Thomas A. Kleinhanzl

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Thomas A. Kleinhanzl

President & CEO, Frederick Health

Thomas A. Kleinhanzl is excited about the recently completed renovations at Frederick Health Hospital, including growing its space for behavior health care services for all ages. He said it has been about 20 years since its last expansion.

“Frederick is not immune from the crises of behavioral health issues in our larger world,” Kleinhanzl said.

Other areas included a new pediatric emergency and in-patient units as well as additions to the intensive care unit and adult emergency department.

How has the pandemic changed your view on your job or broader profession?

The pandemic certainly underscored the incredibly important role we play, not just in providing care, but as the trusted source for straight information and as the safety net for public health. It also exposed the vulnerability of our workforce. We all need to double down to work harder and faster to train, recruit and develop the next generation of caregivers.

What’s your best advice for someone who aspires to your job?

Start with the why. Why do you want to be a health system CEO? It’s nice to think about being the leader, but more importantly, you have to be a servant leader and remain true to the mission. You must genuinely care about improving the health of the community. This has to be at the core of who you are when you wake up because there will be tests and challenges. You also have to be comfortable making decisions without perfect information while recognizing you don’t know it all, and it’s best to surround yourself with diverse teammates who are driven by the same mission-driven purpose.

This profile is part of The Daily Record's Health Care Power List for 2023. Information used in this profile was sourced from the honoree. See the full list at thedailyrecord.com.