What Delores Taught Me

Over the past few months, I asked each member of our executive team to spend time shadowing an area of GBMC HealthCare. The goal was simple: get out of our usual settings, see the work up close, and better understand what our teams experience every day. It was one way to live out our Leadership Pledge by showing up and listening with intention, not just talking about it.

Since arriving as CEO, I’ve had the chance to shadow several of our frontline teams — including a nurse in our pediatric ED, the Patient Flow/Charge nurse in our adult ED, a nurse on the U42 day shift, a nurse on the U38 night shift, and a hospitalist. Each experience has been meaningful and humbling in its own way. Most recently, I spent the day with Delores Williams, a Gilchrist home care nurse.

I met Delores at her home early that morning, which felt fitting. As a Gilchrist home care nurse, she doesn’t start her day in a unit, an office, or a clinic. Once she leaves her home, she is on the road, traveling to care for patients in theirs.

Before we ever saw a patient together, I got a glimpse of who she is. Delores showed me a hibiscus tree she has taken care of for more than 20 years and told me that she sometimes shares plants with hospice patients and families. That small moment stayed with me. It told me something important right away: for Delores, this work is not transactional. It is personal.

That became even clearer as we drove through part of her territory, which spans areas including Overlea, Parkville, and Loch Raven. Delores pointed out home after home where she had cared for patients over her 17 years with Gilchrist. It felt like every street held a story. At one stop, she pointed out a plant that she had brought a family to add to their garden years ago. You could feel how connected she is to the people she serves and the communities she has walked alongside for so many years.

Then I got to see her at work.

In one home, Delores cared for a patient with Alzheimer’s who was mostly nonverbal. She knew the patient and family well. While completing a thorough assessment — checking medications, nutrition, and physical condition — she also brought warmth and joy into the room. At one point, she took his hands and danced with him. He smiled. And while caring for him, she was also caring for the family, gently checking on how they were doing and offering encouragement, compassion, and practical support.

Throughout the day, I watched Delores take in everything. Every home was different. Every family was different. And in each one, she was assessing more than the patient alone. She noticed the environment, the risks, and the subtle signs of how things were really going. In one home, she saw that the bed was too high and lowered it. A small act, maybe, but also the kind of detail that says so much about what excellent care really looks like.

That day reminded me why shadowing matters. You see the work differently. You appreciate it differently. You are humbled by it. And just as importantly, people open up differently. They tell you what is working, what is hard, and what they need. The biggest reward often comes later, when someone reaches out with a question, feedback, or an idea because the connection has already been made.

That is what executive shadowing is really about. We aren’t checking a box. We are actually trying to be present in a way that helps us better understand the work, earn trust, and lead in a way that is grounded in what our teams and patients really experience.

Thank you, Delores, for letting me spend the day with you. You reaffirmed for me that some of the most important work in healthcare happens quietly, outside the walls of a health facility.

Finally, thank you to everyone who hosted one of our executives for shadowing during the first quarter of 2026. You gave us the gift of perspective, and that matters more than you may realize. Below is a list of the areas our leaders visited. If you spent time with one of them, we’d love to know how it felt from your side. And if you look forward to welcoming one in the future, let me know that too. Hearing from you is one of the best ways we can keep learning!

Executive Shadowing Areas

• Purchasing — Carl Jean-Baptiste (Senior Vice President, Legal Services and General Counsel)
• Total Rewards — Josh Campbell (Vice President, Finance and Reimbursement)
• Breast — Meghan Chan (Interim Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, GBMC Health Partners)
• Radiation Oncology — Jenny Coldiron (Senior Vice President, Philanthropy and Marketing)
• Food and Nutrition Services, Guest Host — Jason Cole (Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer)
• Patient Transport — Sam Crandall (Senior Vice President, Quality and Patient Safety)
• Print Shop — Angie Feurer (Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer)
• GOR and Central Sterile Processing — Angie Feurer (Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer)
• Palliative Care NP, GBMC — Jack Flowers, MD (Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer)
• Marketing and Communications Team — Cathy Hamel (President, Gilchrist and Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, GBMC HealthCare)
• Physical Therapy — Yuliya Klopouh (Vice President, Pharmacy Services)
• Periop Supply Chain — Pete Ostasewski (Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer)
• IDT Meeting — Anna-Maria Palmer (Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer)
• Surgical Pathology — Brian Riemer (Vice President, Supply Chain)
• Inpatient Pharmacy (central dispensing / compounding / decentralized services) — Mike Stein (Interim Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, GBMC Hospital)
• Dance Center — Lisa Walker (Vice President, Talent Management and Inclusion)

Employee Spotlight

Darcy McLean, BSN, RN, CMSRN

RN4 - Unit 47

 

How long have you been at GBMC HealthCare?

13 years

What is one key way you support a zero harm/safety culture?

I pay close attention to my surroundings and communicate potential safety risks that could impact me and my coworkers. Being proactive can prevent many safety events from occurring in the first place.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?

On my unit, the teamwork is amazing and every single person plays a crucial part. It is very rewarding to see how my coworkers and I come together to provide comprehensive care to patients, knowing everyone is giving their best.

Favorite animal?

I love turtles! At home, I have a small figurine collection, and I have even swum with them in the ocean!