Langston is the first female in the organization's 87-year history to hold the position of chief information officer.
Earlier this month, Cindy Langston was appointed as senior vice president and chief information officer (CIO) at Excellus BlueCross BlueShield in New York. She is the first woman to hold the role to CIO within the organization.
Langston has three decades of experience in information technology and consulting, having worked for Dow Corning Corporation, and Aon Hewitt among other organizations. While working with a healthcare company 15 years ago, she was drawn to the insurance industry's mission.
"Excellus's is probably one of the best missions around, connecting with the community and connecting with the members," she said.
"Cindy is an experienced and strategic leader with a proven track record of building high-performing teams and delievering results," Jim Reed, CEO and president of Excellus BCBS, said in a statement.
Langston started at Excellus in 2014 as the vice president in information technology. In 2017, Langston was promoted as chief analytics data officer, moving away from her usually IT-centric duties.
As chief information officer, Langston will oversee new technology iniatitives and training for employees, to improve the way they connect with the business and understand its strategy.
"One of my long-term goals is to maintain our great culture. We have a lot of long-term employees who really know our members and know our culture," she said, going on to emphasize the importance of those employees staying up to date with the technology they use.
Her leadership capabilities carry over into her work in the community. Langston actively serves Excellus' surrounding community of Rochester, serving as a board chair of the local YWCA and member of the Women's Leadership Council of the United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes. As a mentor and coach to many individuals, Langston emphasizes the importance of respect, often referencing her "Golden Fry" story, based on an unpleasant experience she had at her first job at a fast-food restaurant.
What she understood from that moment was that an employer has the authority to make an employee feel great at work or bad. Carrying that lesson with her, she's always conscientious of the things she does and says to the individuals she's working with.
"Every opportunity I have to speak with a female, especially a person of color, they have my attention, and they have my time," Langston said.
Stockman enters the role with two decades of experience in healthcare management.
Lydia Stockman, RN, MHA, FACHE, is the newly appointed chief administrative officer at Inspira Health for its Mullica Hill and Woodbury medical centers in New Jersey, beginning today.
Stockman will have charge over the two organizations’ overall operations and continue to advance Inspira Health’s work as a high reliability organization.
Previously, she served as the senior vice president of clinical operations at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. During her tenure with the hospital, she established the first intermediate care unit for the cardiac service line and elevated their stroke center from primary to comprehensive by recruiting physicians and securing funding for the facility’s neurocritical ICU.
“Lydia brings a wealth of knowledge in hospital management, particularly in strategic planning and growth, operations management, physician and patient satisfaction, and clinical quality and performance, making her a great addition to the Inspira Health team,” Warren E. Moore, executive vice president and COO of Inspira Health said in a statement. “This experience, coupled with working in a high reliability organization, uniquely positions Lydia to innately understand the future of Inspira Health as outlined in our new strategic plan.”
“I am looking forward to leveraging Inspira’s regional presence as a leading health care network in South Jersey and to identify new opportunities for business development and strategic growth, which will attract top physicians and health care professionals to ensure that we provide the highest quality of safety and care to our patients,” Stockman said in a statement. “I am honored to serve Inspira Health in this role and to advance the network’s new strategic plan without ever losing sight of providing a positive environment for all our patients, visitors and employees.”
The facilities will be working together to improve access to care and quality of treatment for the Greater Baton Rouge area.
On January 5, Baton Rouge General Medical Center’s Pennington Cancer Center and Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center announced their ten-year partnership to improve and increase access to cancer treatments in the Greater Baton Rouge area.
The agreement, which went into immediate effect, allows the two organizations to work together to make cancer care and treatments more accessible, and to create a strong focus on prevention and early detection. While they will still operate independently, they will be sharing technology, working together on clinical trials, and offering options for advanced treatment to patients.
“Baton Rouge General’s commitment to cancer care aligns with Mary Bird Perkins’ mission to improve survivorship and lessen the burden of cancer, so we are excited to be a part of their medical community,” Todd Stevens, president and CEO of Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center said in a statement. “This is a collaborative relationship that extends existing physical, technological, and professional resources.”
Patients have the option to be treated at either facility, or both, with linked electronic medical records streamlining communication between the two. Through its partnership with OneOncology, Mary Bird Perkins will share its access to clinical trials and EHR with Baton Rouge General.
The infusion clinic recently completed on Baton Rouge General’s Bluebonnet campus as part of the partnership has several amenities available to patients including two private infusion rooms in addition to 36 infusion bays and heated chairs. There’s also an infusion center pharmacy inside the facility to expedite treatment.
“We know that your world changes when you receive a cancer diagnosis,” Edgardo Tenreiro, president and CEO of Baton Rouge General, said. “We want patients to feel comforted and confident in knowing that they can receive care and support from Baton Rouge’s two most preferred cancer centers, in a seamless, comprehensive, and compassionate way, right here, close to home.”
The partnership hopes to distinguish South Jersey as a hub for clinical discovery and innovation.
Virtua Health and Rowan University announced an affiliation agreement on January 4, to develop a new academic health system. The Virtua Health College of Medicine & Health Sciences of Rowan University will consist of the university’s osteopathic medical school, an expansion of the nursing and allied health professions school, alignment of clinical practices for improving patient care, and workforce training.
Additionally, the college will include research institutes and recruit 50 faculty investigators over the next decade, which is expected to generate over $225 million in research grants by 2032, according to Tony Lowman, Rowan University provost.
To support the partnership, Virtua Health is making a philanthropic investment of $85 million to the university. The endowment will fund faculty salaries, the college’s programs, and the construction of a state-of-the-art research facility.
“There has never been a more defining moment for our two respected organizations to come together to transform and reimagine the future of healthcare and the health care workforce than right now,” Dennis W. Pullin, FACHE, president and CEO of Virtua Health said. “This affiliation will further strengthen our relationship with Rowan [University] so that we can innovate around the training of tomorrow’s physicians and health professionals and the critical research that will impact the future of health care in this community. I am excited about the purposeful things that we will do together and the lasting, here-for-good impact our efforts will have in New Jersey and beyond.”
Through their efforts, Virtua Health and Rowan University aim to become innovators in researching, developing, and testing new methods of therapy and care and assist the needs of underserved individuals in the region.
“The best health systems in the nation partner with great research institutions,” Ali A. Houshmand, president of Rowan University, said. “Virtua Health is one of the leading health care providers in the state. To have earned Virtua’s confidence and to be the partner they choose to invest in is tremendous. We’re proud to share Virtua’s values and vision and to see a future where we can make a difference together. This landmark gift and our partnership will transform both institutions.”
The holiday surge of COVID-19 cases has carried over into the new year, now forcing two hospitals to temporarily shutter some of their services.
In Florida, Holy Cross Health has temporarily closed its maternity ward as of Sunday, January 2. The hospital's neonatal intensive care and postpartum units have remained open.
The hospital's decision came after the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases at the organization, including staff members. Holy Cross is working with nearby hospitals Memorial Healthcare System and Broward Health to ensure maternity patients continue to receive care.
"We're prepared to receive them. They will get the absolute best of care, and we'll make sure that they and their babies are discharged as quickly as we can and go home and start their new families," Leah Carpenter, executive vice president and COO of Memorial Healthcare System, told local news outlet, 6 South Florida. "But we're very comfortable managing our COVID population and making sure that our mommies are kept safe as well as the babies."
Geary Community Hospital in Kansas plans to shut its ICU down by February 1 due to staff shortages and "fiscal situations beyond our control." A statement from the hospital issued Monday, January 3 explained that the unit will be closed "through a phased transition."
"While some departments will be impacted, emergency care, critical support services, and clinics will remain available for our patients," LJ Baker, director of human resources and external relations, stated. The hospital plans to retain as many of its staff by reassigning them to understaffed departments.
Like Holy Cross, Geary is working with other facilities in the area to coordinate treatment and services for its patients.