Throughout the past few years, there have been, on multiple occasions, disruptions, surges, rapid changes, market shifts, sister-facility needs, employee burnout, attrition, changing patient needs, and other challenges that threaten to disrupt operations and the care we offer to our members. In each instance, Chris has stepped up in service of our members' and staff’s needs to ensure both groups are taken care of.

Examples are: guaranteeing procedural sedation support when none was available, backfilling ORs in other facilities when they struggled with hiring, assisting in the development and participation of a team built to move patients and prevent the development of pressure wounds when our inpatient partners were slammed, finding ways to support the needs of our OR staff when they had their own serious health issues and more. Whenever there was a moment of uncertainty, Chris stepped into that gap to ensure SSF came through. He did this without complaint or need for recognition.

If that were not enough, Chris has had a lasting impact on NCAL broadly. In his capacity as Chair of CRNA Chiefs, he has developed career pathways and external partnerships to train and recruit new CRNAs into the KP system. He was also instrumental in assessing and ensuring market competitiveness for those roles. The result of these two efforts is that our CRNA staffing is stabilizing across the region and we are positioned well for long-term success. Locally, through his department leadership, Chris has built a culture of teamwork, support, and family in the SSF Anesthesia Dept. The challenges that exist in other KP Facilities just don’t exist here and that’s a testament to how Chris supports his team.