Norman Spence reflects on his first few months as CEO of Kettering Health Hamilton. Nick Graham
Nick Graham
Norman Spence’s first several months at the helm of Kettering Health Hamilton have shown him a city on the rise, and a hospital working just as quickly to match that momentum.
He said his time as hospital president has been “phenomenal” and shown him how unique the city is. “It’s a small town that’s growing,” Spence said in an interview with the Journal-News. “Lots of growth, lots of new development, lots of progression, and we here are doing the same exact things.”
Spence, a married father of two, recounted what one of the hospital environmental services workers, who was born in Hamilton, told him as he mopped halls with him.
“(He) told me that, ‘now that you’re here, you’re family,’ like it’s a marriage and we can’t let you go now, so that just shows the culture here,” he said. “It’s been such a great culture here and we want to spread that out in the community, not just in Hamilton but in Butler County, so we’ve been really focused on how to do that and it’s through growth.”
Spence, who earned bachelor’s and master’s degree in business administration from Andrews University, ascended quickly through Kettering Health’s ranks. He launched his career there as senior financial analyst in August 2011, then served as business manager of perioperative services at Kettering Medical Center and Sycamore Medical Center from March 2015 to July 2018.
He moved into leadership as director of business development and finance from July 2018 to June 2020, followed by regional director of business development from June 2020 to January 2022. From December 2021 to March 2024, he served as director of operations and strategy/site administrator for Kettering Health Middletown and Kettering Health Franklin.
He became president of Kettering Health Troy in April 2024 before officially assuming the role of president of Kettering Health Hamilton.
Spence said there are a “ton of things” Kettering Health Hamilton wants to do in the community when it comes to advancements in health care. “We’re looking at expanding our cardiology presence here,” he said. “We have a great cardiologist in Dr. (Prasanth) Lingam, and and we’re looking at expanding his presence as well.”
The hospital also is expanding in orthopedics and women’s services, while also seeing “major improvements” in patient experience, satisfaction and emergency‑department performance.
Spence said the hospital was able to reduce its “door-to-doc” time to less than five minutes, in his first three months there.
In February, it launched a no-wait emergency department campaign, measuring the time a patient hits the door to the time they’re discharged, one that “significantly” grew ED volume by three to four percent, he said. “Our target is actually less than 180 minutes, and those percentiles are very difficult to achieve, and our ED is beating that by leaps and bounds,” Spence said.
Hospital survey results have elicited a wide range of positive comments from ‘I was seen quickly and out very quickly’“ and “Staff were so kind” to “The place was so clean” and “I wasn’t expecting that kind of experience,’” he said.
“(We’ve heard) tons of positive feedback from the community because we’re addressing their needs,” Spence said. “That’s what they wanted to see and what they needed. We’re constantly hearing that.
Kettering Health Hamilton on Eaton Avenue.
Nick Graham
Kettering Health Hamilton shares patient experience comments every day during its high-reliability huddle, he said.
“In our huddle, we all pause for about 15 to 20 minutes, and then we go over any barriers, issues, quality concerns and whatnot so that every leader in the hospital is on the same page to guarantee the best safety and the best clinical outcomes for our patients,” Spence said. “One of the comments that was stated from the community was they hadn’t been in Hamilton for years because of past experiences. They happened to come here recently, went to the ED, and had the best experience. They said … ‘Hamilton is back.’ Those were their exact words. Our whole team clapped.”
Spence said that hearing from a patient was extremely rewarding to hospital staff “because quality, patient experience, and safety is what we’re really pushing here, and we’re actually doing it.”
Even with the hospital operating well, continue growth remains a key opportunity, as does working to ensure each patient’s experience at the hospital is “like none other they’ve experienced in any other facility in the Butler County region”.
Spence replaced Paul Hoover, who is now president of Soin Medical Center and Kettering Health Green Memorial.
“Paul is just such a great leader and I hope to do half as good as he did here,” Spence previously told Journal-News. “He did some phenomenal work.” During Hoover’s four years as Kettering Health Hamilton president, the hospital earned honors for best mammogram imaging, achieved a Level 3 Trauma Center status, became the exclusive healthcare provider for Spooky Nook Sports Champion Mill and received top marks for safe healthcare from the national watchdog organization Leapfrog Group Hospital Safety.
Spence, asked about what legacy he might want to leave behind in the role, said “it’s not really about my legacy, it’s about the hospital’s legacy: How can I contribute to the team so that when we look back, we say this executive team was very memorable to the point where our safety, our quality, and our patient experiences were the utmost best.”
Norman Spence says his time as Kettering Health Hamilton president has been “phenomenal.” Nick Graham photos / staff
Nick Graham