Alva Review-Courier -

Janell Goodno is now chief executive officer (CEO) of Kiowa District Hospital in Kiowa, Kan. The KDH Board of Directors made the announcement that Goodno accepted that position in December after serving as the KDH chief financial officer (CFO) and administrative assistant since 2011. She has more than 15 years of rural healthcare experience in finance and administration.

A graduate of South Barber High School, Goodno earned a bachelor's degree from NWOSU and will complete her MBA in healthcare administration this summer.

KDH Board of Directors President Pat Myers said of Goodno, "I feel that the community is fortunate to have someone with Janell's credentials and passion for the business that is willing to lead our facility as CEO. The board of directors looks forward to Janell's leadership as we move forward."

When asked about the board's biggest goal at present, Myers replied, "Right now it's to get the new addition completed at the hospital." That is an expansion of the always-busy physical therapy department and some new growing wellness programs. The new project is a Wellness/Physical Therapy and Behavioral Health Building Addition at KDH. Judy Schrock is president of the Friends of the KDH and Manor Foundation that is the backbone of fundraising support for KDH.

Each fall the Foundation holds a Jeans and Gems fundraising dinner and auction event to help a hospital project. This year the 6th Annual Jeans and Gems in September raised $34,600 for the new addition and is considered Phase II of the Foundation's "Where Community and Care Come Together" campaign.

Estimated cost of the PT/Wellness addition is $1.2 million. Goodno said KDH is applying for a $900,000 USDA loan to help fund the project. The remainder will come from the Foundation.

"We need to start in May and be completed, moved in and using it by the end of the year," Myers said of the new addition. "It will be important to us financially."

"Janell has been involved in that since the beginning," Myers said and described her as a "a mainstay" for designing the addition.

Her husband is Justin Goodno, Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent at the Barber County Extension Office. They have four children: Colby (and Skylar) Houlton, Ciera (Houlton) (and Jace) Thurman and twins, Janda Goodno, and Jancey Goodno who are second graders at South Barber Elementary. They reside in rural Barber County and she enjoys spending time with her family and volunteering within the community in her spare time.

Goodno commented on her new position to the Newsgram, "I am excited and honored about the opportunity to serve in this leadership role for the Kiowa District Hospital and Manor. Our healthcare system has experienced growth over the past few years, and I look forward to evolving KDH by expanding upon this growth and developing our culture with strong leadership. Our employees are KDH's greatest asset, and we have a great team within the hospital, clinic, and manor. Providing quality care and improving patient outcomes by increasing accessibility for our patient population will continue to be our mission. Bottom line, we want to keep our patients at their local hospital, providing excellent care, and offering services that allow us to keep them in our community."

Goodno replaces Robert Whitaker as CEO. He is an employee of Cohesive Healthcare Management and Consulting Services and will reportedly be relocated within Cohesive. KDH has been contracted with Cohesive the last few years and recently terminated their contract.