Kyle Landry, who previously worked as chief operating officer at St. David’s South Austin Medical Center, became CEO of the Georgetown facility April 17. Dr. Eva Slavcheva took over as chief medical officer April 1.
They spoke with Community Impact about their goals and challenges facing the local health care community. The following responses, provided by Landry in an interview and Slavcheva in an email, have been edited for length, style and clarity.
Tell me a little bit about your background and how you got into the medical field.
Slavcheva: I was born and raised in Bulgaria, and I received my Doctor of Medicine from the Medical University of Sofia in Bulgaria. After receiving my medical degree, I moved to the United States for a residency in internal medicine and pediatrics at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University in New York.
For the last 27 years, I have held many positions including treating patients as an internist and a pediatrician in rural Alabama. I later moved to Texas and began practicing at Austin Diagnostic Clinic and Hospital Internists of Austin, eventually serving as the chair of the Department of Medicine, the director of utilization review and president elect of the medical staff at St. David’s Georgetown Hospital.
Landry: I moved to the Austin area my senior year in high school, so I’ve been here in Austin for quite a long time and since then went to the University of Michigan for undergrad. I came back, actually worked here in Austin for about five years between undergrad and grad school, and then went to Trinity [University in San Antonio] for my degree in health care administration. I’ve always wanted to [be in] health care. My family has been working in the health care industry for a long time, and I truly find that health care, for me, is not just a profession; it’s a passion.
What does your new role as CMO at St. David’s Georgetown entail?
Slavcheva: As chief medical officer of St. David’s Georgetown Hospital, I serve as the liaison between hospital management and physicians. I help to support the needs of our physicians and provide the tools and resources necessary to ensure they are providing the highest-quality care to our patients. I also oversee clinical quality and outcomes, and I work with other St. David’s HealthCare facilities to share best practices within the hospital system.
How are you settling in as CEO, and what’s your role there?
Landry: My role overall as CEO is to lead the operations and the strategic planning of the hospital, so I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the culture of St. David’s Georgetown. This is a great hospital up here that I was really excited to be able to join. A lot of my role is about ensuring everyone has the right resources, whether it be the physicians or staff, to be able to do their jobs to meet the needs of our community.
What are some of your priorities or goals as you navigate this new position?
Slavcheva: Looking ahead, my main goals are to ensure we continue our history of clinical excellence and bring more specialty care closer to home for Georgetown residents. We plan to expand our surgical programs, including colorectal and spinal surgery, and cardiovascular services at St. David’s Georgetown Hospital. We will also continue to build relationships with physicians to help strengthen the hospital’s impact in the Georgetown community.
Landry: We need to make sure that we’re doing everything that we can to listen to the community, hear what the community is needing and then respond accordingly. One of the biggest things right now is being able to bring cardiovascular services closer to home. So one of the big ones is being able to launch a more full-service cardiovascular service over the next couple of years, including a [catheterization] lab so that patients can stay here versus having to travel somewhere else for cardiovascular services, along with doing more subspecialized inpatient procedures.
What challenges or concerns does the Georgetown hospital have?
Slavcheva: Georgetown is growing rapidly, and the hospital is investing in new technologies and services to ensure we keep up with the growing and changing needs of this community.
Additionally, hospitals across the country are experiencing staffing challenges. Locally, we are addressing workforce issues with both long- and short-term strategies so that we can continue to provide exceptional care to our patients.
Landry: I think one of the great things about being part of St. David’s HealthCare is we’re extremely well resourced, but with that being said, we have to look at where the region’s heading and planning accordingly for the future. With a community growing so quickly, we need to make sure we have the right resources. It’s been no secret that there’s been issues with nursing staffing and other things across the region that we have to be very aggressive to make sure that we have the right staff in place.
How can area leaders and/or the community help St. David’s in its mission to provide quality health care?
Slavcheva: St. David’s Georgetown Hospital is part of the St. David’s HealthCare system. St. David’s HealthCare is a unique partnership between two local nonprofits—Georgetown Health Foundation and St. David’s Foundation—and its national hospital operating partner, HCA Healthcare. Proceeds from the operations of the hospitals fund the foundations, and they, in turn, invest those dollars back into the community to support the health and health care of people in Central Texas. Through this partnership, many organizations receive financial support to help advance health equity in our community.
St. David’s Georgetown Hospital also encourages employees to donate their personal time and talents, and is proud to partner with organizations and community leaders who help contribute to Georgetown’s health and well-being.
Inside the hospital
Built in 1947, St. David’s Georgetown Hospital was established by a group of a local doctors who saw a need for the community. Today, the 114-bed facility offers a variety of services to meet the city’s health care demands. Its services include:
- 24-hour emergency department
- Level IV trauma center
- Certified primary stroke center
- Inpatient and outpatient surgery
- Critical care capabilities
- Acute inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation
- Orthopedics
- Maternity and newborn services
