At just three weeks on the job Southwest Health System, CEO W. Kent Rogers has set impressive goals.
"We are going to become the preferred provider and employer of choice in this region of the state," Rogers said.
Rogers, 49, grew up in Lexington, Tenn., and recently moved here from Mercy Hospital in Ada, Okla.
Rogers is enjoying the mountains.
"My family started bringing me to Southern Colorado for vacations," Rogers said. "I love the outdoors, hiking, camping, fishing and whitewater."
Rogers and his wife, Elisabeth, have a daughter who is a senior in high school and a son, who is a sixth-grader.
Rogers said he's looking forward to going snowboarding with his son, which the two learned this winter.
Rogers has 16 years of experience as a CEO and assistant administrator in hospitals ranging from 25 to more than 300 beds.
"I knew I wanted to be a hospital administrator since I was in high school," Rogers said. "It was a calling."
One of the biggest challenges facing local health care, Rogers said, is keeping good nurses and good doctors.
"Bringing health care workers to smaller communities is always a challenge - nurses, therapists and physicians," he said. "It takes special people with a calling to be good health-care providers."
Other challenges include changes in health-care reimbursement and Medicare reimbursement.
So far, Rogers is enjoying Cortez. He grew up in a town with a population of about 5,700.
"I love the lifestyle and the ability to get to know people on a personal level in a smaller community," he said.
Rogers said he hopes to become responsible for the health of people in the town - not just treating people when they are sick, but keeping them healthy.
