Jennifer Havens began her new role as chief executive officer of UnityPoint Health-Grinnell Regional Medical Center on July 30, 2018, following a national search. She spent the early part of her career as a bedside nurse with St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. A registered nurse and administrator, she has more than 28 years of health care experience. Before leading Grinnell Regional Medical Center, she was vice president of operations for Central Iowa Healthcare in Marshalltown, which was purchased by UnityPoint Health in May 2017. She worked in that position while retaining her role as CEO of Grundy County Memorial Hospital in Grundy Center, where she had earlier been chief clinical officer. Grinnell Regional Medical Center became an affiliate of UnityPoint Health on Jan. 1, 2018. Havens and her husband are in the process of buying a house in Grinnell.

You began your career in nursing. Had you always wanted to be a nurse? 
I left [Iowa] to go to Miami, Fla., where I went to Bible college and nursing school — I originally thought I was going to be a missionary and a nurse all at the same time. But life happens, and I didn’t pursue overseas work. But it was there that I learned about St. Jude and just became really interested in working at a place where they took care of children with cancer. … I started as a bedside nurse, caring for children with cancer. I went there thinking that I was going to make a difference for those children and families. And what I realized and continued to realize over my 18 years there was it wasn’t about me making a difference for them, it was about the difference that they made for me.

What did that experience teach you about health care? 
I think I learned something that stays with me today, even as a health care leader. And that is simply that in health care we often cannot impact the outcome, but we can make a difference and we can impact the journey. So even as a leader today, it’s important to me to help my team recognize that each and every day. No matter the course or how things turn out, we can make a difference in that patient’s day. And in that moment, that’s what we need to focus on.

How would you describe your leadership philosophy? 
We are all wired differently, and I believe it’s important to play to our strengths as leaders rather than continuously work on our opportunities for improvement. Four of my top five strengths using the Gallup tool are in the relationship-building category, and my fifth is an influencing strength identified as “command.” When asked to choose a picture to describe my strengths to a group of team members, I chose an orchestra conductor. I believe my role as a leader is to stand in front, but only to direct — to bring out the talents of my employees, help them know when and where to play, and connect all the parts along the way to create something masterful, something we can all be proud of.

What’s the biggest thing coming up for Grinnell Regional Medical Center this year? 
There’s been a lot of work done around integrating UnityPoint Health’s mission and values from a culture perspective. On the horizon, the biggest thing for 2019, and one of the biggest initial advantages, is for the medical center to adopt UnityPoint’s electronic medical record system [Epic]. That will be transformational for this hospital, as we’ve been on a stand-alone electronic health system that does not talk to other systems.

How is the medical center’s financial health? 
We are what is called a “tweener” hospital. [Tweener hospitals, according to the American Hospital Association, are defined as those too large to be considered critical access hospitals and too small to be rural referral hospitals or to thrive under the Medicare hospital prospective payment systems.] We don’t get the benefits of a lot of different types of reimbursement programs that other hospitals do. As a result, tweener hospitals struggle financially, and I would say that that’s a true statement for Grinnell as well. … But certainly being a part of UnityPoint Health allows us much better pricing, so from a financial perspective that’s going to save us money and help us tremendously.

How do you plan to become involved in the Grinnell community? 
I’m on the chamber board [Grinnell Area Chamber of Commerce] now. I think it’s a great way for me to immerse myself in what’s happening in the community and to get to know the community. [Having seen how scarce housing was while house-hunting,] one thing I’m glad to see rise to the top of their strategic plan is how do we create more affordable housing.

What hobbies do you enjoy? 
I enjoy cooking and baking — the kitchen is my therapy. And I enjoy reading; I like historical fiction. 

What’s a favorite book? 
[In my professional reading I’ve enjoyed] “The Power of Moments” by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. This book highlights how to create defining moments — short experiences that are both memorable and meaningful. As I consider how to lead an organization that creates an amazing experience for our patients, this book provided some great ideas and insight into the psychology of customer loyalty and shared connections.