This installment of the Maia employee spotlight is showcasing Jimm Schroeder. Jimm has been a part of the medical field for over 20 years in different capacities. He has held positions with many different perspectives, ranging from the client, vendor, and consultant. Jimm is now the Vice President of Maia with roles including (but not limited to) Director of Business Development and of Service Delivery
When did you join Maia and what made you join?
I joined Maia in 2021 after several months of conversations with Melody. My strongest passion is supporting the renovation, physical growth, and improvement of health system facilities to better serve their communities. I wanted to be able to focus on a specific area of healthcare delivery. Trying to focus my attention on facilities project delivery. Being a part of the Maia team allows me to tighten my focus in this area. Maia’s motivations and goals also aligned in the same direction as mine. This was such a natural decision for me to join the team and contribute to the success of the company and our clients.
What is your favorite aspect of Maia?
My favorite aspect is the people at Maia and how they demonstrate the three core values of the company effortlessly. Connection, Authenticity, and Curiosity. We meet every day and, even through our virtual environment, we have fun, talking work and life with ease equally. I see team members helping each other every day to cover work tasks or just talk through project challenges. We admit when we do not know something and ask others for help in learning and delivery. When we finish a project, we finish as a team.
What are some of your personal hobbies?
My main three hobbies include church, fitness, and my family. I am constantly busy in all three of those areas, trying to better my community and family every step of the way.
What is your favorite part of medical equipment planning and do you have a favorite project you have worked on as of yet?
My favorite part of medical equipment planning is seeing the vision for a final solution of known need go from just an idea to a full design plan and execution of the plan through the first patient. As planners, we are listening for the specific needs of the staff that will “live” and “serve” in the space. No one part of a facilities project is significantly more important than another. All design and construction teams deliver knowing the absence of their portion is a critical failure to deliver on a vision. We make sure all the equipment in the room is there for the care teams. Without it, the clinical outcomes the patient expects when they seek care is not possible.
My favorite project was when I worked for a children’s hospital in the Texas Medical Center during the Ebola crisis in 2014 and 2015. We needed to be ready for what could be a significant need nationally by creating an inpatient Serious Infection Unit. It was one of the most complex solutions I participated in up to that time. It required significant facility needs and new technology solutions that must be as reliable as possible. We had to design and build this 8-bed unit within an 11-month period. Design and build were going in parallel at times. Once opened, it was the only pediatric-specific unit of its kind in the United States. We learned so much from that project that it became standards of design and solutions for our institution going forward. In 2020 the COVID pandemic became the second test of the already established unit and its capabilities, providing relief once again.
Why do you think medical equipment planning is important?
As an “owner” or customer to the facility projects, I experienced persistent challenges in the later stages of construction as equipment, both medical and technological, was being delivered for installation during construction or post substantial completion. Many times, the facility construction did not fully support the needs of the equipment. I was also constantly challenged by budget fluctuations as concept budgets slowly became expected and actual expenses later. As a leader delivering internal services and accountable for capital funding reviews and approvals, I saw firsthand the true cost of such misses in the design phases and procurement tracking. Internal equipment planning teams rarely have the capability to update the architect’s design documents with equipment detail.
The level of detail a dedicated equipment planning team can provide to the design phase results in better overall designs. This allows general contractors to bid and build with more insight into what the projects require. At Maia, the same team that designs remain in place to manage the procurement processes all the way to installation with dedicated focus. That procurement focus is not always possible for healthcare purchasing departments already overwhelmed with supply chain challenges for their daily run and maintenance demands of the system. Skilled equipment planning is such a value add in terms of project cost management and quality. This value is being realized by more and more systems every year. Healthcare facilities are aging and require renovation and expansion to keep up with demand and regulations. There is more demand for equipment planning than current departments and even contractors can satisfy. We truly assist in taking the guesswork out of growth.
As you can see, Jimm (and the rest of our team) is essential to the success of Maia and the clients we work with. Stay tuned, as the next two employee spotlights will showcase our Project Coordinators, starting with Kate Hollowell in two weeks.