ONLY W


ONE The and


RUTH WARREN CALLS IT A CAREER


BY DWAIN HEBDA | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAMES MOORE


hen people say Ruth Warren is one of a kind, they aren’t just employing a well-worn


figure of speech. Not only does 48 years make her a singular example of dedica- tion to Ozarks Healthcare, but within the context of the organization’s history, it’s a phrase that fits literally. The hospital created the position of ex-


ecutive assistant to the CEO a few years into Warren’s tenure here, and she’s been a mainstay of the executive administra- tive team ever since. Many have come and gone in the hospital’s top executive role — five CEOs and five interim CEOs, by her recollection — among whom she alone has been the common denominator. “I think I just enjoyed the people the


most,” Warren said to explain her longev- ity. “I have a relationship with the board because I support the board of directors, and I support the medical staff. Every day is something different and I think that’s the thing that’s kept my work interesting. “At the time I started, there were direc- tors under the CEO, but we didn’t have many vice presidents or assistant admin- istrator positions. That has grown tre- mendously over the years. I think all of that constant change has kept my interest. There was no time to get bored.” Warren grew up in Thomasville and graduated from Alton High School. After one year of business college in Springfield,


she joined Ozarks Healthcare as the only on-staff medical transcriptionist, report- ing for work on Christmas Eve in 1974. “The lady that was in the position be-


fore me had resigned, and I started on Christmas Eve to allow extra training time with her,” she said. “I don’t remem- ber how long I was the sole transcrip- tionist, but it was a few years before we hired a second one.” In addition to her transcription duties,


Warren assisted the executive leadership with typing correspondence and other one- off tasks. Then one day, human resources came calling with a new opportunity. “We’d had a CEO change, and the HR


director came to me and asked if I was interested in this position, the executive assistant to the CEO,” she said. “I took the position, and I’m the only one who’s ever had it since.” To say Warren’s seen a lot over almost half a century is a gross understatement. During her tenure, the hospital reinvented itself several times over, bringing online an ICU, additional operating rooms and surgical space, the emergency department and most recently, the stunning medical office build- ing. Multiple new services and medical spe- cialties also blossomed during her career. “Looking back, I think what probably stands out to me the most is how much smaller we were back then,” she said. “I think it was 66 beds at that time. The medical staff was very small, probably only


22 | OZARKS HEALTHCARE | FALL/WINTER 2022


eight physicians or so. We had one general surgeon, and the others were general fam- ily practice physicians who did a variety of services. They did their own surgeries at that time, and we had no specialists to speak of compared to what we have now. “Another thing that stands out to me is we had one emergency room, and there was a physician on call. When someone came to the emergency room, the nurse called the physician on call to see that patient.” Not only have the physical dimen- sions, medical services and market reach of Ozarks greatly expanded since then, but so have the more pedestrian aspects of her career.


“Back then, we had typewriters. Over the years we moved to computers and a lot more automation. Electronic scheduling versus paper calendars written in pencil, that sort of thing,” she said. For all of this change, her core function


has remained steadfastly the same: sup- porting the many chief and secondary ex- ecutives who have come along through the years, as well as countless board members. Warren said she always looked at her role in part as a navigator, helping new lead- ership get their bearings with names and faces and fielding inquiries of who to call or how to get things done.


“I think being able to adapt as each


new CEO came in, being able to provide the support they needed and being able to guide them with what they needed to


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