Award-winning business coach Rick Franzo woke up that Sunday in September with stomach pain, was doubled over in the emergency room by 5 p.m., and lay on an operating table at midnight. Yet during a time of acute stress, Franzo found comfort in the medical team at St. Luke\u2019s University Health Network. It wasn\u2019t the first time.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was the second time St. Luke\u2019s saved my life,\u201d Franzo said.<\/p>\n
Franzo, a 59-year-old resident of Monroe County, has a long history with St. Luke\u2019s. He lives with brain tumors and, in 2009, underwent surgery at St. Luke\u2019s Hospital \u2014 Bethlehem to remove a large, non-cancerous mass. In September, Franzo turned to St. Luke\u2019s Hospital \u2014 Monroe for another life-saving procedure.<\/p>\n
Franzo had a critical surgery to repair a stomach perforation, caused by diverticulitis, which sent him into septic shock. Barely seven hours after Franzo was admitted, Dr. Gerardo Garcia performed the surgery at St. Luke\u2019s Hospital \u2014 Monroe. After five days in the hospital, Franzo went home to continue his recovery.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt very well taken care of,\u201d he said. \u201cEverybody was just so engaged in the patient experience. I\u2019ve been in the hospital for some major things, and this was a great experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
Franzo was wowed by the culture he encountered at St. Luke\u2019s Hospital \u2014 Monroe, which happens to be his area of expertise. Franzo, a business coach in the Poconos who helps companies build smarter, more effective teams. \u201cCulture\u201d is a keyword in his profession, and he called the culture at St. Luke\u2019s \u201camazing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Franzo said he encountered a team of doctors, nurses, and support staff driven to help. He met medical students who thoughtfully engaged in his treatment. And he praised Dr. Garcia, his surgeon, for his empathetic approach to the procedure.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe culture there was absolutely second to none,\u201d Franzo said. \u201cI spoke to some of my larger clients about it. I told them, \u2018This is what every company should aspire to.\u2019 Whether it was day shift, night shift, whoever, everybody was pleasant, respectful, and responsive. I can sum it up like this: Everybody really gave a damn.\u201d<\/p>\n
Franzo requires significant follow-up care, including a second surgery in December. Dr. Garcia assured Franzo that he would perform the procedure at St. Luke\u2019s Hospital \u2014 Monroe. Franzo appreciated \u201cthe care close to home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey made me very comfortable in a very uncomfortable situation,\u201d he said. \u201cThey saved my life. Again.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
About St. Luke\u2019s<\/strong><\/p>\n Founded in 1872, St. Luke\u2019s University Health Network (SLUHN) is a fully integrated, regional, non-profit network with annual net revenue of more than $4.5 billion. With 23,000+ employees at 16 hospital campuses and 350+ outpatient sites, it is the Lehigh Valley\u2019s biggest employer.<\/p>\n The Network\u2019s service area includes 11 counties in two states: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey. St. Luke\u2019s hospitals operate the largest network of trauma centers in Pennsylvania, with the Bethlehem Campus being home to St. Luke\u2019s Children\u2019s Hospital.<\/p>\n Dedicated to advancing medical education, St. Luke\u2019s is the preeminent teaching hospital in central-eastern Pennsylvania. In partnership with Temple University, the Network established the Lehigh Valley\u2019s first and only four-year medical school. It also operates the nation\u2019s oldest continuously operated School of Nursing, established in 1884, and 50+ fully accredited graduate medical educational programs with 500+ residents and fellows.<\/p>\n In 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recognized St. Luke\u2019s ahead of nationally renowned Mayo Clinic and Houston Methodist as the nation\u2019s three highest performing health systems for quality, safety and patient experience \u2013 affirming St. Luke\u2019s status as a leader among the largest and best-known health care providers in the country.<\/p>\n St. Luke\u2019s has been named a Leapfrog Group and Healthgrades Top Hospital and a Newsweek World\u2019s Best Hospital. It is the only Lehigh Valley-based health care system to earn Medicare\u2019s five-star ratings (the highest) for quality, efficiency and patient satisfaction. In 2025, the Network earned straight A\u2019s from Leapfrog across all of its acute care hospitals. It has earned 100 Top Hospital designations from Premier 11 years in a row, including in 2021 when its flagship University Hospital was identified as THE #1 TEACHING HOSPITAL IN THE COUNTRY. Utilizing the Epic electronic medical record (EMR) system for both inpatient and outpatient services, the Network is a multi-year recipient of the Most Wired award recognizing the breadth of SLUHN\u2019s information technology applications such as telehealth, online scheduling and online pricing information.<\/p>\n Information provided to TVL by: Award-winning business coach Rick Franzo woke up that Sunday in September with stomach pain, was doubled over in the emergency room by 5 p.m., and lay on an operating table … Continue reading Business Coach Takes Note of \u201cAmazing\u201d St. Luke\u2019s Culture That Saved His Life, Twice<\/span>
\nSam Kennedy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"