Editor’s note: There are hundreds of pieces in the healthcare puzzle. And employees are one of them. JRMC President and CEO, K.C. DeBoer shares how he helps make THE difference in providing LEGENDARY HEALTHCARE. Look for more stories this month.
One chief executive officer says his piece of the puzzle is serving others.
“My job is to support management and our direct patient care teams so they have what they need to care for this community,” said Jamestown Regional Medical Center President & CEO K.C. DeBoer.
He accomplishes that through his work providing resources, equipment, policy and vision for JRMC.
DeBoer joined JRMC in 2014.
As president, he oversees strategic, operational and clinical activities. Prior to arriving at JRMC, DeBoer served in leadership roles at other facilities. However, he got his start in healthcare working nights as a nurse in intensive care.
DeBoer earned an AA degree in Nursing from the University of South Dakota and a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Services Administration from the University of South Dakota. He completed his Masters of Health Services Administration from the University of Kansas while he worked full-time in the ICU.
“I enjoyed working as a bedside nurse,” he said. “I think that experience grounds me in why we’re here and what we’re trying to accomplish.”
What JRMC is trying to accomplish is special and unique to a facility of its size, he said. Offering specialties like urology, podiatry, orthopedics and wound care, for example, remove barriers for people. JRMC added new specialists in gynecology and obstetrics, as well as ear, nose and throat in 2017 because it is committed to the health of this community. Those specialists help people get the high-quality care they need close to home. The hospital also plans to break ground on the JRMC Cancer Center as early as this year. That work is especially rewarding, he said, because traveling when sick is such a burden.
“My piece of the puzzle is making sure we have what we need to serve this community,” he said. “If we aren’t meeting the community’s needs, then we aren’t serving the purpose of JRMC.”