Pros
The dedicated frontline staff in the clinics who truly care about patients and the community. These are the people who hold FHCN together. Many providers and medical/dental assistants are dedicated and compassionate. They live the mission. The patients are wonderful, humble, and are a true inspiration to serve.
Cons
After several years as a medical provider at FHCN, the biggest problem is obviously, and increasingly, executive leadership. Not the employees, not the clinics, not the patients, but the top-tier leadership/executives. When I talk about leadership in this review, that is who I’m referring to. In my experience, leadership has created a toxic culture. They are incredibly thin-skinned, defensive, and disconnected. Staff concerns are dismissed as employee problems instead of leadership failures. There is very little sense of accountability at the top. Executives are paid huge salaries for a nonprofit that constantly claims financial strain. Meanwhile, the people doing the actual clinical work are burning out or leaving. Provider workload expectations are unrealistic, and yet, it’s never enough. Burnout and self care are viewed as personal flaws instead of symptoms of a culture that demands more than can be realistically given. Communication from leaders is inconsistent and vague. Policies change and decisions are made without transparency. Employees, including middle management are often left in the dark. Decision-making is painfully slow and highly political. Good ideas and easy fixes get stonewalled, or disappear entirely. Real problems are ignored because leadership rarely self-reflects or models the very policies they expect others to follow. Turnover and attrition of the people who had dedicated their careers and lives to their patients. Longtime staff, strong clinicians, and respected heroes walk away, are being pushed out, or even fired, while those who destroy morale remain protected.