Message from the CEO

Jim Kendrick, Chief Executive Officer

Longview Regional Medical Center is proud to be part of such a great community and we are optimistic about the future as our national and local economy continues to recover. From a hospital perspective, the healthcare industry is definitely in a state of transition; from the uncertainty of healthcare reform to the increasing demand from the baby boomers, our industry will be in a constant state of change for many years to come. With this continual change, Longview Regional will continue to look for ways to work with our medical community to enhance the level of services provided and focus on partnerships that improve efficiency. 

To say health care is changing is obviously an understatement these days. We know it’s expanding on a federal level, and we can see it changing here at home as well. Beginning in 2014, more Americans will begin to have health insurance, resulting in more primary care physicians all across America. One of the messages I continue to hear in all of this change is that we all need, and quite frankly deserve, a primary care physician, a healthy lifestyle and a medical home.

In 2011, we are looking forward to beginning construction of a new 23 bed hospital wing to further enhance the Heart and Vascular Institute of Longview Regional’s capabilities. The new wing will include state of art cardiac care equipment and resources and a dedicated staff that specializes in cardiac care. For the convenience of our patients and physicians, all eleven cardiologists from the most experienced cardiology group in Longview will be located in the soon to be remodeled space one floor above the new cardiac wing.

Our emergency room (ER) continues to set new expectations for wait times, averaging less than 20 minutes for a patient to be evaluated by a board-certified emergency medicine physician. Few hospitals in the country can make such a claim, and it’s a unique designation within our region. While some ERs may reference triage times by a nurse or move you needlessly across town for definitive care, very few ERs have quality processes in place to support a 20-minute commitment!

While we can not predict what the future economic situation will be, Longview Regional can guarantee that we will continue to position ourselves to meet the growing medical needs of our community and provide excellent healthcare in 2011 and beyond.  We’re honored to serve our community, and I appreciate your continued interest in Longview Regional Medical Center.

Thank you for continuing to entrust your care to us.

 For more information about Longview Regional and upcoming events, please visit us at www.longviewregional.com