Colonel care

"Accomplish the mission and take care of the welfare of your people. These are the two dictums a Marine goes by. Same here. We are here to perform the mission to the best of our ability and we are here to take care of our people."

Mark Pesognelli, the new administrator for Saratoga Care Center, LLC., spent nearly 30 years in the United States Marine Corp. (USMC) before moving to the Valley almost a decade ago. People who know him sometimes call him "The Colonel." He still looks the part. He is well groomed and he seems to choose his words carefully.

A former Marine lieutenant colonel coming in to lead a team of nurses and other staff working in a skilled nursing facility (SNF) may seem unlikely to some, but before Pesognelli enlisted in the USMC he had obtained a degree from Penn State in Hospital Planning and Administration. He had every intention of using it as well. Pesognelli was offered a position at a children's hospital after completing an internship, but the job didn't last long.

"It was 1981, so the steel mills went through the floor and so I had a job in healthcare for about an hour and a half," said Pesognelli. "I talked to the administrator of the hospital who gave me two weeks pay, an apology and a recommendation to go anywhere."

Nearly 40 years after his first foray into healthcare, Pesognelli has returned after having recently worked at Brush Creek Ranch and Saratoga Forest Management.

"When I saw there was an opportunity up here to serve the community I thought it was the perfect fit for me," Pesognelli said.

For Karl Rude, president of Health Management Services, LLC. (HMS), the moment he knew Pesognelli was the candidate for the position was midway through the interview. According to Rude, he was already impressed with Pesognelli's extensive resume which included his time in the military and his degree in healthcare management, but was sold when he asked why Pesognelli was making the return to healthcare.

Pesognelli's answer?

"I'm looking to do things that matter again."

Pesognelli hasn't been in the position longer than two months, but he is committed to his position, his staff and, most importantly, his residents.

"My personal commitment is to my residents. I want to see them have a good quality of life, as good as possible in advancing age," said Pesognelli.

With "The Colonel" in the position of executive director, Rude is confident that HMS can begin to move towards the goal of providing better healthcare in the Valley.

"As a company, we look to provide premium healthcare in rural communities. We are really focused on community, we are focused on how we can better serve the community," said Rude.

This is a sentiment that Pesognelli is able to get behind.

"I think one of the things that really draws me to this company is their approach. That approach is community-based. To partner with the community and find out what the community's wants and needs are," Pesognelli said.

Rude has no intention of moving forward on anything that could, or would, affect the community without first consulting the members of the community. In the near future, HMS plans to hold public meetings to listen to the community and create plans for the facility moving forward.

"We want their feedback," said Rude. "If staying here and staying in operation is an absolute­-and it absolutely is-there are some scenarios which we have to explore. I want the community involved in that."

"Being a part of the community, having been part of it, I think he's right on the money with wanting to engage with the community," said Pesognelli, "open up that dialogue with community leaders and find out what we're looking for here."

Pesognelli recently put his leadership on display with the Saratoga Forest Management sawmill fire. The new administrator called the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Rawlins Memorial Hospital and discussed the possibility of relocating residents if the fire were unable to be contained.

"We had a plan within a half hour," said Pesognelli.

The next call was to Carbon County School District No. 2 for transportation. Within minutes the transportation department called Pesognelli back and informed him they were on board to help and not only included buses, but lifts and drivers as well.

"These are things you don't see in major cities," Pesognelli said.

"When you lead with a mission, and that mission doesn't include making piles of cash hand over fist, you look at things differently," said Rude.

Pesognelli may still be counting days in terms of his time at Saratoga Care Center, but he has no intention of going anywhere. He is confident in his staff and is devoted to the care of his residents. Pessognelli knows the mission and he is ready to lead his team.