(GRINNELL, IA – July 23, 2024) UnityPoint Health® – Grinnell Regional Medical Center (GRMC) hospital and clinics announced on April 9 that David-Paul Cavazos, MBA, would be the rural president for UnityPoint Health – Grinnell. His start date was June 3, 2024.
Cavazos arrived in Grinnell in May, getting his family settled into their new home and the community. Cavazos and family – wife, Laura, and children Isaac, Abram and Ada – are happy to make their home in Grinnell. They enjoy staying busy with biking, swimming and sports activities.
“The rural lifestyle has everything I want for my family,” says Cavazos. “Grinnell has genuine people, connections and safety. It feels like the best of small town living with big city opportunities, where my family can live and grow.”
Cavazos is a seasoned healthcare leader with more than 27 years of experience across several healthcare systems, but his path wasn’t one of linear progression.
“I was born in Brownsville, Texas, but my family moved to Austin shortly after,” shares Cavazos. “My stepfather had a military career, and we moved around quite a bit. I went to four different middle schools and left a middle school class of 20 to go to a high school with a graduating class of just over a thousand. You certainly learn how to be adaptable with an upbringing like that, and I think that has served me well.”
Cavazos was eager to learn and excited to start college but wasn’t clear on what career path he wanted to take. He began down a direction of education, thinking he wanted to be a teacher, but redirected to health care, where he entered a radiologic technologist program. He went to school by day and picked up night shifts as a unit secretary in the surgery intensive care unit at Kansas University Medical Center, then as a student x-ray tech in the emergency department of Truman Medical Center.
Following completion of his clinicals, Cavazos met his wife, Laura, while working at North Kansas City Hospital as a surgical x-ray tech. They were married, and welcomed their first son, Isaac. Cavazos went from working in a hospital setting to a small orthopedic physiatrist office, where he was the x-ray tech, but due to the size of the practice found himself exposed to more projects, including coordinating the office PACS (picture archiving and communication system) transition. These newfound responsibilities pushed him outside of his comfort zone but created a sense of growth and hands-on project management experience.
He then transitioned to a private imaging center, but after a year, the business partners went their separate ways and permanently closed their Midwest location where Cavazos was employed. During this time, Cavazos worked as a server at a local cafe, while still picking up agency healthcare shifts to stay connected to the healthcare industry while he was job searching.
Cavazos found his next professional home as the radiology director of Allen County Regional Medical Center, a rural hospital in Southeast Kansas. He helped lead the multi-faceted work of implementing their new electronic health record and recruiting physicians, while performing the work of radiology director. He completed his Bachelor of Liberal Arts at nights, balancing between full-time work, school, marriage and fatherhood. Cavazos had one year between completion of his bachelor’s degree and when he resumed schooling to obtain his Master of Business Administration, again working days and attending school at night.
He then went on to be chief operating officer for Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center. In 2017 he was chief executive officer (CEO) for Republic County Hospital, then Vice President and Regional CEO for Noble Health. Most recently Cavazos served as CEO for Hodgeman County Health Center in Jetmore, KS, before starting as president at GRMC.
“I think my personal and professional paths have taught me to be grateful. I don’t take anything or anyone for granted,” says Cavazos. “I’ve been in roles where I answer phones and run labs, and where I build teams and work on projects, and it is all equally as important to patient care and the flow of health care. Every opportunity I’ve had has come with incredible people helping me along the way. I strive to lead with an appreciation of people, and an intentional effort to keep good people in the organization.”
Cavazos was most drawn to UnityPoint Health – Grinnell during his interview by the culture of the organization through the people he met. From the GRMC board members, medical staff, leaders and team members he encountered, Cavazos sensed a passion for caring for others.
“I’ve developed a true love for health care and particularly, for rural health care because of the genuine and lasting connections you make,” says Cavazos. “There were times in my early years where I saw my coworkers more than my family, and they really do become a sort of health care family, one you work alongside, can rely on and grow with. I’m excited for the future at UnityPoint Health – Grinnell and am looking forward to a growth in the services and providers we can offer our communities.”
To learn more about services and leadership at UnityPoint Health – Grinnell hospital and clinics, visit unitypoint.org/grinnell.
