A Partnership Forged in Respect

Together, Hal Folander, MD, and Helene Oplinger, RT, created a world-class radiology department. Now, an endowment from the Folanders will carry forward Helene’s legacy of patient-centered medical imaging.

Hal Folander, MD, was the strategic thinker. Helene Oplinger was the person who made his vision come to life.

“I wanted to get to the moon tomorrow,” Dr. Folander says. “Helene would explain that it might make more sense to wait until we figured out how to build the rocket.”

For 36 years, Dr. Folander and Helene worked in unison, ultimately creating a world-class radiology department at St. Luke’s University Health Network built upon mutual respect among colleagues and a patient-centered approach to care. Today, the department accommodates 1.3 million imaging studies annually, helping local people receive accurate diagnoses and treatment for a full range of medical conditions across all specialties.

Now, Dr. Folander, the Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Strategy Officer and Network Chairman Emeritus of the Hal L. Folander, MD, Department of Radiology, and his wife, Kim, are honoring Helene’s legacy by establishing a significant endowment in her name. The gift will provide annual scholarships for students pursuing an associate degree in radiography at St. Luke’s College of Health Sciences.

The recognition is a full-circle moment for Helene, who started her career as a radiology technologist more than five decades ago and never forgot her roots.

“When I was in training, you had to develop your films in a darkroom, then stand in front of a radiologist and show your work,” recalls Helene. “You had better be proud of what you’re presenting, or you got told about it.”

Helene kept her technologist’s certificate on her wall throughout her career. “It was important to me and to my staff,” she says. “I can’t tell you how many times technologists would come up to me and say, ‘you understand, because you’ve been there."

Meeting Dr. Folander

Helene first met Dr. Folander in 1987 when she was director of radiology at Muhlenberg Hospital Center. Twelve years later, Dr. Folander asked Helene to join him as the Network Administrator of Imaging Services at St. Luke’s.

“Roughly two-thirds of the staff at Muhlenberg followed her here,” Dr. Folander recalls. “That’s a credit to Helene, that those nurses and technologists were willing to make such a major move.”

“It was mind-blowing,” Helene adds. “They were all giving up seniority and starting over because we knew we had the opportunity to build something really unique at St. Luke’s.”

Making 1+1=3

The minute Helene arrived, Dr. Folander shared his vision for how they’d collaborate, which was revolutionary at the time.

“Traditionally, physicians made medical decisions, administrators made business decisions, and never the twain shall meet,” he says. “We figured out that if we constantly communicated, planned together, and had equal input into the physician and administrative side, we could make one plus one equal three.”

Dr. Folander attended Helene’s monthly leadership meetings. Helene sat in on all radiologist job interviews. Their spirit of shared decision-making carried through the entire department. Radiologists interviewed technologists, and technologists’ input shaped radiologists’ annual reviews.

“Everybody respected Helene,” says Missi Keeler, Imaging Coordinator, who worked alongside Helene for nearly two decades. “They came to her for advice and guidance. She built a really strong team.”

Under Dr. Folander and Helene’s leadership, the department grew from 100 employees and a handful of radiologists to 150 radiologists and 1,200 technologists, nurses, and staff across 15 hospitals. In addition to Diagnostic Radiology, the department also included a world-class division of Interventional Radiology, which offers imaging-guided minimally invasive surgical procedures. The first residency training programs in the Lehigh Valley in Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology were also established.

“Helene was one of the most positive influences in my career and in the lives of so many people throughout our department,” adds Robert Fournier, MD, Chairman of the Department of Radiology. “She had a unique ability to bring out the best in others through her kindness, wisdom and genuine respect for every member of the team. I know I am a better leader because of the example she set.

“All of us who had the privilege of working alongside her benefitted from that experience, and we will be forever grateful for her friendship, guidance and enduring legacy.”

Redefining breast care

Helene was the driving force behind the creation of the Regional Breast Center, which reimagined how women access mammograms. “She saw all the anxiety that a woman went through trying to get a mammogram and realized there had to be a better way,” Dr. Folander says.

She brought the vision to life by talking with women throughout the Lehigh Valley. “We hosted town hall meetings in Bethlehem, Allentown and Quakertown,” Helene remembers. “They were in agreement that they wanted faster results.”

The Regional Breast Center opened in 2008 in Center Valley, combining screening and diagnostic imaging with same-day biopsies and consultations. A second center opened 10 years later in Stroudsburg, and today, the one-stop clinic concept is a national model. “It was one of the highlights of my career,” Helene says. “And volumes keep growing, which means that women appreciate the experience.”

Developing a culture of respect

As a radiology technologist first and an administrator second, Helene always understood the critical role technologists play in delivering quality care, as did Dr. Folander. That’s why they committed to treating technologists and radiologists on equal terms.

One story exemplifies this commitment. Several years ago, a highly trained radiologist didn’t want to be bothered while in his office, and he’d slam the door on technologists. It happened once. Then twice. The third time would be the last time.

“I got a screwdriver, unscrewed his office door, took it off its hinges, walked it through the department so everyone saw it, put it in Helene’s office, and replaced it with a curtain of beads,” Dr. Folander says. “It sent a strong message that we are all going to be civil.”

“Staff loved it,” Helene adds. “They understood that Dr. Folander would always be there and would have their back.”

That commitment to respect continues to this day. And while Helene retired in 2025, the endowment in her name will ensure that St. Luke’s will continue to attract the best and brightest radiology technologists, which will be crucial to meeting the expected increase in imaging volumes in our region.

To those who will earn the scholarship, Helene offers this advice: “Remember that you always have to stay patient-focused,” she says. “That’s why we’re here. If you lose focus, you’ll lose purpose.”