Over the course of a 20-year period, many individuals change jobs four times or more. It is not uncommon for a person to bounce between jobs and even careers, as interests may change. Ilona Wozniak is an exception to this trend, having spent a rich 20-year career with North Fulton Regional Hospital.
Over the course of her 20 years at the hospital, Ilona has seen many changes, both from within the hospital walls and outside in the community. “If you were driving north from the Roswell square in 1989 and passed Mansell Road, you were probably going to work at the hospital. There was very little north of the hospital. This is a lot different now!”
Ilona Wozniak serves North Fulton Regional Hospital through her role as Chief Operating Officer, a position she has held since 2007. Her responsibilities are immense, including oversight for many of the hospital programs and service lines. She also ranks quality high on the list of priorities, encouraging staff and hospital directors to consistently strive for ways to make the hospital’s already impressive scores even better.
“The staff and physicians at North Fulton Regional Hospital are very focused on being the best,” Ilona explains. “If a goal is set, they want to exceed it, not just meet it.”
Prior to her current role as COO, Ilona served the hospital in numerous ways. She began here career at North Fulton Regional Hospital in 1989 when she was hired as the Clinical Coordinator in the pharmacy. After nine years, Ilona transitioned to the role of Director of Pharmacy, a position she held until becoming an Assistant Administrator in 2005. She led the hospital in this capacity until being named Chief Operating Officer in 2007.
In addition to her commitment to the hospital and the programs and services it provides for the community, Ilona is also dedicated to the employees who make this care possible. Most recently she began an ongoing series of one-on-one sessions, which she refers to as ‘Ideas for Ilona.’ During these sessions, employees are free to stop by and share questions, concerns or ideas that may affect them and their departments or the hospital as a whole
“We [Senior Team members] don’t get around as much as we would like to talk with staff,” Ilona explains. “These ‘Ideas for Ilona’ sessions serve as a wonderful opportunity for me to get ideas and for people to ask questions.” Some of these questions focus on patient care issues, documentation concerns, and ideas to make employees’ jobs easier. As a result of these sessions, many small changes have been incorporated at the hospital, including new hooks on the backs of bathroom doors and the re-institution of the Employee Engagement Council.
For Ilona, 20 years have gone by quickly, so fast that it just doesn’t seem like it could be that long since she began her career at North Fulton Regional Hospital. “Time goes by so fast; it is actually hard to believe it has been 20 years. Many of the people that work here are my close friends. It is easy to come to work every day to see your friends.” The employees of the hospital are not simply friends, however; they are also a strong support system. “I think the memories that stick with me most about this hospital are how everyone supports each other in times of personal need. The most amazing part is that people here do this not just for their closest co-workers but for staff throughout the hospital.”
Ilona earned both her Master of Business Administration degree and Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy from the University of Michigan. Her many accomplishments include membership on the Tenet Corporate Medication Process Redesign Team and the Tenet Pharmacy Advisory Committee and being selected as the first recipient of North Fulton Regional Hospital’s President’s Award. A servant within the local community, Ilona is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Roswell Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.
North Fulton Regional Hospital (NFRH), part of Tenet Georgia, is a 202-bed, acute-care hospital located on Highway 9, Alpharetta Highway, in Roswell. Opened in 1983, NFRH serves North Fulton and surrounding counties through its team of over 1000 employees, 400 staff physicians and 200 volunteers. NFRH is a state-designated Level II trauma center and provides a continuum of services through its centers and programs, including neurosciences, orthopedics, rehabilitation, surgical services, bariatric surgical weight loss, gastroenterology and oncology. The hospital is fully accredited and also is certified as a Primary Stroke Center by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency.
For more information about North Fulton Regional Hospital and its various medical and community programs, visit www.northfultonregional.com, or call 770-751-2500.