Saint Joseph Mercy Health System Regional President and CEO Garry C. Faja recently announced his retirement at the end of this calendar year.
According to the press release, for the past 32 years Faja has been at the forefront of growth and advancement of healthcare in Michigan. His extraordinary leadership and vision has united the southeast Michigan CHE Trinity Health hospitals and health centers into one large regional health delivery system with multiple sites — Saint Joseph Mercy Health System (SJMHS).
“Garry has influenced every aspect of the organization and been instrumental in developing hospitals that are engineered to bring together patient satisfaction and quality,” said Sally Jeffcoat, executive vice president of the West/Midwest Group of CHE Trinity Health. “We thank Garry for his commitment, dedication, service and strategic leadership of our ministry.”
Faja, who spent most of his career as president and CEO of St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor and served as the first president and CEO of SJMHS in southeast Michigan, has made many significant contributions. In the past several years he has overseen major revitalization and expansion projects which created and promoted a consistently remarkable consumer experience.
Some of the projects include the creation of a 15-bed Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in 2001 and the new patient towers and surgery pavilion at St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor, a two-story addition at St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea featuring 54 private rooms and new Emergency Department, a new eight-story tower with 136 acute care private beds at St. Joseph Mercy Oakland and a 154,000-square-foot addition at St. Mary Mercy Livonia.
With a background in engineering, Faja’s indelible handprint is evident in details throughout the patient tower at St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor, from the position of the patient bed to the automatic night light that illuminates the floor for patients. Many ideas came from the extensive room tours he personally conducted during construction to ensure the rooms were both workable for staff and comfortable for patients.
His touch can be seen throughout St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor in other ways, such as the Century of Caring exhibit in the hospital lobby which features a large image of the hospital made up entirely of photos of individuals who have served in the ministry of St. Joe’s.
This display reflects Faja’s deep commitment to patients as well his dedication to both employees and medical staff.
“Regardless of how health care has changed over the past 30 years, Garry has always said it’s about people caring for people,” said Sister Yvonne Gellise, senior advisor for governance at Saint Joseph Mercy Health System and former CEO of St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor from 1968-1976, who adds that Faja has valued the legacy of this hospital started by the Sisters of Mercy.
“Garry has always appreciated the presence of the sisters, and he felt fortunate that we were still serving in the hospital. He would periodically stop by the sisters’ house in the late afternoon to give us an update and ask about our concerns or ideas.”
Faja has many major accomplishments which include serving as a key voice in Medicaid expansion, a founding member of the Washtenaw Housing Alliance, and a founder of the Mercy Cancer Network. He was instrumental in the establishment of The Quality Institute at SJMHS as well as Michigan’s first Senior ER program and supported the major expansion of St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea making them the newest member of SJMHS.
Faja has served as chair of the Michigan Health and Hospital Association (MHA) Board—receiving its notable Meritorious Service Award this year—as well as numerous MHA committees and was also a delegate for the American Hospital Association Regional Policy Board. In an era of innovative collaborations, Faja has led the work on the UMHS master affiliation agreement, the formation of Together Health Network between CHE Trinity Health and Ascension Health Michigan, as well as multiple Clinically Integrated Networks across southeast Michigan. Faja champions the advancement of healthcare access both in Lansing and Washington.
His wife, Barbara, has dedicated countless hours to fundraising and other philanthropic efforts for the health system over the years, including co-chairing the St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor Holiday Ball in 2010.
“What has always been most important to me is our wonderful and dedicated employees and medical staff, and the commitment to care that we demonstrate to our patients,” said Faja. “I am proud to have been part of such an exceptional organization which will continue to make a difference in the lives of those in the community for decades to come.”
A search process for a new SJMHS CEO is currently underway to ensure a smooth transition of the leadership of SJMHS.
