August 7, 2025 • 11 mins
In this episode, Scott Kashman, President and CEO at Ascension St. Vincent's Riverside, shares how his personal journey informs his leadership approach. He discusses key healthcare trends including workforce development, hospital versus outpatient care, and technology integration while outlining his vision for revitalizing Riverside through culture, strategy, and community engagement.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hello and welcome to the Becker's Healthcare Podcast.
My name is Chanel Bonger and today I'm
thrilled to speak with Scott Cashman,
president and CEO at Ascension St. Vincent's Riverside,
who joins the podcast today to share insights
into his background, health care, turn sees keeping
an eye on, and a bit more. Scott,
thank you so much for joining me. Could
you get us started out by introducing yourself
and sharing a little bit about your background
(00:21):
and organization?
Well, I am glad to be here. And
as you shared, I'm the CEO of Ascension
Saint Vincent's Riverside
in Jacksonville, Florida.
And we're part of overall
Ascension and Ascension Florida's market specifically.
And I've been here,
just over two years now, and,
it's been it's been a great experience here.
(00:42):
I've worked with Ascension in the past.
And one of the things just a little
bit about my background that actually started me
in health care, when it actually wasn't when
I was 16 years old. I had a
friend who came to me. He was going
through a health crisis,
and, I was able to help him through
that with a lot of support from from
other people. And through that experience, it helped
(01:04):
shaped the way I lead today.
And, you know, even as I joined the
organization here and previous organizations I've been in,
making sure that my leadership style focuses
on the health and well-being
of the team. And in turn, I found
that our patients and our community greatly benefit
from that. Specifically at
Saint Vincent's, we've been focused on not only
(01:26):
the local care that's provided here for over
a hundred and fifteen years
that they've been in existence, but it was
supported
by the community. And they provide not only
local care, we're also providing
regional care focused on oncology,
neurosurgery, and cardiovascular.
And so I'm really glad to be with
you today.
Perfect. Thank you so much for the introduction.
(01:46):
And now getting into the meat of the
podcast a bit, can you talk about the
trends that you're currently watching in health care
and your role today?
You know, as I've seen,
health care continue to evolve,
it's always evolving. It's evolving at an even
more rapidly paced
environment.
I'm focusing
in in three areas. One is how we're
reimagining
(02:07):
our workforce.
Second is I would share
is what care makes sense inside that walls
of the hospital, what makes sense outside the
walls of the hospital.
And third is looking at how we're leveraging
technology,
insight, and and even the way we're teaching
people so we can address our workforce and
we can address what makes sense to provide
(02:29):
care inside the hospital and outside of the
hospital. You know, it's interesting as you know,
and the second thing is looking at what
makes sense inside and outside of the hospital.
Thirty years ago, 1995,
I remember an old boss of mine at
University Hospitals of Cleveland.
She moved me from the inpatient to outpatient,
and she said everything's moving to the outpatient.
This is missus Farrah Walter's. She said everything's
(02:51):
moving to the outpatient, Scott. That's where I'm
gonna move you.
Things are moving outside of the hospital. And
you could see how trends move in health
care because thirty years later, we're still having
the same conversation.
And so those are the
the three areas that I'll focus on.
Another cool thing we're doing as we look
at our workforce is
(03:11):
honing in on the culture, making sure it's
the right fit. Obviously,
there's a big push. Some people working in
the hospital, some people working remote in the
hospital.
We obviously need a lot of people who
are working inside the hospital.
One of the things that our leaders have
asked for, though, is to help with this
rapidly changing environment and help giving them give
(03:32):
them the skill sets. So
under the leadership of April Hunt, who's our
human resource business partner,
she launched a high performance leadership lab.
And we started with the program
leading like a CEO, and it was kicked
off by our Florida State CEO, Don King.
And they're focusing on four modules
around vision,
(03:52):
strategy,
influence, and insight. So
it's been really great helping us shape the
workforce.
That helps us build the skills we need
on what we're gonna do to what kind
of clinical care is in the hospital, what's
outside of the hospital. And then, again, as
I said, leveraging that technology and the right
insights
and the right forums to communicate
(04:14):
how we're gonna improve the workforce and how
we're gonna improve what care takes place in
and out of hospital.
Got it. And you were mentioning workforce a
bunch there. And I'm curious
in Jacksonville, specifically, what does that look like?
Do you guys have an influx of,
workforce that you need for, wintertime for snowbirds?
(04:34):
Or how does that look in Jacksonville?
Yeah. Jacksonville doesn't have as big of an
influx
of snowbirds that come into the area. We
certainly have some seasonality,
not the same seasonality that you would see
further south,
further south here where it can, you know,
jump up ten, twenty, 30% plus,
in the wintertime.
(04:55):
But we'll go in cycles
in terms of where we're struggling
with different workforce needs. So we've done a
a good job partnering,
with the various schools in the areas, making
sure whether it's different technologists we need or
nurses that we need,
building our residency program,
making sure we're working with the schools in
(05:15):
the area to build to build our pipeline.
But, again, from a seasonality standpoint,
we're not seeing that influx. It's more from
specific positions,
that we're seeing, you know, a decline in
or we're seeing a change in the competition
in the market that we need to change,
how we're focusing our efforts.
Absolutely. And now looking into the future a
(05:37):
bit, going into the 2025
and into 2026,
what would you say you're most focused on
and excited about?
I've been here the past two years. And
when I first started, I had a chance
to meet with hundreds of physicians
and associates and community members.
And there was a resounding
(05:57):
theme and a shared vision
on what's the path forward to reimagine Riverside.
And it ended up being five focus areas
around culture,
strategic
growth,
operational excellence,
community engagement, and campus revitalization.
And which is wonderful because we're right next
(06:17):
to the Saint Johns River,
and there are some things we're doing to
advance high complex care like
bringing in our,
lip for brain tumors and recently
utilized galvanized,
to help with lung tumors.
We have histocionics that's coming up. So those
are ways that we can bring in strategic
(06:38):
growth and also focus on a strong culture
and the ability to make sure that we
can deliver and have that mindset to deliver
high end care in this area. So when
we look at those five focus areas,
I've been fortunate that we've pulled together a
really strong leadership team that has incredible momentum
going and is helping us fulfill all five
(06:58):
of those focus areas to reimagine Riverside.
I love to hear it. And now with
all of your experience in different roles in
health care,
I would love to hear your perspective on
what advice would you give to evolving leaders
looking to have the same impact and success
in their careers as you have?
You know, I shared you know, when I
was 16 years old, that's
(07:20):
that's what prompted my interest in health care.
Not everyone's gonna have that experience.
Everyone is gonna have an experience on why
they chose health care.
So first, I would tell people, remember why
you chose to go into this field. Because
as you get into it, sometimes, you know,
your view can get tainted
along the way. So what I encourage,
(07:40):
a lot of leaders is to stay curious,
and that means keep learning,
think critically with all this technology advancements and
things that you could look up. It's important
that you're thinking critically. It's important that you're
bringing your own point of view, and that
brings you back to
remembering why you went into this, remembering your
purpose.
And,
(08:01):
second thing is to ask for feedback.
Everyone says that they're open to feedback
until you give them feedback. And then, you
know, if they they take your head off,
you realize that they weren't as open to
feedback,
as they may have seen seemed. So what
I share with people is
ask for feedback,
generously accept it, and do something about it.
And that may mean that you just share
(08:22):
with someone. Appreciate you taking the time to
give me that feedback. Here's what I've decided
to do about it. But it takes a
lot for people to give you feedback,
and they're gonna look for your reaction to
see, did you handle it well.
Because with so much conflict
that goes on and it's, you know, I'm
right, you're wrong,
(08:42):
I'm finding that ability to deescalate
situations
continues to be, you know, troubling. So I
think the ability to ask for feedback,
it starts to
deescalate situations, starts, you know, to help build
the relationships across the board. So that second
one asking for feedback is really important. And
the third, of course,
(09:03):
is to take care of your own well-being.
Have the habits, your daily habits
you're focusing on to take care of yourself.
And so for me, I have,
you know, my morning habits, the daily habits.
We're working in a faith based organization, so
we're also fortunate because
it it'll incorporate prayers and reflections throughout the
day so you have a chance to catch
(09:23):
your breath. But I've taken that mindset of
staying curious and
soliciting feedback and taking care of your own
well-being, and and we've made sure we're incorporating
that,
into the workplace, making sure that we're creating
an environment
here and any place I've worked
that we're focusing on health and well-being of
our team. Because in turn, if they're feeling
(09:43):
like it's a great place for them to
practice, for them to work, our patients and
our community benefits.
Excellent advice. Well, Scott, I've enjoyed our time
together today. But before I let you go,
is there anything else that listeners should know?
You know, I think that when we think
about the seriousness
of our health care world, it's important to,
you know, bring a little humor
(10:03):
into the workforce as well. I I see
that you know, as I shared in the
previous questions, I see tensions
tensions get high, and you find ways,
you know, in an appropriate way in the
health care setting that you can help diffuse
that. I had, you know, I had someone
who's running here into my office the other
day, and they're, you know, they're they're very
upset. And, you know, no one understands this.
(10:24):
No one understands that. They're the only ones
who understood it. And, you know, you could
see just,
you know, how upset they were getting. I
said, you know, I may I don't have
your specialty,
but and I'm only a hospital administrator. But,
you know, even my parents are still 73%
proud of me. And he just, you know,
he just started to laugh and just realized,
like, just
bring it down a little bit, you know,
and let's let's help talk through it. So,
(10:46):
you know, again, I would encourage, as I
said in that last question,
make sure you're working through issues together. Health
care is hard enough as it is. Look
for those shared goals together.
Look for those opportunities to work together and
build off of each other's skill sets, and
it makes it a lot greater time to
be in health care.
Absolutely. A little humor goes a long way,
(11:07):
especially in something as serious as health care.
Well, Scott, I wanna thank you once again
for your time today and for sharing your
insights on the Becker's HealthCare podcast.
Thank you.
Hello and welcome to the Becker's Healthcare Podcast.
My name is Chanel Bonger and today I'm
thrilled to speak with Scott Cashman,
president and CEO at Ascension St. Vincent's Riverside,
who joins the podcast today to share insights
into his background, health care, turn sees keeping
an eye on, and a bit more. Scott,
thank you so much for joining me. Could
you get us started out by introducing yourself
and sharing a little bit about your background
(00:21):
and organization?
Well, I am glad to be here. And
as you shared, I'm the CEO of Ascension
Saint Vincent's Riverside
in Jacksonville, Florida.
And we're part of overall
Ascension and Ascension Florida's market specifically.
And I've been here,
just over two years now, and,
it's been it's been a great experience here.
(00:42):
I've worked with Ascension in the past.
And one of the things just a little
bit about my background that actually started me
in health care, when it actually wasn't when
I was 16 years old. I had a
friend who came to me. He was going
through a health crisis,
and, I was able to help him through
that with a lot of support from from
other people. And through that experience, it helped
(01:04):
shaped the way I lead today.
And, you know, even as I joined the
organization here and previous organizations I've been in,
making sure that my leadership style focuses
on the health and well-being
of the team. And in turn, I found
that our patients and our community greatly benefit
from that. Specifically at
Saint Vincent's, we've been focused on not only
(01:26):
the local care that's provided here for over
a hundred and fifteen years
that they've been in existence, but it was
supported
by the community. And they provide not only
local care, we're also providing
regional care focused on oncology,
neurosurgery, and cardiovascular.
And so I'm really glad to be with
you today.
Perfect. Thank you so much for the introduction.
(01:46):
And now getting into the meat of the
podcast a bit, can you talk about the
trends that you're currently watching in health care
and your role today?
You know, as I've seen,
health care continue to evolve,
it's always evolving. It's evolving at an even
more rapidly paced
environment.
I'm focusing
in in three areas. One is how we're
reimagining
(02:07):
our workforce.
Second is I would share
is what care makes sense inside that walls
of the hospital, what makes sense outside the
walls of the hospital.
And third is looking at how we're leveraging
technology,
insight, and and even the way we're teaching
people so we can address our workforce and
we can address what makes sense to provide
(02:29):
care inside the hospital and outside of the
hospital. You know, it's interesting as you know,
and the second thing is looking at what
makes sense inside and outside of the hospital.
Thirty years ago, 1995,
I remember an old boss of mine at
University Hospitals of Cleveland.
She moved me from the inpatient to outpatient,
and she said everything's moving to the outpatient.
This is missus Farrah Walter's. She said everything's
(02:51):
moving to the outpatient, Scott. That's where I'm
gonna move you.
Things are moving outside of the hospital. And
you could see how trends move in health
care because thirty years later, we're still having
the same conversation.
And so those are the
the three areas that I'll focus on.
Another cool thing we're doing as we look
at our workforce is
(03:11):
honing in on the culture, making sure it's
the right fit. Obviously,
there's a big push. Some people working in
the hospital, some people working remote in the
hospital.
We obviously need a lot of people who
are working inside the hospital.
One of the things that our leaders have
asked for, though, is to help with this
rapidly changing environment and help giving them give
(03:32):
them the skill sets. So
under the leadership of April Hunt, who's our
human resource business partner,
she launched a high performance leadership lab.
And we started with the program
leading like a CEO, and it was kicked
off by our Florida State CEO, Don King.
And they're focusing on four modules
around vision,
(03:52):
strategy,
influence, and insight. So
it's been really great helping us shape the
workforce.
That helps us build the skills we need
on what we're gonna do to what kind
of clinical care is in the hospital, what's
outside of the hospital. And then, again, as
I said, leveraging that technology and the right
insights
and the right forums to communicate
(04:14):
how we're gonna improve the workforce and how
we're gonna improve what care takes place in
and out of hospital.
Got it. And you were mentioning workforce a
bunch there. And I'm curious
in Jacksonville, specifically, what does that look like?
Do you guys have an influx of,
workforce that you need for, wintertime for snowbirds?
(04:34):
Or how does that look in Jacksonville?
Yeah. Jacksonville doesn't have as big of an
influx
of snowbirds that come into the area. We
certainly have some seasonality,
not the same seasonality that you would see
further south,
further south here where it can, you know,
jump up ten, twenty, 30% plus,
in the wintertime.
(04:55):
But we'll go in cycles
in terms of where we're struggling
with different workforce needs. So we've done a
a good job partnering,
with the various schools in the areas, making
sure whether it's different technologists we need or
nurses that we need,
building our residency program,
making sure we're working with the schools in
(05:15):
the area to build to build our pipeline.
But, again, from a seasonality standpoint,
we're not seeing that influx. It's more from
specific positions,
that we're seeing, you know, a decline in
or we're seeing a change in the competition
in the market that we need to change,
how we're focusing our efforts.
Absolutely. And now looking into the future a
(05:37):
bit, going into the 2025
and into 2026,
what would you say you're most focused on
and excited about?
I've been here the past two years. And
when I first started, I had a chance
to meet with hundreds of physicians
and associates and community members.
And there was a resounding
(05:57):
theme and a shared vision
on what's the path forward to reimagine Riverside.
And it ended up being five focus areas
around culture,
strategic
growth,
operational excellence,
community engagement, and campus revitalization.
And which is wonderful because we're right next
(06:17):
to the Saint Johns River,
and there are some things we're doing to
advance high complex care like
bringing in our,
lip for brain tumors and recently
utilized galvanized,
to help with lung tumors.
We have histocionics that's coming up. So those
are ways that we can bring in strategic
(06:38):
growth and also focus on a strong culture
and the ability to make sure that we
can deliver and have that mindset to deliver
high end care in this area. So when
we look at those five focus areas,
I've been fortunate that we've pulled together a
really strong leadership team that has incredible momentum
going and is helping us fulfill all five
(06:58):
of those focus areas to reimagine Riverside.
I love to hear it. And now with
all of your experience in different roles in
health care,
I would love to hear your perspective on
what advice would you give to evolving leaders
looking to have the same impact and success
in their careers as you have?
You know, I shared you know, when I
was 16 years old, that's
(07:20):
that's what prompted my interest in health care.
Not everyone's gonna have that experience.
Everyone is gonna have an experience on why
they chose health care.
So first, I would tell people, remember why
you chose to go into this field. Because
as you get into it, sometimes, you know,
your view can get tainted
along the way. So what I encourage,
(07:40):
a lot of leaders is to stay curious,
and that means keep learning,
think critically with all this technology advancements and
things that you could look up. It's important
that you're thinking critically. It's important that you're
bringing your own point of view, and that
brings you back to
remembering why you went into this, remembering your
purpose.
And,
(08:01):
second thing is to ask for feedback.
Everyone says that they're open to feedback
until you give them feedback. And then, you
know, if they they take your head off,
you realize that they weren't as open to
feedback,
as they may have seen seemed. So what
I share with people is
ask for feedback,
generously accept it, and do something about it.
And that may mean that you just share
(08:22):
with someone. Appreciate you taking the time to
give me that feedback. Here's what I've decided
to do about it. But it takes a
lot for people to give you feedback,
and they're gonna look for your reaction to
see, did you handle it well.
Because with so much conflict
that goes on and it's, you know, I'm
right, you're wrong,
(08:42):
I'm finding that ability to deescalate
situations
continues to be, you know, troubling. So I
think the ability to ask for feedback,
it starts to
deescalate situations, starts, you know, to help build
the relationships across the board. So that second
one asking for feedback is really important. And
the third, of course,
(09:03):
is to take care of your own well-being.
Have the habits, your daily habits
you're focusing on to take care of yourself.
And so for me, I have,
you know, my morning habits, the daily habits.
We're working in a faith based organization, so
we're also fortunate because
it it'll incorporate prayers and reflections throughout the
day so you have a chance to catch
(09:23):
your breath. But I've taken that mindset of
staying curious and
soliciting feedback and taking care of your own
well-being, and and we've made sure we're incorporating
that,
into the workplace, making sure that we're creating
an environment
here and any place I've worked
that we're focusing on health and well-being of
our team. Because in turn, if they're feeling
(09:43):
like it's a great place for them to
practice, for them to work, our patients and
our community benefits.
Excellent advice. Well, Scott, I've enjoyed our time
together today. But before I let you go,
is there anything else that listeners should know?
You know, I think that when we think
about the seriousness
of our health care world, it's important to,
you know, bring a little humor
(10:03):
into the workforce as well. I I see
that you know, as I shared in the
previous questions, I see tensions
tensions get high, and you find ways,
you know, in an appropriate way in the
health care setting that you can help diffuse
that. I had, you know, I had someone
who's running here into my office the other
day, and they're, you know, they're they're very
upset. And, you know, no one understands this.
(10:24):
No one understands that. They're the only ones
who understood it. And, you know, you could
see just,
you know, how upset they were getting. I
said, you know, I may I don't have
your specialty,
but and I'm only a hospital administrator. But,
you know, even my parents are still 73%
proud of me. And he just, you know,
he just started to laugh and just realized,
like, just
bring it down a little bit, you know,
and let's let's help talk through it. So,
(10:46):
you know, again, I would encourage, as I
said in that last question,
make sure you're working through issues together. Health
care is hard enough as it is. Look
for those shared goals together.
Look for those opportunities to work together and
build off of each other's skill sets, and
it makes it a lot greater time to
be in health care.
Absolutely. A little humor goes a long way,
(11:07):
especially in something as serious as health care.
Well, Scott, I wanna thank you once again
for your time today and for sharing your
insights on the Becker's HealthCare podcast.
Thank you.
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