By: Rachel A. Curry
Lori Hartz, the new marketing director for Passavant Area Hospital loves her new job. What challenges and excites her the most is being part of a team that implements effective marketing and communication plans for all elements of the hospital. The communication plan for Passavant Area Hospital has three parts: marketing to doctors what the hospital offers so their patients are aware, marketing to consumers and marketing to employees. As Passavant Area Hospital strives to keep up with consumer demand through improving and offering new services, Hartz is making sure the medical staff, consumers and employees are kept informed. Before working for Passavant Area Hospital, Hartz shared news about the hospital with the community as a member of the Passavant Area Hospital Community Outreach committee. Hartz knew she could not pass up the opportunity to work at Passavant Area Hospital.
“I am really excited to be in this marketing position,” Hartz said. “My team is responsible for developing the communication plan. The hospital is full of specialists and experts in their individual fields.”
Hartz is enjoying being part of a team and participating in teamwork, which is an option she did not have at her previous job at United Way. Members of her team are: Kevin Eckhoff, Public Relations Coordinator; Melissa Campbell, Senior Graphic Designer; Wendy Smith, Community Program Coordinator; Karen Sibert, Community Nutrition Communicator and Liz Scott, the department Secretary. Hartz also looks to President and CEO Doug Rahn of Passavant Area Hospital for guidance. She appreciates working with a seasoned staff and the Memorial Health System marketing professionals.
“The hospital focuses 100 percent on patients’ healthcare,” Hartz said. “I have always paid attention to Jacksonville and the affiliation with Memorial Health Systems. Memorial is really happy to have Passavant as part of its health system because of all the good things going on here.”
Passavant Area Hospital is Jacksonville’s largest employer, and Hartz does not underestimate the importance of keeping the hospital’s 900 employees and counting informed of all that goes on at the hospital. She is well aware that how the employees see their employer will affect not only their jobs but the care of patients too.
“I think the hospital does a good job at (keeping employees informed). People seem really happy here. They know it is a good place to work,” Hartz said.
Hartz, who has never had a job in healthcare, has been doing her own research to get her up to speed about the field of healthcare. Rahn has also given her books to read on marketing and healthcare. She is confident though that she is qualified to make a positive impact at her job.
“I don’t have to be an expert in healthcare to apply marketing principles to great marketing projects that are happening here,” Hartz said.
A native of Jacksonville, Hartz was born at Passavant Area Hospital and she graduated from Jacksonville High School in 1979, the last of the “super seventies.” She is a 1983 graduate of Eastern Illinois University. For seventeen years, Hartz worked at MacMurray College as the dean of enrollment, and for ten years at United Way as the executive director. She and her husband, Thomas Hartz, reside in Jacksonville. They have four children; Maggie Seymour, Katie Hall, Kirby Hartz and Zoe Hartz, and three grandchildren; Andrew, Addysen and William Seymour.
