New president finds perfection in our transition
We can thank the unbeatable backdrop at Red Rocks.
Years ago, a concert drew Amy Blasing and her husband, Matt, north to Morrison and its red rocks. You’ve been there; it’s not a fair fight. Music and moonlight, the warm breeze and a view that stretches east for days. In that moment, she knew that someday, somehow, for some reason, she’d return to the Centennial State for good.
But that reason would need to be perfect.
Saint Joseph Hospital’s new president has made a career out of pursuing perfection. Starting as a nurse and standing guard for patients at the bedside for 30 years, she worked her way up to chief nursing officer in a for-profit hospital.
“As opportunities presented, I said ‘yes.’ As vacancies opened up, I stepped in,” said Blasing. “I found I had both a love and a talent for making things easier and better for those who do the hard work of caring for others.”
But it wasn’t perfect. In her role, she watched as disconnected, offsite leaders forced budgets onto her teams that didn’t add up and mandated plans for care and growth that had little to do with patients and more to do with profits.
“The final straw for me came when our leaders returned from a corporate retreat and announced all the unit secretaries would be fired. A cost-saving measure,” she remembers. “This was in the pre-EMR days, when secretaries were essential in functions like making paper charts, faxing physician orders and much more. I asked them, ‘Who’s going to do all that work?’ and they said the nurses would need to ‘pick up the slack.’ Yeah.
“That’s when I knew I needed to run hospitals.”
It didn’t happen right away. But Blasing had developed a reputation for knowing how to fix broken things and she caught the interest of a system that had a string of underperforming Emergency Departments. She resisted at first, but was promised executive leadership opportunities if she succeeded. It didn’t take long. Next stop, COO. Then, CEO.
For a dozen years, she engaged in meaningful work in executive roles at Presbyterian Health System and Lovelace Health System, with her most recent role as the CEO of Lovelace Westside & Lovelace Women’s Hospitals of Ardent Health/Lovelace Health System in Albuquerque, NM.
Still, Colorado.
With the leverage of professional achievements and the fairly recent freedom of becoming an empty-nester, Blasing and Matt, a professional photographer, started manifesting. Together, the perfect home where they would retire. On her own, the perfect final stop on a career that’s touched countless lives.
With her intentions clear, she could afford to be selective. She said ‘no’ to several of our competitors. A few rounds into the interview process at Saint Joseph, she learned of KP’s then-upcoming transition out and the work that would be needed in that wake. Instead of bowing out, she leaned in.
Her final interview sealed the deal.
“I was meeting with some department leaders when one of them became teary, concerned about the effect Kaiser’s departure would have on her employees,” Blasing said. “It was a moment of true vulnerability, and I just knew: I needed to be part of the healing here, of the rebuilding. This is necessary, meaningful work that I am meant to do.”
Her first weeks here have confirmed her decision.
“I truly feel I’ve hit the jackpot,” she said. “The level of engagement and loyalty to the hospital and the mission, in every role, is incredible. No one just clocks in here.
“You can feel there’s a sadness, a brokenness, because of the departures, but there’s also this palpable sense of pride and joy in the work, which speaks directly to my core. It’s a crazy dynamic for both to be true, but they are.”
As stated, Blasing has a reputation for fixing broken things. Probably because she’s really good at it. Here’s what she needs from you:
Your continued focus on quality of care and outcomes. “This will always be our center of truth and the basis for all action.”
An allowance of time. “I feel the pressure and understand the urgency to turn all things around ASAP but, realistically, this work takes about 12 to 24 months.”
Honesty. “Really, I want the good and the bad and, particularly, I want to know what makes our physicians proud to work here. That’s what we’ll grow.”
Blasing is looking forward to these discussions and meeting more of you at the Saint Joseph Physician Open House & Social. The date for this fall event will be shared when it’s finalized. In the meantime, you can reach Blasing anytime for any reason at amy.blasing@imail.org.