Following a nation-wide CEO search, the Prairie Lakes Healthcare System Board of Directors announces the appointment of Kenneth (K.C.) DeBoer as President and CEO. DeBoer will fill the position beginning August 20, 2018 following the retirement of current President and CEO Jill Fuller.
“We're excited to have K.C. DeBoer join our Prairie Lakes Healthcare System team,” said Jim Redlinger, Board Chair. “K.C. will bring to Prairie Lakes a vast range of experiences, from his start in healthcare as a staff nurse to his CEO position in Jamestown, North Dakota. We will challenge K.C. to continue focused efforts on the patient care experience. With K.C. joining us we are positioned to continue to lead the region in quality healthcare.”
DeBoer comes to Prairie Lakes Healthcare System with an extensive history of healthcare management. Known as a leader in rural healthcare, DeBoer has experience initiating new service lines, recruiting physicians, improving patient satisfaction scores, and achieving profitability goals.
After earning his Associate of Arts in Nursing, he went on to complete a Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Health Services Administration. He comes to Prairie Lakes with twenty seven years of healthcare management experience. He and his wife Stacey are relocating from Jamestown, North Dakota. DeBoer currently serves as the President and CEO of Jamestown Regional Medical Center, an independent critical access hospital that serves a nine county area with a population of 45,000. His rural healthcare experience will be an asset to Prairie Lakes, an independent rural community healthcare system that serves a ten county area with a population of 87,000.
“I am humbled and honored to join the team at Prairie Lakes Healthcare System and we are excited to move to Watertown,” said DeBoer. “Prairie Lakes has a strong tradition of caring for the community. As the community’s hospital our strength comes from our relationship with the community. We are a part of the fabric of Watertown and the region and I am committed to growing and fostering that partnership. I look forward to working with the outstanding medical staff in Watertown and the region and all the employees of Prairie Lakes to provide the best care possible to the patients we serve.”
Jill Fuller announced her succession plans in November, 2017 with a flexible retirement date pending the Board hiring her successor. “I'd like to thank Jill for her accomplishments while at Prairie Lakes, especially leading PLHS to be a Top 20 Rural Community Hospital in 2016 and 2018,” said Jim Redlinger. “Thank you, Jill for all you have given to help make Prairie Lakes what it is today. I also appreciate the dedication of the search committee, medical staff, Board of Directors, and staff during the CEO search process.”