Flo Spyrow, CEO Northern Arizona Healthcare

LEADERSHIP

@7000ft

Advancing a Strong Community

In this issue of @7000ft we chatted with Flo Spyrow, President and CEO, Northern Arizona Healthcare. She has been in the healthcare profession for 35 years, and is driven by her passion of taking care of her patients and colleagues at Northern Arizona Healthcare. Flo thanks her family for her success, and enjoys being together with them and golfing in her spare time.

Photo Credit: Barbara Sherman

FLO SPYROW

PRESIDENT + CEO OF NORTHERN ARIZONA HEALTHCARE

1200 N. Beaver St. Flagstaff, AZ 86001 nahealth.com | (928) 779-3366

WHY ARE YOU IN YOUR BUSINESS OR PROFESSION? I started my career as a nurse, having been raised in a family in which “serving others” was a value that we were all to live by. I loved my work in a neonatal intensive care unit, taking care of sick babies and their families. I ended up in hospital administration when I moved around the country with my husband and that was the only job available! I found I loved this work because I could impact the care of more patients and the ability of staff to do what they love most, take great care of patients. I never aspired to be a CEO but I love the opportunity to now serve the communities of northern Arizona.

HOW LONG HAS YOUR COMPANY BEEN IN BUSINESS OR HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THIS PROFESSION? Northern Arizona Healthcare, including its predecessor hospitals, has been in business for 83 years. I have been in a healthcare profession for 35 years.

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WOULD YOU CHANGE YOUR PROFESSIONAL PATH? IF SO, HOW? Absolutely not! My career has been full of opportunities and experiences that I never planned on but have enjoyed. I have served as an interim Chief Medical Officer, CEO of a critical access hospital, nursing administrator, Senior Vice President of operations, and unusually, General Counsel for a healthcare system. All of these experiences gave me a unique insight into how healthcare is delivered, the responsibility of providing safe, quality and accessible care to communities, and the need to care for the providers who deliver this care.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE JUST STARTING OUT IN YOUR PROFESSION? I would tell them that in all they do, they should keep their focus on taking great care of patients and improving the health of their communities. No matter what our role in

healthcare, we should all be grounded by that mission. Secondarily, I would tell them to care deeply for the people who work for them and who care for our patients. Finally, I would encourage them to build strong and meaningful relationships in all aspects of their work as this will eventually allow them the privilege of being a leader.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONAL BRAND? PLEASE EXPLAIN HOW YOU DRIVE YOUR BRAND IN DAILY BUSINESS. My brand is passion for taking great care of patients and those who provide that care every day at NAH (which includes all of our colleagues no matter what their role). I drive this passion through engaging the leadership team in the development of a value and belief system consistent with these principles. The best part of my day every day is interacting with colleagues, talking to them about their challenges and joys, and creating work environments where they can grow and develop.

WHAT DO YOU DO FOR FUN? My husband and I are golfers and wine collectors. A great day for us is a round of golf with friends topped off by a dinner with a good bottle(s) of wine! We enjoy cooking and entertaining. We are definitely foodies and Flagstaff offers many opportunities to share good food and drink with friends. And of course, spending time with our son and new daughter-in-law, no matter what the event, is always full of joy!

WHAT INSPIRES YOU? At NAH we recognize colleagues who Live our Values every day in a program called the LOV award. Each month colleagues are nominated for exemplifying a value, such as Doing Amazing Work or Showing Compassion. The stories of these very dedicated colleagues inspire me to continue to dedicate myself to making northern Arizona a great place to work and receive care for many years to come.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO LIVE AND STAY IN FLAGSTAFF? My husband and I love living in Flagstaff because of the beauty of the mountains and Ponderosas. The winter is beautiful (I am looking out at snow covered trees) but we are still close to golf in Phoenix or Sedona.

TO WHAT DO YOU ATTRIBUTE YOUR PROFESSIONAL SUCCESS? Strong family support and always keeping my family as my first priority.

WHAT IS WORSE THAN FAILURE? I think “never having tried” is worse than failure. If we have never failed, we have never tried hard enough or risked enough to make a difference. Success can be defined by how we react to failure and how fast we pick ourselves and others up after we have failed and continue the journey.

WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT TO YOU TODAY THAN IT WAS 10 YEARS AGO? I think more about creating a legacy than I did 10 years ago. At NAH, I would like to leave a strong healthcare system that supports whole health in a meaningful way. When I leave NAH, I want to see evidence I’ve helped to improve health for my family, friends and neighbors living in northern Arizona through lower disease incidence rates, earlier detection and successful treatment of disease and improved access not only to care but to what are called the social determinants of health – food, shelter, education, etc.

WHAT MANTRA OR RULE DO YOU STRIVE TO LIVE BY? Treat others as you would want to be treated.

WHERE DO YOU HOPE TO BE IN 10 YEARS? Retired, contributing to our communities through volunteer work and spending my days with family and playing golf!

GREATER FLAGSTAFF CHAMBER OF COMMERCE | FEBRUARY 2019 | VOL 5, ISSUE 2 | @7000ft

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