FARMINGTON – Returning to his college town, Gerald Cayer re-established himself in the community when he came to Franklin Memorial Hospital in early July to serve as vice president and chief operating officer there.
A baseball fan, Cayer said he appreciates the life metaphors the sport elicits. Teamwork for one.
“An effective chief operating officer will be part of the team and let good people do their work,” he said Tuesday in his office, a photo of Fenway Park on the wall behind him. “I tend not to be a micromanager. I’ve been blessed with a terrific senior management team here,” he added.
It took the hospital five-and a-half months to find a replacement for Jill Berry-Bowen, Cayer’s predecessor.
“It’s great coming into an organization that’s going in the right direction. It’s not about fixing something,” he said.
He now commutes to the hospital from his home in Waterville where he lives with his wife, Tami, and three children, but Cayer said they are looking for a home in Greater Farmington.
His considerations for taking the post were threefold, he said. Quality of life, the position itself and the school system made up the total package that led him to the job when he wasn’t even looking for one, he said.
Born and raised in Lewiston, both he and his wife, from Hampden, earned bachelor’s degrees from the University of Maine at Farmington. Cayer also earned a master’s of public health from Boston University in 1990. He has served as a health care administrator for North Country Associates and vice president of elder care services for Sisters of Charity Health System, both in Lewiston.
Coming to Farmington after serving seven years as director of the Department of Health and Human Services for Portland, Cayer oversaw a $23 million annual budget and a staff of 450. He was responsible for all health, medical and social service programs sponsored by the city.
“Jerry brings to us a great blend of executive leadership, experience and personal characteristics that matches the core values of our organization,” Richard Batt, chief executive officer of Franklin Community Health Network, the umbrella organization for the hospital, said in a written statement.
Though he’s still learning his way around the hospital, Cayer said he has some ideas for the hospital’s future. He said he will work with senior management and the hospital board over the next several months to develop an annual work plan. Although he doesn’t feel Franklin County has a shortage of physicians, he thinks recruiting a few more to the area would be beneficial. He wants to explore management costs and develop quality initiatives in the nursing department. He said he will be evaluating the whole organization and may recommend refocusing some resources to better serve the community.
He recognizes the impact the health network has on the county, saying that although it is one of the poorest counties in the state, Franklin County has one of the highest ratings for cardio-vascular health. He attributes that, in large part, to the health network’s preventative health initiatives.
“It’s an honor to be part of a health care system that truly wants to positively impact people’s lives,” he said.
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