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Since becoming CEO of Providence in Humboldt County three weeks ago, I have been struck by the deep connection this community has with our hospitals and the love our caregivers have for this community. Evidence of that bond and commitment of support came from our loyal friends and neighbors who opened their hearts and donated more than $400,000 to our cancer partner program at our recent “Laughter Medicine” fundraiser for St. Joseph’s Hospital. This partnership from our wonderful community supports our efforts to provide world-class care right here in Humboldt County. It helps our teams grow our cancer programs and equip our doctors and caregivers with life-saving tools. Thank you so much for attending our event. You made it a wonderful success and gave my husband and I a very warm welcome to our new community.
Community support is especially important in rural and remote areas like Humboldt County. The sad reality is that many rural hospitals across the U.S. have either had or are facing the possibility of closing their doors (more than 130 have closed in the past decade; https://ruralhospitals.chqpr.org/) given the financial windfall facing rural facilities. Because we are part of Providence at St. Joseph Hospital and Redwood Memorial Hospital, we are well positioned to be a steadfast leader in health care and clinical excellence in Humboldt for decades to come. We have the ability to remain community hospitals, leveraging the economy of a 52-hospital organization to confidently and sustainably meet the needs of our communities in the face of significant challenges facing the healthcare industry as a whole.
Examples include the ability to leverage clinical expertise and best practices from sister hospitals across the country and benchmark our local performance against the highest levels of care delivery in our system to ensure our community receives the best possible care. And while staffing challenges continue in healthcare worldwide, being a part of Providence helps us attract and retain some of the most skilled clinicians who want high clinical complexity and a great community for their families. .
Putting these factors together, our hospitals in Humboldt County are well positioned for continued success for years to come. This is why I decided to move my family here. Additionally, my passion for health care is largely driven by two key life influences. Growing up in a military environment, serving a mission greater than oneself inspired me to pursue a life of service alongside dedicated servant leaders as a team. In addition, my mother was a medic in the Air Force for many years and I was fortunate to see firsthand the wonderful bedside care she provided to patients and how much of a difference her service made to those in need.
While my passion for service has been strengthened by my life experiences, my leadership philosophy has been deeply informed by my lifelong experience playing team sports. In many ways, sports provided an opportunity to practice what I saw in my parents and extended military family: teamwork, a passion for those you serve alongside, a passion for continuous improvement, and the perseverance to achieve excellence and a shared mission.
In my first few weeks here, I got a lot of that sense of teamwork. There are significant needs in our society in terms of health care delivery and social standards of health. Our caregivers come every day not because it’s easy – not often; Not because it’s attractive – usually not; And it’s not because this is the only industry they can work in – it’s not. They come every day because they love this community, they love their coworkers, and they love their patients.
We are our community. We live in a wonderful place where your special nurse is your kid’s soccer coach, your phlebotomist is a regular volunteer at the zoo, and your doctor plays in a band that performs at the local Friday markets in Old Town. St. Joseph’s Hospital and Redwood Memorial Hospital have been cornerstones of this community for decades, providing the highest level of care and clinical capabilities in most communities across the country. I look forward to supporting our incredibly compassionate team members as we continue to build on a strong foundation of service to this community and elevate global case care here in Humboldt County.
Darian Harris is the CEO for Providence in Humboldt County.
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