Becker’s Healthcare Podcast Capacity Strategy and Operational Resilience at U Health with Gina R. Hawley, DrPH, MHA
Feb 20, 2026
Gina R. Hawley, DrPH, MHA — System Associate Chief Operating Officer at University of Utah Health with 20+ years in hospital operations and a nursing and public health background. She discusses building a West Valley campus to address health deserts. She covers capacity planning, reallocating resources for community impact, staffing strategies, and using AI and telehealth to reshape care access.
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Building A Campus For Health Deserts
- Gina Hawley described opening a new West Valley campus to serve health care deserts and reduce a 10-year life expectancy gap.
- She said the campus will include ~140 beds and 200+ outpatient rooms with phased openings in 2028–2029.
Prioritize High-Impact, Low-Effort Wins
- Prioritize initiatives by impact and effort to get gains now while resources are constrained.
- Use capacity action work to identify underused beds and shift patient populations across hospitals.
Care Lines Reimagined As Integrated Networks
- Reframe care lines across geographies to form clinically integrated networks focused on episodes of care.
- Standardize quality, access, pathways, and accountability to deliver streamlined patient-centered care.