Message from the CEO
Chuck Gijanto
Interim President and CEO
April 7, 2022
Hello Fellow Employees,
My name is Chuck Gijanto, the interim President and CEO of Oneida Health. Let me tell you what an honor and privilege it is to be part of the Oneida Health team during this time. Before sharing some of my background and what you can expect from me moving forward, I want to acknowledge all the fine work that Gene did during his tenure here.
It is clear that he and you folks have created a very special organization. I could feel it the moment I walked in the door. For those of you who have never worked anyplace else, you may not realize that the vast majority of hospitals and healthcare facilities do not have this feel to them. These types of environments are only from many years of hard work, team building, engagement, and ultimately ownership of what you do. That does not just happen, so kudos to Gene and you. I also want to congratulate him on his well-earned retirement!
During the next several months, my goal is to keep Oneida Health on the continued path of being one of the premier healthcare organizations in Central New York. Along with working closely with your leadership team, I will be distributing frequent communications to keep you informed of our success and challenges moving forward. I encourage you to send me any questions you may have moving forward. Your input and engagement in our organization are of the utmost importance to me. My style is also to be visible in the organization so I look forward to seeing you out and about!
As for my background, I have almost 40 years of healthcare experience. My roles have included Chief Financial Officer, Vice President of Business Development, Chief Operating Officer, and President/Chief Executive Officer. I have worked in hospitals from 30 beds up to 700 beds and many sizes in between. It is fair to say though that my favorite organizations are community healthcare settings. Coming from a small town in Upstate NY, Ticonderoga, I grew up with the same values and work ethic that I believe many of you folks have.
I believe our success comes from working harder and better than the larger organizations that have a lot more resources by virtue of their size. I also believe that hard work and commitment to our organization and community come from us knowing many of our patients and residents, their families, and friends. We tend to go the extra mile because we do not want to let them down. Personally, I prefer it this way so I am very excited to be here to work to contribute to all of your efforts and your continued commitment to exceptional care, always.
I have heard of the amazing efforts you have all put in during this pandemic. I know it’s been extremely daunting and draining and you have all gone to great lengths to keep things going, and in the manner, our patients and residents have come to expect at Oneida Health. I want to thank you all because I know it’s been such a long, tough haul. You need to know you have done an outstanding job! I truly hope the worst of this is behind us so that we can get back to a more normal life. Let’s face it, healthcare is hard enough without throwing a pandemic on top of it. So again, thank you all for the incredibly hard work you have done and continue to do, every day. Though it appears Covid is currently dwindling, we must remain diligent as it still exists in our communities. Please continue to wear your PPE and take the necessary precautions to keep yourself and your fellow employees safe. Your safety and the safety of your work environment are one of our top priorities.
As an organization, we are going to do all we can to replenish and rebuild the workforce back to levels that will ease the intense burden you have all been under. I recognize that it will take some time, but every one of the leaders I have talked to within my first few days here is laser-focused on it. I will do all I can to help on this front during my time here and hopefully pave the way for your new long-term CEO.
Based on all I have heard, read, and seen early on, Oneida Health is positioned well for the future. There is always so much to do in any healthcare setting, but it feels like the organization is poised to grow and thrive. At a time when most community hospitals have been forced to join with bigger organizations and give up local control, OH has bucked that trend and I believe the organization and community are better off for it. Again, I am thrilled to be here and look forward to working with you on your behalf. Please do not hesitate to contact me during the next several months.
Sincerely,
Chuck Gijanto
Interim President and CEO
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