Job well done!
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Kurt Johnson
Diane Keller believes firmly in a continuity of care concept, in her own life experience as well as the organization she has made her life’s work. Keller devoted 50 years of service to Memorial Community Health, the last 18 of those years as CEO, and deserves the fondest of farewells as she prepares to pass the reins of leadership later this month.
Keller will be honored Thursday with an open house in her honor at The Leadership Center. It’s only fitting that she be lifted up and recognized as a community servant who made a significant and lasting impact on the quality of healthcare in Aurora, which is one of the major spokes in the wheel of any progressive community.
A story in this week’s edition recaps the highlights of Keller’s career, which coincidentally passed the 50-year milestone just this week. That’s half a century of service. Wow! What an astounding commitment for one person to make to any one employer, though Keller is quick to note that MCHI was always more than just a job to her. Her’s is an inspirational story of how one person found her calling early in life, then worked her way from an entry-level nursing position to become CEO in charge of an umbrella healthcare organization.
Keller humbly credits a supportive board of directors and quality team of healthcare providers for all that’s been done on her watch, though clearly she had a hand it all the progressive changes made with her hands-on management style. Change is the name of the game in today’s world, and the ability to adapt to the monumental changes on the healthcare landscape, especially during the COVID era, is not only helpful, but a key to survival.
Keller understood that fully and worked hard to keep her eye on the big picture, while also staying involved with day-to-day operations and efforts to improve clinical care. Notably, she helped facilitate major construction projects and building upgrades over the years which opened the doors needed to provide staff and equipment necessary for modern patient care services. That Master Facility Plan impacted virtually every part of the hospital and Memorial Community Care, as well as the in-house pharmacy, clinic in Clay Center and Thrift Shop which helped the community provide necessary funding.
Working with all those pieces simultaneously was a puzzle, Keller confides, and she proved to be a master at fitting those pieces together. Job well done!
There is clearly change on the horizon now, both for Keller as she turns the page toward retirement and for MCHI with Justin Wolf stepping in as the new CEO later this month. Keller devoted her life to the continuity of care principle and this community can be confident that will continue on without her.
-- Kurt Johnson
