558 N. Main St., Prineville, OR 97754 | (541) 447-6205
New Pioneer Memorial Hospital CEO Bob Gomes intends to focus primarily on bringing more physicians to Prineville.
Back in 1993, new Pioneer Memorial Hospital CEO Bob Gomes was called upon to assist in a U.S. space shuttle launch.
He never boarded the shuttle, nor saw the launch - in fact he was on the other side of the world in Gambia. The African country was one of several selected alternative-landing sites throughout the world in case something went wrong.
"We were the medical care on the ground," Gomes said.
The shuttle launch was a success, and Gomes and his team were never called into action that day, but for Gomes, the experience provided a lasting memory.
Now, nearly two decades later, Gomes has taken over the position of Pioneer Memorial Hospital (PMH) CEO.
During his 20 years in healthcare administration, primarily with the United States Air Force, Gomes has worked in a variety of places. He started out overseas in England, and later returned to the U.S., taking jobs in Texas, Colorado, and Montana.
He comes to Prineville with extensive experience in overseeing medical facilities.
"I've done a variety of healthcare administrations, hospital administrations, clinic, and consulting practice," he said. "The real focus the last 10 years has been physician practice."
That experience in physician practice will likely be called upon as Gomes seeks to improve services at PMH. He helped recruit 20 physicians while working in Helena, Mont., and his top priority is to recruit more physicians to PMH.
"Physician recruitment in rural areas is tough," Gomes admitted. However, he doesn't believe the task is too daunting to achieve with the right help. "Where I've had success, it has been a community effort."
Collaborative efforts are part of Gomes' second goal as CEO.
"Healthcare for us is regional," he said. "We want to keep healthcare as local as possible." Gomes hopes to draw from all the Central Oregon healthcare resources, which he believes is critical to Pioneer's success in Prineville.
"We couldn't do it alone," he remarked.
Presently, Gomes is helping PMH coordinate with other regional facilities to implement electronic medical records across the Central Oregon healthcare system.
While Gomes came to Prineville to oversee a hospital that could work with the community and draw from regional resources to improve healthcare, he also moved here because the area appealed to him. Gomes enjoys activities like fly fishing and mountain biking, which made Prineville an attractive choice for a home.
"Location was number one," he said.
