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 | Community Connections | Fall 2020

Good Shepherd Health Care System | 

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Working behind the scenes, 
with a constant workload full 
of coordinating, researching, 
forecasting and supporting all service 
lines, is the hospital’s Materials 
Management Department. Cathleen 
Jensen, Manager of Materials, has 
never wavered with the demands 
set upon her and her team to keep 
the hospital’s supplies on-hand and 
ready during the pandemic.

“The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) 
advised at least a 30-day supply 
of Personal Protective Equipment 
(PPE) in order to resume elective 
and non-emergent surgeries back in 
May,” stated Jensen. “Before then, we 
were strapped to secure vendors and 
adequate supply chains, but always 
found a way to ensure we had the 
necessary supplies to keep our staff 
and patients safe.”

“Some hospitals were considering 
purchasing PPE on the black market 
back in March with all the supply 
shortages and anticipated surges 
in patients. Whether they did or 
not likely isn’t public knowledge, 
but a healthcare worker’s safety is 

paramount and it’s understandable that 
risks may need to be taken,” Jensen 
shared. 

The Hospital supply needs requires 
approximately 5,043,547 individual 
items per year to function at normal 
volumes. With the demands of the 
pandemic, supply capacities increased 
and fluctuated periodically. Here are 
some facts about the incredible support 
Materials Management has provided for 
the hospital in one year’s time:

“I’ve been afraid for  

my family. When I’m at  

work I don’t think about the 

risks, I’m just doing my job.  

It’s afterwards when I go  

home that I feel the  

stress and anxiety.”

-GSHCS Nurse

MATERIALS MANAGEMENT

Oregon Lions District G36 members, John Taylor (District Governor), 

Gary Mose (Past District Governor) and Joe Foran (Region 2, Zone 1 

Chair) pose with Environmental Services team members and Marketing 

& Communications Director, Caitlin, with the iMOP Floor Scrubber 

donated to GSHCS.

Materials Management Team 

Top Row (L to R): Anna, 

Matilynn, Kristina, Bottom Row: 

Margarita, Cathleen, Helica

• 1,600 unique items are stocked in the general store room. 
• Each day (365/year) they scan and stock approximately 4,700 items in the 

nursing units, surgery center and all the clinics on and off campus.  

This includes over 25 different departments. 

• Annually they process 2,400 purchase orders for supplies, totaling 

5,043,547 individual items.

• They also process about 700 purchase orders for equipment,  

furniture and IT items annually.

• They stock and manage outdates on 12 code carts.
• Three times a week they receive supply stock from Medline totaling  

10 pallets.

• Each day they receive between 90 -150 packages from FedEx,  

FedEx Ground and UPS.

“I am so proud of my team and their willingness to support our 

hospital’s services lines around the clock. It is amazing to witness 

their dedication and determination to make a difference in the 

health and safety of our patients and staff,” stated Jensen.

On Friday, July 24, 2020,  
GSHCS Board of Trustees 
announced that Brian Sims, 
MBA, FACHE, has accepted 
the position as Good Shepherd 
Health Care System’s (GSHCS) 
next President and Chief 
Executive Officer (CEO).

“We are pleased to welcome 
Brian and his family to the 
Hermiston community. After a 
rigorous recruitment process 
including three excellent finalists, 
the Board is confident Brian is 
the right fit for our organization,” 
shared Chair of the Board of 
Trustees, Steve Eldrige.

Sims will assume the position 
October 1, 2020, succeeding 
current President and CEO, 
Dennis Burke, who announced 
his intent to retire last October 
after over 31 years leading Good 
Shepherd. Sims brings with him 
10 years of executive leadership 
experience, leaving his recent 
appointment of CEO for five 
years with Lucas County Health 
Center (LCHC) in Chariton, 
Iowa – a fully accredited 25-bed 
Critical Access Hospital (CAH), 
similar to GSHCS.

During Sims’ recent tenure, 
LCHC was recognized as a “Top 
20 Critical Access Hospital for 
Quality” by the National Rural 
Health Association, nationally 
ranked 125th of over 1,000  
CAHs by the Chartis Group, a 
2018 CMS Four-Star Facility, 
and earned a designation as an 
Exemplar Rural Health Clinic 
Practice by the Centers of 
Medicare & Medicaid (CMS).

Unsung Heroes 

(continued)

“Brian has a strong track record 
of proven experience leading 
a Critical Access Hospital, 
with an emphasis on continual 
improvement in operations.  
He is an excellent choice as  
CEO and will build upon our 
success here,” stated current 
President & CEO Burke.

Originally from rural Arkansas, 
Sims spent 20 years working 
in the United States Air Force, 
during which time he oversaw 
the recruitment of physicians, 
nurses and allied health 
professionals as the Director 
of Recruitment, among other 
roles. He obtained his Master of 
Business Administration with 
an emphasis in organizational 
development from Upper Iowa 
University. Sims has held the 
Senior Professional in Human 
Resources (SPHR) as recognized 
by the Society for Human 
Resource Management (SHRM) 
and is currently a Fellow with the 
American College of Health Care 
Executives (FACHE).

“I enjoy small town healthcare 
and the personal level of care 
each patient is able to receive 
at their community’s hospital. 
My goal is to continue to build 
upon the legacy of providing the 
best care for the communities 
we serve, to innovate as 
technology allows, be the hub 
for all wellness/healthcare and 
earn the recognition as one of 
the top hospitals in the nation. 
In more simplistic terms, my 
goal everyday is to ensure each 
patient feels just a little bit better 

going out the door than when 
they came in,” stated Sims.

When asked why he chose a 
career in healthcare he stated, 
“My mother was a nurse, my 
aunt is a nurse and most of 
my cousins are nurses or nurse 
practitioners. Sometimes as 
a child, I slept in the hospital 
where my mom worked. By the 
time I turned 17 and headed off 
to Arkansas State University, I 
concluded that I would never 
work in healthcare. After I started 
listening to my heart instead of 
my head, I found my way back to 
healthcare. When a person learns 
what fuels their passion, they will 
never work again. What I do now 
fuels my passion and I am very 
thankful to have an opportunity 
to serve GSHCS, Hermiston and 
our little portion of the world.”

GSHCS Board of Trustees Announce  

Next President & CEO, Brian Sims 

Sims and his wife, Traci, have 
four adult children and four 
grandchildren. Outside of work, he 
enjoys playing golf, cooking and 
reading a good biography. The 
GSHCS family anticipates a bright 
future under Brian’s leadership 
and asks that our community 
help him and his family to feel 
welcomed to Umatilla County.