Kootenai | Kootenai Health | Issue 4, 2018

4 Melissa Friedrick Autumn’s Cathedral November 2018 Kootenai Health 2003 Kootenai Health Way Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 83814 KH.org (208) 625-4000 Kootenai Hospital District Board of Trustees Terence Neff, M.D., Chair Mic Armon, Vice Chair Neil Nemec, M.D., Secretary/Treasurer Katie Brodie, Trustee Robert Colvin, Trustee Thomas deTar, M.D., Trustee James Eisses, Trustee Teri Farr, Trustee Administration Jon Ness, Chief Executive Officer Karen Cabell, D.O., Chief Clinical and Quality Officer Jeremy Evans, Executive Vice President of Operations Daniel Klocko, Executive Vice President of Human Resources Ron Lahner, General Counsel Taylor Reichel, M.D., Vice President, Medical Affairs Patricia Richesin, President, Kootenai Care Network Joan Simon, Chief Nursing Officer Ryan Smith, Chief Information Officer Kim Webb, Chief Financial Officer Executive Regional Editor Kim Anderson Regional Editor Andrea Nagel Cover photo Andrea Nagel Published as a courtesy of Kootenai Health four times a year. Models may be used in photos and illustrations. If you have any concerns or questions about specific content that may affect your health, please contact your health care provider. Kootenai Health complies with applicable federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. Translation assistance services, free of charge, are available to you. Please call (877) 746-4674 . Si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al (877) 746-4674 . Ako govorite srpsko-hrvatski, usluge jezicke pomoci dostupne su vam besplatno. Nazovite (877) 746-4674 . 2018 © Coffey Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. Health Luck Favors the Prepared “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” —Seneca, a Roman philosopher Extreme sporting events such as Ironman, marathons and Spartan races are growing in popularity. In the Spartan race, athletes in top physical condition race up mountains, climb over obstacles and move heavy weights. I recently had the opportunity to go behind the scenes at a Spartan race. All of the participants were impressive competitors, so at the end of the race it was surprising to learn that one man had bested the other competitors’ times by over an hour. I had a chance to ask him how he did it. He said that for a long time he was a good competitor but never won races. The change came when he moved from focusing only on physical preparation to focusing on mental preparation as well. There is a point in the race when everything becomes harder and there’s a natural tendency to slow down or even quit. The man made up his mind that the harder the race became, the more he would encourage himself with positive self-talk. He didn’t get lucky; he prepared in a way his competitors hadn’t. At Kootenai Health, we are always working to be prepared. We have added a family birth center, a state-of-the-art NICU and additional patient rooms. We recently expanded our emergency department, added additional operating rooms and expanded our existing operating rooms. We are currently working to complete 32 additional patient rooms and recruit new physicians to our community. The work we are completing now was begun years ago in preparation for the growth we are seeing today. What’s more, as we anticipate where our community’s health care needs will be in the future, we are finding new ways to prepare. We are improving our efficiency, reducing waste, and standardizing best practices and protocols so we can continue to do more. We are preparing today for tomorrow’s opportunities. Because whether you are competing in a Spartan race or planning for your health care, it’s better to count on preparation than on luck. Wishing you good health, Jon Ness, CEO