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 Kalamaras making major strides on path of early career decision, By Ron Paglia, For The Tribune-Review, July 2, 2005 It didn't take long for Pete Kalamaras to choose a career path. He didn't need anyone to prod him with that oft-asked question, "What do you want to be when you grow up? "I was in the fourth grade and I found a book about West Point," Kalamaras recalled recently as he visited family and friends in Charleroi. "I read that book over and over. I couldn't put it down. The history and legacy of the place are so fascinating. I knew then that I was committed to the Army." Today, over 20 years after reading that book about the storied tradition of the Long Gray Line, he's Major Peter Kalamaras of the United States Army and has 13 years of active duty into that commitment to the military. A 1988 graduate of Charleroi Area High School, Kalamaras was graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY in 1992. Since then he has seen duty in Bosnia and South Korea as well as at installations in the United States. A member of the Army's Medical Service Corps stationed at Womack Army Medical Center at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, NC, Kalamaras is nearing completion of studies toward receiving a Master's degree in Health Care Administration from Baylor University in Waco, Texas in August. That assignment meant mixing business with pleasure during his return to the mid-Monongahela Valley as Kalamaras experienced a "crash course" in the operations of Monongahela Valley Hospital. What he learned, in essence, was that there are many similarities between military and public hospitals. "For one thing, our missions are basically the same; that is, to provide quality health care for our patients and our community," Kalamaras said. "Yes, there are differences in the administration of military-based and community-based hospitals, but we are governed by the same rules and regulations. We follow HIPAA policies, and we adhere to JCAHO (Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations)guidelines and take part in their surveys." Kalamaras, the son of Pete and Mary Ann Kalamaras of Charleroi, spent a week at Monongahela Valley Hospital. The week before, he was at the Pentagon for an in-depth look at the Military Health System under the guidance of the Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, Dr. William Winkenwerder Jr. The two-year Master's program requires 60 hours of academic work and a year-long military preceptorship directed by a commander who is a graduate of the Baylor program. At Monongahela Valley Hospital, where he interacted with a number of executive and managerial level staff, Kalamaras' learning was directed by Patrick J. Alberts, senior vice president and chief operating officer. "Pete is a bright young man and a very quick learner," Alberts said. "We threw a lot of information at him in five days, but he took it all in stride. We had a very good exchange of ideas, and I think the wholeexperience benefitted both sides." One aspect of the comparison between military and public hospitals that caught Kalamaras' attention was finances. "While the public/private sector hospitals rely on Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements and, in many cases, grants for new construction and expansion projects, we (military) operate within a designated(federal) budget," he said. In meeting with MVH staff, Kalamaras noted that "every penny counts" in the hospital's goal to remain a viable entity. "(Public) hospitals have to generate revenues to exist," Kalamaras said. "So even the smallest financial decision is important because it affects the bottom line. Just because a hospital is a not-for-profit entity doesn't mean it can't make a profit. And what most people don't realize is that those revenues are returned directly into the health system for new equipment and technology. You have to stay ahead of the game if you are going to retain your current patients and attract new ones. It's apparent that's what Mon Valley Hospital does. It's no different from any other business." Womack Army Medical Center has 133 operational beds and has some 170,000 beneficiaries that include active military personnel and retirees (veterans). In addition to the hospital, Womack also overseesthe operations of three Army primary care clinics and one Air Force primary care clinic in its multi-service market area. The staff is comprised of approximately 3,000 people, one-third of whom are active duty military personnel. A day at Womack includes approximately 3,780 clinic visits, eight births, 96 beds occupied, 30 surgical procedures, and 175 Emergency Department visits. In contrast, Monongahela Valley Hospital has just over 1,000 employees and is the largest employer in the mid-Monongahela Valley. The 235-bed facility has some 100,000 residents in its service area. Womack has more employees than MVH but fewer beds because groups of its workers are deployed to battlegrounds. "Our primary function (at Womack) is to facilitate the transition of wounded personnel, to stabilize them and prepare them to be moved to their home base for the convenience of them and their families," Kalamaras explained. "We get personnel from all branches of the Armed Forces, and many of them are treated at the point of injury, stabilized, and then evacuated to the Army's Landsthul Regional Medical Center in Germany. The stabilization process continues there until the patients are ready to be transferred here or to another military hospital in the United States." In addition to providing a "high standard of care" for wounded military personnel, Womack also serves asthe primary health care facility for soldiers stationed at Fort Bragg and their families and veterans and National Guard and Reserve units in the region. This is Kalamaras' second hitch at Fort Bragg. He served there with the 82nd Airborne Division from 1992-1996 before being assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart near Savannah, GA from 1997-2002. He spent a year as a medical planner with the 18th Medical Command in South Korea before returning to Fort Bragg to begin his residency as a student in training for the Baylor Master's program. As he did with his fourth grade decision to pursue a career with the Army, Kalamaras had no trouble deciding which area of specialization he would choose after being commissioned from West Point. "They have a program, Meet The Branches, during your final year at West Point," Kalamaras said. "I liked everything I learned about the Medical Services Corps, especially their mission, and the decision was an easy one." Kalamaras, 35, comes by leadership qualities and knowledge of business and health care rather naturally. His family owned and operated a restaurant at 421 Fallowfield Ave. in Charleroi for many years, first as the Coney Island under the guidance of his grandfather, the late Michael Kalamaras, and then as Kaly's under the ownership of his father Pete, who is now retired. Meanwhile, the Major's mother, Mary Ann Kalamaras, CRNA, has worked as a nurse anesthetist at Monongahela Valley Hospital for 26 years. Kalamaras' brother Michael works for the Authority of the Borough of Charleroi. "My parents have always been very supportive of me," Kalamaras said. "They were strict but loving and caring as my brother and I grew up. We learned so much from them, and I suppose we never really quit learning from them." Realization of Kalamaras' dream of attending West Point was nearly detoured, he recalled, and he nearly wound up heading west to South Bend, Ind. instead of northeast to New York. "I had been accepted at Notre Dame while I was awaiting word about my appointment to the Academy," he said. "I had to let Notre Dame know by Thursday and here it was Monday of that week and I still hadn't heard from West Point. I really didn't know what to do, and there I was sitting in Mrs. (Eileen)Protin's math class when I was called to the principal's office. I wondered, 'Oh, oh, what did I do now?' But when I got there, they told me Congressman (Austin) Murphy's office was on the phone to tell me his appointment had gone through for me." As a student in training in Baylor Master's degree program, Kalamaras has been undergoing a rotation process that takes him through all departments at Womack. "It's been a very intense learning experience involving everything from budgets, administrative protocol, clinical standards, the whole gamut of the operations there," he said. "It's something and someone new every week. I've met with administrators, doctors, nurses and allied health care workers to get a better understanding of how they work together to fulfill our mission and signify our 'One Team' motto. I learned it's the same process at Mon Valley Hospital people working together toward a common goal and they do it very well." Kalamaras says his approach to medical planning and hospital administration is a practical one. "I look at the business and clinical protocols, how they complement each other in providing quality care for patients," he said. "I try to put myself in their shoes, whether they're physicians, nurses, administrators or other health care professionals, and look at things the way they do. If you look at the total picture and have an overall understanding of how the system works, it all comes together. I think that's true in the military system or in the private sector. If you respect and understand what everyone else is contributing and realizeyou're all on the same team, you'll succeed." Will Kalamaras take all of that experience and education into the civilian world of health care when he leaves the Army? "I'm not sure at this point what I'd like to do," he said. "I don't know if want to start a new career at age 42 after 20 years in the Army or at age 52 after 30 years. I'm a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, and I keep my eyes and ears open as to what the needs are in the health care field." Patrick Alberts of Monongahela Valley Hospital, a 20-year veteran in the business, doesn't see any problems for Kalamaras no matter what choice he makes. "Pete brings so much to the table," Alberts said. "It won't make any difference when he decides to leave the Army; someone is going to be very fortunate to add him to their team." PHOTO- Major Peter Kalamaras and Patrick J. Alberts, senior vice president and chief operating officer at Monongahela Valley Hospital, discuss health care issues during Kalamaras' studies at MVH. | Gai-Linn Tatrai, '87 | Jim Donley, '84 | William Procasky Jr., '85 | James A. Protin, '84 | Pete Kalamaras, '88 | Brend 'Bernie' Uhlemann, '85 | LaCarte Brothers, '85, '86, '87, '88 & '99 | | TEACHERS/STAFF | THE 40's and PRIOR | THE 50's | THE 60's | THE 70's | THE 80's | THE 90's | THE NEW MILLENNIUM! | | Return Home | 'Contact Us'... Submit Profile & UPDATES | Class Directory | Reunions (Includes Possible ALL 60's Reunion) | Where Are They Now? / Where They Were | Photo Gallery | TOWN TALK | Sports! | SCHOLASTICS | |
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