There are moments in healthcare when a shift doesn’t just change a name. It clarifies an identity.
As the first guest on Straight from the Source, FMOL Health’s new podcast, President & CEO E.J. Kuiper shares how the transition to FMOL Health is more than a rebrand. It’s a more clear reflection of who we’ve always been and where we’re boldly headed.
Straight from the Source is designed to bring context, clarity and perspective straight from the people who healthcare every day. In this debut episode, E.J. speaks candidly about stepping into who we are as a ministry and why our new brand campaign, This Is How We Healthcare, reflects not only what we do but also the heart behind how we do it.
A Mission That’s More Than Words
E.J.’s journey to FMOL Health wasn’t a straight line, but it was always guided by purpose.
Originally trained as a physical therapist, he later moved into hospital leadership across several states, serving as the Midwest Division leader for CommonSpirit Health before joining FMOL Health.
What resonated with him immediately was the authenticity of the mission.
“It was really important for me that this was a system that didn’t just have a nicely framed mission statement on the walls, but lived it every single day.”
Those values became a foundation for the conversation and for the decisions that shaped FMOL Health’s new identity.
Why FMOL Health — And Why Now
The name change began with a simple, almost humorous observation.
“We tend to have very long names,” E.J. says with a smile. “In order for us to put signs on buildings, it would have to wrap all the way around a building.”
But the shift wasn’t about a name. It was about clarity, consistency and honoring more than a century of ministry.
Working closely with the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady, Sisters who founded the health system more than 113 years ago, the leadership team explored a simpler, stronger way to communicate who we are, one that unifies the system while preserving each market’s deep community identity.
“We did not want to walk away from that,” he says of legacy hospital names. “We wanted to embrace it, but also send a message that there’s a very strong system behind those local markets.”
This balance informed the move to an endorsed brand, where the FMOL Health identity strengthens, rather than replaces, each market’s heritage.
The Mission in Motion
“When you walk the halls of our clinics, our facilities, our hospitals, you can see the mission in action every single moment,” E.J. says while reflecting on what the new brand campaign communicates.
“I thought it was brilliant when the marketing team came up with turning ‘healthcare’ into a verb,” he says. “This is How We Healthcare is different, and it sets us apart from everybody else.”
That verb, healthcare as an action, captures the spirit of FMOL Health’s work: bold, joyful, rooted in love and guided by a commitment to serve everyone, especially the poor and vulnerable.
What Truly Sets Us Apart
Differentiation in healthcare can be challenging, E.J. acknowledges, but he believes the system is defining a clear path.
“You can’t differentiate your way by being in the 60th percentile,” he explains. “We immediately started working on getting us into the top decile.”
But excellence alone isn’t the differentiator. It’s excellence wrapped in mission.
“When you wrap the mission around that, that’s when it really becomes a differentiator. It’s a place of healing. And you feel that when you’re in our facilities.”
A major marker of that environment? The system now sits in the 95th percentile of Gallup’s employee engagement database.
“I firmly believe that when we invest in our employees and in our leaders, that patient satisfaction and quality and ultimately financials will follow,” E.J. says. “But you have to start with taking care of your people.”
Caring for the Community and Each Other
When asked about moments that captured the mission in action, E.J. didn’t hesitate.
He described recent emails from team members facing financial hardship during the SNAP suspension and reflected on what makes the organization different.
“It’s team members taking care of team members,” he says. “To see our team members rally around people who struggle is heartwarming and a big part of what differentiates us.”
That compassion extends to every patient and visitor, too.
E.J. describes how often he sees team members step in to help someone who looks lost, anxious or overwhelmed, offering directions, reassurance or a simple moment of kindness. It’s the kind of everyday empathy that makes our facilities feel like places of healing long before clinical care even begins.
The Future: Innovation, Rural Health and the Call to Lead
As the conversation turns to the future, E.J. shares his optimism about both innovation and community need, two priorities he sees as deeply connected.
He sees artificial intelligence as a meaningful tool to support clinicians not replace them.
“With AI… how can we free up time for our clinicians?” he asks. “That’s 5 or 10 minutes that the doctor can spend with the patient instead of typing a note in a computer.”
E.J. is equally passionate about strengthening rural health access across Louisiana and Mississippi, emphasizing that geography should never determine the quality of care someone receives.
“When you have a heart attack in a town of 500 people, it is just as, perhaps more, life-threatening than if you’re a block away from Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center,” he says. “It’s important that we have the right resources available all across our rural healthcare network.”
For our health system, the future is guided by the same question the Sisters asked in 1911.
“They weren’t thinking about a business plan. They were thinking about where are we needed? And so we need to follow that lead even in this day and age.”
Where We Go from Here
E.J. shares a message for team members, patients and anyone considering joining the mission:
“The old Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System was very good… But now we’re taking things from good to great as FMOL Health. And that’s such an exciting journey to be part of.”
