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Kennett Wins Boone Hospital Center Trustee spot with strong lead

Rosemary
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Cardiologist Dr. Jerry Kennett was elected Tuesday to a five-year term as a trustee on the Boone Hospital Center Board of Trustees. Kennett defeated fellow cardiologist Dr. Robert Doroghazi with nearly 66 percent of the vote.

Kennett said he hopes to maintain the hospital’s financial strength and the quality and affordability of its care. He said he thinks the management perspective he gained in his five-year stint as the chief medical officer of BJC HealthCare will help him contribute to the board. BJC HealthCare leases the hospital from Boone County.

“I’ve seen strength of that association as well as concerns regarding that association, so I’ve been able to see it very up close and personal being involved with the people in St. Louis who run the system,” Kennett said.

While the board decision on whether or not to renew the lease is due by 2018, Kennett says he would like to begin addressing the issue this summer.

“Starting to have some forums with the public, the citizens of Boone County, the medical staff, the employees of the hospital, so that we can have a handle on what’s the feeling of how things are in the present time and their feelings about what could good options going forward,” he said.

Kennett will be sworn into his first term on April 20.