Mallory Herrmann
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John McDonald, FACHE, has joined Lee’s Summit Medical Center as CEO. He comes from a chief operating officer role with the Corpus Christi Medical Center, a five-campus hospital system located in Corpus Christi, Texas.

The Lee’s Summit Tribune was able to chat with McDonald this week. We asked him about the challenges he expects to face, including issues of bullying, teen suicide, and gun violence in the community. He said the greatest challenges are related to the community’s high growth rate, ensuring that medical care providers and services expand to meet the demands of a growing city. But he cites the LSMC employees and culture as the most effective tool in adding capacity and addressing underserved areas.

“Anyone can really build a building,” McDonald said, adding that the key to real success is the people: both employee engagement and patient satisfaction.

McDonald also described the two-pronged approach to facing tough challenges like suicide and gun violence: preparation and reaction. Referencing programs like Stop the Bleed, a national campaign to better prepare the public in responding to instances of life-threatening bleeding, McDonald notes that HCA Midwest is involved in many regional education and outreach programs to create a community of preparedness. He said that LSMC is a facility that is prepared if the unthinkable happens.

Lee’s Summit Medical Center is part of HCA Midwest Health, a healthcare network serving the greater Kansas City area. It’s an 80-bed full service hospital with over 300 physicians representing more than 40 specialties. Matt Sogard, FACHE, served as LSMC’s CEO until his recent appointment to CEO of Overland Park Regional Medical Center, also part of HCA Midwest Health.

McDonald has a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science from Texas A&M, as well as a Master of Healthcare Administration and Master of Business Administration from the University of Houston-Clear Lake. He lives in Lee’s Summit with his wife and two daughters. He says he doesn’t yet have a favorite barbeque restaurant: “I can still be won over.”