Mary Lou Mastro – 2014 nominee for Modern Healthcare's Community Leadership Award. The success of the healthcare industry depends on leaders who define themselves by leading efforts to change lives and contribute to their communities through their work. But many go above and beyond commitments central to their roles, reaching out to support causes that may be wholly unrelated to healthcare, but which build and sustain strong communities and the quality of life within them. Modern Healthcare's Community Leadership Awards was established to recognize these leaders while bringing attention to the worthy causes they support. Modern Healthcare's Community Leadership Awards was established to recognize these leaders while bringing attention to the worthy causes they support. http://www.modernhealthcare.com/section/community-leadership

1. June 12, 2014
Modern Healthcare:
Please accept this as our official nomination of Mary Lou (“Lou”) Mastro, MS, RN, FACHE, President & CEO of Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare, and formerly Chief Executive Officer of Linden Oaks at Edward, for Modern Healthcare’s 2014 Community Leadership Award. We make this nomination based on Lou’s efforts in bringing Mental Health First Aid to our community and for the dramatic impact she’s had on providing healthcare to the Elmhurst area since her arrival in July 2013.
Elmhurst (Illinois) Memorial Healthcare is part of Edward-Elmhurst Healthcare, the health system created by the 2013 merger of Elmhurst Memorial and Edward Hospital & Health Services (Naperville, Ill.). Elmhurst Memorial Hospital is the 19th largest hospital in the Chicago area with 259 beds and annual revenue of more than $300 million, and is one of 20 acute care hospitals worldwide designated as a Planetree patient-centered healthcare organization.
Linden Oaks is a 108-bed behavioral health hospital on the campus of Edward Hospital. In addition, Linden Oaks has a 45,000-square foot Outpatient Center at another location in Naperville and several outpatient offices throughout Chicago’s west and southwest suburbs. Prior to taking her leadership role at Elmhurst Memorial, Lou was CEO of Linden Oaks since 2002.
Lou’s Vision
After reading a story about Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), Lou thought it was an excellent opportunity to give back to the community. Lou’s message is that many people just don't know what to say or do because of the stigma and misunderstanding associated with mental illness. This causes some people to distance themselves from those struggling with these disorders. The result is an environment where most people with mental health problems don't connect with the help they need. Lou saw MHFA as a way to lessen that divide.
MHFA was founded in Australia in 2001. It teaches participants from the community to identify individuals who may need help for a mental illness, effectively communicate with them and guide them to appropriate professional help. The goal is to make responding to a mental health crisis as common as utilizing CPR in a cardiac emergency.
To spread the word and build support, Lou first secured the backing of Naperville Mayor George Pradel and other city leaders. In fact, as a result of the meeting with Lou, Mayor Pradel proclaimed March 28, 2011 as Mental Health First Aid Day in Naperville.
Afterward, Lou and Linden Oaks introduced MHFA to Naperville and key groups in the community, including school districts, churches, police and fire departments and social workers. Among the first members of the community who took part in MHFA training were personnel in the Naperville school districts and police and fire departments.
How MHFA Works
MHFA trainers use an approach called ALGEE, in which participants learn steps to help those who may be suffering from a mental illness:
Assess risk of suicide or harm
Listen non-judgmentally
Give reassurance and information
Encourage people to get appropriate professional help
Encourage self-help strategies (providing info on support groups, helpful readings, web sites)
MHFA participants also learn the basics of common mental illnesses, including depression and related disorders; eating disorders; substance abuse; psychoses, such as dementia and schizophrenia; and anxiety disorders.

2. Mary Lou Mastro
Mary Lou Mastro, MS, RN, FACHE, is President & CEO of Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare, which includes Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, the 19th largest hospital in the Chicago area with 259 beds and annual revenue of more than $300 million. Elmhurst Memorial is one of 20 acute care hospitals worldwide designated as a Planetree patient-centered healthcare organization.
Mastro, a graduate of DePauw University (Greencastle, Ind.), has been involved in hospital leadership for more than 35 years, including operations, planning, licensure and regulatory compliance, public policy and advocacy, physician relations and new business development. In addition, as a former nurse, she has patient care experience.
Prior to joining Elmhurst Memorial and since 2002, Mastro was CEO of Linden Oaks at Edward, a 108- bed behavioral health hospital on Edward Hospital’s Naperville campus, with a 45,000-square foot Outpatient Center at another location in Naperville and outpatient offices throughout Chicago’s west and southwest suburbs. She was also Vice President, Architectural and Construction Services for Edward.
While at Linden Oaks, Mastro advocated for increased community awareness of mental illness and led Linden Oaks’ effort to develop Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) in the region. MHFA is an initiative to train community members to identify and respond to early signs of mental illness and substance abuse disorders.
At a National Conference on Mental Health held at the White House on June 3, 2013, due to its MHFA work, Linden Oaks was cited by the American Hospital Association as one of the nation’s community and psychiatric hospitals that have established programs to address the behavioral health needs in their community.
Mastro joined Edward in 1988 as Director of Cardiovascular Services. She later became Executive Director of the Edward Cardiovascular Institute and Vice President of Operations. Mastro is a member of the governing council of the American Hospital Association’s Constituency Section for Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Services, a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives, a Board Member of the National Association of Psychiatric Healthcare Systems, and a member of the Illinois Hospital Association Behavioral Health Constituency.

3. Upon completion of the training program, participants receive a Mental Health First Aid Certificate.
MHFA’s Success
The level of enthusiasm for and participation in MHFA has exceeded our expectations. Through May 2014, more than 3,900 individuals have taken part in more than 100 training sessions, and classes are scheduled almost every week through the end of 2014. The goal is to reach 5,000 community members with the MHFA message by 2017.
Through the end of 2013, there were 12 patients who came to Linden Oaks seeking help as a result of interaction with community members who had gone through MHFA training. In one case, a woman did not show up for day two of MHFA training because she realized after the first day of class that her son had a problem. She approached him using the MHFA techniques she had just learned and was able to bring him to Linden Oaks for treatment.
Four members of Linden Oaks’ staff were among the first in the Midwest to be certified as instructors. Following that, Linden Oaks hosted “Train the Trainer” sessions as part of the first MHFA community consortium in the country. The consortium now has nearly 60 volunteer trainers who represent numerous organizations in the community, including schools, mental health care providers and agencies, and county health department employees.
Those trainers conduct MHFA classes in the seven counties in the immediate Chicago area: DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Grundy, Lake, Cook and McHenry. And, under Lou’s direction, we take on every opportunity to spread the MHFA word because of our primary goal to decrease the stigma and create awareness of mental illness. As a result, we’ve provided presentations throughout Illinois and even in Indiana.
The MHFA effort has also resulted in:
Quarterly MHFA Newsletter Cable television show, “Mental Health First Aid,” Fox Valley Television, Channel 17 MHFA as a component of a Northern Illinois University sociology class MHFA as a one-hour course credit at Benedictine University MHFA as a continuing education course at the College of DuPage MHFA training (provided by Linden Oaks) at the National Gang Crime Resource Center conference for undercover police officers, gang specialists, drug and K9 officers, school liaison officers and school administrators MHFA training for the entire board of directors and staff of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) MHFA training for the entire 80-member team of sworn officers and support staff of the Oswego Police Department MHFA training for members of the Kane County Bar Association MHFA training for law enforcement officers at the North East (Illinois) Multi-Regional Training facility Youth MHFA training for teachers, social workers, coaches Expanded, specialized MHFA training for law enforcement, military personnel Spanish language MHFA training
As a behavioral healthcare hospital, Lou believes MHFA is our responsibility to our community and not a way to positively impact Linden Oaks’ bottom line. Since our commitment to MHFA, we have received a foundation grant of $15,000 that we matched. Those funds were used to support the first “Train the Trainer” program for 26 community members associated with organizations in the MHFA consortium. Another grant from the National Council of Community Behavior Healthcare was matched by Linden Oaks and utilized by Joliet Junior College to allow low income students to earn MHFA certification. More than 200 low income students have been trained because of this grant and its matching funds.
With Lou’s leadership, our community has become more aware of the many people who suffer from mental illness. MHFA training helps spread the word that treatment is available and can work, and can chip away at the stigma surrounding mental illness.
White House Recognition
At a National Conference on Mental Health held at the White House on June 3, 2013, Linden Oaks’ MHFA effort was cited by the American Hospital Association as one of the nation’s community and psychiatric hospitals that have established programs to address the behavioral health needs in their community:

4. Linden Oaks at Edward, Naperville, Illinois: Linden Oaks, a 108-bed behavioral health provider, is a pioneer in Mental Health First Aid training. Their facility has developed and trained our nation’s largest fellowship of Mental Health First Aid instructors, who are equipped to identify and respond to early signs of mental illness and substance abuse disorders. In less than three years, Linden Oaks has trained nearly 3,000 individuals representing a diverse cross-section of the community, including teachers, first responders, nurses, clergy, public health employees and business managers. A local cable network further expands the program’s reach by providing monthly programming on Mental Health First Aid.
Additional Honors
Lou was honored in May 2014 with the Rotary Club of Naperville’s prestigious Paul Harris Community Service Award for her efforts in advocating awareness through MHFA and transforming Linden Oaks into a regional resource for mental healthcare.
She was appointed in 2014 to a three-year term as a member of the governing council of the American Hospital Association’s Constituency Section for Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Services.
And, she was recognized in the Daily Herald Business Ledger’s 2014 “Who’s Who In Health Care” in Chicago’s suburbs.
Impact on Elmhurst
In just nearly one year on the job as Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare’s President & CEO, Lou’s efforts have been noticed. Recently, Becker’s Hospital Review named Elmhurst Memorial as one of its 100 Great Community Hospitals for 2014.
Since July 1, 2013, under Lou’s direction…
Nearly 150 physicians have joined the Medical Staff at Elmhurst Memorial Hospital. The largest physician group in Illinois, DuPage Medical Group, is adding services and doctors on the Elmhurst Memorial Hospital campus. There’s been a 27 percent increase in the number of babies delivered and 12 percent increase in the number of surgeries performed at Elmhurst Memorial Hospital. Also on the rise over the last year: The number of inpatients; ER, Immediate Care and Outpatient visits. Revenue is up, expenses are down.
Put it all together and Elmhurst Memorial is providing more access to and options for healthcare, more residents of the area are taking advantage of the access and options, and due to an improved financial situation, Elmhurst Memorial is able to invest in staff, technology, new services and facilities that will benefit the community in the coming months and years.
Lou Mastro’s passion, commitment and leadership in bringing Mental Health First Aid to the communities in our region has resulted in a better understanding of and, most importantly, people seeking treatment for mental illness. This is especially important during an era in which many states and hospitals are eliminating or reducing behavioral health services. Through her Mental Health First Aid efforts, Lou is certainly changing lives and contributing to her community. And, Lou has had an impactful first year at the helm of Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare, expanding services and increasing access to care in Chicago’s western suburbs. For those reasons, I believe that makes her very worthy to receive the Modern Healthcare 2014 Community Leadership Award.
Sincerely,
Gina Sharp, MBA, FACHE
President
Linden Oaks at Edward
gsharp@edward.org
(630) 305-5830