2021 Q2 Luncheon: Healthcare Discussion
The Platte County Economic Development Council (PCEDC) hosted its second Quarterly Member Luncheon on Friday, June 4, at English Landing Park in Parkville. Sponsored by McCowan Gordon and GBA, the event featured a panel of local Platte County and Northland healthcare professionals to discuss the impacts of COVID-19, real estate development, and future plans for the healthcare industry.
PCEDC Vice Chair Scott Zigler, with Zona Rosa, opened the luncheon by acknowledging elected officials, high-level PCEDC investors, board members, new members, and partners in attendance. He also thanked the sponsors for their support of this event.
After lunch, PCEDC Executive Director Matt Tapp invited the guest panelists to the stage, featuring:
- Patrick Altenhofen - Vice President of Operations, Saint Luke's North Region
- Nic Riesenberg - Vice President of Facilities, North Kansas City Hospital
- Randee Waechter - Vice President of Marketing & Business Development, North Kansas City Hospital
Panelists discussed how COVID-19 affected their respective hospitals and the changes they were anticipating to continue treating patients moving forward. They also talked about healthcare clinics emerging in big-box stores and nationwide pharmacies, and whether they viewed these as a threat or an opportunity for their hospital. The panelists also discussed the increase in telehealth use and how they planned to utilize this service in the future. This segwayed into how it helped with employee safety, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, to ensure both patients and hospital employees were kept safe. Additionally, they touched on workforce and how difficult it is to fill certain specialty positions and strategies to help fill those gaps.
On the development side of healthcare, the panelists talked about the commercial real estate trends they are seeing and tracking to help continue offering services to the Platte County and Northland community. They also discussed demographic shifts and how those affect their real estate decisions, especially when it comes to expansion. To close out the discussion, panelists offered tips on ways the community can help hospitals succeed.
Thank you, Patrick, Nic, and Randee, for taking the time out of their busy schedules to participate in this conversation. We sincerely appreciate you and your support of Platte County EDC!
June 6, 2021