www.illinihospital.com/news/2008/leoretirement.aspx -
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Published on: 2/29/2008
Last Visited: 3/26/2008
Leo Bressanelli, its first President and Chief Executive Officer, stood amid a crowd of community leaders, health care staff and news media to help celebrate the day of new beginnings.A new era of health care in the Quad Cities had been born.
"This is indeed a new beginning, a new tomorrow,'" Bressanelli told the crowd.
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Bressanelli retires today after 14 years as the health system's first and only President and CEO and 38 years in Quad Cities health care.When he drives away, the far-reaching health system that grew almost three times its size under his leadership will be much too big to see in his car's rearview mirror.
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Meanwhile, Bressanelli, 63, has helped cultivate many relationships to advance health care in the region.
To name just a few, these relationships helped build the Bettendorf Family YMCA and the Edgerton Women's Health Center.They created partnerships with many Genesis-employed and independent physician groups.They brought digital mammography to the Quad Cities and the region's most advanced neonatal intensive care unit to Genesis.
Today, Bressanelli calls Genesis a massive "melting pot" of sorts.As the grandson of Italian immigrants; husband to wife, Meg; father to six children; and grandfather to 15 grandchildren, he knows the subject well."Just like a large, extended family, you bring in different members to Genesis and all of a sudden you expand your richness and traditions," he says.
Creating a bi-state health system
Creating a bi-state health system was no small feat, requiring the union of multiple boards over many geographic areas.Success involved communication - and ultimately, the trust that people had in the Genesis CEO.
"That trust in Leo was always a selling point in building a regional health care system," says Edwin V. Motto, M.D., Chairman of the Board of Genesis Health System.
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It's a concept in medicine that is not very common now, but to Leo this health system was never his.
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"Over the years, Leo has accomplished so much," Dr. Motto adds.
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At the time, the 49-year-old Bressanelli was working as executive vice president of St. Luke's and had been named its future president, with the retirement of James Stuhler.
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Bressanelli recalls the excitement and challenge of the consolidation process.The journey may not have always been smooth, but the destination was always clear.
"There was a lot of work being done before the consolidation became official that really created the success of the organization," Bressanelli says.
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After just one year, Bressanelli would announce that Genesis already had realized $33.6 million in savings.The total savings would far surpass the goal established.
"We were under a lot of scrutiny and evaluation, not just by our community but by federal agencies, and that was OK," he says.
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"Each and every one of us is vulnerable when we are sick," says Bressanelli, who was raised in Sterling, Ill., where his family owned and managed a nursing home."Even those with material wealth may still be without their health or family support."
He takes pride that Genesis has stayed true to its mission, advanced the vision of the organization and improved community health care.
"The consolidations of all the various organizations worked, and worked very well," he says."Across the nation, there were a number of consolidations that occurred during that time that were not sustained or were consolidations on paper only.Genesis became a model for success."
A model for success
Sr. Betty Smith, RSM, who had been President of the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas at the time of the consolidation and later served a decade on the board of Genesis Health System, gives Bressanelli a lot of credit.
Integrity and honesty dominated his administration, she says, and thus, she has never regretted Mercy's decision to consolidate.Fourteen years later, she is pleased to see that the traditions of Mercy "have continued to be present in the new reality of Genesis."
"Genesis worked, I think, because we had a dedicated board, and we had a CEO who could deal with issues of consolidation," she says."Try and think of what it's like to blend two cultures, to learn to get along with a new in-law.What you work through is a microcosm of what Leo intended to do.The challenge was tremendous," she says.
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"For Leo, it was always the little things.
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"This was a very different mindset, and Leo really rallied.He knew exactly what to do and how to do it, and it was wonderful."
Serving 5,000 employees
During his leadership, he also felt it his honor to serve the 5,000 employees of Genesis.As testament, the Genesis Employee Emergency Assistance Fund has been formally named in honor of Bressanelli, who championed its creation and was its lead giver.The fund has provided nearly $700,000 in grants to employees who find themselves in financial crisis through no fault of their own.
To underscore his support, he asked guests at his retirement dinner to make contributions to the fund in lieu of personal gifts.They responded by donating $26,000.At that time, he gave special recognition to the staff."Through their God-given talents and their labor, the mission of Genesis comes alive," he said."It is they who bear the burden and the joy of serving."
He thanked his family, and gave special words of appreciation for his wife, Meg, and the support and sacrifice she has given over the years."She has been my compass, always letting me know the direction of 'true North,' " he says.
He also thanked the Board of Directors of Genesis boards, both past and present; his loyal and talented Executive Team; and, the contributions of generations of community citizens who have played a role in the 138-year legacy of Genesis."The Genesis organization and its legacy is a treasure for this community," he concluded."I say to you, 'Cherish this treasure.' "
Never focusing on the rearview window, he has a feeling of exhilaration about his retirement and, once again, charting new paths.
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