Last Updated on March 6, 2021 by Logansport Memorial Hospital
SOURCE: News release from Logansport Memorial Hospital
At the end of this month, Logansport Memorial Hospital’s Jeanette Huntoon, Vice-President of the Physician Network, will retire from her very successful career after 31years of service. In the time that she has worked at the hospital, she has experienced a lot of growth and change in an industry that is constantly evolving.
Jeanette began her career with Logansport Memorial Hospital (LMH) while she was enrolled at Indiana University Kokomo for a nursing degree. She received a scholarship from LMH that was offered for nursing students at the time. As part of that scholarship program, she worked on the floor as a nursing assistant. After graduation with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing, she was officially hired as anRN on the Medical/Surgical inpatient floor. Shortly after that, she moved into the role of Nurse Manager for the Medical/Surgical floor.
Her journey at LMH continued after being approached for new roles in care management, then as Chief Nursing Officer in 2001, and then again to move into her current role as Vice-President of the Physician Network in 2015.During that time, Jeanette also returned to school at Indiana Wesleyan University to receive her Master’s degree in Leadership.
Jeanette’s passion for patient care has always shined through in some of her proudest achievements. As Chief Nursing Officer, she led the development and implementation of some very innovative programs for LMH, including the Hospitalist Program, bringing Nurse Practitioners on board to grow our network of providers, and spearheading the hospital’s evolving Quality Program. As Vice-President of the Physician Network, Jeanette shifted her focus to collaborating with the hospital’s affiliated physicians, so that they had the administrative support they needed to provide exceptional patient care. She played a very active role in the always ongoing physician recruitment efforts at LMH as well.
When asked about the thing she has loved most about her job and her career, and the one thing that she will miss most in her retirement, her answer is one and the same. “I will miss the people,” Jeanette shares. “I have been so fortunate to work with so many different people over the course of my career, through four CEOs to lots of different executive leaders, managers, and frontline staff members. I believe that everyone I have worked with, all across the hospital, has taught me something. I have learned how to be a better nurse and a better leader just by working with them and understanding how we all help each other.”
She went on to say, “No one person or leader does their job alone, especially in healthcare. I have seen firsthand how our hospital and the people here have risen to the occasion, when there is a need to care for our community. I’ve seen it many, many times. I think I’m most proud to have been a part of that, and proud of working with so many people who have given their heart and soul to this hospital along the way.”
Logansport Memorial Hospital President and CEO Perry Gay commented, “With a career that spans just over three decades, Jeanette’s leadership has contributed significantly to the success of our hospital. Her expertise, input, and willingness to try new roles and tackle new challenges has been an invaluable asset to me, and to my predecessors in this role. I want to thank Jeanette for her servant leadership, loyalty, and commitment to Logansport Memorial Hospital. She will be greatly missed, and I wish her a long and happy retirement.”
With the announcement of Jeanette’s retirement, Logansport Memorial Hospital is also pleased to announce the promotion of Rachel Theodore to Vice-President of the Physician Network, Sports Medicine, and Workforce Health. Rachel was promoted to this new role in September of 2020, to work alongside Jeanette during a transition period.
Prior to this role, Rachel began working at LMH in 2012 as a Health Coach in the Workforce Health department, serving clients and companies across the state and country in meeting their health and wellness goals. Just a short year later, she moved into the role of Director and began managing the department. One of her biggest achievements in that position was combining the various employer health services that LMH offers into the Workforce Health department that is well known today, still serving clients across the north-central Indiana region and the state.
In 2018, Rachel assumed responsibility for the start-up of the Logansport Memorial Sports Medicine program as an Associate Vice-President at LMH. Within a year’s time, she grew the program from one partner school to five partner schools, serving over 2,000 student athletes in Cass and Miami counties. In 2019, she was named Vice-President of Sports Medicine and Workforce Health, where she achieved significant expansion and growth across all of her responsible service lines.
In her new role, Rachel will continue to build on Jeanette’s efforts as she leads the teams of staff, providers, and physicians in all medical practices of the Logansport Memorial Physician Network. She will also lead initiatives focused on physician engagement and recruitment. She retains the oversight of the Sports Medicine program and the Workforce Health department, among other responsibilities. Rachel received her bachelor’s degree from Saint Joseph’s College, her first Master’s degree in Sports and Exercise Psychology from Ball State University, and her second Master’s degree in Healthcare Management from Indiana University Kokomo.
“Rachel is a very talented and goal-oriented leader who has been committed to Logansport Memorial’s sustainability and success since the beginning of her career here,” said Perry Gay. “I feel very fortunate to have Rachel’s expertise and leadership in this role and as part of our executive team here at the hospital. The combination of skills and experience that she brings to this role will help us continue to provide excellent care to our patients while focusing on new and existing opportunities for growth in various service lines, and geographically.”
Perry went on to say, “We have exciting goals on the horizon, and it will be a true team effort from top to bottom across the organization to achieve them. I am confident that we are well-positioned with our leadership team and dedicated staff members throughout our hospital to continue bringing our organizational vision to life, as we seek to meet and exceed the needs and desires of our patients and the communities we serve across the north-central Indiana region.”