Meet Scott Wester
Occupation: Chief Executive Officer
Organization: Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center
BRAC Involvement: Past Board Chair, past Executive Committee Member
What does your organization do?
Our Lady of the Lake has been privileged to serve families of the Greater Baton Rouge community with innovative and compassionate healthcare for 94 years. Today, as the largest hospital in Louisiana, we are a regional hub for care offering more than 60 medical specialties including advanced surgical services, a comprehensive Cancer Center with Mary Bird Perkins, a designated Children’s Hospital, and a 400-provider physician network. We are frequently partnered with physicians and facilities in nearby communities which means that our impact on health and quality of life reaches far beyond our city’s boundaries. While we have grown tremendously in scale and scope of services over the years, we are guided by the same mission and values that our Sisters declared on the Lake’s opening day in 1923. We are deeply connected to this community that our almost 8,000 team members call home. From that first day we have sought to be a healing and spiritual presence—providing exceptional care, leadership, personal connections and high-value results.
What are some advantages of being located/doing business in the Capital Region?
Greater Baton Rouge is a tremendous place to live and work. We are blessed with a strong business climate where companies of all sizes and types of industry are continually seeking out creativity and collaboration that take advantage of our area’s natural assets. The Baton Rouge Health District is a wonderful example of this innovative and cooperative attitude among healthcare providers. Through this initiative our city continues its growth as a medical destination with an expanding academic focus and research base. We are proud to be leaders in graduate medical education and on the leading-edge of medical advancement and excellence. Access to first-class healthcare has been shown to attract more employers and promote job growth at the same time retaining strong, productive members of the current workforce.
Why did you decide to invest in BRAC?
When talented individuals and companies work together, we can all identify and take advantage of opportunities and conquer challenges. Through BRAC, Our Lady of the Lake works with local business partners on a wide range of issues that affect our community. Healthcare and economic development go hand-in-hand, both playing important roles in shaping our futures. The more success we have in improving the population’s health, the more our region is able to attract employers who care about workplace well-being and highly productive teams. Healthy families are the foundation of healthy communities and we are creating that one person a time, one business at a time.
What would you say to companies contemplating joining BRAC?
Do it! Joining BRAC presents great opportunities to stay on top of important, ever-changing issues and trends within our community and local marketplace. We are also connecting with other regions, learning what’s working well that we can use here and sharing our best-practices that bring regard and respect from across the country. BRAC is a powerful network with other local industries and thinkers. Join us and help build a better, and healthier, Baton Rouge!
What do you anticipate for your company in the next five years? For the Capital Region?
What an exciting time of growth for Our Lady of the Lake! Today we have two major construction projects underway that will be complete in the near future. The new Our Lady of the Lake North Emergency Room in north Baton Rouge is expected to open this Fall, and our new freestanding Children’s Hospital is slated to open in Summer 2019. We’re expanding access to services through these projects, and more. And we’re staying on top of what individuals and families are expecting in terms of their personal health goals. As always, we continue our commitment to the good health of our region and the Spirit of Healing.BRAC is an investor-driven organization leading economic development in the nine-parish Baton Rouge Area. BRAC’s investor base includes small businesses, midsize firms, large industry and entrepreneurial startups, as well as other individuals and organizations.
Each month, BRAC highlights one of its investors in the Investor Spotlight. To learn more about becoming an investor, visit the Join BRAC page here.