Tom Daskalakis serves as interim chief administrative officer for UC Health’s West Chester Hospital. He is responsible for all hospital operations, overseeing the quality and safety of patient care, leading regulatory agency compliance initiatives and managing a wide variety of patient, employee and physician programs.

"I believe in providing inspiration yet feel strongly about allowing our management team and employees consistent opportunities to offer their ideas and suggestions for quality improvement," says Daskalakis, who holds the Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) certification. "I manage the goal setting process and determine ways in which to encourage our clinical leaders to attain key quality and growth milestones. I have great trust in the capabilities of the hospital’s employees."

Daskalakis values creativity and collaboration, especially from a community partnership perspective. "West Chester Hospital is a healthcare resource for our community, and I encourage proactive communication and transparency when working with our community."

The hospital’s new maternity unit, which opened in April 2015, is an outcome of West Chester Hospital’s community involvement. "Mothers- and fathers-to-be were traveling north or south for maternity services, when they actually preferred to deliver their baby closer to home," says Daskalakis. "We value feedback from the community, and therefore, we created our full-service maternity unit and nursery in response to the input we received. We have already experienced tremendous success with the introduction of the new unit, and in fact are preparing to soon welcome our 500th infant," he adds.

West Chester Hospital recently became one of only 15 hospitals in the nation to implement a bedside tablet program, which will allow patients to participate more actively in their care during a hospital stay. This program was first piloted at the hospital in August, and as of February 2, all inpatient units now offer the service. 

Inpatients at West Chester Hospital have access to a Samsung tablet computer which can display medical records, vital signs and lab results. Patients can use the tablet to send questions to their care team, add appointments, make requests, and access social media and entertainment websites.

"In the course of a hospital stay, it has been suggested that a patient might encounter up to 70 different caregivers," says Daskalakis. "The tablet helps by identifying the individuals who are caring for a patient while also explaining their role at this hospital. It allows patients to send messages to their care team when they have a question or concern and encourages the patient to play a more active role in the management of their own care plan."

Daskalakis devotes much of his free time to community involvement, which includes serving as a board member for the Mason-Deerfield Chamber of Commerce, Butler County United Way, West Chester-Liberty Community Foundation, Butler County Junior Achievement and the Dayton Annunciation Investment Foundation/Greek

Orthodox Church. 

"I take my role at West Chester Hospital very seriously, and I continually strive to build a supportive work environment for our physicians and staff. I also believe strongly that our organization should do everything that it possibly can to continue to serve as a strong community partner for the families who reside in the northern Cincinnati and southern Dayton regions."

West Chester Hospital is located at 7700 University Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45069. You can reach them at 513.298.3000 or visit their website at www.UCHealth.com/WestChesterHospital.