Opening new hospital spaces, and managing "The Because List"

High Reliability, the podcast that focuses on the world of healthcare facilities management, welcomes Stephen Terrano.  Stephen is presently Director of Engineering at the Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie, NY.  Vassar Brothers is a member of the  Nuvance Health healthcare network. 

If you are soon opening a new hospital, or if you are just interested in stories from a career spent in Engineering, listen to Steve. Most recently, in 2021, Vassar Brothers Medical Center completed a $550 million expansion which doubled the number of available rooms. New building openings, in this case, the opening of a new Patient Pavilion, are never smooth, and Steve and I spend a great deal of time in the podcast discussing the opportunities and challenges in opening a new building.

Prior to joining Vassar Brothers, Steve was a Director Of Engineering And Operations at Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern, NY. Steve has also owned his own MEP firm in New York City. He has worked for Carrier Corporation, Johnson Controls, and as an  Executive Vice President for Sodexo.   

Topics in today's High Reliability include:

• Fatherly advice on joining healthcare to give back, and making mistakes  (3:30);
• Valuable insights on  working for yourself, working in contract services, and working as a direct hospital employee (13:00);
• Mission statements and core values (19:00)
• Lessons in opening up a new hospital building, including The Because List (24:00);
• Challenge the known and accept the unknown (32:00);
• The 90-Day Rule (44:00).

As always, thank you for listening!

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