November 19, 2020

Wheeling University Healthcare Academy Provides Training to Wheeling Hospital Leaders

Wheeling, W.Va., Nov. 18 – Wheeling University’s new Healthcare Leadership Academy was established to train Wheeling Hospital managers to become transformative leaders in the workplace.

Ten Wheeling Hospital managers make up the first HLA cohort, which began Sept. 22. Throughout the 12 weeks of courses, the managers gain knowledge, skills, and tools to build a highly reliable, performance-based managerial culture at the hospital. The cohort meets once a week at Wheeling University, where university professors, administrators, and guest speakers specializing LEAN/Change health care and hospital management offer instruction.

“The launch of the Healthcare Leadership Academy is a wonderful partnership that allows Wheeling University to educate Wheeling Hospital employees to be leaders in health care delivery. Through our shared Catholic missions, this partnership will benefit the hospital employees, as well as the patients they serve in the Ohio Valley,” said Ginny R. Favede, president of Wheeling University.

The program broadens the participants’ leadership skills and strengthens their capability to lead. Additionally, those participating in the HLA learn to increase personal and professional performance, act as a team to optimize organizational efficiency, responsiveness and accountability, and work together to improve patient care at the hospital continually.

“We are so pleased to be able to partner with Wheeling University in the development of a Healthcare Leadership Academy for Wheeling Hospital employees,” Douglass Harrison, Wheeling Hospital CEO, said. “Our first class includes employees we have identified as future leaders within the organization and our community. Making this investment in developing talent hopefully ensures a pipeline of talent that we can rely on to lead the organization forward into the future. We could not be happier in this partnership with Wheeling University as we come together to share our common faith-based mission and values.”

“The Healthcare Leadership Academy is an investment in the future of Wheeling Hospital and its employees, ensuring it continues to serve the people of the Wheeling area for generations to come,” Favede added.

Wheeling University’s Healthcare Leadership Academy offers five learning modules to the HLA participants during the length of the instruction. The modules teach skills in transformational leadership, leading and enabling improvement and change, and systematic thinking and results-driven management. The final module is a capstone session.

“Managers advancing through the Academy will be able to act as results-driven, systematic thinkers and organizational change enablers at Wheeling Hospital,” said Dr. Jacqueline McGlade, interim vice president of Academic Affairs at WU. “The curriculum we have developed will educate the hospital staff to be integrated managers able to oversee and carry out improved levels of patient care and health care services.”

Favede added Wheeling University’s founding father, Rev. Clifford Lewis, S.J., dreamed of a college “that would provide ‘independent enlightenment to tomorrow’s problems.’ It is a privilege to see his vision continued 66 years later as we work hand-in-hand to develop the skills, knowledge, and confidence in the future leaders of Wheeling Hospital.”

Wheeling University is already developing an executive leadership program that will provide valuable management theories, tools, and techniques to enable leaders to transform companies and non-profit organizations in the region.