Valerie Cassity-Special to the Sun

Kern Valley Healthcare District (KVHD) welcomed Rick Carter as its new CEO last month, and all are anticipating that the third time will be the charm, as he is the district’s third CEO this year. Carter has extensive experience in the field of Healthcare Administration and enthusiasm will be definite assets in a position recently wrought with controversy.

Born in Washington, D.C., Carter’s parents moved to Southern California when he was still an infant, and raised him in Buena Park. Carter spent most of his life, including his professional career, in the Los Angeles area. His first job in his teens was at Knott’s Berry Farm, where he played a train robber. 'It was great fun, and I have had some members of the medical staff of other hospitals tell me that being a train robber prepared me well for being a CEO,' joked Carter.

Hospital CEO Rick Carter at his desk in Mt. Mesa.

After graduating from high school, Carter attended the University of Virginia until his favorite professor transferred to New York University, at which time Carter transferred there, as well. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry at NYU and worked for many years doing recumbent DNA research.

While working as a researcher in Maryland, Carter was taking an express bus in downtown Baltimore one day when the bus lurched and the woman of his dreams fell into his lap. Carter and the woman, Marlene, later tried to rent the bus to hold their wedding, but it wasn’t large enough to accommodate their guests. Rick and Marlene Carter will be celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary next year. Carter proudly exclaimed, 'I would like to find that bus driver and thank him.'

They have three daughters, all teachers, and 'each have a boy and a girl, in that order,' Carter said.

Carter decided after working in research for over a decade that he needed a change. He grew tired of writing grants every 18 to 24 months to keep his position funded, and found he enjoyed dealing with people and managing. So, 13 years after he received his BS from NYU, Carter returned to earn his Masters Degree in Healthcare Administration from Cornell University. 'It’s the best decision I ever made, I absolutely love my job,' said Carter. 'I can’t think of any other job where you get to learn so many different things every day year after year: accounting, finance, government, purchasing, science, medicine, architecture, law, human resources...the number of things you get to learn in this profession that keep you active are just fascinating.'

Carter has been the CEO of various hospitals for more than a decade. Most were in the Los Angeles area, but he was in Pennsylvania for a brief stint. He then came to Kern Valley after working for a year in Puget Sound, Wash., where it rained quite a bit. 'I got tired of the rain,' he said.

Welcoming the challenges associated with this position, Carter is pleased to see that the problems surrounding the Skilled Nursing Facility have been solved and that the hospital is moving forward in a positive direction in that regard. As soon as Carter began at the Kern Valley Hospital, he immediately began working to tackle the most difficult obstacle that the KVHD faces; the seismic retrofitting requirements.

From his previous experience in California hospitals, Carter knew of a computer software program that the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) can apply to all facilities that request it, and so one of the first things he did as CEO was to make that request. The software has been designed to analyze the construction, soil composition, proximity to the fault, and other factors, and then determines whether the structure is SPC1 or SPC2 (Structural Performance Category). SPC1 are the buildings that may pose a higher seismic risk than others, SPC2 are less seismic risk. 'The state is going to want to concentrate on hospitals with SPC 1 ratings addressing their needs in a timely fashion. If we are found to be an SPC2 structure, it will push the timeframe back a little,' explained Carter 'We don’t know what the results will be, but we felt obligated to ask the questions.'

Besides the low annual rainfall in the high desert and one minute commute to work (his commute in L.A. was almost two hours), Carter says that what drew him to the Kern Valley were the outdoor recreation opportunities and the community. 'I always look at the people that are involved in an area and the challenges. It seemed to me that this position wasn’t lacking in challenges, but what really impressed me was the people. The community, board, members of the staff; you can really tell they care. If they care, and you do, you really have the critical mass to move forward,' said Carter.