Two members of the leadership team at St. Bernards were recognized Thursday at this year’s Arkansas Hospital Association meeting in Little Rock.
Michael K. Givens, administrator and chief operating officer of St. Bernards Medical Center, received the C.E. Melville Young Administrator of the Year Award; and Kevin Hodges, vice president of senior services for St. Bernards, received the American College of Healthcare Executive’s Senior Level Arkansas Regent’s Award.
The Young Administrator of the Year Award recognizes an outstanding hospital administrator under the age of 40 who has shown exceptional healthcare leadership qualities. It is named for the late C.E. Melville, administrator of Jefferson Regional Medical Center in Pine Bluff. It was presented at an awards dinner Thursday night in Little Rock.
The ACHE Arkansas Regent’s Award was presented at a Thursday breakfast. It goes to a senior level leader who has shown strong leader qualities as well as innovative and creative management skills.
Givens, who has been on staff at St. Bernards for 10 years, was named administrator of S. Bernards Medical Center last year. A graduate of the University of Arkansas, he holds a bachelor’s degree in administrative management and master’s degree from Harding University in business administration and healthcare management.
He came to St. Bernards as director of patient care services then served as an assistant vice president of patient care services and vice present of patient services before being named chief operating officer in 2010. He was promoted to administrator in August of that same year.
Before coming to St. Bernards, he served as coordinator of outpatient operations and administrator of inpatient rehabilitation unit at HealthSouth Rehabilitation in Fayetteville.
Givens holds fellow status in the American College of Healthcare Executives and serves as an adjunct instructor for healthcare management at Harding University and as an adjunct instructor for the Master of Public Administration Program at Arkansas State University.
A Fayetteville native, he has been active in civic and church endeavors in Jonesboro and is a graduate of he 2004 Leadership Jonesboro class. He has served as campaign chairman for United Way of Northeast Arkansas, has served on the United Way’s board of directors and has been active in the Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce.
In addition, he has worked with the Hispanic Community Services Center and is an active member of Southwest Church of Christ, where he chairs the international missions committee. For the last two years he has served as a facilitator and administrator for church medical missions to Panama.
He and his wife, Ashleigh, have two sons, John Mark, 5, and Asher, 2.
Givens is the son of Huston and Ginnee Givens of Fayetteville and the late Joice Givens.
Hodges has been on staff at St. Bernards since 1989. He served as director of engineering for St. Bernards and as the executive director of St. Bernard’s Village before assuming the role as vice president of senior services. He is administratively responsible for developing and maintaining the Senior Services Division for St. Bernards Healthcare. The division includes St. Bernards Village Retirement Community, Home Health Services, Hospice Care, the Flo and Phil Jones Hospice House, Total Life Healthcare, Meals Express, Lifeline, Center on Aging-Northeast, Senior Life Centers in Craighead and Poinsett counties, 55 Plus, Senior Health Clinic, DayPlace and Benedictine Manor I and II.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in health services administration and a Master of Business Administration degree from Arkansas State University.
Before coming to St. Bernards, Hodges served as administrator of Beverly Enterprises nursing homes in the State of Arkansas.
He holds fellow status in the American College of Healthcare Executives and is a member of the Arkansas Hospital Association, the Assisted Living Federation of America and the American Association for Homes and Services for Aging.
Hodges has served on the Arkansas Health Services Permit Commission board, the Foundation Care, Inc., board, the Northeast Arkansas Regional Transit Authority board and the Parks and Recreation Committee for the City of Jonesboro. In addition, he has been active in the Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce, having completed a Leadership Jonesboro program and serving on the Arkansas State University committee.
He and his wife, Dametra, have three children, Kelsie, 20; Dalton, 16; and Jenna, 12. They are members of Walnut Street Baptist Church, where Hodges serves as a deacon and in other leadership capacities.
Hodges is the son of Johnny and Lavada Hodges of Jonesboro.