By Debra Solomon Baker
Laura Wills
executive director,
Missouri Market
for Kindred Healthcare
What could be worse than being sick and then being condemned to wander aimlessly through a maze? Sound terrifying?
Laura Wills knows that this
scenario, this suffocating healthcare web, is a reality for too many patients in this country. Therefore, as executive director of the Missouri Market for Kindred Healthcare she has committed herself to helping each patient navigate effectively through the labyrinth. Ê
One of her long-term goals is to provide better education for her patients, which, in turn, will help ensure that their needs are met and their dollars are well spent.
"What's on everyone's mind is the quality of care and the cost of care," she says.
"I am very committed to making sure that our healthcare money is spent appropriately, that our patients come first and that we do the right thing by them."
A typical Kindred patient arrives in need of longer-term care than is provided by other hospitals and often requires ventilator assistance or careful attention to complicated wounds. Average length of stay at Kindred is about 28 days.
In Wills' current position, for which she has recently celebrated her first anniversary, she oversees the three Kindred hospitals in Missouri: St. Louis, St Louis
St. Anthony's, and Kansas City.
Since childhood, healthcare has been a major presence in Wills' life. As a young girl in Ohio, she recalls walking from her home for meals in the nearby nursing home, where her mother worked as an administrator. Wills later worked in the kitchen there, her very first job. She went on to earn her nursing degree from Ohio State and then a master's of business administration from Indiana Wesleyan.
"I like what I do because the facilities are small enough that I still have a lot of patient contact," she says.
As one can imagine, Wills' position brings with it a demanding schedule. During the hours spent away from Kindred, Wills enjoys time with her "extremely supportive" husband, her seven-year-old grandson who lives with she and her husband in Imperial, and her four dogs.
As for her new hometown, Wills finds St. Louis progressive in many ways, but hopes to see Missouri move toward more widespread, smoke-free environments, including in restaurants.
LEADERSHIP CIRCLE
INSIGHTS
What one piece of technology
(software, hardware, website, etc.)
helps you most in your job?
"My Blackberry is essential for keeping up with business matters when I'm out of the office."
Sally Schrefer
EVP, Nursing and Health Professions,
Elsevier
"My Blackberry is indispensible to me because it allows me to be connected throughout the hotel. From our valet on the first floor to Cielo restaurant on the 8th to our Presidential Suite on the 19th floor, I am accessible to answer questions to take care of guests' needs. I also like feeling connected and informed while I am away. As I write this, I am on vacation at one of our Four Seasons Hotels!"
General Manager,
Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis
"In our business staying in touch with your clients and team is critical to the success of projects. My Blackberry allows me to effectively communicate via phone or email 24/7. Also, it gives me the ability to link to my desktop at my office. Now I can manage my appointments, contact database, and task lists from anywhere in the country."
Principal (Operations),
CB&E Construction Group
For more information on the Leadership Circle, please contact John Diefenbach, vice president-membership, (314) 444-1184 or jdief@stlrcga.org.
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