&

From Candy Striper to National Healthcare Leader: Christine Candio '83 Serves the Needs of Patients and the Greater Healthcare Community

By Christine S. Diehl

“It’s all about caring for people. I’ve always felt that being in healthcare is an honor. We see people in the most vulnerable times in their lives. To step into that inner circle and help people is a true privilege,” says Candio, who in January was appointed president and CEO of St. Luke’s Hospital in Chesterfield, Missouri. “Regardless of what role you play in healthcare, we are here to help our community, build a stronger community, and hopefully make a difference.”

In addition to her role at St. Luke’s, Candio is currently the chairperson of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), an international professional society of more than 40,000 healthcare executives who lead hospitals, healthcare systems, and other healthcare organizations.

Now at the pinnacle of her profession, Candio’s early days as a volunteer candy striper and her family tradition initially inspired her to pursue a career in nursing. “It was always very important to me growing up to give back to others. I had two role models—both of my aunts were nurses and I just admired what they did.”

She credits her experience at William Paterson with providing the foundation for her ongoing education and career growth and development. “I feel strongly that the nursing program gave me all the key tools for my toolkit—not only to be a strong bedside nurse, but it also taught me how and why it is important to critically think. William Paterson really helped us first identify and tap into those seeds that might have been within us, and then over time helped them flourish.”

In addition to her bachelor’s degree from William Paterson, Candio holds a master’s in public administration with a concentration in healthcare management from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She started her career as a staff nurse at St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston and later as an obstetrical staff nurse at Riverside General Hospital in Secaucus. From there she ascended into various management roles at healthcare organizations in New Jersey and Massachusetts, most recently serving as CEO of Inova Alexandria Hospital and senior vice president of Inova Health System in Virginia.

“I absolutely love doing bedside nursing but I asked myself how I could have a broader, positive effect on a greater population of people. That’s what led me into leadership roles,” she explains.

As chair of the ACHE, Candio travels the country speaking with different groups and guiding healthcare leaders as they navigate a rapidly evolving industry.

“We are in a changing environment with increased regulatory and legislative requirements that challenge us to manage more creatively, strategically, and with greater flexibility. What we need to do as healthcare leaders is harness change as an opportunity to make the healthcare industry stronger. To be successful in the future, we need to continually develop a system of care throughout the community —developing non-traditional partnerships that we haven’t had in the past.”

For Candio, that means an industry shift from a hospital-centric environment to one with a community- and population-centric health focus. “Acute care hospitals need to work collaboratively with insurance carriers and with our physician partners as a team that ultimately benefits the communities that we serve. Historically, we would always view other organizations as our ‘competitors.’ But what if we look through a different lens? Really we are looking at transitioning from competition to cooperation and collaboration—and in the end you will have a stronger product.”

Although Candio’s current job involves tackling complex healthcare issues, her roots as a bedside nurse always bring her back to the one thing that is most critical: the well-being of the patient. “Whatever I’m doing, my ethical check and balance is to ask myself, ‘Is this the right thing for the patient?’ You need to be able to answer that question.”

“It’s rewarding to see how I can make a difference in people’s lives and ensure that our community is being well served. I have the best of both worlds. I’m out working with our legislators and community members on a much broader perspective. But also I can leave my office, which I do, and walk up on the nursing units and visit our patients, and visit our doctors, and visit our staff—making sure they have the tools that they need to do their jobs effectively. To be with patients and their families and ensure that they’re having a great experience and that we’re delivering great care is so rewarding to me. I think that’s very sacred.”

Share |