Episode Overview

Guest: Dr. Airica Powell-Steed, Ed.D, MBA, RN, CSSMBB, FACHE, FAAN, IASSC - Interim Executive Vice President and COO, Loretto Hospital Network
Host: Laura Deardo, Becker’s Healthcare
Date: January 10, 2026
Theme: Transformative Leadership in Healthcare Crisis—Moving Beyond Survival

This episode centers on Dr. Airica Powell-Steed’s insights into leading healthcare organizations through complex challenges—especially those tied to workforce exhaustion, financial difficulties, and maintaining the human side of healthcare. Dr. Steed shares perspectives on sustainable transformation, culture-driven change, and strategic growth for 2026 and beyond.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Dr. Steed’s Background and Philosophy

• 25 Years in Challenging Roles ([01:17])

  • Fourth-generation nurse and seasoned executive, specializing in safety net health systems, financially distressed organizations, and underprivileged communities.

  • Founded Breakthrough Innovation Partners to guide hospitals and public sector orgs through complex operational and cultural transformations.

    “What pulls my heartstrings is safety net health systems, highly unionized environments, financially distressed organizations and communities that historically have been underinvested yet deeply resilient.”
    — Dr. Steed ([01:25])

• Transformative Approach

  • Focuses on stabilizing, resetting, and redesigning care delivery while prioritizing mission, dignity, and long-term vision.
  • Believes true progress is more than “incremental improvement”—it’s about complete, culture-driven transformation.

Key Initiatives & Pandemic Aftermath ([03:39])

• No One-Size-Fits-All

  • Led multifaceted transformation in environments facing severe financial strain and deep workforce exhaustion post-COVID.
  • Emphasized community engagement and complex, people-centered change.

• Long-Term Over Short-Term

  • Warned against relying on expedient cost-cutting as a strategy.

  • Instead, advocates for operational rigor, executive team stability, and quality performance.

    “It takes courage to say we cannot cut our way to health or success.”
    — Dr. Steed ([11:52])

• Results

  • Combined improved financial, operational, cultural performance, and community engagement through holistic interventions.

Change Management that Sticks ([06:40])

• People and Culture at the Core

  • Champions trust, respect, and listening to the “muted” voices—staff and communities who often feel left out.

  • Encourages creating space for community involvement, making change happen “for them, not to them.”

    “It’s all about rebuilding a sense of trust and just respect in the people centered aspects of change management... I pride myself in opening up seats at the table for the community to have a real voice and unmute the muted.”
    — Dr. Steed ([07:08])

• Sustained Change Through Inclusion

  • Says there’s no single tactic (“no one stick of spaghetti that really sticks on the wall”)—customization and dialogue are key.

2026 Priorities & Industry Headwinds ([08:25])

• Escaping “Survival Mode”

  • Urges transition from crisis response to sustainable, proactive leadership.

  • Identifies convergence of pressures—regulatory tightening, reimbursement erosion, workforce exhaustion, and more.

    “For many systems the question quietly being asked is no longer how will we thrive, but can we even survive all of these components? And that’s really a dangerous place to lead from.”
    — Dr. Steed ([09:39])

• Values-Anchored Leadership

  • Stresses avoiding short-term fixes (“mortgaging the future for survival”).
  • Champions long-term strategic decisions rooted in courage rather than fear.

Courage, Consensus, and the Temptation of “Quick Fixes” ([11:13])

• Leadership Under Pressure

  • Notes that leaders in 2026 will be pushed to act quickly but warns that “speed without strategy” causes harm.

  • Emphasizes saying “no” to solutions that may be easy politically or financially but are ultimately damaging.

    “The hardest thing right now for leaders is courage and pressure under fire...It takes a lot of courage to say we cannot cut our way to health or success. It takes even more courage to really protect people, especially in environments where the workforce morale is already fragile.”
    — Dr. Steed ([11:39])

• Strategic Discipline

  • Encourages organizations to slow down, challenge assumptions, include previously excluded voices, and demonstrate prudent, anchored decision-making.

Growth Strategies and Future Opportunities ([13:21])

• Redefining Value

  • Growth is about reimagining “how value is created—not just where revenue comes from.”

  • Investing in workforce, culture, capability, and trust as key strategic assets.

    “The greatest opportunity for growth honestly is lies in rethinking how value is created, not just in where revenue comes from.”
    — Dr. Steed ([13:26])

• Innovation through Collaboration

  • Predicts a move away from traditional M&A towards strategic collaborations and coalitions.
  • Recommends “checking titles at the door” for true, non-competitive partnerships serving community benefit.

• Aligning Clinical Excellence with Financial Stewardship

  • Leaders must stop framing clinical and financial priorities as oppositional.

• Health Equity as a Non-Negotiable

  • Integrates health equity into every strategic discussion, calling it an “anchored force” for sustained growth.

    “I like to hide the health equity pill in the applesauce because I’m never going to move away from that as a core priority for me.”
    — Dr. Steed ([15:48])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Speed without strategy is how organizations really create self-inflicted wounds.” — Dr. Steed ([11:28])
• “Leadership right now in this era is not about being popular... it’s about being anchored, being disciplined, being focused and taking the courage to slow yourself down and really act more strategically.” — Dr. Steed ([12:29])
• “Growth is not going to come from chasing those shiny objects anymore and replicating what worked five, ten, fifteen years ago. It’s going to come from leaders willing to redesign care models, decision rights, cultures, and really embrace innovation in a very nifty, creative type of way.” — Dr. Steed ([15:19])
• “We can’t abandon health equity as a strong semblance of growth.” — Dr. Steed ([15:59])

Important Timestamps

• [01:17] Dr. Steed’s healthcare background and orientation to challenging environments
• [03:39] Most important initiative in the past year—workforce exhaustion, financial stability, community engagement
• [06:40] Principles of lasting change management—the people element
• [08:25] Key challenges, headwinds, and priorities for 2026
• [11:13] Leadership challenges: Courage, resisting quick fixes, strategic discipline
• [13:21] Rethinking growth: value creation, partnerships, workforce, and health equity

Tone & Takeaways

Dr. Steed speaks with a mix of urgency, empathy, and strategic discipline. Her emphasis is on human-centered, courageous leadership and deep transformation over superficial or expedient fixes. She advocates for a new healthcare growth paradigm, driven by investment in people, partnerships, and health equity.

This episode serves as a powerful guide for leaders facing mounting pressures—encouraging them to slow down, listen more deeply, and anchor decisions in shared values for sustainable success.