CHRISTUS Health Breaks Ground

A healthcare executive with more than 20 years of experience, Paul Generale has served as executive vice president of CHRISTUS Health since 2015. Responsible for ventures and acquisitions for the Dallas-based Catholic health system, Paul Generale has led the company to increase assets from $4.5 billion to more than $9 billion.

In June 2021, CHRISTUS broke ground on its new international headquarters in the Las Colinas area of Irving, Texas. Located at the intersection of North O’Connor and West Las Colinas boulevards, the 4.3-acre campus will house 456,000 square feet of office space for the company’s associates.

Along with offices, the headquarters will feature deliberately designed outdoor space that emphasizes the health system’s faith-based mission to spread the healing ministry of Jesus Christ. Currently, the organization operates from a leased office building in Irving. Situated within walking distance from approximately 20 restaurants, the new site will provide easy access to local attractions such as the Toyota Music Factory. The office’s anticipated opening is in 2023.

Paul Generale on Strategies for M & A

A healthcare executive in Dallas, Texas, Paul Generale joined CHRISTUS Health in 1998 and has served as executive vice president and chief strategy officer since 2015. Paul Generale recently appeared on the Becker’s Hospital Review podcast to speak on topics related to healthcare system strategies for successful mergers and acquisitions.

In recent years, CHRISTUS Health has grown to include 60 hospitals and post-acute care facilities, 175 clinics and ambulatory centers, plus numerous additional health ventures. Moving forward, Mr. Generale discusses how the health system seeks to become more integrated by addressing and filling gaps in its services, given the unique needs of the communities it serves. Particularly, the system is working to add high-quality, multi-specialty care groups that expand its potential pool of patients.

To engage in successful mergers and acquisitions, Mr. Generale recommends making a clear assessment of the potential acquisition. This includes not only financial due diligence, but taking a close look at the leadership culture of the organization, the willingness of partners to adapt their operations, and the overall alignment of organizational goals.

Employee Engagement Has Many Benefits

Based in the Dallas area, Paul Generale serves as the executive vice president of Christus Health. The company offers not-for-profit health services across Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico, and three Latin American countries. Paul Generale has a professional interest in healthcare industry best practices and employee engagement. And in 2021, Christus Health was named among the top seven most-engaged healthcare companies.

According to research, engaged employees are 17 percent more productive and show 21 percent greater profitability than their peers. Such employees are more likely to expend discretionary effort in their work and are less likely to look for work elsewhere. Tesla, Inc., illustrates how employee engagement can have a positive impact. Alarmed by the rising number of injuries at its car assembly plant in Fremont, California, Tesla employed a strategy of more transparent communication to encourage employees to improve safety. Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, instructed employees to report every injury to him without exception. As a result of this proactive employee engagement initiative, Tesla saw incidents reduced by more than 50 percent in 2019 compared to the numbers reported in 2018.