- April 24, 2024
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As President and CEO of Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center, Daryl Tol has a gameplan for keeping Ormond Beach healthy.
BY JARED MAULDIN | STAFF WRITER
If one were to ask Daryl Tol’s father how his son can successfully navigate the unpredictable waters of healthcare to lead multiple patient-care facilities within Flagler and Volusia counties, he would probably say that, for his son, it’s all somewhat of a game.
“He loves to play strategy games and, I think life, for him, has always been a strategy game,” says Bill Tol, Daryl Tol's father and development officer at Florida Hospital Flagler.
Born in small-town Tennessee, Daryl Tol was only a few months old when his parents relocated to Indonesia to work as missionaries. After spending six years overseas, his family relocated to California and, eventually, Tol moved to Volusia County to work for the Adventist Health System.
Now, as President and CEO of Florida Hospital for Volusia and Flagler markets and Memorial Medical Center, Tol’s job is to ensure the hospital system runs efficiently, and effectively.
The strategy for Tol is to take on big tasks in small doses, and to surround himself with the right teammates.
“You really have to focus on being balanced and being calm in the face of difficulty," Tol says. "If you don’t manage your schedule it will manage you."
Tol says the hospital system must be ready for change and have the ability to reinvent itself.
“We are right in the midst of healthcare reform," Tol says. "Many changes have already happened, and in 2013 and 2014, more changes will come."
The biggest challenge locally, he added, will be broadening the focus on the patient. Through the strengthening of health plan partnerships, new programs will be created that emphasize wellness and prevention. The hope is to confront illnesses throughout all all stages of life before they become illnesses. And that'll take planning.
But for Tol, he takes it all one day at a time. It's about staying true to the fundamentals of Florida Hospital.
“We focus on what we do as sacred work, very meaningful, faith-based care,” Tol says.
Regardless of one’s faith, though, Tol says his objective is to maintain quality healthcare while providing "an exceptional patient experience." And that's easier than some might think, given the advanced facilities at his disposal. The technological capabilities of his hospital extend beyond the size of the community, he says. But he's still not satisfied.
Expected to be completed by summer, a $6 million project is in the works at Florida Hospital Oceanside and Peninsula Rehabilitation Center to make private 40 patient rooms and improve rehabilitation areas. Renovations will also include new visitor amenities and gathering areas.
For any size project, though, it's important for Tol to have the right teammates in place. Much of his time is spent meeting not just with other hospital leaders but also with community members and physicians.
“Every day is really about working with a large team of people to get the job done, and that's the fun part of it,” Tol says.
But fun comes in other forms, as well. Family time is important to Tol, and he is careful to let work stay at the workplace. Although they each work for the hospital, Bill and Daryl Tol rarely talk of work when they're together.
Tol also uses his spare time to exercise, do work outside and cook.
“When you’re used to working with your head all the time, it’s nice to go do yard work or go work in the kitchen,” Tol says.
As healthcare continues to change, Tol is tasked with making sure the hospitals and patient-care facilities he oversees can adapt. And as long as he keeps committed to his strategy, for Tol, the clear winner of this game is the people of Flagler and Volusia counties.
DARYL TOL
Age: 39
Family: He and his wife, Stacey, have three kids, one 13-year-old and two 11-year-old twins.
Position: President and CEO of Florida Hospital for Volusia and Flagler markets, and Memorial Medical Center
Quirky fact: He plays piano and French horn.
