The Differences Between Red and White Wine

The executive vice president and chief strategy and network officer for CHRISTUS Health in Dallas, Texas, Paul Generale handles new acquisitions and ventures for the not-for-profit health system, along with leading strategy, managing services, and overseeing employees. In his free time, Paul Generale enjoys deep-sea fishing and is also a wine enthusiast.

There are many varieties of wine, but the basic difference is in the color: red or white. Both types are made from grapes, but with red wines, the red grape skins are left on during the fermentation process. This gives red wine its color. Meanwhile, white wine grapes have their skins removed, so the resulting product appears lighter in color.

This is not the only difference between white and red wine. In fact, red wines are typically aged in oak barrels, while whites age in stainless steel vats. The differing production methods come out in the taste of the two. While white wines are more acidic and have floral aromas and fruit tastes, red wines are known for rich and velvety textures that result from the additional oxygen incorporated into the process via the oak barrels.

The differences in taste mean that red and white wines pair best with different foods. Fatty foods, like pork chops and hamburgers, pair well with red wine. However, people who aren’t big red-meat eaters may prefer white wine as accompaniment for meals. White wine pairs easily with white meats, like chicken, turkey, and fish, along with cheeses and green vegetables. 

CHRISTUS Health Expands Its Partnership with LHC Group in San Marcos

Based in Dallas, Paul Generale holds responsibilities as an executive vice president and the chief strategy and network officer of CHRISTUS Health, a not-for-profit health system that encompasses approximately 350 facilities and services. Paul Generale’s faith-based organization recently announced that it would expand its existing joint venture (JV) with LHC Group and add a San Marcos hospice provider.

Since 2017, the JV has encompassed home health and hospice agency governance and ownership. With both organizations bringing specialized knowledge to the table, the JV also encompasses long-term acute care facilities and community-based services. Reflecting a mandate that includes equal board representation by both organizations, the result has been a sustained expansion of in-home-care and facility-based-care offerings.

The public health issues arising from the COVID-19 pandemic have underscored the importance of the JV, as LHC Group delivers infrastructure capacities and CHRISTUS Health works to ensure safe care environments for every patient needing assistance. With the finalization of the San Marcos hospice agreement, the JV will expand to include 22 locations across three states and various palliative care, hospice, home health, and long-term acute care facilities. 

Ensuring Safety and Wellness as Non-Essential Health Services Expand

Paul Generale works in Dallas as the chief strategy and network officer and an executive vice president of CHRISTUS Health, a Catholic health system comprised of dozens of hospitals and long-term care facilities. With a strong interest in industry trends, Paul Generale shares a focus with many health care providers in reinstating and expanding elective services during the COVID-19 pandemic in a safe, effective manner.

One built-in advantage for health care providers, compared with many businesses, is that they already have robust protocols in place to ensure patient safety and infection control. Nevertheless, increasing elective care volume involves careful monitoring of traffic flow through hallways, lobbies, patient rooms, and treatment areas.

This means establishing and publicly disseminating new standard operating procedures (SOPs) that ensure safety among patients, staff members, and visitors alike. Beyond social distancing mandates, this may mean more robust visitor screening protocols and more frequent disinfection and cleaning schedules. Other steps include decluttering spaces and removing nonessential items such as magazines, plants, and excess furniture. This streamlines the process of cleaning potentially infected surfaces.

Communication is just as critical, and news about these new protocols should be delivered in a clear, concise, and reassuring manner that gets all team and community members on the same page.