 Lance Segawa, FACHE, MPH, NHA, Regional Chief Executive Officer – Lance is a passionate, highly skilled and proven health care executive who embraces leadership concepts of organizational improvement and excellence through the creation of a positive/supportive work environment focused on team concepts, an organizational culture of accountability, and a commitment to evidence based decision making. With over 46 years of health care leadership experience his competencies embraces a wide range of governance, leadership, communication, negotiation, project management, and conflict resolution skills necessary to lead a multi-hospital system. His accomplishments include improving hospital operations post-bankruptcy, implementing organizational culture change utilizing Studer tactics, creating enhanced charge capturing systems to maximize revenue, right sizing hospital operations utilizing productivity models, and facilitating governance and strategic planning training for boards and executive teams. Lance enjoys coaching and mentoring and believes high performing organizations place a high priority on their employees.
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 Christine M. Asato, CPA, Regional Chief Financial Officer – a financial healthcare management executive with over 26 years of progressive experience in audit, financial, operational, and business intelligence. Christine oversees all finance functions of the Kauai region that include revenue cycle, financial reporting, treasury management, financial analyses, and information technology. She is responsible for guiding the financial strategies and setting the financial priorities of the Kauai Region. Christine is a graduate of the University of Hawaii at Manoa and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting. She is also a certified public accountant in the State of Hawaii with six years of external audit experience at Deloitte and Touche. Prior to joining the Kauai region, Christine served as the State of Hawaii’s Lead Practice Facilitator for the Comprehensive Primary Care program, and worked at the corporate office of Hawaii Health Systems as the Director of Internal Audit and then the Director of Business Intelligence. She joins the Kauai Region as a respected leader promoting strong ethical and high performance standards.
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 Sherry Lauer, RN, MSN, Regional Chief Nurse Executive – a healthcare leader with over 29 years of experience in nursing, managing clinical operations, ancillary and support services across the care continuum. Sherry received her education from the Lourdes College and St. Vincent School of Nursing respectively. She is skilled at fostering capabilities in others to successfully navigate and lead change. Sherry and her team coordinate quality, regulatory, risk, infection control, utilization review/case management and social service activities across the region. Sherry collaborates with the clinical and support departments to align quality outcomes and patient safety with clinical practice for the entire Kauai Region. The focus of Sherry’s work is to ensure healthcare provided in Kauai Region is patient-centric, clinically relevant, operationally effective, and regulatory compliant.
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 Jennifer P. Palalay, Regional Chief Human Resources Officer – a service leader with over 24 years of human resources and customer service experience within the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, Kauai Region. Jennifer obtained her Accounting Degree at Kauai Community College but found her calling in the world of human resources. Initially, she began her career at Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital and later transitioned to a regional position where she developed a keen knowledge of all aspects of the Human Resources programs. As the Regional Human Resources Director, she is responsible for administering the human resources management, recruitment and examination, position classification, compensation administration, organizational management, employee transactions and benefits, labor relations, leave administration, investigations, employee development, and laws/regulations that impact the employer/employee relationship. She enhanced her customer service performance by evolving employee relations through an “open door” strategy that formed a firm foundation for the Kauai Region Human Resources department. Jennifer displays determination and commitment to the HHSC Kauai Region, strives to keep employees motivated, and encourages them to utilize their outstanding skills to deliver the exceptional care in all services provided to all.
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 Kurt Akamine, Regional Chief Operations Officer – Born and raised on Kauai, Kurt brings over 20 years of extensive leadership in operations and management within the healthcare sector. He is a dedicated advocate for healthcare accessibility and community health initiatives, demonstrating a strong commitment to enhancing the quality of care in our communities’ especially on the island of Kauai. Kurt understands intimately the health needs of our island community. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Hawai’i and holds a license as a Nursing Home Administrator (NHA). Additionally, Kurt has achieved certification in Integrated Hospital Command Systems, underscoring his dedication to excellence in healthcare management. He has also championed initiatives aimed at enhancing workforce engagement and satisfaction in a culture of high performance. Moreover, Kurt is actively involved in community service, having served on the boards of several organizations, including our own HHSC Corporate Board, HHSC Kauai Region
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 Charla Morgan, DO, FACOG, Regional Chief Medical Officer – a distinguished obstetrician-gynecologist and retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel with over 25 years of clinical and leadership experience. Dr. Morgan earned her Doctor of Osteopathy from Western University of Health Sciences and completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Keesler Medical Center. She is Board Certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Her distinguished military career included serving as the first female flight surgeon for the USAF Air Demonstration Squadron “Thunderbirds,” Chief Flight Surgeon in Kandahar, Afghanistan, and Senior Flight Surgeon at Vandenberg Air Force Base. Following her military service, Dr. Morgan served as Chief of Ob/Gyn , Perinatal Department Chair, and OB Hospitalist across multiple hospital systems in California and Arkansas. She brings a wealth of clinical expertise, leadership, and dedication to the HHSC Kauai Region, committed to delivering compassionate, high-quality care to the island community.
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