JONESBORO—St. Bernards Medical Center is both a medical and economic mecca in Northeast Arkansas. The 438-bed hospital that serves a 23-county area in Northeast Arkansas and Southeast Missouri that has a population of 645,000 is the largest employer in Craighead County employing about 3,000.
Under the leadership of President & CEO Chris Barber, the medical center has developed innovative new programs and services including a new 54,000-square-foot health and wellness center, a new Level II assisted living facility which includes a separate and secure Memory Care Center for caring for patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
St. Bernards – initially founded by Olivetan Benediction Sisters in 1900 – has managed to continue with its mission to provide healthcare to everyone regardless of ability to pay, while also seeing its net revenue climb. For example, it climbed about eight percent to $354.6 million for the fiscal year that ended in 2013. Its mission is "to provide Christ-like healing to the community through education, treatment and health services.”
“In the healthcare industry, this is a dynamic and exciting time in that we are experiencing rapid changes in the delivery and financing of care,” Barber said. “All the changes are stimulating. It is rewarding to be on the leading edge of not just how we deliver care to an individual, but also to the community that we live in regarding overall health. We continue to advance prevention and wellness activities, which are positive things. Our new wellness center provides not just exercise opportunities, but also counseling about weight loss, diabetes, chronic diseases, COPD and other illnesses. We are focused on how we can help people be healthier so they don’t need extensive medical interventions.”
The medical center paid for the new wellness center out of profits from operations.
“We have been very fortunate and privileged to serve as the trusted provider of healthcare throughout the region,” Barber said. “Our responsiveness to the mission, physician leadership and financial strength has allowed us to reinvest in the services to benefit the community. At the end of the day, it is still about providing good quality care to the individuals you serve. Recently we finished a 75-bed assisted living Level II living facility, which has 30 beds in a memory care unit. We have a free-standing 20-bed hospice facility, the Flo & Phil Jones Hospice House. Then there is our 12-bed neonatal intensive care unit, so families don’t have to travel. That has been a wonderful gift the community made happen.”
Fifteen years ago St. Bernards began a big push to improve services for seniors.
“We have a very comprehensive geriatric medicine program where we work with the whole gamut of needs for the elderly including transportation to get access to healthcare,” Barber said, “and good nutrition and socialization to stimulate daily activity. We provide retirement living, and our memory center is unique to the area. We are very proud of the work the team has done, and it has been well received by the community."
The longevity of many key employees is indicative that there is a steady hand at the helm.
“We have a lot of long tenure employees throughout the organization,” Barber said. “Folks come and they stay. Our mission statement is more than just words on a page. It is a family, a community. We have been recognized for that. There is something special about our culture and environment, and St. Bernards is a great place to be. I think staying true to our core values has created the success we have had as an organization.”
Barber enjoyed playing sports growing up, and was influenced a lot by teachers, coaches, community leaders and members of his church. He learned to raise his hand when volunteers were being sought. He came to appreciate the importance of hard work. And listening.
“The first and foremost thing is listening to your community about what is needed, and then reaching out to create those opportunities,” Barber said. “We partner with community groups with similar values to try to benefit the entire region.
“The private option Medicaid expansion has been very important to all hospitals. It is working. We have experienced overall volume growth that has allowed us to hire new physicians, expand and provide new services. In addition, the private option may have prevented some hospitals in Arkansas from closing.”
Barber prefers to refer to opportunities rather than challenges regarding hospital management. “That is how we see it,” he said. “That is part of our attitude and outlook on things. We embrace the change and see a lot of opportunities out there.”
In the 23 years he has been at St. Bernards, there has always been a construction project going on. And staff has grown, as well. The medical center was successful in hiring 27 new physicians this year in what it refers to as its “Class of 2015.” More than 100 physicians have been recruited in just the past decade bringing the number of physicians affiliated with the hospital to nearly 300. Many stayed after finishing a UAMS family practice residency program at St. Bernards. Barber said when physicians come and see firsthand the good schools, low crime rate, the high quality of life and the state-of-the-art technology at their disposal, they often want to stay.
“A lot of people are surprised at the advanced level of care and technology we have,” Barber said. Our physicians are progressive and focused on providing the best evidence-based medicine available. They are always looking for new cutting edge technology that will make a difference in our community. Not only that, but our physicians give back to the community through things like the annual St. Bernards Medical Group Health & Fitness Expo which attracts about 15,000 people each year and provides pre-participation physicals to secondary school athletes in Craighead County. Every year we read about young athletes who die from sudden cardiac arrest. Because we provide EKGs for athletes going into the ninth grade and higher, we have picked up 17 athletes over the last few years who went on to have procedures that likely saved their lives.”
In addition, he is pleased to see the new development of the New York Institute of Technology osteopathic medical school located on the Arkansas State University campus.
The medical center has one of the busiest emergency rooms in the state with more than 61,000 visits per year. And it also has Fast Care\Urgent Care for those who need treatment without appointments on a non-emergency basis. In addition, the medical center works to make sure patients get quick test results instead of agonizing for days worrying about the outcomes through services like same-day mammogram results, three days from diagnosis to treatment options for those diagnosed with cancer and more.
In his available free time, Barber spends time with his wife, Michelle, and their three teenage boys who are involved in a variety of activities.
Link
New York Institute of Technology Approves Plan for Osteopathic Medical School Site in Arkansas, http://www.nyit.edu/about_nyit/news/nyit_board_approves_plan_for_osteopathic_medical_school_site_in_arkansas/
