In taking on the newly created role of CEO of hospital campuses at Bellaire, Texas-based Harris Health, Glorimar Medina, MD, is focused on unifying operations and care delivery across the system.
Dr. Medina’s role will facilitate the “One Harris Health” approach — a philosophy centered on standardizing care quality and experience across its two hospital campuses.
“That is the No. 1 priority — to unify the platform and people, not only within the hospitals, but across the organization so the patient can feel that standardization throughout,” Dr. Medina told Becker’s.
She previously served as executive vice president and administrator of Harris Health Ben Taub Hospital, a 402-bed level 1 trauma center in Houston. Her new role includes oversight of Harris Health Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital, a 215-bed acute care hospital that is also in Houston.
A major focus in her expanded role is preparing a new hospital construction on the LBJ Hospital campus to achieve level 1 trauma center readiness within four to five years. Harris Health is constructing a $1.6 billion replacement hospital at the LBJ campus, slated to open in 2029.
The new facility will include 390 private patient rooms and 15 operating rooms and is part of a $2.9 billion systemwide investment that includes expanding capacity at Ben Taub Hospital and building three new health centers in the county.
As the system moves forward with these projects, Dr. Medina is focused on sustaining high standards of care and operational efficiency.
“Success for us looks like maintaining that care for the patients while at the same time being as fiscally responsible as possible with the funds from our community,” she said.
She also emphasized the need for organizational adaptability amid a shifting healthcare landscape.
“In healthcare at this moment, there are many changes for us,” she said. “Specifically being in Houston, Texas, our funding streams are in a state of flux. Top of mind for me is just being able to have the platforms and position them in the best way to respond to all of those changes.”
