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Effective leadership and operations management in the healthcare industry have never been more critical, with the finances and workforce of most facilities in a dire state after the COVID-19 pandemic. Leaders like Cristian Castillo, vice president (VP) of operations at Mount Sinai Health System, are looking to change the healthcare industry’s landscape for the better, preparing for the future with innovative technology initiatives, and a commitment to meeting people where they’re at.
Ascending through the ranks after working in healthcare for nearly thirty-five years, Castillo has experienced the operations side of healthcare from various perspectives—all of which inform his decision-making as a VP.
“I understand the needs of the frontline workers, who deal directly or indirectly with patients, the guy who is sweeping the floor, the patient transporter who is moving patients from one area to another, the engineer who is taking care of the air conditioner, or the person who is cooking for the patients,” Castillo shares. “I have an excellent relationship with them because I used to be one of them, working on the front lines.”
While Castillo leads at one of the top health systems in the US, he still remembers his Chilean roots, taking the lessons he learned there to influence his leadership today.
Raised in Quilpué, Chile, Castillo lived through the brutal regime of fascist dictator Augusto Pinochet. He says it was a complicated time, and his family faced financial difficulties. Just before turning twenty-one, Castillo fled Pinochet’s oppressive reign, searching for a far brighter future by immigrating to the US and settling in Stamford, Connecticut, in 1989.
Initially, working two or three jobs seven days a week while assimilating into a culture whose language was new to him was a struggle. However, Castillo’s perseverance landed him a job at Stamford Health as an assistant mechanic in facility operations. He stayed in that position for ten years before accepting a supervisor position in plant operations.
In 2007, Castillo moved to Norwalk Hospital as facilities manager, becoming a Director of Facilities in 2008. Then, he earned a bachelor’s in business administration from the University of Phoenix and accepted a position as director of engineering for a management company (Crothall Healthcare) at Mount Sinai Beth Israel’s hospital part of the Mount Sinai Health System. Just as COVID-19 claimed its first victims in 2020, Castillo accepted a vice president of support services position at Mount Sinai Health System and earned an MBA in May 2023.
The Mount Sinai Behavioral Health Center opened its doors in July 2023 to expand the behavioral health services to the community. Mount Sinai Health System asked Castillo to be the vice president of operations at the center, as he also continued in his role as VP of facilities and support services at Mount Sinai’s Beth Israel Hospital and its New York Eye and Ear Infirmary.
“I really got to know Cristian at Mount Sinai Beth Israel. He gave our company more opportunities to provide additional services and help [it] grow,” says Ray Chouinard, principal at RJR Interior Maintenance Inc. “When the COVID crisis started, Cristian stated, ‘I’m going to need your company’s help,’ which we provided, and he was there 24/7. I witnessed his leadership skills and decision-making during this difficult time.”
Over the past three decades, Castillo has witnessed significant changes in the industry, but none more dramatic and formidable than the financial constraints most hospitals are in today.
“I try my best to be transparent, have integrity, and communicate and collaborate with the frontline workers.”
Cristian Castillo
“The healthcare industry used to be run financially sustainable, even up through the 1990s. Then the finances started to change when insurance and the government started to impose more restrictions in healthcare,” Castillo says. As a result of those changes, many hospitals were forced to downsize, merge with larger health systems, or close their doors.
“The healthcare landscape changed in the inpatient and outpatient arena. The entire operations and logistics of healthcare changed between 1990 and 2000 and continue to change today,” Castillo says. “Working in healthcare is very challenging due to its financial aspect.”
With the pandemic, healthcare’s financial struggles went from a snowball effect to an avalanche. “Post-COVID, six out of ten hospitals in the United States are in financial trouble,” says Castillo, supported by an American Hospital Association report. Computing technology, artificial intelligence, and robotics have made healthcare more efficient, yet many facilities have been unable to outrun their financial woes. Instead, they are forced to shutter their doors or merge with the competition.
To overcome these challenges, Castillo honed his leadership style, adopting behavioral traits he admired in others as he managed nine direct and about five hundred non-direct reports. “I try my best to be transparent, have integrity, and communicate and collaborate with the frontline workers,” Castillo explains. “As a hospital, we are open 24/7, and as leaders, we need to be available all the time, so I am open to listening to my team, learning from them, and working with them.”
Over the years, Castillo has encountered his share of obstacles. Without hesitation, he says his biggest challenge—with the most rewarding outcome—was enduring the pandemic.
“We all were scared in the facilities, getting direction from the government every day on how to work and helping the staff to stay safe and feel safe in the hospital,” Castillo says. “We lost a lot of patients. We lost a lot of friends. We lost some coworkers. But the facilities were safe enough to save more lives than we thought we would lose.”
After three decades in healthcare, Castillo says he’s looking forward to the next steps in his professional and personal life, establishing a healthy work-life balance. “It’s been a great journey, and I have learned a lot and grown a lot, both professionally and as a person,” he says.
“At the outset, it is an honor to honor a man such as Cristian. I met this man some twenty years ago in a hospital in Stamford, Connecticut. Back then our company was hired to test their HVAC dampers which is a requirement. At the time I remember telling Cristian, ‘By the way, we also provide additional services,’ and I remember him saying, ‘No that’s OK—I have a good local company that handles that.’ I remember thinking this guy is a straight shooter. Again, it’s an honor to know and work with this man. Congratulations!”
—Ray Chouinard, Principal at RJR Interior Maintenance Inc.
