On March 1, Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems completed the sale of the 254-bed Port Charlotte hospital, which has been renamed AdventHealth Port Charlotte. The $260 million transaction also includes the ShorePoint Health-Punta Gorda (Fla.) hospital site, which closed following damage from hurricanes Helene and Milton, as well as related physician clinic operations, outpatient services and the ShorePoint Health emergency department in Cape Coral.
Mr. Johnson was selected to lead AdventHealth Port Charlotte after serving as COO for AdventHealth Ocala (Fla.). He discussed his immediate priorities, shared his plans to integrate AdventHealth’s culture into the Port Charlotte hospital, and offered his perspective on addressing local healthcare needs.
Editor’s note: Responses were lightly edited for length and clarity.
Question: Stepping into this role at AdventHealth Port Charlotte comes at a pivotal time. What are your immediate priorities for ensuring a smooth transition for staff, physicians and patients?
Adam Johnson: We’re thrilled to welcome the more than 1,300 new team members and several dozen providers to AdventHealth. We’ve been really focused over the last several weeks on making sure all the tools they need to give exceptional care are in place and that they have access to them.
We had a command center here every day. We started rounding at midnight on March 1, checking on people, and making sure that our physicians, staff and patients are all going through the transition smoothly. So that’s where our efforts and our focus have been. Now, we’re kind of in that hybrid phase as we start to look more long term at the operational and strategic priorities throughout the market.
Q: With the acquisition of ShorePoint Health Port Charlotte, how do you plan to integrate AdventHealth’s culture and whole-person care approach into the existing team and community?
AJ: The great thing is the patients have been receiving great, compassionate care here, but we’re going to now bring to bear the AdventHealth network. We want to raise it to our level of high-quality, whole-person care for the community.
We’re going to do that by first educating our team members about what it means to be a part of AdventHealth. All our team members go through what we call the Whole Care Experience, which really aligns them to our service standards of “Love Me, Keep Me Safe, Own It, and Make It Easy.” And that’s the lens through which we want our team members to express our mission to our patients.
As we do that and they familiarize themselves with what being a part of the AdventHealth culture means, our patients will then experience that and feel the difference.
Q: Given your experience leading large capital projects and physician recruitment at AdventHealth Ocala, how do you see those experiences shaping your leadership strategy in Port Charlotte?
AJ: It was a CHS acquisition in Ocala six years ago, and so, leaning on that experience as we launch into this new one. The community here is in need of specialties and physicians to be recruited in or partnered with so that they can feel confident that they have high-quality, whole-person care right here in Charlotte County.
And so, we are going to be working on building out our network, making sure we have the right assets and facilities across the market and across the community so people have easy access to care across all of the Port Charlotte area and beyond.
Q: The closure of ShorePoint Health Punta Gorda has left a gap in care for that community. How is AdventHealth approaching the assessment of local healthcare needs, and what potential solutions are being considered?
AJ: AdventHealth recognizes the importance of access to care in Punta Gorda. What we’re doing is actively listening to the community and assessing the needs to determine how best to serve the residents. We want to take the time to make the right decision that serves our residents, our team members and our providers.
And so, what we’re doing is having ongoing discussions with local leadership, local physicians and local residents to make sure that we know exactly what services they need in Punta Gorda. We haven’t made any immediate decisions at this time.
