Facility Voices

Santiago Chambers brings over 30 years of seasoned expertise from his naval service to his current role as Director of Plant Operations at Los Alamitos Medical Center. In this installment of Facility Voices, he reflects on his extensive experience spanning both healthcare facilities and the United States Navy.

Santiago takes us through his journey from the military to facilities management, highlighting the value of teamwork and a positive mindset. Additionally, he delves into strategies for addressing staff retention and succession planning, especially in light of retirements. Santiago's successful approach involves developing talent from within, cross-training team members, and identifying hidden potential in ancillary departments.

David and Santiago also analyze the hurdles faced by facilities management during the pandemic, including the struggle to maintain aging systems with limited resources. From the impact on power and HVAC systems to the broader issue of funding urgent repairs, Santiago sheds light on the daily battles facilities managers face.

This engaging conversation goes beyond the surface, offering practical insights and inspiration for facilities managers navigating the complexities of their roles in today's ever-evolving landscape.

 

Santiago D. Chambers, Sr., BS., CHSP, CHEP is the Director of Plant Operations for Los Alamitos Medical Center, a part of Tenet Healthcare. Prior to this, Santiago worked for Fountain Valley Regional Hospital for 4 years, Providence Little Company of Mary Torrance and San Pedro Medical Centers as the South Bay Manager of Safety, Security, Parking and Disaster for 2 years and Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles for 10 years as the Director of Support Services and Hospital Safety Officer. 

Santiago is a Certified Healthcare Safety Professional and Certified Healthcare Emergency Professional with many other professional licenses and certifications related to safety, security, hazmat, emergency preparedness and fire and life safety. Santiago has a BS in Health and Human Services from the University of Arizona Global Campus and currently enrolled in the master's in healthcare administration Program. Santiago served 2018-2020 as the Los Angeles Chapter President of the California Society for Healthcare Engineering (CSHE) and previously served as the Secretary, Treasurer and Vice President of the Orange County Chapter of CSHE. Santiago has been a member of CSHE since 2005. Santiago served in the US Navy and has been married for 28 years with two daughters in college and a son in the US Marines.

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The views and opinions expressed by third-party guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of ARC Facilities and ARC Document Solutions. We provide a platform for diverse perspectives and discussions and ARC Facilities/ARC Document Solutions assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content provided by our third-party guests.