NEW SAINT FRANCIS PRESIDENT CALLS FOR PARTNERSHIP, COOPERATION

St. Francis Medical Center's new president, John Fidler, has a battle cry for more partnerships and better cooperation between the medical center and the publics it serves.

Fidler, who started here Jan. 1, said one of his first priorities has been getting to know the physicians, business leaders and other healthcare related professionals in the community.

It's more than just being friendly. Fidler has a plan to get people involved in planning for the future of the medical center.

"We need to create a task force of business leaders community members, our board, the medical staff to openly examine our needs and how to respond out of this need," he said.

"We need to work with other community, education and business interests to study health care needs. As we better determine the needs, then we should look at our current programs to see how they need to be modified to better meet the needs of the community. Do we need additional facilities? Do we have a shortage of health care professionals?"

Fidler said he is interested in a close working relationship with Southeast Missouri Hospital, St. Francis's cross-town counterpart in Cape Girardeau.

"We accept the fact that there are two excellent health care facilities here. With the increased cost of medical technology and the economic times, we are even more socially accountable. We must depend on a coordinated plan."

St. Francis and Southeast are already working together creating a video to help attract health care professionals to Cape Girardeau.

Health care costs are a primary concern, Fidler said, for those in the medical field and for business.

"We are not as productive as we should be," Fidler said.

He has launched a paperwork cost-cutting campaign. "We want to return nurses to the bedside and minimize the impact of paperwork on health care."

Fidler said he is interested in working with business leaders to find ways to reduce health care costs.

"As they look at the costs of doing business and being competitive, one of the major costs they cannot control is health care and insurance costs," he said. "We need to be partners with business to work with them on this issue.

"I think it should be solved locally," Fidler said. "not statewide or nationally. A national plan adds too much complexity and may also neglect some specific needs of our community.

"We need to focus on the local issues. We can't wait for a national solution or even a statewide solution," Fidler said.

"Over all the economy and business depend on a collaborative effort of all of us. No one person has all the answers but it we put our heads together and our resources together we can find an answer."

One way to help control health-care costs, Fidler said, is to keep people healthy.

"Most of the time, health care deals with problems of abuse such as drinking, over eating or stress," Fidler said.

"While curing or correcting health problems remains number one, its time for health care professionals to look more seriously at ways to prevent diseases. We need to foster healthier habits and assist people in avoiding illness.

"An individual is not just a heart or a lung," Fidler said.

"We need to coordinate programs and resources and go out into the community to do education programs and site surveys of potentially hazardous or stressful situations."

He added that counseling and support groups are also an important element in that wellness.

Fidler is looking for cooperative efforts inside the medical center as well.

"We are building on what is in place. It's excellent," Fidler said. "But it can be better.

"We will constantly review patient care, challenging ourselves to improve."

Fidler said he plans to establish in-house task forces to look at various areas of costs, efficiency and patient care.

"Also we need to involve the patient in the process make him a positive participant in the recovery process," he said.

"We're here to save lives and to do all we can to do that. That's the bottom line, with God as our partner and as an extension of that healing ministry. I'm pleased to be in a community with strong values that support that philosophy."