Subject: Marks named chair of hospital board: by Gabe Donio, Gazette Staff Writer Hammonton Gazzete; Gregory C. Marks of Elwood has been named the new chairman of the board of Kessler Memorial Hospital. Marks, 61, has been a member of the board of directors of the hospital for 12 years. Marks succeeds former board chairman Samuel Pignatelli, who will remain a member of the board. Marks has a long history with health care facilities, and has been the nursing home administrator of the Genesis Healthcare Corporation facility based in Millville since 2000. The facility has 120 beds and an additional 47 sub-acute-care beds. Originally from Queens, New York, Marks has been an administrator at several health care facilities during his career, including the Cherry Hill Convalescent Center, the Rosewood Manor Nursing Center and the Bridgeton Nursing Center. He was also an instructor at Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. “We have tough decisions to make, and we have to make the right decisions. I believe we will do it,” Marks said. Marks said his experience as a nursing home administrator prepared him for his new role as the chairman of the board of Kessler Memorial Hospital. “It’s a nursing home, but I also have a large sub-acute unit as well. There are two types, one of which is a progression orthopedic unit and another that is dedicated to medically complex patients coming out of the hospital,” Marks said. That experience, coupled with his 12-year tenure on the board at Kessler Memorial Hospital, has prepared Marks for the hard work of turning around the hospital, which filed for bankruptcy in 2006. He said that turnaround was his top priority. “Right now, my main goal is to see to it that we complete this turnaround strategy that we’ve embarked upon due to our financial difficulties. That will be accomplished by everybody working together to do what we have to do to affect that turnaround,” Marks said. Effective communication between the board, administration and medical staff is critical to saving the hospital, Marks said. He also asked for the entire community’s support. “The community has to use this hospital if they want to keep it,” Marks said. Marks said changes at the hospital are good for the institution. “We’re in a good position because we have a fair number of new people at the hospital. We’re looking at things different than we did in the past . . . You have some new members on the board that have come on board in the last five years. That’s not a long time. When you consider the longevity of the board, it’s not that long. They’re all working together,” Marks said. Bringing everyone together to support the hospital will be a major theme of Marks’ tenure, he said. “I think people can expect a significantly improved working relationship between all the players involved with this hospital: the board, the staff, the foundation, the administration. I believe the circumstances are right for it at this point in time,” Marks said. The problems facing the hospital will be addressed with a positive outlook, Marks said. “I’m always optimistic. I don’t approach things in a pessimistic way. There’s a way out, we just have to find it. I’ve got a lot of people right now working very diligently to get through that,” Marks said. Some of the new way of looking at the hospital’s management has included cost-cutting measures, such as the recent closure of the dialysis center. The center’s building was seized by Susquehanna Bank as part of a foreclosure proceeding, after the hospital defaulted on a loan. Marks said the dialysis center was losing more than $60,000 a month. The hospital has not continued with dialysis. “Everything changes. We may not be what we were yesterday. But you have to change. You can’t be all things to all people,” Marks said. Rural community hospitals have seen their role change in recent years. “Rural community hospitals didn’t have the problems that they have today,” Marks said. Charity care reimbursement – or the lack of it – remains a concern, Marks said. Marks said that most hospitals in New Jersey only operate with a profit margin of one to two percent. He plans to encourage innovation that keeps up with the changes in the healthcare industry, so the hospital stays open for many years to come. “We have to find a way to get this hospital to a break-even point . . . You have to look at what’s going on in the environment and meet the needs of the changes that are taking place,” Marks said. The recent outpouring of public support through red and white “Support Our Hospital” lawn signs and on every level of government, from Mayor John DiDonato to county, state and federal legislators, has also given the hospital encouragement. Marks said he appreciated the support. “It’s been very significant. I’ve been made very optimistic by the support of the mayor and the public. The best way to support the hospital is through using it,” Marks said. It is important for Kessler Memorial Hospital to know what its role is in the extremely competitive healthcare market. Marks defined that role as a “community hospital.” “We’re a community hospital. There are certain services that are allotted to a community hospital. We’re best known for our emergency room, but we also give quality care throughout the hospital. Even through all the problems, the hospital has performed to the highest level. I’ve used the hospital, and my children have used it. I’d rather be in a smaller hospital than a larger hospital. The staff is personable and caring. It’s unbelievable, the level of caring and compassion the staff here has for the patients they take care of and the jobs they do,” Marks said. Currently, the hospital is still seeking a partner for an affiliation. In previous years, the board was criticized for not merging with another, larger hospital network. Marks was on the board the last time such an affiliation was discussed, in the late 1990s with AtlantiCare. Some sources said the board was concerned about relinquishing control of the hospital to a larger entity. “When you talk about control, I think it’s more about being concerned that if you ‘buddied up’ with another hospital, would it [Kessler] remain a hospital? Was it a legitimate concern? I think so . . . There was a real concern about whether or not this would remain a hospital. The question was what it was going to be,” Marks said. Marks cited several reasons for the hospital’s current fiscal woes. He said there had been issues with management, and that financial resources had been used up to keep the hospital going. Marks said the hospital was operating every year at a loss, and there were several bad financial years as well as problems with billing. “We were providing services that weren’t profitable,” Marks said. The administration at the hospital was changed, and a new billing system was implemented. “We have to find our way through this. And to do that, we have to become financially viable,” Marks said. While financial problems still persist, the hospital continues to draw people, many of whom have their first introduction to Kessler Memorial Hospital through treatment at the hospital’s emergency room. “What feeds this hospital is the emergency room and the emergency care it provides. It’s a major feeder for in-patient care,” Marks said. People should not be concerned about using the hospital, Marks said. “People should be confident to come here. A lot of people don’t look at the infection rates. There are things that can happen in larger hospitals,” Marks said. Marks touted the staff of the hospital, including the doctors, nurses, occupational therapists and physical therapists. “We’ve got some good doctors here, some good cardiac groups,” Marks said. Kessler Memorial Hospital is 43 years old this year. Marks said he understands that he is part of a kind of tradition and legacy at the health care facility. “People worked very hard and worked for many, many years at getting this place established and having it operate in the community,” Marks said.