New CEO hopes to position SEARHC for growth

The incoming president and CEO of the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium, says he’s looking forward to getting reacquainted with Southeast – the region where he grew up.

But Charles Clement also acknowledges that it’s an uncertain time for the field of healthcare, and that a large part of his job will be preparing the nonprofit tribal health consortium to handle whatever curves are in the road ahead.

Southeast Alaska is nothing new to Charles Clement. He grew up in Metlakatla, but it’s been 15 years since he lived in the region. He says his first task, when he takes over as CEO of SEARHC in February, will be to get his bearings and refamiliarize himself with local issues.

“A lot of things change over those times,” he said. “I spent a lot of time there because my family still lives there, so I’m back many times a year, but there’s a difference between being a visitor and being a resident.”

He’ll be living in Juneau when he returns, and overseeing a $115 million nonprofit tribal health consortium. SEARHC works in 18 communities and with 1,000 employees is the largest private employer in the panhandle.

Clement joins SEARHC from the Southcentral Foundation in Anchorage, where he was vice president and chief operating officer. The foundation jointly owns and co-manages the Alaska Native Medical Center, in partnership with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. That’s the organization that hired away SEARHC’s current president and CEO, Roald Helgesen. Helgesen starts at ANTHC in mid-December.

Clement says his experience at the Southcentral Foundation will translate well to working at SEARHC.

“I think SEARHC is in a very similar position as are many tribal organizations around the state,” Clement said. “There’s a tremendous amount of uncertainty about what the future holds for all of us in health care, and all of us as patients and recipients of health care services. These are murky times. We don’t know exactly what’s going to happen.”

He says health care organizations nationwide are heading into uncharted waters as government health care reform and federal budget issues are debated. But those uncertain times are balanced against regional organizations like SEARHC that are becoming more sophisticated and adapting well.

“You know, SEARHC has really historically been a leader in that category, and really trying to position SEARHC to be able to deal with what’s coming down the line with the Affordable Care Act, and the budgetary considerations on what’s going to happen with the budget crisis in Washington, D.C.,” he said. “Working proactively with the state of Alaska to maximize any opportunities to position SEARHC for future growth and development of services.”

Clement’s bachelor’s degree is in economics and political science, and he holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Alaska Anchorage. He says he’s drawn to the health care industry because it’s an opportunity to impact a community, whether by providing services to patients or by dealing with the larger questions about the role of health care in society.

“There’s nothing easy about it,” he said. “And I do enjoy working with people to collectively try to resolve these problems and issues. Not that we have the answers, but being part of the conversation is a great privilege.”

Helgesen, the current SEARHC CEO, leaves his post on Dec. 16. SEARHC general counsel Ken Truitt will serve as interim president until Clement arrives in February.