The Coachella Valley holds a world of opportunity for doctors, nurses, specialists, and other healthcare professionals. For Gary Honts, CEO of JFK Memorial Hospital in Indio, that means recruiting top-notch talent from around the country as well as cultivating young talent here at home.
The 145-bed acute-care hospital, part of Tenet Healthcare California, serves the eastern Coachella Valley with a range of services and creates almost 800 full-time, year-round jobs for the local economy.
And there’s room for more.
“There is shortage [of healthcare talent] in the valley, including primary care physicians,” says Honts, who joined the hospital five years ago and also serves as chairman of the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership. “We recruit for those positions to help meet the needs of the community. We also need nurses, techs, and others. These individuals are purchasing homes and services.”
When recruiting, Honts, who has lived in many U.S. cities, sells the desert’s quality of life. “It can’t be beat. This is one of the hidden secrets. You have all the amenities of a large city in a very quiet, very peaceful environment.”
The hospital also hosts career days for local middle and high school students, as well as internships and nursing residencies for college students and graduates.
Honts says, “One of the things that we’re really proud of here is that we continually enhance the quality of services.” And great care begins with great people.
VIDEO: Gary Honts speaks about the healthcare market in the Coachella Valley.