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Dr. Christine Alexander-Rager wants to bring stability back to MetroHealth

MetroHealth CEO Dr. Christine Alexander-Rager tells Sound of Ideas host Jenny Hammel how her background in family medicine will help her lead the Cleveland health system.
Drew Maziasz
/
Ideastream Public Media
MetroHealth CEO Dr. Christine Alexander-Rager tells Sound of Ideas host Jenny Hammel how her background in family medicine will help her lead the Cleveland health system.

Dr. Christine Alexander-Rager, The MetroHealth System’s new CEO, said she knows the hospital system has a long road ahead to earn back the community’s trust after the public firing of her two predecessors.

But she said being with the system for nearly 27 years has given her the perspective, and support from staff, that she needs to bring stability to Cleveland’s safety-net health system.

“When I look back over 27 years, there have been lots of those storms," Rager said. "There are just going to be times where we're working really hard and it feels like it's an uphill battle, but we are a place that is built on resiliency.”

She said over the last six months she's been in charge, she's relied on her years of experience as a family medicine doctor to manage care and meet the needs of patients—touting the new birthing center and a midwifery program to combat maternal and infant mortality.

“If we can get the patients to our setting, we can virtually eliminate the disparities that you see in other settings," Rager said. "We're not afraid to say, where are the problems and how do we match the solutions to the problems patients are experiencing?"

Rager shares the financial outlook at MetroHealth, the status of the hospital’s campus transformation and more Tuesday during the Sounds of Ideas on Ideastream Public Media.

Taylor Wizner is a health reporter with Ideastream Public Media.