While this military veteran hospital CEO could “command” respect, he aims for a “servant leader” image instead.

U.S. military veterans deserve honor and respect every day of the year, but around Veteran’s Day, our attention turns to those special people who have given of themselves for the safety and betterment of this nation and the world. Retired Colonel Patrick Shannon, Chief Executive Officer of Huntsville Memorial Hospital, is one of those outstanding individuals. He retired after 35 years in the Army Reserve and Army National Guard and has worked professionally in hospital administration in Texas and Louisiana for a number of years. His military career began at 17, when his parents co-signed with him for his enlistment. He was inspired by his father, an Army veteran of the Korean War. Shannon joined the Army National Guard in Louisiana and later finished out with the Army Reserve in Texas at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. In 2004-2005, he was deployed to Baghdad, Iraq as a member of the 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. His brigade took close to 3,500 soldiers overseas and lost 35 in service. During his time in the military, he was also involved in a medical training brigade that trained combat support hospitals to set up in the field. He is no stranger to the cost of serving others, and today he inspires the staff at HMH to practice servant leadership. Shannon holds a Master of Science, Health Services Administration, a Master of Business Administration (healthcare concentration), and a Bachelor of General Studies.  He is also a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE).

Shannon and his wife Daishia (also an Army veteran, having served and earned the combat medic badge) have made their home in Huntsville and have five children: Maddy, Abbie, Emma Katherine, Audrey, and Wayburn. As impressive as his education, military service, and career are, Shannon really lights up with joy and warmth when his family is the topic of conversation. Shannon is excited about what’s coming for HMH and the Huntsville community and shared his perspective.

What led you to HMH, and how are things going since you joined the team?

I’m originally from Louisiana. I’ve been in Texas for about 15 years now. I was in Beaumont before coming here working for almost 7 years as the Chief Operating Officer at a sister facility owned by Community Hospital Corporation. I also previously worked in New Orleans for eight years as well as with HCA out in El Paso.

I came to Huntsville in 2021; COVID had a rise since the original wave, so we hunkered down and managed through it. The hospital was very full. I think we did a great job of taking good care of the community during that time.

We feel like Walker County, and our entire area, deserves a hospital that can provide additional service lines so patients can get what they need here in Huntsville. Our focus has been on the strategic planning and growth strategies needed for this organization. We see the need for us to end up being more of a regional medical center. That’s a vision for us.

Were there any surprises when you started here?

     An unanticipated confusion, yes. At first, people didn’t realize I wasn’t my predecessor. His first name was Shannon, and my last name is Shannon. Many didn’t realize there had been a significant change in leadership.

How does your military career influence your work in healthcare administration?

It definitely influenced my career in terms of the rhythm and rigor, the accountability and structure. I’ve learned a lot through the years and have worked under great leaders, including several general officers that mentored me.

In your career, you’ve worked in hospitals in large areas, New Orleans, for example. How does working at HMH compare to those experiences?

I think working at the larger facilities has helped me to be successful with the team here. Problem solving the complex issues in those large facilities and coming up with good growth strategies has helped me to put things into place here. We have a great executive team, great leaders, directors, medical staff and physicians. Everyone is so engaged here. I think it’s refreshing to see that; they want to see this hospital succeed. Our employees come to our town hall meetings, and you can tell by the questions they are asking that they want the hospital to do well and to provide a great service to our patients and the community. They truly care.

What do you believe are the most important aspects of providing quality healthcare today?

We’re very focused on quality and safety. We work hard at that with our Chief Nursing Officer, Jose Guerra; our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Yasser Zeid; as well as our quality department under Jennifer Guinn. Everybody works very hard to improve from a quality standpoint.

Our emergency department has been doing phenomenal work. We are regularly checking reports like “Left Without Being Seen.” Those are patients who get tired of waiting in the emergency department and leave. The national average is 2 percent of your visit volume. At one point, this hospital was much higher than that, but in the last year or more, we’ve averaged 1.3 percent, so we’ve put focus into that, as well as our publicly shared quality scores. We’ve just made a formal announcement of strategic partnerships with Memorial Hermann and HCA Houston Healthcare to enhance our emergency medicine and stroke capabilities. Memorial Hermann has joined forces with us to provide comprehensive staffing solutions for Emergency Medicine physicians and providers in our Emergency Department. This fortifies HMH’s emergency medicine capabilities ensuring our patients receive a high level of care during critical moments.

We have also added an advanced tele-Neurology platform in partnership with HCA Houston Healthcare. This allows access to a specialized team of vascular neurologists, epilepsy specialists, and other experts in stroke and neurological care. If a patient is experiencing stroke or other neurological emergencies, this aids in helping receive timely and accurate diagnoses, and advanced care. Neurology has been something the community has asked us for, and we are proud to say we are listening.

These collaborations represent a major milestone in our ongoing pursuit of excellence in patient care. By working with our regional healthcare partners, we are confident in our ability to deliver the most advanced, comprehensive, and compassionate care possible to our community.

What is your vision for HMH?

We will continue to add service lines and expand care for our patients. We have a great dialysis access surgeon who provides surgical interventions for dialysis patients who may need those. We are opening a new ambulatory surgery center early next year. It’s already built, and that will allow for procedures we don’t have here–ear, nose and throat; spine surgery; additional cardiology; vascular surgery; podiatry and more; and we’ll keep adding for the benefit and health of our community.

We’ve improved like we have because of our employees; our medical staff wants to provide great service to our patients. Every day we do something called leader rounding, and it has been very rewarding. All leaders in the hospital, including executives, are required to round on all our patients Monday through Friday, so every patient is seen. With the leaders involved it allows us to engage and intervene in a timelier way. We are committed to continuing the positive trends happening now, and we are committed to further advancing our mission to care for our community with compassion, integrity, and excellence.

Shannon is proud of the improvements that have been made thus far at HMH under his leadership. The hospital has increased from a one-star to a three-star rating on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services scale, and he believes they are on their way to earning four stars. The hospital is trending upward on other quality rankings as well.

You’ve had an incredible career so far with much more to come. What would you say is your mission statement for life or what drives your work?

I talk with my team a lot about being a servant leader and being authentic. When you have conversations with people–vendors, physicians, patients, employees–you need to make sure you’re not here just to be a boss. That means caring that the patient is having a great experience and that our employees have what they need to be successful. When my executive team reports to me, I know I’m only successful if they’re successful. My role is to make sure I’m supporting them and giving them the resources and information they need to do that.

What do you and your family enjoy most about living in Huntsville?

I think the word “community” sums it up. We love the small community atmosphere and the people who live here. The events we have like Fair on the Square, Bearkat sports, and our Fair and Rodeo just make living here so enjoyable!  Add to that, the mix of outdoor activities like Huntsville State Park, and this is just an awesome place to live.

On behalf of Postcards, thank you for your military service! What would you say to the public about what can be done to show our appreciation for veterans?

I think most veterans appreciate it when they’re acknowledged and thanked for their service. I know that’s a small thing, but it is appreciated. When I see veterans from other wars, I’m always thankful, and I thank them for their service. I never tell them that I served. It’s for them. They need to be appreciated.

Photo captions appearing in printed edition of magazine:

Shannon’s bachelor’s degree was earned at Louisiana State University, making him a devoted Tiger fan–with the national championship posters on his office wall to prove it.

Shannon says of his military experience, “It taught me to stay disciplined and to make sure that when we’re implementing strategies, we bring them across the finish line, get things accomplished, and work as a team.”