He walks on water.&uot; That’s how Karen Fiducia only partially tongue-in-cheek described the incoming CEO&160;of Natchez Regional Medical Center.

Jack Houghton, who begins work April 1 at the county owned medical facility, formally replaces Fiducia, the &uot;interim&uot; CEO appointed by the management company nearly two years ago to run the Adams County hospital.

&uot;I got married on May 15 … went on my honeymoon, and came to work on June 1, 1998,&uot; Fiducia said with a laugh. &uot;I’ve been commuting ever since.&uot;

The Texas resident is adept at the commute, however difficult. She’s also adept in her role as an interim administrator for Quorum Health Resources Inc., the management company under contract to run Natchez Regional.

A trouble-shooter of sorts, Fiducia’s role is to help turn around struggling facilities and, when necessary, to keep the ship on course until stable leadership is in place.

She’s been at the helm in Natchez for a while now, trying to steer the hospital through political storms and the challenges caused by shrinking federal reimbursements and other economic factors.

She’s overseen employee layoffs and recommended the reduction of services to make the hospital – if not more profitable – then less unprofitable.

She’s also seen a successful joint accreditation visit and helped usher in the grand reopening marking the end to more than eight years of renovations and improvements, among other things.

Now, Fiducia is ready to let someone else take the helm. And while Houghton’s ability to walk on water remains to be tested here in Adams County, Fiducia is doing everything she can to help him succeed.

&uot;His biggest challenge is going to be meeting all the players,&uot; she said in an understatement.

The players include the hospital’s Board of Trustees – the appointed members charged with overseeing the management and direction of the facility; the county’s Board of Supervisors, who ultimately must answer to taxpayers on issues dealing with the hospital; key community leaders – who have a stake and often want a larger voice – in the success of the hospital; and, of course, the medical and support staff who make the hospital tick each day.

&uot;One of the first things he’ll be doing is sitting down, getting everybody’s idea of where the hospital needs to go and how it needs to get there,&uot; she said, in another understatement.

With as many opinions as key players, Houghton is going to need a hefty amount of finesse to turn all those ideas into a unified direction and, more important, progressive actions.

That’s where the walking on water part comes in, according to Fiducia.

Because Houghton has a unique background that includes managing both private and municipal hospital facilities – and working in a government-run facility – he’s familiar with the politics and the subtleties of working with governing boards and public agencies.

&uot;He’s seen it from every aspect,&uot; she said. &uot;He knows how to work with the board of trustees, the supervisors … he even knows what the competing hospitals’ strategies will be …

&uot;He’s even worked with business and industries on managed care (and that becomes critical) as that becomes more prevalent in upcoming years,&uot; she said.

And maybe, just maybe, he can walk on water … a bit.

Stacy Graning is editor of The Democrat. She can be reached at 446-5172 ext. 239 or via e-mail at stacy.graning@natchezdemocrat.com.