. It should, honestly, be here in your heart. In all you do for the people who work for you, the people who give 40, 50 and sometimes 60 hours a week for you … to help you be successful, the least you can do is treat them with care and compassion.”

Boutros isn’t alone in his commitment to prioritizing the employees who drive the modern healthcare ecosystem. Bryan Crowley, director of Lumina Imaging and Diagnostics, also sees the value in giving colleagues the support they need to live full lives and reach their potential in the workplace.

“From my perspective as an employer and manager in the healthcare space, my employees are everything. Lumina’s services are just that, a service – without good employees, that service suffers,” Crowley said. “These amazing professionals are the face of Lumina that the patients speak to on the phone and see in person at their appointment. It’s absolutely paramount that they have what they need to be the best versions of themselves. For Lumina patients to be happy and healthy, then Lumina’s employees need to be happy and healthy.”

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