After 13 years with TriHealth Hospital, Inc., Kelvin Hanger stepped into the role of President and Chief Operating Officer in April 2021. TriHealth is the Cincinnati region’s nationally recognized integrated health system made up of six hospitals, including Good Samaritan Hospital (GSH) in Uptown, 13 major ambulatory campuses and more than 140 sites of care. In his role, Hanger manages the strategy, growth, finance, logistics, and support services, including technical components of perioperative operations. Additionally, TriHealth serves as one of Uptown Consortium, Inc.’s (UCI) five anchor institutions.
GSH is currently undergoing a $140 million construction project to make significant additions and renovations. The extensive redevelopment will include a new cutting-edge surgery facility, a five-story building for various services and a team member parking garage. It will also allow for the relocation and development of several departments.
Hanger has been a member of the Cincinnati community since he moved from Louisville after completing his education 33 years ago. During this time, he has served as a leader for not only TriHealth, but the Cincinnati and Uptown communities.
We sat down with Hanger to discuss his career with TriHealth, plans for the coming year, and updates on construction at GSH.
What initially attracted you to TriHealth?
I was hired by the physicians who owned Evendale Medical Center (EMC) in 2008. Given the climate of the healthcare industry during that time, it was decided EMC would best grow and thrive to serve the community if affiliated with a system in the Cincinnati area. This is not a decision our physicians took lightly, given they’d already made the ambitious decision to transition from a surgery center to a surgical hospital.
During our due diligence, our team had the opportunity to really research and evaluate all the systems in Cincinnati. We were in the unique position to choose which system best aligned with our core values of service to the region and exemplary care. It became clear TriHealth’s values, and our values complemented each other.
TriHealth values patient care above all while incorporating an environment that makes each person who works in the system feel like a team member, not just an employee. TriHealth’s foundational values are unmatched and made the decision an easy one for the physicians of EMC.
Now that you've been in the position since April, what goals or plans do you have for TriHealth moving into 2022?
There’s no doubt 2022 will continue to present challenges and room for unprecedented success, not only for Good Samaritan Hospital, but for every hospital in our system and throughout the country. As leaders, our roles have pivoted to include a global health crisis in COVID-19. My goal is to continue to lead our team members to provide the best care while understanding that we will continue to experience staff exhaustion, staffing shortages, and the continued realignment of how we keep our core and foundational values in line with offering care in these trying times.
I also want to continue to grow our connection to the community we serve, including the growth of services we offer in advanced surgical, oncology, bone marrow transplants and, just as important, being available for my team. We must think outside the box. We must provide our team members and our patients with that extra level of care that eases their burdens while we all navigate a global pandemic. That can be something as basic and meaningful as adding therapy dogs to GSH. We’ve now added a pet therapy program to our myriad of services. At any given time, we have two therapy dogs who visit our patients and give our staff a boost. For me, it’s all the little things like this, coupled with the larger issues we face, that set us apart from other systems.
How did your past experiences mold how you want to serve as a leader in the community?
Leadership in the community is really important to me, and I think that dates back to watching my father as a leader in the Louisville community. He ran a Fortune 500 employee benefits company and was so involved in every aspect of his community with charity groups and community organizations. I grew up wanting to emulate that example of service in my own life and the healthcare community is the perfect fit for making that happen. I’ve always loved being involved in community boards and lending my support. Whether the chamber of commerce or the community farm, it’s always been important to me to extend my service as a leader outside the hospital doors. I’m also a hospital president who enjoys being in the halls of our hospital, not in an office.
It came as a surprise to some that, while at TriHealth Evendale Hospital, you could find me in scrubs just as often as a suit and tie. My goal is always to be in the trenches with our team members. I want to be in the areas where our great physicians, nurses and team members do the heavy lifting and hard work to make our hospital the best it can be. I look forward to doing this more at GSH in 2022. I just think the best way for patients, staff, and family members to feel supported is to have a leader in the room, in the hall, and in their corner.
What is the status of the $140 million renovation on Good Samaritan Hospital in Uptown?
There was a lot of work this past fall as we completed the demolition of the former Hebrew Union College Dormitory. This step now paves the way for the foundation of the new team member parking garage. Foundation work on the garage will commence this coming spring and is scheduled for completion in Fall 2023. When finished, the new five-story garage will feature 700 parking spaces, two entrances and two exits to different levels, and additional electric vehicle charging stations.
Once this work is completed, the current team member parking garage on Dixmyth Avenue will be demolished to make way for new facility development to be completed at the end of the calendar year 2025.
For more information on TriHealth, please visit their website.