 Rick Carter, new hospital CEO,
Rick Carter has occupied the top spot at the healthcare district for only a few weeks. “What I’ve been spending a lot of time doing is meeting people,” he said.
The Courier had an interview with Carter on Monday. Rick Carter is originally from DC (Washington) but grew up in the OC (Orange County, Calif.) He was educated back east at the University of Virginia, New York University and Cornell University.
He’s glad to be in California again. “Back there, it’s all about snow right now,” he laughed. He is married to Marlene, a former paralegal. They will be going back east for the holidays, as two of their three daughters live in Virginia. The other lives here in California.They have six grandchildren, a boy and a girl for each of their three daughters. Carter got some early training as a biochemist. He says the researching of the job has been a boon for his career in hospital administration. I’ve learned a bit of everything in this job – construction, architecture, everything.” He added, “This profession is one of the best professions in the world. You’re constantly learning. It’s fascinating.” The first thing Carter wants to do at Kern Valley Hospital is “build a new culture of confidence and success. You can learn from the past but you shouldn’t dwell on it,” he said, referring to recent troubles at the hospital that he wants to put behind and move on.
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