‘You see the humanity.’ Meet the new CEO of Blake Medical Center
Steve Nierman, who was recently named CEO and president of Blake Medical Center, has an indelible memory of the first time one of his patients was diagnosed with COVID-19.
“We really didn’t know what COVID was. The patient was my age and was well-known in the community. His condition deteriorated quite quickly, and he wouldn’t be able to breathe on his own,” Nierman said of that experience in another Florida hospital.
To keep him alive, the patient would have to be placed on a ventilator.
“One of the young nurses was talking to him before the procedure and asked what she could do for him. He asked her to pray with him. So she knelt down and prayed with him for 10 minutes,” Nierman said.
After 12 days on the vent and 28 days in the hospital, the patient recovered. He credited his survival to the nurse and her prayers.
“He did a lot of giving back after that. He was so appreciative,” Nierman said.
In turn, Nierman is most appreciative of that nurse and other health care providers who fought, and are fighting, to save lives during the coronavirus pandemic.
It was a challenge that nobody saw coming, yet health care providers showed endurance, courage and compassion, he said.
“You see the humanity and the caring,” Nierman said of those who worked endless days in uncomfortable protective gear amid uncertainty and contagion.
Where it all started
Nierman, 53, grew up in a small Indiana town, the oldest of five children. After high school, he attended the Air Force Academy and hoped to become a fighter pilot. Those plans were dashed when he failed his eye exam, and he instead became a nuclear weapons launch officer.
After five years of active duty, he went into the Air Force Reserve and started looking for a civilian career. Along the way, he earned a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Math & Science from the Air Force Academy, a masters in Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and a masters of business administration from Xavier University.
His introduction to health care was as a management trainee with Humana. That led to him serving, most recently, as president of Winter Haven Hospital. Previously, he served as as president of BayCare’s South Florida Baptist Hospital, and CEO of Spring Hill Regional Hospital and Memorial Hospital of Tampa.
It was through his wife, Angie, a 30-year health care negotiator, that he learned about the CEO position at Blake Medical Center.
“She was being interviewed by HCA (the parent company of Blake), and came back and said, this is a great company. They have a job that I think you would be interested in. We joined HCA on the same day,” he said.
In addition to the cutting-edge care offered at Blake — Level II trauma center, a certified comprehensive stroke center, a burn center, cardiovascular care, advanced surgical services, and a graduate medical education program with 82 active residents this year — it remains a community hospital.
As a teenager working on a hog farm during the summers, Nierman could not foresee what he might be doing in 2021.
“I feel blessed and privileged to be in an industry helping people. This is where God put me, and I couldn’t be happier,” he said of being in Bradenton and working at Blake.
“I have really been inspired with the people in this hospital. I have also been inspired by people in this community who care about education and providing for others,” he said.
The biggest healthcare challenge
Aside from the COVID threat, which remains a constant concern, challenges at Blake include providing care for a growing community. Manatee County now has about 400,000 residents, and an aging baby boomer population.
Through the year 2030, an estimated 10,000 baby boomers a day will turn 65 across the United States.
Blake has about 1,471 caregivers who work in a 378,231-square-foot facility. An expansion project is underway that is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2022, expanding the hospital’s footprint to 391,029 square feet.
Most recently, Blake provided care for 76,784 patients, and had 34,711 emergency room visits in one year.
The number one challenge faced by Blake Medical Center and other hospitals is staffing, finding enough health care providers to take care of patients.
Medical workers represent the largest single sector of job postings, Anthony Gagliano, vice president for Business and Economic Development for CareerSource Suncoast, previously told the Herald.
Between Manatee and Sarasota counties, there were 4,544 registered nurse openings and 2,017 openings for licensed practical nurses and licensed vocational nurses in June, according to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.
Usha Menon, dean of the USF College of Medicine, previously told the Herald that there has been a nationwide shortage of nurses for the past decade and that there will be a need for 1.1 million new nurses in 2022.
