Sue and Tara Trading Places
The ability to adapt to new situations and to new surroundings is the mark of a true professional. Nowhere is that more evident than with Sue Ferraro, who after working in the same location—Memorial Hospital’s Administration—for the last 34 years, was presented a challenge she viewed as an opportunity.
A new opportunity
In late June, Memorial Hospital President Kreg Gruber and Sue, his Administrative Assistant, learned that together they would be relocating to Beacon Medical Group on an interim basis (Kreg is serving as President of Beacon Medical Group). It involved a complete change of scenery, the fifth floor in One Michiana Square, and a new group of colleagues to work with. Initially, Sue was surprised by the news.
“I thought I was going to fall out of my chair,” she says laughing. But Sue, like anyone who takes pride in her job, has taken it all in stride. “Kreg and I work well together. I know his work style, and he needed my assistance to make the transition as smooth as possible,” says Sue. “From the start, I viewed this change as an opportunity to expand my knowledge of Beacon and to use my skills in an important area of our health care system. It’s been a great learning experience and I’ve met great people.”
Call on a colleague
Filling Kreg’s absence as Hospital President is Steve Huffman, Beacon Chief Information Officer. As a result, Steve and his Administrative Assistant, Tara Hunsberger, moved from One Michiana Square into Memorial’s administrative offices. Tara is a highly experienced executive assistant; in fact she may be one of just a few associates who has worked for Elkhart General, Beacon and now Memorial. She, too, saw the change as an outstanding opportunity to better her knowledge and her abilities in a new location.
“While this opportunity was unexpected, the chance to take on different responsibilities and meet new associates, physicians and board members is exciting,” says Tara. It’s been helpful for Tara that Sue is able to provide insights about the job and the hospital in general. She’s also turned to the expertise of other administrative assistants in the office: Lora Tatum, Pam Bloss, Sandra Donaldson, Madelin Vila and Angela Stitsworth. Kreg and Steve have been very pleased with how Sue and Tara have adapted to their new surroundings and responsibilities. “Sue never once said. ‘I don’t know,’ or ‘I don’t think so.’ It was always, ‘OK’ or ‘We will figure it out,’” says Kreg. “Sue was determined to be a positive influence on the culture and communication with others in our new setting. One of the first things she did was to arrange to have the staff get the employee recognition lunch in the conference room, served by myself and other leaders.” “Both have been awesome!” says Steve of Tara and Sue. “This has been a huge learning curve for both of them. I can’t imagine it could have been handled any better between the two of them.”
Several executive leadership changes took place starting July 1. Mike O’Neil, Beacon’s Chief Administrative Officer who served as administrative leader of Memorial Medical Group for eight years and Beacon Medical Group for the past two years, is developing Population Health Management strategies for the health care system. A national search is underway for a new Beacon Medical Group President. During this search process, Kreg Gruber, President of Memorial Hospital, is serving as interim President of Beacon Medical Group. Kreg is ensuring the continued growth and development of the employed physician group, especially as we further prepare for implementation of health care reform. Meanwhile, Steve Huffman, Beacon’s Chief Information Officer, is serving in his place as interim President of Memorial Hospital. Filling in for Steve is long-time Information Systems Director Mark Warlick.
