Skyline Health CEO Robb Kimmes is planning to retire later this year after 37 years in healthcare. He has been the health organization’s chief administrator since 2013.
In an interview last Thursday in Skyline’s downstairs meeting room, Kimmes said he is excited to spend more time doing the activities he loves. He plans to tend to his vineyard at his home in Lyle, and looks forward to skiing on weekdays. As a healthcare professional, he rarely has had the chance to enjoy the quiet slopes.
He said he is going to continue to be a part of the community, and will still get his healthcare at Skyline, but he will miss working with the organization’s “awesome staff.”
“I’m looking forward to the next chapter of my life,” he said.
Kimmes, 59, has spent 24 years in healthcare administration in hospitals in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where he is originally from, as well as in the Adirondacks of New York state.
Before this, he received education and training as a medical technologist, performing diagnostic testing in medical laboratories.
It was a job he enjoyed doing for over a decade, and at first held no ambition to move into administration. But as opportunities in management opened up, Kimmes realized the value administrators create by adopting what is known as the “servant leadership” model, a style of management that places the well-being of employees and the organization as the priority.
“Having worked on the frontlines as a care provider, I worked in the lab, worked the midnight shift at one point, I used to take call and worked weekends,” he said. “This really helped me relate to the staff in the hospital, and it gave me a really good understanding of how a hospital operates.”
He underwent further education and found different administration roles, but it was in the Columbia Gorge that he and his wife, Theresa, found their home. Once his kids, Noah and Zoe, graduated from high school, the couple were looking for a change. They have family out in the Pacific Northwest and had driven through the Gorge before, enjoying its natural beauty.
“I was really drawn to the quality of life here and the outdoor activities, and a really good job opportunity. I really saw a lot of potential in Skyline,” he said.
During that time, Skyline Hospital was in the process of changing to Skyline Health.
Over the course of Kimmes’ tenure as CEO, the organization grew immensely, with the addition of a family medicine clinic, new providers, including a general surgeon, and a substantial renovation to the hospital’s emergency department.
He also oversaw the incorporation of a transitional care program, which provides patients with inpatient care following major medical intervention at one of the larger hospitals in the city.
Skyline Hospital, with the help of marketing director Elizabeth Vaivoda, rebranded itself to Skyline Health to encapsulate all of the services they provide.
Greatest need
Kimmes said the greatest need he saw from the community in the early days of his tenure was building trust in the community. Being the chief administrator of a publicly governed hospital, he and the board of directors established a strategic plan to help grow services around the needs of the community.
Garnering support from the community was vital, and with the help of the community, the organization saw its tax base grow through a 2020 levy passage. With the additional revenue Skyline replaced equipment, grew services, and invested this support back into the hospital by retaining and recruiting the best staff.
Vaivoda added fundraising efforts were fruitful for the community. Because of community donations, Skyline Foundation, the fundraising arm of the hospital, raised over $1.4 million to help fund the emergency department renovations.
“He is a forward thinker,” Vaivoda said of Kimmes. “He thinks outside of the box. If the solution isn’t always right there, he and his admin team will dig until they can find a way to make things happen.”
Over the past 10 years, the hospital has seen its patient satisfaction scores increase and its financial situation in a better place, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Kimmes said.
Pandemic response
He said he is really proud of how everyone at Skyline stepped up to meet the challenges brought on by the pandemic.
“We were the first hospital in the Gorge offering monoclonal antibody infusions,” he said, remarking on the early provision of treatment for COVID-19 patients. The hospital was also one of the first to employ mass vaccination clinics. “That’s one of the advantages of being an independent community hospital. We can be very nimble when we need to, and adapt quickly.”
Skyline is a stronger organization now than prior to the pandemic, he said. “The staff came together to keep our community healthy, keep them informed, and really be a resource.”
Kimmes said he hopes that the next CEO of Skyline Health keeps the positive momentum going.
“It’s going to be important for Skyline to have someone who can have a very positive relationship with the staff here, our medical providers, the community, and community partners,” he said. “I’m so vested in this place, and I want it to continue to be successful, But I’m also excited to have somebody new in here with different perspectives.”
Board support
Board member Juliet Pouillon said Kimmes has been involved in the community, especially volunteering his time for K-LINK, a collaborative group working to connect community members to all of the services available in Klickitat and Skamania counties.
“He really goes out into the community, hears feedback, brings it back to the hospital, and has been active in championing issues that he feels the hospital needs to take on as a community health leader,” Pouillon said.
She cited a recent collaboration with Skamania County Community Health Department to provide primary care services in Stevenson. As well, Skyline has been a leader in discussions on improving behavior health services for residents, she said. A recent addition of behavioral health care services in tandem with law enforcement has been a major achievement in increasing the availability of those services to the local population.
“I’m very proud to have worked with Robb. I’ve learned a lot from him, and I believe he’s been an excellent CEO for this hospital. I think everyone should be proud of this hospital,” Pouillon said. “Everyone who works here works very hard and is very good at their jobs. And it’s certainly a keystone institution for the service area.”
Pouillon said the board is currently undergoing a national recruitment process. She anticipates that once a phone interview is satisfactory, the candidate will then be brought to see the hospital in person to get an understanding of its full range of operations. The interview process will not be public, but she said members of the public can attend board meetings. “We love having community input,” she said.
Kimmes said he sees a bright future forward for Skyline. “Thanks to the great staff that we have here. They’re the ones who helped accomplish everything that we did.”
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