Health & Wellness
Business coach takes note of amazing culture that saved his life twice
Learn how compassionate care and culture at St. Luke’s saved a life—again.
Award-winning business coach Rick Franzo woke up one Sunday in September 2025 with stomach pain, doubled over in the emergency room by 5PM, and was lying on an operating table at midnight. Yet during a time of acute stress, Rick found comfort in the medical team at St. Luke’s University Health Network.
“This was the second time St. Luke’s saved my life,” Rick said.
Rick, a 59-year-old from Monroe County, has a long history with St. Luke’s. He lives with brain tumors and, in 2009, underwent surgery at St. Luke’s Bethlehem Campus to remove a large, non-cancerous mass. Last September, Rick turned to St. Luke’s Monroe Campus for another life-saving procedure.
Rick had surgery to repair a stomach perforation caused by diverticulitis, which caused septic shock. Dr. Gerardo Garcia performed the surgery at St. Luke’s Monroe Campus. Five days later, Rick went home to continue his recovery.
“I felt very well taken care of,” he said. “Everybody was just so engaged in the patient experience. I’ve been in the hospital for some major things, and this was a great experience.”
Rick was wowed by the culture he encountered at St. Luke’s. Culture happens to be his area of expertise. Rick, a business coach in the Poconos, helps companies build smarter, more effective teams. “Culture” is a keyword in his profession, and he called the culture at St. Luke’s “amazing.”
Rick 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 for his empathetic approach to the surgery.
“The culture there was absolutely second to none,” Rick said. “I spoke to some of my larger clients about it. I told them, ‘This is what every company should aspire to.’ Whether it was day shift or night shift, everybody was pleasant, respectful, and responsive. I can sum it up like this: Everybody really gave a damn.”
Rick required significant follow-up care, including a second surgery in December. Dr. Garcia assured Rick that he would perform the procedure at St. Luke’s Monroe Campus. Rick appreciated “the care close to home.”
“They made me very comfortable in a very uncomfortable situation,” Rick said. “They saved my life. Again.”
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