I spent the first four months of this year doing the most important thing I’ve ever done. Now, to be clear, up to this point I have felt that I have done a lot of important things. My career in evaluating medical malpractice cases meant I decided whether a case should go to trial or be settled. Those decisions affected many people’s lives in very significant ways and I always strove to make those decisions ethically and fairly. Those cases were never about how to save money, they were about doing the right thing and I was fortunate to work for people who had the same priority and values.
My political activism has also been important although the results of that work can be difficult to gage as it takes so much time and so much repeating of effort to get that final result that also affects lives.
My volunteer work has been important as well. This particular achievement, the one I am referring to, has been the most important project I have done as a volunteer.
Two years ago, I became Board Chair of Valley Community Healthcare, a community clinic that provides no and low-cost healthcare to everyone regardless of ability to pay. VCH treats 20,000 – 30,000 patients of all ages every year. It has been serving the public in North Hollywood and North Hills for 54 years and in this time of political, social and economic uncertainty, VCH is a resource that is so crucial for our entire community.
The CEO of VCH is retiring this summer and as Board Chair it was my responsibility to lead the search for her replacement. This process actually began last summer as I learned about how an executive search process works. It also meant conducting interviews with the help of a consultant of people who work at VCH, work with VCH, people who donate and volunteer and have all kinds of relationships with VCH. Because the most challenging portion of this search was going to be knowing not just who we could be searching for but exactly who we needed to be searching for. That could mean redefining the role of the VCH CEO. We needed the input of all these different people in order to do that.
We needed someone who would not only embrace the mission of VCH, and have the skill set to successful manage a healthcare center, but also be able to create a future version that would withstand change and survive. Someone who had the vision – yeah “that vision thing” – to imagine what could be and not just see what is. To anticipate challenges and not just respond.
As I progress through my 60’s I have gained the understanding that the world I grew up in and the world that existed through the first decades of my adulthood no longer exists. It is now a world that belongs to and is shaped by and should be determined by those much younger than me. And it was so crucial for me, as a leader, and for the Search Committee that I formed and the Board who made the hiring decision, to understand that this really was about deciding the future of this organization. It was not just finding someone to fill a job; it was much more than that. The challenges that this new CEO will face have yet to appear but the right person will be able to handle them in this 21st century world.
So since January I have been working basically full time on this project. I wasn’t alone, thankfully, I had a consultant to help guide and a fantastic search firm who did an amazing job. We had almost 500 people from around the country apply for the job when the job was posted at the beginning of the year. And then we narrowed and narrowed and narrowed.
We had 3 finalists who were wonderful and qualified and it was a dilemma – each of them made the decision so very hard. Yet a decision had to be made and we made it as a group, confidently and with sensitivity, objectivity and dedication to what was possible for VCH now and going forward.
And I know that tens of thousands of people now in 2024, and then their children, and then even their grandchildren, will have access to healthcare that will save and change and improve their lives. I played a major role in making this happen. I hope my work to create the beginning of a great future for VCH benefits not just VCH but also all those in the San Fernando Valley who are in need, those who would not otherwise have access to healthcare. Because that’s all that matters.
I wrote recently here about how legacies are overrated. But I feel my work on this search and its successful outcome is my legacy. This is one that makes all the different to thousands of people who will never know anything about me and the role I played in their lives. And that suits me just fine.
5/6/24