When I was five, my father retired from the Army, and we settled in southern California. As the youngest of seven children, I quickly found humor was one of my best survival techniques. I learned that by making my siblings laugh, I could distract them from taking my stuff.

My parents are now deceased. However, they had-and continue to have-a great influence on me, my career, and my family. My mother was a nurse, and my father was a hospital administrator. As a child, I would occasionally go to work with my father and follow him around the hospital. Because of those positive experiences, I've always enjoyed being in and around health care.
My parents emphasized the importance of a good education and the ability to make a difference. I attended Arizona State University for my undergraduate education and, later, earned my masters in health administration from the University of Colorado. I selected a degree in accounting because I love math and because it was a solid career path doing something I really enjoyed.

I began my career in human resources through a position I held as a tax accountant. In that job, I was responsible for the accounting of pension and health and welfare plans. I found I really enjoyed managing the finances of programs that supported employees' welfare, both current (health plans) and future (pension/401k plans). Later, while working for a human resources consulting firm, I answered an ad for a benefits coordinator position with a health system in Denver. I worked for that system, which is now a part of the for-profit HCA system, for 11 years before accepting my current position in Peoria.

I've been very fortunate to have had great bosses and mentors throughout my life. I came on board at Methodist the year after Michael Bryant became CEO. I was impressed with the direction Michael was taking Methodist-not just for our patients, but for our employees, physicians, and the community as a whole, and I wanted to be a part of that.

What's your current role at Methodist?

I'm senior vice president of administration and chief human resources officer. My current areas of responsibility include Human Resources, Information Technology, Security, Pharmacy, our Chaplain Program, and the Methodist Family Child Care Center. Most of my departments support our direct patient care providers by giving them the tools they need to effectively carry out the Methodist mission of delivering outstanding healthcare. As a senior vice president, my role is to set strategic direction for these departments within the framework of Methodist's mission, values, and strategic plan. The strategic direction has to define expected outcomes and balance those within the parameters of the resources available.

Tell us a bit about a few of the areas that report to you.

While each of these areas is very different from one another, they're all bound by one common goal, the mission of Methodist: We are Committed to Delivering Outstanding Healthcare. Period.

Human Resources involves developing and maintaining programs that enable us to retain, recruit, and develop talented people. Methodist is one of Peoria's largest employers, and we're committed to hiring and keeping the best people. Human Resources gives us the tools to do that. One of my goals is to ensure that Human Resources is a visible and active resource for the leadership team. My position is also responsible for seeing that our Human Resources systems and programs support the mission and goals of the entire organization. I love working with employees to design a work culture that reflects our values. Through Human Resources, we provide our employees with the tools and education to help them plan for their future needs-from college for their kids to the retirement they've dreamed about.

The Information Technology department is a dynamic department to lead. Advances in technology are changing the way we deliver care. IT's goal is to provide systems that help our health care providers deliver safer, more efficient care, while also providing more information to patients and their families that will help them in making important decisions about their health. The pairing of outstanding people and the latest technology at Methodist will result in the delivery of health care that's safer, faster, and more convenient-whether the care is delivered in one of our physician offices, the hospital, or even the comfort of your home. Methodist is proud to be a leader in health care technology. In 2004, we received the McKesson VIP award for innovations in patient and medication safety, recognizing outcomes that have been achieved at Methodist since installing computer systems that help your health care provider deliver better care.

Methodist recently received the Magnet Award. Tell us about this award.

Methodist is so proud to be the first hospital in downstate Illinois to achieve Magnet status. The Magnet Award for Excellence in Nursing Services is the highest recognition hospital nursing can achieve. To be judged worthy of this award by the American Nurses Credentialing Center is a rare and significant honor. Fewer than 3 percent of U.S. hospitals have been awarded Magnet status. Attaining nursing's top honor means Methodist meets the toughest possible standards, and the quality of our nursing is second to none. Methodist nurses are the best of the best.

The application process to attain Magnet takes several years and involves an intense onsite review of our nursing practices and delivery of care. It's wonderful to work with such highly talented nurses and nursing leadership.

Last October, Methodist held a technology Open House. How do these technologies affect the people of Peoria?

This past fall, Methodist presented Methodist in Motion, the first health care technology exhibition in the State of Illinois. Methodist in Motion showcased for the community many of the technology advances that are currently installed at Methodist and several more that will be implemented over the next few years. These technologies provide you and your physician with tools and information that assist you in effectively managing your health care. Today at Methodist, physicians can track their patients' progress from their office or home using a product called Physician Portal. It enables physicians to monitor patients by computer from anywhere in the world via a secure Web site. This includes monitoring patients while they're in the hospital, checking their progress, ordering tests and treatment, and even discharging them to go home. In the near future, patients will be able to access their own health care records from the convenience of their home computer. Patients will be able to manage their appointments, treatment times, and even transfer medical records from one provider to another-all through a confidential Web-based product called Community Portal. We're very excited to bring this level of technology to our patients and to the community of Peoria.

Methodist has been recruiting specialists in the fields of mental health and cardiovascular services. Tell us about these new programs and services.

Methodist has been very successful in recruiting outstanding physician talent to Peoria. We believe these new physicians complement and augment the existing physician talent in central Illinois. Two main areas of recruitment include psychiatry and cardiology.

Two years ago, the community of Peoria was faced with a challenge in providing inpatient mental health services. That's when Methodist stepped up to meet the needs of our community, opening two new behavioral health units. Today, Methodist is proud to be the only inpatient mental health provider in Peoria. We've also been very successful recruiting talented new psychiatrists to live and work in Peoria. Our physicians are working closely with the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria and with the area's community services to provide comprehensive, state-of-the-art mental health care.

We're also committed to world-class heart care. In 2004, we opened the Methodist Heart, Lung and Vascular Institute. Its emphasis on leading-edge research and techniques is drawing new physicians to Peoria and the region. We're implementing new programs to manage heart failure, and we're committed to education about heart disease. Heart disease is the number one killer for women. In the event of a heart attack, the typical symptom of crushing chest pain often isn't as evident in women. Many women experience fatigue, shortness of breath, and back pain as the first symptoms, and they end up delaying treatment. The Methodist HLVI and its team of experienced and superior physicians are bringing new research, techniques, technologies, and education to our community.

There's a national nursing shortage. How is this affecting Methodist, and what are you doing to combat the shortage?

Statistical predictions indicate we'll experience a national nursing shortage well past 2020. Methodist and Peoria have been very fortunate to have retained nursing talent in the community, as well as having several outstanding nursing programs and colleges in the area to train more nurses, but the nationwide shortage will continue to present challenges for us. One of our strengths at Methodist is an outstanding work environment designed and built by Methodist employees. One of the first projects I facilitated when I started at Methodist in 2000 was to work with employees to develop the Methodist Total Compensation Philosophy. This philosophy is a document that defines what employees can expect from Methodist in five key areas: base compensation, benefits, performance management, work culture, and recognition. The Methodist Total Compensation Philosophy treats every employee as a total person with specific needs, experiences, and concerns-both on and off the job. We rely on our employee-staffed advisory committees to continuously evaluate the Total Compensation Philosophy and to come up with enhancements that meet the changing needs of our workforce.

This Total Compensation Philosophy is the foundation for our numerous employee committees, with hundreds of active participants shaping and defining the programs and the future of Methodist. Their contributions, advice, and ideas are what make Methodist a wonderful place to work. We don't want to be just "the employer of choice"; we want to be a place where our employees love to share their skills, abilities, and training. It's not about earning a living here. You can earn a living anywhere. What sets Methodist apart is our commitment to helping our employees and their families make their lives better-financially, physically, and emotionally.

This approach helps us attract and keep the best nurses. Our employees are awesome; our patients know it, and they tell us. On our last Press Ganey Patient Satisfaction Survey, Methodist nurses were ranked in the top 2 percent in the nation.

We're also training the nurses of tomorrow through our Methodist College of Nursing. Two years ago, we replaced our diploma-based nursing program with a baccalaureate degree-granting program. We're actively recruiting more minority students, male students, and non-traditional students-those looking to go back to school or change careers. And we partner with the Girl Scouts' Kickapoo Council, offering a fun and unique two-day nursing camp designed to interest teenage girls in a nursing career.

What are some of the best aspects of a nursing career?

Nursing is a fabulous profession. At one time, nursing and teaching were the primary careers open to women. Then, as options increased, fewer women entered the nursing field. But today, women and men are discovering nursing provides for a professionally challenging career in a flexible environment. Nurses have so many options to choose from and can typically match these options to their family situation and schedule. Nursing is a wonderful and rewarding profession that offers great income and benefits, a flexible schedule that easily adapts as your lifestyle changes, work that challenges and enriches you, and a career where you can make the difference in so many lives every day.

Discuss some of Methodist's other accomplishments.

In November 2004, Methodist was honored by Press Ganey, a national corporation specializing in employee, physician, and patient satisfaction. We were recognized as a 2004 Top 6 Success Story for our story, "Bringing Your Culture to Life." I'm so proud of this recognition. This award recognizes Methodist employees have created an outstanding work environment and also commends the employees of Methodist for the initiatives that have been implemented, as well as their unwavering commitment to the mission and values that are the foundation of all our programs and the reason we exist.

"Bringing your Culture to Life" is the story of Methodist over the last five years and the difference a common mission and values and a stellar leadership team can make. Our outstanding employees and leadership team and our committed community board members are the core of this story. It's no surprise Methodist employees take our mission so much to heart. The mission, as well as the values that support and strengthen it, were designed, developed, and implemented by our employees themselves. That's in keeping with our grass-roots approach to leadership that involves the employees at every level of decision-making in our organization.

In addition to presenting this story at the 2004 Press Ganey conference, we were also recognized for the achievements we've made in delivering patient care in our Emergency Department. Our goal at Methodist is to be in the top 5 percent nationwide in everything we do, and this recognition is a reflection of the ways we're meeting that goal.

What can we do to curb rising health care costs? What are the most important health issues in central Illinois?

A major challenge we face at Methodist is the rising cost of health care. Yes, we're a health care provider, but we're also the third largest employer in Peoria, and we aren't exempt from the national challenge of 15 to 20 percent cost increases in health care each year. Nationwide, as our population ages, a growing number of new technologies, treatments, and pharmacy options are available to provide us with a longer, higher quality life. While more and better options are wonderful for us and mean our family members are receiving better care, they're expensive. These large, year-after-year increases pose a significant challenge for employers. The substantial increases simply can't be sustained. One way we're working to control costs at Methodist is by encouraging all employees to live a healthier lifestyle.

Our benefit program allows for a wellness benefit that pays 100 percent of the cost for preventive care including well-child exams through age 18, routine mammograms for all women age 35 and up, routine annual gynecology exams including Pap smears, and routine annual physicals. Each full-time employee at Methodist receives $150 towards wellness-related activities such as a fitness club membership or nutritional counseling. Our bodies are a complex machine, and we only get one per lifetime. We need to maintain our bodies by eating healthy, exercising, and getting routine check-ups. If I can make a lifestyle change that would eliminate a prescription from my routine, I will. In the long run, it's better and healthier for my body. Another way to control health care costs is to be an active consumer participant in your care. Understand why a test has been ordered and what you can do to maximize the outcome.

How do you balance work and family life?

My husband and children bring great joy into my life every day. With school, sports, and extracurricular activities, we're always on the go. Our family is fortunate in that Sean, my husband, has chosen to stay at home with the kids. Sean keeps our family in balance and grounded in our values. I also think it's important that my children see that I love my work and that I'm doing something that makes a difference-just as I learned that from my parents. My kids love to come to the hospital with me. Their favorite part is going to the nursery to see the new babies. We've also made it a family tradition-our fifth year at Methodist-that on Christmas Day, we visit every department and deliver a gift to each person who's working that day. My kids look forward to going to Methodist on Christmas Day to visit with employees and show off some of their gifts from Santa. We finish our day in the cafeteria for our holiday dinner. It's a way for me to share my family with my Methodist family.

One thing I'm especially proud of at Methodist is our emphasis on family and helping our employees put family first.

What else would you like our readers to know about Methodist?

As a woman executive, I believe being a good leader is about knowing why you exist. At Methodist, I exist to create an environment where our employees can say, "I love Methodist." They know what they're doing is important and valuable and wouldn't be the same without them. We aren't all hands-on caregivers at Methodist. But we are-each and every one of us-centered on our patients and their families and committed to providing outstanding care.

Together, we are Methodist. And our people are what really set Methodist apart. They make the difference-in their commitment to our mission, their dedication to our values, and their vision for our future. We're committed to delivering outstanding healthcare. Period. This is simply what we do.TPW