Sister Dorothea Songeroth reflects on career at St. Dominic’s

When Sister Mary Dorothea Songeroth, OP, stepped down as president of St. Dominic Health Services Inc. (SDHS) on New Year’s Day, she left behind a rich legacy of leadership. Case in point: she was unanimously selected as Mississippi’s inaugural Woman of the Year a decade ago.

Claude W. Harbarger, who has served as president of the 535-bed tertiary St. Dominic-Jackson Memorial Hospital for the past 20 years, succeeded Sister Dorothea. Lester K. Diamond, who has served as executive vice president of operations and as a vice president of various services for nearly two decades, stepped in for Harbarger as president of St. Dominic Hospital.

Mississippi Medical News caught up with Sister Dorothea to ask about her tenure at the top, plans after stepping down, and what remains to be done in the local community.

Sister Dorothea, you’re one of the most beloved and well-rounded leaders in healthcare. Few people know the breadth and depth of your talents and interests. How do you believe your experiences – from music, dance and sports to public schoolteacher, registered dietitian and student of philosophy and theology – were beneficial in your role as the leader who effectively and systematically grew St. Dominic’s in terms of size, reputation, and community partner?

I’m fortunate in many ways. I came into this role on the heels of Sister Josephine Therese. While her shoes have been big ones to fill, her preparation paved the way for me. So many people in this community love her and the good work she did here and her example gave me a good starting point with which to work.

I’m also fortunate in that I worked as a dietitian for St. Dominic’s for many years prior to eventually moving into an administrative role. That time gave me the opportunity to form a clear picture from both the patient and employee standpoint. I used that experience to try and make better decisions for our employees.

Finally, I count myself fortunate to work alongside my fellow Dominican Sisters in an organization that prizes devotion and faith. Our presence and mission is that of Jesus Christ; we’re here to do the Lord’s work. We express our mission as a Christian ministry of healing. The presence we provide is communicating a Christian message, establishing community and performing service. The beauty of our presence is that we live out our values working with others – nurses, physicians, volunteers – to deliver our ministry of healing.

What has been your greatest challenge leading St. Dominic’s, and how did you overcome it?

I don’t think I can point to one single time and place where I was challenged more than another. Rather, I would point to one difficulty overall. As Dominican Sisters, a big part of our role has been to develop and promote a Christian ministry of healing. I think, to some extent, we’ve been successful in that at St. Dominic’s, but it requires continual work and the right example from the leadership.

The Dominican Sisters and I have been planning for the transition to lay leadership for some time now. I have unwavering confidence in Claude and Lester in transitioning St. Dominic’s to lay leadership. Both are strong leaders with years of experience and commitment to St. Dominic’s mission. I’m confident, through their leadership, St. Dominic’s will continue to live out the Dominican Sisters’ mission of Christian healing and the exceptional level of care our patients have come to expect.

Five years ago, you mentioned that you hoped both the St. Dominic’s and St. Catherine’s Villages campuses could be litter and smoke free. Has that occurred?

Both St. Dominic’s main campuses and St. Catherine’s Village are smoke and litter free. As you can imagine, such an effort is a continual one, but we not only work with exceptional maintenance and landscape groups but our employees also work very hard to deliver what we call “an exceptional encounter every time.”

It’s common to see an employee holding a door for a visitor, or picking up a discarded wrapper. We’ve tried to make cleanliness as much a part of our culture as exceptional care.

Please share other successful health initiatives you’ve introduced at St. Dominic’s.

I’m especially proud of the growth of St. Dominic Hospital, but I’m also grateful for the growth of St. Dominic’s other ministries in our communities during my leadership.

St. Dominic’s is more than a great hospital. It’s a family of services focused on fulfilling a mission of Christian healing to those in need. St. Dominic’s ministry now includes the Phoenix Initiative (a partnership to protect and grow the Fondren neighborhood), the Community Health Clinic (15th anniversary of providing care for the poor and underserved in downtown Jackson), New Directions for Over 55, St. Dominic’s Foundation, our School Nurse Program, St. Catherine’s Village, the Care-A-Van, and now St. Dominic’s physician network and the MEA Clinics.

You’ve been a staunch supporter of the arts. Will the level of commitment continue?  

I have been and will continue to be a firm supporter of the arts because without the arts, a community will not thrive. The arts enhance the quality of life of the citizens. The metro area can be very proud of the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, the Mississippi Opera, the different ballet companies as well as New Stage. These are cultural jewels in the community’s fabric and we need to support them.

What’s the status of St. Dominic’s inaugural capital campaign? 

The inaugural capital campaign is going well and we hope to reach our goal of $4 million by the end of (2011). With the Gifted Hands and Generous Hearts Campaign, I’m confident we’ll go beyond this goal. Thanks to our many donors who are supporting St. Dominic’s in this endeavor.

What directives have you left for your successor, Claude Harbarger, a longtime fixture at St. Dominic’s?

We look forward to the future with optimism in continuing our mission of healing similar to the pioneer sisters who came to Jackson 65 years ago this year. First and foremost, I look to Claude, Lester and all of the employees to continue that mission. 

We’re continuing to grow and meet the needs of our community. Currently, we’re replacing our Behavioral Health Services facility on the north campus. It’s a $16 million construction project to enable St. Dominic’s to provide state-of-the-art care to patients in need of psychiatric care. We’re reconstructing the facility in the same spot to complete a new 77-bed, two-story state-of-the-art facility. When complete, the new facility will contain 56,500 square feet on the first level and 21,500 square feet on the second level. The new facility is projected to open in the spring of 2013.

We’re also in the process of constructing a new chapel on the northwest corner of Lakeland Drive and Curran Drive. The existing chapel was built in 1965; there were two buildings on the South Campus–the North Wing and Rosary Hall. At the time, the chapel was a prominent, visible icon and symbol of a Christian healing ministry.  Today, its visibility is diminished and, given its age, is in great need of costly repairs.The new chapel on the northwest corner of St. Dominic’s North Campus will enhance visibility, improve accessibility for visitors and staff providing convenient parking for all. The chapel is projected for completion in March 2012.

Why leave now? What’s one goal you’d like to accomplish? Do you have other plans you may share?

After a time of personal reflection and prayer, I decided to step down as president of St. Dominic Health Services Inc., effective Jan. 1, 2012.

I’m not leaving Jackson; rather, after a sabbatical and period of reflection, I’ll maintain an active role in the Dominican Sisters’ mission in Jackson by serving as vice chair of SDHS’s Governing Board and supporting St. Dominic’s Foundation in continuing to extend its ministry of caring.

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