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As
CEO, he focuses on dignity, sanctity of life
By Christie L. Chicoine
CS&T Staff Writer
LANGHORNE — As a Catholic, and as president and CEO of St. Mary
Medical Center, Gregory T. Wozniak embraces the dignity of life every
day.
In fact, being able to help people when they are at their most vulnerable
is for him the biggest blessing of a job that encompasses care for the
elderly, the young and the unborn.
“We have the opportunity to care for people in all stages of life
… and to protect the sanctity of life, and the dignity of life,”
said Wozniak, who has headed the medical center since 1999.
Another aspect of Catholic health care that Wozniak — a product
of Catholic elementary and secondary schools in the Archdiocese of Chicago
— said he particularly enjoys is the opportunity to live his faith
in his work: “Our faith is our foundation, and we reflect back to
that all the time when we’re making ethical decisions.”
A native of Chicago and a husband and father of four, Wozniak, 47, also
serves as CYO coach at his parish, St. Andrew in Newtown.
Noting the example of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, who
founded the medical center in 1973, Wozniak said one of the goals of St.
Mary is to treat people holistically, caring for their body, their mind
and their spirit.
“We try to treat each person as a person, not a number,” he
added.
That includes the poor and under-served, he emphasized: “We consciously,
pro-actively, go out and help those who are less fortunate than others.”
At the same time, the medical center’s goal “is always to
be in the top 10 percent of health care performance in the country,”
said Wozniak, who holds a bachelor’s degree in business from John
Carroll University in Cleveland and master’s degrees both in business
administration and health care administration from Washington University
in St. Louis.
The medical center is recognized for its trauma center and emergency department
as well as its programs in cardiovascular, cancer, neurosurgery and orthopedic
medicine, Wozniak said.
In addition, the medical center’s Mother Bachmann Maternity Center
in Bensalem provides outreach to pregnant women and newborn babies in
need. It is part of St. Mary’s Community Ministries, which includes
transitional housing for homeless families, job training skills, classes
in English as a second language and primary care for children. St. Mary
operates under the auspices of the Catholic Health East health care system.
Last November, Wozniak was named to the board of directors of the Franciscan
Ministries Foundation, which raises money for the sisters’ ministries,
retirement and other needs.
It was through the medical center that Wozniak first came to know the
Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia. “I admire them …,”
he said, “and I learn from them every day.”
For more information, contact St. Mary Medical Center at (215) 710-2090
or access the Web site www.stmaryhealthcare.org.
CS&T Staff Writer Christie L. Chicoine can be reached at (215)
587-2468 or cchicoin@adphila.org.