Sara Smith moved to Colorado in 2012 with her family and is a senior vice president at HCA Healthcare, the largest private operator of hospitals in America.

In her role, Sara stated that she works with communications and marketing teams to advance patient care through expanded services and planning, to build the future of care for people in the Rocky Mountain region.

“It provides a sense of pride in my work knowing I’m part of a healthcare system putting high quality patient care first,” shared Sara.

Born and raised in western Michigan, Sara knew in high school she wanted to work in hospital administration. “I even had a subscription to the industry magazine Modern Healthcare,” stated Sara. “I was not very cool.”

Sara attended two different Christian colleges for her undergraduate work and completed her master’s degree in health services administration at the University of Kansas Medical Center. While in Lawrence, Sara worked for a hospital system, which was then bought by HCA Healthcare where she has been for 26 years.

“Along the way, I’ve had meaningful opportunities to grow, take on new challenges and continue building my career,” stated Sara.

One of the ways Sara and her team give back is through Project C.U.R.E., a nonprofit that collects and delivers “life-saving medical equipment, supplies and services to meet the needs of people in poverty, disasters and violence around the world,” according to the website.

The hospital team gathers for community service days at the Project C.U.R.E. warehouse to sort and pack medical supplies and equipment for shipping.

“HCA Healthcare and HCA HealthONE colleagues, including nurses and physicians, also give their time and expertise by traveling to underserved communities in developing countries,” added Sara. She said the hospital donates financially as well, to the tune of approximately $2 million of in-kind donations each year. (See Angels Among Us article on page 23 for more on Project C.U.R.E.)

Sara lives in the Glen Oaks neighborhood and has recently finished renovating her house. She has two children: Spencer (18) who graduated from Rock Canyon High School (RCHS) and is headed to Montana State University; and Charlotte (15), a sophomore on the RCHS cheer team.

The Smiths have three doodles of varying size, color, gender and breed: 90-pound Cora the Bernedoodle, 18-pound Beau the Cavadoodle and 50-pound Morgan the Goldendoodle.

In her spare time, Sara enjoys investing in real estate, cooking, watching Colorado’s professional sports teams and riding her e-bike alongside her significant other.

“An e-bike is a great way to equalize the skill difference between a real road cyclist and someone like me,” joked Sara.

 

By Hollen Wheeler; photos courtesy of Sara Smith