September 7, 2021: Dan Fessler

To kick off the start of the new academic year, Dan Fessler joined us at our meeting on September 7, 2021. Dan Fessler is a graduate of the class of 2008 from Susquehanna University. Mr. Fessler begins by telling us how he got into healthcare by chance. He was looking for a job out of college and was able to land one in healthcare. He did not know much about healthcare when he began his career, but he never looked back since. He is currently enrolled in the Penn

State MHA online program to acquire his masters and has been a licensed administrator since 2011. Mr. Fessler has been in his regional Director of Operations potion for four years. Promedica is currently running thirteen different facilities stretching all the way to Colorado. They have been expanding and taking on new facilities, trying to infuse their brand into their acquired facilities.

Mr. Fessler addresses the elephant in the room: the current COVID-19 status with his facilities. The more recent news on the COVID-19 pandemic is the status on the vaccinated and unvaccinated populations. Mr. Fessler noted that Promedica is not requiring the COVID-19 vaccination but heavily encourages it. They are offering bonuses to staff members for those who become vaccinated. Those who are not vaccinated, will be required to wear an N-95 mask and a face shield. Non-vaccinated staff members will also be required to test twice a week regardless of symptom status. Their goal is to one day get back to their performance numbers, staffing numbers, and residential numbers pre-pandemic, back in 2019. As of right now, the biggest challenge is staffing. Mr. Fessler points out that he is very pleased with the company’s ability to control the virus.

To close out the meeting, Mr. Fessler was asked questions regarding internships for students. He tells students to reach out to him regarding an internship and he is more than willing to set something up for them. And when considering going into nursing home administration, he says, “Don’t knock it till you try it”. As a takeaway message, Mr. Fessler quotes, “Get out of your comfort zone. The best opportunities happen then”.

Thank you so much Dan Fessler for joining us at our meeting. It was an honor to hear from you.