Improvements at Artesia General Hospital (AGH) began the minute the new Chief Executive Officer, Claude "Chip" E. Camp, walked in the doors.

Accomplishments in the last year include a more active internal medicine department, medical services for patients that would normally have to go out of town to be treated, adding a second general surgeon and improving the Quality Management Program, which looks at opportunities to improve the delivery of health care.

In addition, Camp believes that the employees at AGH make a difference in the improved care. He said job recognition is very important and he acknowledges the value the employees have added.

"They have 100 percent access to me if they have comments or questions. We want them to be happy working here because they are the single most important resource to the health care of our community," he said.

Camp has worked hard in medicine and could go almost anywhere. However, he selected Artesia.

"The first thing that really impressed me was that they (Covenant Health Systems) were talking about the people that worked here (at AGH), the people liked being here, the management was supportive, and the community appeared supportive of the hospital.

"After that, I made a decision to visit here. I didn’t make a decision to stay until after I had met with the department managers. Just sitting in the interview, it was apparent that they wanted to see this place grow and become better. It was a true desire," Camp said.

"I felt comfortable with them. It was clear that if they received the tools and the opportunity, they would work to improve the health care in our community. So, I accepted the job the next morning."

Originally from Alabama, Camp knows the difference between big city and rural medicine. He said, "I felt like one of the biggest areas I could contribute to was rural health care. At the time, rural was struggling more than the cities. We had to be proactive in the ways of offering new services."

Before becoming CEO at AGH, Camp worked in radiology, respiratory therapy, nuclear medicine, as a paramedic and as a chief operating officer for Delta Regional Medical Center in Greenville, Miss.

Camp has a masters degree in health care administration, a bachelors degree in nuclear medicine and a minor in computer programming. Much of his masters degree is focused on health law. Camp said, he planned on going to law school but his goals changed while he was in school.

In 1991, he worked for a small health care corporation and hospital doing corporate risk management. Camp said risk management involved preventative care, such as professional liability risk for the organization.

During that time, he was placed as the interim CEO for just over a year. Camp explained, "We were starting an open heart surgery program, so the hospital didn’t want to change at the time."

Camp came to realize by working as the CEO that he wanted to make a difference. He said, "I felt like I contributed something to the health care as a CEO, so I wanted to continue with that avenue. I was no longer preventing things, I was taking action to help by being proactive"

He moved west to Oklahoma and worked as a CEO for a 110 bed hospital. When a friend called him about an opportunity in Artesia, he was playing golf. Camp decided to interview.

He said, "The first thing I noticed about Artesia was that it was a little and a little browner than where we’d been. there was no humidity, which I think is a major plus."

As the CEO for AGH, Camp understands the real power for change comes from the people that know their jobs best. He said, "I need to be a resource to them to help them do what they know they need to do."

When Camp moved to Artesia, he also brought his wife and two children. His oldest daughter attends college in Oklahoma.

He was impressed by the coaches. "When we moved here in January, Coach Henderson came out to personally visit my son," he said. Camp’s seventeen-year-old son, Beau Camp, is now a senior and participates in track and football.

His nine-year-old daughter, Jessica, attends Central Elementary and his wife, Barbara Camp, works as a registered respiratory therapist.

"She has never worked were I’ve worked before. She was asked (if she’d be interested in the job) and approved outside of me. The manager she reports to does not report to me," Camp explained.

Camp said about Artesia, "Artesia, unlike some of the other rural communities I’ve been in, seems to support a wide variety of activities. I’ve seen larger towns that host things like Art in the Park that have a third of the turnout. That makes you feel good about working in a community that is so supportive."

Artesia General Hospital is fortunate to have Chip Camp as its CEO. An avid Auburn University sports fan, especially football, he said, "One thing I will not do is anything that I feel is morally or ethically wrong. It will not happen."