Pekin Hospital Chief Executive Officer Gary Jepson is leaving, and a search has begun for his successor.
Jepson was hired as Pekin Hospital CEO in June 2012. His last day will be April 11. He has accepted a position with the Mercy System in Oklahoma. Jepson will work in Oklahoma City as CEO of the western region of Mercy Clinic, which employs more than 2,000 physicians in three regions, he said.
The board will meet Tuesday and discuss the leadership of the hospital while the search for a new full-time CEO is conducted. Quorum Health Resources will assist with the search, said Jepson.
He said the board is pleased with the direction the hospital is going and that it will continue to pursue its current course.
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“We’ve done some really good things in the past year and a half or two,” said Jepson. “We’ve seen a lot of positive improvement at Pekin Hospital.
“The board is pleased with that and they plan to pursue the same course that we’re on.”
The hospital went through some employee layoffs recently. Jepson said, “I can report that the decisions we’ve made have achieved the desired results and along with expense reductions and revenue growth opportunities we are hitting and exceeding our projections.” He said he does not foresee further layoffs.
Some of the highlights of Jepson’s career at Pekin Hospital include the recruitment of new doctors and the expansion of the gastroenterology program, the urology program and the development of the teleneurology program, which allows doctors to communicate directly with a neurologist. The hospital also added a new surgical unit and remodeled floors to allow for private rooms for every patient, he said.
The hospital is currently involved with some physician recruitment processes that Jepson said will help the next CEO. The hospital is looking for an ear, nose and throat doctor, primary care physicians and a general surgeon. In addition, the hospital is starting a new pain management program and will need a pain management physician.
The hospital also started a medical mission program. In October 2013, 29 employees went to Nicaragua. This year a team will go to Liberia. The employees conduct fundraisers to pay for the mission. Jepson said the staff is a caring group of individuals.
“One of the things that I appreciate about the physicians and the staff at Pekin Hospital — this is a group of people that really have a heart for serving others,” he said. “They are really motivated to touch and improve lives.
“That’s been one of the real wonderful things about being at Pekin Hospital. Give these folks an opportunity to make a difference somewhere and they just jump right in. I love that spirit of helping others that we’ve seen grow and develop at Pekin Hospital.”
Date: Mar. 23, 2014