<body><div>The new leader of HCA Florida Putnam Hospital has come full circle as he works to improve the facility in which he was born 39 years ago. Landon Smith, who started his new job as CEO of the Palatka hospital Sept. 3, said he has hit the ground running regarding his plans for the hospital. Smith said he and his team at HCA Putnam want the hospital a place everyone wants to go, whether as a patient in search of help or an employee seeking a career. “We want to be the place that patients choose,” he said Thursday. “So, when someone is in need of our services … they just think about us and they come straight to us. … We want to be the best employer.”While he is the leader of the hospital’s operations, Smith said it takes more than just him to make the facility function. “This is a team, without a doubt,” he said. “We have a robust team of people, you know. I’m not a clinician. I don’t see patients, but there’s also no one person in our building that can provide everything a patient needs.”He said he views himself as the coach of a team of the hospital’s employees, vendors and the community, all of whom are needed to take great care of the patients. The Putnam community has been welcoming Smith home as he settles into his new role. He said he’s received hand-written notes from residents and hospital employees wore T-shirts with his face on them for his first day on the job. “I’ve heard a lot of positive things,” he said. “I’ve had people reach out and say they’ve had great experiences with the hospital. I would say, you know, the biggest thing is we just have opportunities to really build and develop programs and … to increase the service offerings at the hospital today.”Smith returns to Putnam County with 12 years of experience working in health care administration, he said. His first job at 14 was delivering home health equipment, he said.Benji Bates, the chairman of the hospital’s board of trustees, said the board is excited to welcome Smith. In a statement Friday, Bates said he’s confident there are great things to come with Smith at the helm."Landon and I share a unique connection – we were both born at this very hospital,” Bates said in the statement. “It's rare to have a CEO with such deep ties to the community, and I believe it makes a real difference. Our patients aren't just numbers or statistics. They're our friends, family, and co-workers. “Having someone like Landon, who turned down other opportunities to be here because he's passionate about this community, is something we should all be grateful for. This isn't just another step in his career, it's where he wants to make a real impact.” Smith wanted a career in the health care business because he was intrigued, especially because his dad worked at the Putnam hospital in the 1980s. He said his father worked his way up from being an accountant to the chief financial officer. Smith lived in Putnam County for three years before his family moved to Georgia, but he remembers visiting other family members in East Palatka for Christmas break, spring break and the summer. He said his mom was a teacher whose entire family is made up of East Palatka natives. “I’ve been in and out of Palatka my entire life,” Smith said. “... (My mom) grew up right over there, you know, where the Ace Hardware is.”While he’s been back in Palatka for only two weeks, he’s already looking ahead to the goals he wants to accomplish. He said he has plenty of ideas he’s mulling over, but he needs time to vet them before announcing any grand plans. “This place is very meaningful for the community,” Smith said. “We certainly recognize that, understand that, you know, and want to just really continue to add value for the community.”<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3OI9of_0ve10lio00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3OI9of_0ve10lio00" width="300" height="297" ></figure></div></body>

Mountain View, CA

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Putnam native returns home as hospital CEO

The new leader of HCA Florida Putnam Hospital has come full circle as he works to improve the facility in which he was born 39 years ago. Landon Smith, who started his new job as CEO of the Palatka hospital Sept. 3, said he has hit the ground running regarding his plans for the hospital.