BUFFALO, N.Y., Aug. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kaleida Health Board of Directors unanimously appointed James R. Kaskie as the successor to William D. McGuire as chief executive officer of Kaleida Health.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050817/NYW118 )
Kaskie will assume his new role on January 1, 2006. In the interim, McGuire and Kaskie will work together on a planned transition to ensure a smooth change in leadership.
Having fulfilled his mission of the Kaleida Health turnaround and the recruitment of the health system’s next CEO, McGuire is returning to retirement in San Antonio, Texas.
“Bill McGuire arrived at a critical moment in Kaleida’s history and brought the organization from fiscal chaos to financial health and stability,” said Ted Walsh, chair of the Kaleida Health Board of Directors. “Jim Kaskie will now use his considerable leadership skills to accelerate the momentum that has been created.”
McGuire began his four-year tenure as chief executive officer at the lowest point in Kaleida’s history.
“We had eight days of cash remaining when I parachuted into Buffalo,” said McGuire. “Morale was very low. Physicians had left and were continuing to leave the organization in droves. I will be forever grateful to the physicians who stayed and supported us, and to the 10,000 employees whose efforts were instrumental to the turnaround. I also want to thank the finest management team it has been my privilege to lead. This was a great team effort -- and my work is completed.”
During McGuire’s four years of service, Kaleida Health substantially strengthened its balance sheet, met its budget in 2002, and posted consecutive surpluses of $2 million in 2003 and $7.5 million in 2004. That trend is continuing in 2005.
In addition, McGuire is credited for improving physician relations, increasing patient volumes, strengthening labor relations, enhancing philanthropy, building a new leadership team and rebuilding ties to the community -- all resulting in a new-found confidence in Kaleida Health throughout Western New York.
“The Kaleida Health Board of Directors deserves praise as well,” McGuire added. “Their leadership and dedication were key to our success. I am tremendously appreciative of their commitment and support.”
“We have loved our time in Buffalo,” said McGuire. “I call it the warmest city in America. I am pleased with what we have been able to accomplish, and I am absolutely confident that Jim Kaskie will ably lead Kaleida -- not just through its next phase - but truly to a new level of quality and performance.”
Kaskie joined Kaleida Health in the spring of 2004, after serving as the senior vice president for operations of Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI).
In his role as president and chief operating officer at Kaleida Health, Kaskie has excelled, leading the day-to-day operations and growth at the five hospitals, the skilled nursing facilities and clinics as well as the Visiting Nursing Association.
At CHI, one of the largest non-for-profit health care organizations in the United States, Kaskie was responsible for overseeing a $1.8 billion operation in a five-state area comprised of Arkansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Services included acute-care hospitals, a psychiatric hospital, a long-term acute-care hospital, home health agencies, a community health services organization and two joint venture organizations.
“I am honored to have been chosen to lead Kaleida Health,” said Kaskie. “In my time here, I have been impressed with the passion that the physicians, employees, and board members have for this family of health care companies.
Kaskie added, “My wife Jane and I have found Buffalo to be an enriching and wonderful place to live. I look forward to this challenge and will use this momentum everyday to ensure that we are meeting our mission of advancing the health of this community.”
Kaskie, a Buffalo resident, received a Master of Health Administration degree and a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from St. Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri and a Master of Business Administration degree from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The son of a physician, Kaskie and his wife, Jane, are both natives of St. Louis and have been married for 29 years. They have two adult children.
Kaleida Health is the largest health care provider in Western New York. More than one million patients are seen annually at Buffalo General, DeGraff Memorial Hospital, Millard Fillmore Gates Circle Hospital, Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital, Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo and numerous community health care centers. The not-for-profit family of health care companies also includes the Deaconess Center and Waterfront long-term care facilities, plus the nation’s oldest - and original - Visiting Nursing Association.
Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050817/NYW118AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.orgPRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.comKaleida Health
CONTACT: Michael P. Hughes of Kaleida Health, +1-716-859-3795
Web site: http://www.kaleidahealth.org/
