Visionary Broadlawns Leader Announces Retirement

Jody JennerDes Moines, Iowa (January 12, 2021) – Broadlawns Medical Center (BMC) announced today that its visionary leader, Jody Jenner, is retiring from his position as President and CEO of the organization effective April 15, 2021. Over the past 15 years, Mr. Jenner has led an extraordinary transformation of Polk County’s public hospital. He is leaving the hospital securely positioned to continue fulfilling its mission of ensuring access to high quality healthcare that is affordable and accessible to everyone in Polk County. During his tenure at BMC, Mr. Jenner has demonstrated a genuine commitment to meeting the healthcare needs of the community’s most vulnerable populations. Under his leadership, extensive improvements and enhancements were completed across the medical campus and BMC has dramatically expanded the breadth and capacity of its service lines. These advancements were achieved with exemplary fiscal stewardship as the hospital voluntarily operated below its property tax levy, established new revenue sources, eliminated the hospital’s debt, reduced its cost-per-patient-day, and maintained the lowest cost structure in the state of Iowa. Mr. Jenner has cultivated a culture of medical excellence, inclusion, compassion and engagement at Broadlawns Medical Center.

“It has been a tremendous honor to serve as President and CEO of Broadlawns Medical Center,” Mr. Jenner said in announcing his retirement. “I am incredibly proud of what has been accomplished at Broadlawns over the past 15 years. We have an outstanding staff, and there is talent and expertise throughout every facet of our organization. Polk County should take great pride in knowing that we have one of the best public hospitals in America.”

“We are immeasurably grateful for Jody’s dedication and leadership of Broadlawns Medical Center,” said Janet Metcalf, Broadlawns Chair of the Board of Trustees. “Jody is an extraordinary leader, and he has left an indelible legacy for our community with what he has achieved at Broadlawns. His commitment to working for the greater good of our community is unparalleled.”

Mr. Jenner established an organizational vision of becoming the best public hospital in America, and he began by leading a financial turnaround to stabilize a longstanding history of financial challenges. The organization established a lofty strategic plan to update the aging facilities, and Mr. Jenner executed those plans with astute leadership. Over $140 million in capital improvement initiatives have been completed in the past decade including: construction of a new emergency department with a behavioral health crisis hold, a main campus urgent care, the Broadlawns Medical Office Building, a renovated and expanded inpatient behavioral health unit, an East University Clinic, the Broadlawns Medical Plaza, the first psychiatric urgent care in Iowa, a renovated Oncology and Hematology Center, the Broadlawns Cityville Clinic, and a new 41,900 square foot hospital floor. The Broadlawns surgery department and laboratory are currently under construction. Mr. Jenner also established an award-winning registered apprenticeship program; Training and Educating for a Career in Healthcare (TEACH/TECH) to provide career opportunities in healthcare for marginalized individuals. Broadlawns established a jointly administered psychiatric residency program with UnityPoint Health - Des Moines. Most recently, Mr. Jenner has lead the hospital through the worst healthcare pandemic in the organization’s 97-year history.

“We’ve navigated significant challenges to get to this point in the pandemic. Now that vaccinations are being administered, there is a light at the end of tunnel,” said Mr. Jenner. “It’s bittersweet to leave an organization that I’m so passionate about, but I am confident that the right people are in place to continue building upon the momentum that Broadlawns has established.”

The Broadlawns Board of Trustees will identify a successor for Mr. Jenner.

About Broadlawns Medical Center
Broadlawns Medical Center is a nonprofit healthcare organization that ensures our community is provided quality healthcare that is coordinated, compassionate and cost‐effective. The Broadlawns campus includes an acute care hospital, primary and specialty care clinics, urgent care and emergency services, lab, radiology, dentistry, crisis services, inpatient, outpatient and community-based mental healthcare. Broadlawns accepts all forms of insurance and its approach to health care and quality outcomes earned a Level 3 rating from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), the highest achievable status for a medical delivery model. Broadlawns takes a leadership position in teaching the next generation of healthcare professionals through its residency and fellowship programs.