Holly Sanchez

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, SLIDELL MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

SLIDELL MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

Over the last ten years, Holly Sanchez has been at the forefront of modernizing Slidell Memorial Hospital’s technology systems.

Holly made the transition from Chief Information Officer to Chief Operating Officer in August 2020 and now oversees daily business operations as well as the information technology department. She was first brought into the SMH team as an independent consultant in 2007 to help sort out IT issues. After accepting a leadership position in 2011, she spearheaded a complete transformation of the hospital’s clinical and business systems, in addition to implementing new electronic medical record systems. The new systems assist the SMH team in providing quality care for patients and allow for easier healthcare access to the community. “Holly’s ability to understand the workflow processes involved with caring for patients—not just IT functions—is what sets her apart,” says CEO Sandy Badinger. “She has done outstanding things in her short time as our Chief Operating Officer, has had a huge impact on all of Slidell Memorial’s facilities and has been instrumental throughout our Covid-19 response. I truly don’t know how I would have made it through this pandemic without Holly’s leadership.”

Staffing became a big challenge throughout the pandemic, with out-of-state hospitals and agencies offering top dollar to recruit SMH caregivers. “Funding has been a challenge in healthcare for as long as I’ve been in the industry,” says Holly. “It continues to be more difficult to keep expenses down while also providing quality care, which was all elevated during the Covid19 pandemic. Thankfully, we have an extremely dedicated team at SMH, and through that dedication and teamwork, we were able to keep a core team together and survive.”

While her career has been filled with many large projects, Holly is about to tackle the largest and most exciting project to date: a three-story operating room suite addition. SMH is currently campaigning for bonds to fund the $36 million O.R. suite expansion that will replace the existing suites, which were built in the 1970s. The new state-of-the-art suites will handle high-end surgical technologies that the current facilities are too small to accommodate.

“We are also developing some new technology for in-patient tele-medicine, which became really popular during Covid-19,” says Holly. “Doctors will be able to talk to a patient through a monitoring system outside of the room to help reduce contact.”

Behind the technology upgrades is Holly’s commitment to her community and her passion for creating a better healthcare system that will benefit everyone. “It’s all about listening. Active listening is something that I practice every day so I can understand everyone’s challenges and help them come up with a solution. It is the single most important thing for anyone in a leadership position.”

Holly’s 35 years of experience in the healthcare industry includes time spent as assistant director of IT at Children’s Hospital of New Orleans, assistant director of management information systems at Pendleton Memorial Methodist Hospital in New Orleans and IT/engagement director at Siemens Medical Solutions in Pennsylvania.

Slidell Memorial Hospital, 1001 Gause Boulevard, Slidell, LA 70458, (985) 280-2200, SlidellMemorial.org.