Lasting Legacy: Jones retiring after 30 years with OH

Aug. 25—On Sept. 2, Lisa Jones will retire after 30 years with Owensboro Health and a collective 40 years in the healthcare profession.

Born in East Prairie, Missouri, Jones became interested in the field through medical records and her affinity towards business and healthcare.

Jones enrolled at Eastern Kentucky University for her bachelor of science in medical record administration and worked as an assistant supervisor and coder at the University of Kentucky Medical Center for a year before her husband, Perry, was transferred to McLean County — where they have been residents of Beech Grove for 38 years.

"... I didn't think I could do direct care," Jones, 63, said. "I didn't think I had what you need in order to do that; but this was a good combination of those two things."

In December 1986, Jones was one of the 12 people to open Valley Institute of Psychiatry (now known as RiverValley Behavioral Health), serving as the director of medical records services. She moved onto the same position at Mercy Hospital in January 1992, eventually becoming the director of medical quality management.

When Mercy and Owensboro-Daviess County hospitals merged in September 1995, Jones became director of medical records. In February 1997, she was asked to move onto "something else" — leading her to become the administrative director of patient services, where she was in charge of many clinical service lines.

With the shift, Jones enrolled at the University of Missouri to receive her master of health administration; a time when online classes were nonexistent.

"I drove to St. Louis one weekend a month for two years," she laughed.

Jones eventually moved into the vice president role for patient services and helped with the planning and designing of the cancer center. She continued to serve in vice president capacities in other departments before becoming the vice president of ancillary services in April 2016, the position she still holds.

When Owensboro Health Regional Hospital opened in 2013, she was keen on helping with making improvements for both the staff and patients.

"When we found out we were building a new hospital, we immediately started thinking about what we wanted it to be like and how we wanted to be different and better ...." Jones said. "We started actually trying doing some things in the old hospital that we wanted to bring into the new hospital."

She eventually received her doctor of science in administration — health services from the University of Alabama in 2012; where she was part of the first class and the first person in history to graduate from the program.

Jones has seen a number of changes in the field, specifically advancements made in technology.

"People live through things today that they didn't live through 40 years ago when I started in healthcare, and procedures are so different," she said. "Forty years ago, if you had to get a gallbladder removed, that was a major operation and you were in the hospital for a long time; (and) today it's outpatient. It's unbelievable ...."

Obstacles still occurred, especially with the coronavirus pandemic, when data and evidence weren't initially available. But, Jones praised the team for its continued dedication.

"I'm a problem solver; I love to fix things," she said. "... That's kind of my motivation — to make things better for the people I work with and the patients who come to us."

Her commitment has not gone unnoticed.

"During her prolific career, Lisa has made innumerable contributions to the mission of Owensboro Health," said Mark Marsh, president and CEO of OH. "With her wisdom and dedication, Lisa has made us a better organization, and she most recently played a key role in creating the Innovation Center."

"Lisa has been a steadfast leader with a passion for our mission to heal the sick and improve the health of the communities we serve," said Beth Steele, chief operating officer of the hospital. "Her years of service, projects completed and many accomplishments will be a reminder of her legacy at Owensboro Health."

Jones has come to enjoy the overall experience in the field and the people she's been able to work with.

"When you work in healthcare, you're working with really great people," she said. "You're working for the brightest and the best and for people who are always trying to make things better for other people — whether it's for their co-workers or their patients.

"It's a very rewarding career."