June 13, 2025 • 8 mins
This episode, recorded live at the Becker’s Hospital Review 15th Annual Meeting, features Lynn Fulton, Chief Executive Officer of Maui Health. Lynn shares how she's fostering leadership development, addressing critical workforce challenges unique to island healthcare, and building sustainable pipelines to support both staff and community through initiatives like “grow your own” programs and innovative housing solutions.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
At Insight Global Health, we are dedicated to
(00:02):
helping you and improving health care for everyone.
That means building stronger teams and delivering sustainable
solutions that truly make a difference.
We offer a full spectrum of talent and
technical services and deliver cross industry expertise
to bring you innovative best practices to solve
the problems that we face in health care.
We're not just promising you results. We are
(00:22):
delivering them. Visit us at insightglobal.com.
This is Gracelyn Keller with the Becker's Healthcare
podcast, and we are recording live at the
fifteenth annual meeting.
I'm currently joined by Lynn Fulton, who is
the CEO at Maui Health. So, Lynn, thank
you for being here today. Would love to
have you start by introducing yourself and telling
us a little bit more about your background
(00:43):
in health care and your organization.
Happy to do that, and thank you for
having me.
As you said, I'm the CEO at Maui
Health System. I have been there for about
a year and a half.
Prior to that, I spent most of my
career with the OSF Health Care System.
I led a hospital in Kewaunee, Illinois, and
then I for the last six years, I
(01:04):
had led, OSF Saint Joseph Medical Center in
Bloomington
and then made the 4,000 mile trip to
Maui.
Our organization actually has three hospitals. We have
our main hospital in Wailuku,
that is a level three trauma center.
We have a hospital in Upcountry Kula
that has a 112
(01:25):
long term care beds, but then we also
have a swing bed unit. And then we
have a small hospital on the island Of
Lanai.
And so we're really focused on how do
we provide care for the populations we serve,
but also be there for the nearly 2,000,000
visitors that come to Maui every year.
Absolutely.
And starting off, in the last twelve months
(01:47):
or so, what's an initiative you've taken on
that you are particularly proud of, and what
impact has this made on your organization?
Yes. Well, as I said, I joined,
in January,
a year and a half ago. And one
of the things that I did is I
wanted to bring the leadership team together
and make sure that we were all playing
from the same playbook. And so I started
(02:08):
leadership development with that team and provided the
tools and resources that I've used throughout my
career
on how do you set goals, how do
you do your, ninety day action plans, how
do you communicate that with your team, what
is your communication format.
And so I wrote a two year curriculum
and that I've been taking our leadership team
(02:29):
through, and we've really seen some positive outcomes
from that. They're able to communicate with their
team. They have communication boards on all their
units that speak to the goals that we
are pushing at Maui Health, the quality and
safety initiatives that we're doing. And it's really
nice because when you go on the unit,
you can say, what are you doing? And
everyone can speak to it and talk to
(02:50):
the really incredible work that they're doing.
Absolutely.
And kind of on the flip side of
that, what are you seeing as a significant
challenge currently facing health care, and how are
you taking steps to address it? No. I
think it's probably the same thing that almost
all health care systems are seeing. You know,
we see an increase in patients in the
(03:11):
inpatient environment.
We see an increase in acuity
and increased needs from patients.
And at the same time, we're seeing a
decrease in the number of available
physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, respiratory therapists, you
know, all the the people that truly make
a hospital
function. And then when you go to an
(03:33):
island Yeah. That's about 10 times
the issue.
So you really need to look at the
systems to grow within, and that's what we've
done on Maui. You know, it's good for
the island because people that wanna stay there
and have been there for generations,
opening up opportunities for them to be able
to serve,
through health care and to be able to
(03:55):
have a trajectory
that they can increase,
you know, the amount of money they make,
but also have that service mentality
is really good for them, and it's great
for the hospital. And so that's one of
the things that we're doing is, you know,
that grow your own, but really taking that
very close to home.
Absolutely.
And as a leader, I would love to
(04:15):
know what one of the biggest leadership lessons
you either recently learned or are currently learning.
Really, it's to listen more than you speak.
You know, I found that if you stop
talking, people will tell you things.
You know, sometimes having a really good question,
but then staying silent. You know, people will
really tell you what's happening and tell you
(04:36):
what's going on, and I think that's critically
important for a leader because you need to
hear the real voice.
And sometimes that means
going outside of just your direct reports, going
out and listening to the frontline
and listening to, you know, our nurses, listening
to our environmental
services, and and hearing what they're experiencing
(04:57):
on a daily basis.
Now I I started,
at my previous hospital, and I've been doing
this now on Maui where I host breakfast
once a month. And I take a group
of employees,
and I make sure it's a diverse group.
So, because then you have really good conversation.
I keep it a very easy agenda, and
my goal is to keep them talking throughout
(05:18):
that whole hour and get to enjoy their
breakfast. But that way, I get to really
hear their voice and hear what's happening throughout
the hospital.
Wonderful. And finally, let's touch on workforce since
this is an ongoing priority for health care
organizations. So these challenges remain the number one
priority for many leaders in the health care
space. So how are you addressing works workforce
(05:39):
challenges within your organization?
You know, and and really kind of in
two parts. So you have, you know, our
our nursing technologists
and that that portion.
In that group, we're really looking again at
the grow your own.
How can we partner with University of Hawaii
to increase the number of, educational opportunities on
Maui?
(06:00):
Because we find when people leave, even to
go to Oahu,
they often don't come back. And so the
the more that we can do on the
island, the better it is to be able
to keep people local.
And then the physician compliment,
you know, that's that's really tough, you know,
because Becker's has put them. Hawaii is one
of the worst places for a physician to
go,
(06:21):
after and because of the cost of living.
And and so we've really been working on,
okay, but what are the
where do we appeal to some physicians? You
know, physicians that want to serve, they like
that lifestyle, their family likes that lifestyle,
or they've had a connection to the island.
You know, we find a lot of physicians
that trained in California
(06:41):
had visited Maui throughout their entire lives. And
so if we can appeal to those physicians
that see all the positives that we have
to offer,
we've been,
able to bring them and and have them
serve our communities.
And then for the,
the kids that wanna go to medical school,
you know, we're really trying to keep them
(07:02):
to come back. You know, if they go
do a residency on the Mainland, we're really
looking at, okay, who do we know that's
doing a residency so that we can,
bring them back?
And probably the number three thing that we're
doing that I do wanna mention that's unique.
You know, there's a housing crisis on Maui.
You know, even before the fires, there was
difficulty in post fires. It's it's really difficult
(07:23):
to find affordable housing.
And so our foundation,
came up with a plan. It's called housing
for health care, and the county of Maui
donated,
16 lots for us and were able to
put homes. And then we're putting,
ADUs,
our ohanas on 15 of those.
And we will hold those in our foundation,
(07:46):
but we lease them out, to physicians or
any type of health care provider. And they're
able to lease those until they can find
permanent housing. And that has really helped us.
You know, we had a physician,
that lost his home in the fire, wasn't
really able to find stable housing, and that
has enabled us to keep that position and
his family on the island. And so that's
kind of a unique way, that we've been
(08:07):
able to kinda shore up a gap,
so that it's not a deterrent to come
to our island and serve.
Wonderful. Well, Lynn, thank you so much for
joining me today and sharing these insights on
the Becker's health care podcast. Again, we are
recording live at the fifteenth annual meeting. Thank
you.
At Insight Global Health, we are dedicated to
(00:02):
helping you and improving health care for everyone.
That means building stronger teams and delivering sustainable
solutions that truly make a difference.
We offer a full spectrum of talent and
technical services and deliver cross industry expertise
to bring you innovative best practices to solve
the problems that we face in health care.
We're not just promising you results. We are
(00:22):
delivering them. Visit us at insightglobal.com.
This is Gracelyn Keller with the Becker's Healthcare
podcast, and we are recording live at the
fifteenth annual meeting.
I'm currently joined by Lynn Fulton, who is
the CEO at Maui Health. So, Lynn, thank
you for being here today. Would love to
have you start by introducing yourself and telling
us a little bit more about your background
(00:43):
in health care and your organization.
Happy to do that, and thank you for
having me.
As you said, I'm the CEO at Maui
Health System. I have been there for about
a year and a half.
Prior to that, I spent most of my
career with the OSF Health Care System.
I led a hospital in Kewaunee, Illinois, and
then I for the last six years, I
(01:04):
had led, OSF Saint Joseph Medical Center in
Bloomington
and then made the 4,000 mile trip to
Maui.
Our organization actually has three hospitals. We have
our main hospital in Wailuku,
that is a level three trauma center.
We have a hospital in Upcountry Kula
that has a 112
(01:25):
long term care beds, but then we also
have a swing bed unit. And then we
have a small hospital on the island Of
Lanai.
And so we're really focused on how do
we provide care for the populations we serve,
but also be there for the nearly 2,000,000
visitors that come to Maui every year.
Absolutely.
And starting off, in the last twelve months
(01:47):
or so, what's an initiative you've taken on
that you are particularly proud of, and what
impact has this made on your organization?
Yes. Well, as I said, I joined,
in January,
a year and a half ago. And one
of the things that I did is I
wanted to bring the leadership team together
and make sure that we were all playing
from the same playbook. And so I started
(02:08):
leadership development with that team and provided the
tools and resources that I've used throughout my
career
on how do you set goals, how do
you do your, ninety day action plans, how
do you communicate that with your team, what
is your communication format.
And so I wrote a two year curriculum
and that I've been taking our leadership team
(02:29):
through, and we've really seen some positive outcomes
from that. They're able to communicate with their
team. They have communication boards on all their
units that speak to the goals that we
are pushing at Maui Health, the quality and
safety initiatives that we're doing. And it's really
nice because when you go on the unit,
you can say, what are you doing? And
everyone can speak to it and talk to
(02:50):
the really incredible work that they're doing.
Absolutely.
And kind of on the flip side of
that, what are you seeing as a significant
challenge currently facing health care, and how are
you taking steps to address it? No. I
think it's probably the same thing that almost
all health care systems are seeing. You know,
we see an increase in patients in the
(03:11):
inpatient environment.
We see an increase in acuity
and increased needs from patients.
And at the same time, we're seeing a
decrease in the number of available
physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, respiratory therapists, you
know, all the the people that truly make
a hospital
function. And then when you go to an
(03:33):
island Yeah. That's about 10 times
the issue.
So you really need to look at the
systems to grow within, and that's what we've
done on Maui. You know, it's good for
the island because people that wanna stay there
and have been there for generations,
opening up opportunities for them to be able
to serve,
through health care and to be able to
(03:55):
have a trajectory
that they can increase,
you know, the amount of money they make,
but also have that service mentality
is really good for them, and it's great
for the hospital. And so that's one of
the things that we're doing is, you know,
that grow your own, but really taking that
very close to home.
Absolutely.
And as a leader, I would love to
(04:15):
know what one of the biggest leadership lessons
you either recently learned or are currently learning.
Really, it's to listen more than you speak.
You know, I found that if you stop
talking, people will tell you things.
You know, sometimes having a really good question,
but then staying silent. You know, people will
really tell you what's happening and tell you
(04:36):
what's going on, and I think that's critically
important for a leader because you need to
hear the real voice.
And sometimes that means
going outside of just your direct reports, going
out and listening to the frontline
and listening to, you know, our nurses, listening
to our environmental
services, and and hearing what they're experiencing
(04:57):
on a daily basis.
Now I I started,
at my previous hospital, and I've been doing
this now on Maui where I host breakfast
once a month. And I take a group
of employees,
and I make sure it's a diverse group.
So, because then you have really good conversation.
I keep it a very easy agenda, and
my goal is to keep them talking throughout
(05:18):
that whole hour and get to enjoy their
breakfast. But that way, I get to really
hear their voice and hear what's happening throughout
the hospital.
Wonderful. And finally, let's touch on workforce since
this is an ongoing priority for health care
organizations. So these challenges remain the number one
priority for many leaders in the health care
space. So how are you addressing works workforce
(05:39):
challenges within your organization?
You know, and and really kind of in
two parts. So you have, you know, our
our nursing technologists
and that that portion.
In that group, we're really looking again at
the grow your own.
How can we partner with University of Hawaii
to increase the number of, educational opportunities on
Maui?
(06:00):
Because we find when people leave, even to
go to Oahu,
they often don't come back. And so the
the more that we can do on the
island, the better it is to be able
to keep people local.
And then the physician compliment,
you know, that's that's really tough, you know,
because Becker's has put them. Hawaii is one
of the worst places for a physician to
go,
(06:21):
after and because of the cost of living.
And and so we've really been working on,
okay, but what are the
where do we appeal to some physicians? You
know, physicians that want to serve, they like
that lifestyle, their family likes that lifestyle,
or they've had a connection to the island.
You know, we find a lot of physicians
that trained in California
(06:41):
had visited Maui throughout their entire lives. And
so if we can appeal to those physicians
that see all the positives that we have
to offer,
we've been,
able to bring them and and have them
serve our communities.
And then for the,
the kids that wanna go to medical school,
you know, we're really trying to keep them
(07:02):
to come back. You know, if they go
do a residency on the Mainland, we're really
looking at, okay, who do we know that's
doing a residency so that we can,
bring them back?
And probably the number three thing that we're
doing that I do wanna mention that's unique.
You know, there's a housing crisis on Maui.
You know, even before the fires, there was
difficulty in post fires. It's it's really difficult
(07:23):
to find affordable housing.
And so our foundation,
came up with a plan. It's called housing
for health care, and the county of Maui
donated,
16 lots for us and were able to
put homes. And then we're putting,
ADUs,
our ohanas on 15 of those.
And we will hold those in our foundation,
(07:46):
but we lease them out, to physicians or
any type of health care provider. And they're
able to lease those until they can find
permanent housing. And that has really helped us.
You know, we had a physician,
that lost his home in the fire, wasn't
really able to find stable housing, and that
has enabled us to keep that position and
his family on the island. And so that's
kind of a unique way, that we've been
(08:07):
able to kinda shore up a gap,
so that it's not a deterrent to come
to our island and serve.
Wonderful. Well, Lynn, thank you so much for
joining me today and sharing these insights on
the Becker's health care podcast. Again, we are
recording live at the fifteenth annual meeting. Thank
you.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy And Charlamagne Tha God!
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.