New CEO shares plans for hospital
Community 'buy in' a must for success
Staff reporter
His goals are simple — to improve long-term viability of St. Luke Hospital, Living Center, and Marion County Home Care with community support.
Jeremy Armstrong, newly-hired chief executive officer of St. Luke Hospital, Living Center, and Marion County Home Care, wants the facility to be around for a long time.
"If you don't have 'buy in' and investment from the community (hospital district), then the hospital won't survive," he said.
No stranger to community hospitals, Armstrong and his family relocated to Kansas after serving three years as chief executive officer at a community hospital in Wagner, S.D.
"Wagner is very similar in size to this hospital," he said. The South Dakota hospital also was part of a support network similar to St. Luke Hospital.
"I'm familiar with the services and procedures," said Armstrong.
Other goals that Armstrong has are expansion of services that include the possibility of physical therapy at the new indoor swimming pool owned by USD #408, the recruitment of a third physician, and the possibility of constructing a new facility.
He also sees the purchase of new equipment — CT scanner, c-arm, anesthesia machine, and nuclear medicine equipment — as a means of becoming financially stable and provide additional services.
"We'll have to look at the facility in three to five years," he said. "It costs a lot of money to remodel or expand. It makes sense to look at building a new hospital."
Before that can be accomplished, however, the district needs to improve its financial status.
A Kansas native, Armstrong graduated from high school at Wetmore, located near Topeka. He earned a bachelor's degree in biology at Baker University, Baldwin City, and a second bachelor's degree in cytotechnology, the study of cell abnormalities, at the University of Kansas.
He worked eight years as a cyto-tech at Truman Medical Center in Kansas City and taught at the University of Kansas-Kansas City. He then earned a master's degree in health care administration from the University of Kansas.
Armstrong completed his administrative fellowship in Mitchell, S.D., and then went on to work at Wagner.
Armstrong's wife, Tammy is from Colorado. Wanting to return to Kansas to be near families in Kansas and Colorado, Armstrong was pleased this opportunity was available.
The couple visited Marion during Armstrong's interview with the board of directors of Marion County Hospital District #1.
"I had a very good impression of the hospital from the beginning," said Armstrong. "There are very hard working and dedicated people on the staff."
The family bought a house at Marion County Park and Lake. They have three children — son Tristan 4, and daughters Keighlee 3 and Ariana 14 months.
"We're thrilled to be here and I plan to become involved in the community," said Tammy Armstrong.
