People Caring for People

PEOple Caring for People Kenna Stock and the Harbin Clinic

Kenna Stock, the CEO of Harbin Clinic, grew up in a close-knit family that prioritized the meaning of hard work.

Between junior and senior high, Stock’s first job was working in her father’s entrepreneurial venture: a donut shop. Growing up in and around her father’s business armed Stock with the tools and perspective that have carried her through her career, as well as through the first venture of her own: motherhood.

Before Stock began her professional journey leading to her tenure as CEO, her first full-time job was being a wife and mother. She and her husband married young, right out of high school. They had their first child when she was 20, followed by three more within eight years. During that time, Stock was grateful to be a stay-at-home parent.

8 “My greatest blessing was having that experience, “ Stock says, but a change was coming. “When my youngest was two, I guess I looked up from laundry and children and housekeeping and said ‘Maybe I need some adult conversation’...I started thinking about my career.” At this point, Stock would stumble across a part-time job that would set up a future in healthcare and eventually, Harbin Clinic.

For those unfamiliar, Harbin also has a foundation built by family. The Harbin Clinic has been around since 1948, but its roots were in Harbin Hospital, a 12-bed medical facility established in 1908 by the Harbin brothers. The siblings, both

doctors, introduced many technological and medical advancements in Floyd County, including the first Caesarean section, blood matching, and blood transfusion. Harbin Hospital also brought the first x-ray to Rome and made the first X-ray pictures.

While a forward-thinking mindset was, and still is, a priority for Harbin, it’s most importantly rooted in a sacred covenant of trust between doctor and patient. Harbin is physician-owned and operated, but most of all, it’s made up of people caring for people. Stock first saw this concept balancing motherhood and a part-time job working with a group of mental health professionals.

adigeorgia.com I really do believe healthcare can truly be a place where you find your calling. You can find your place, a place of service. - Kenna Stock

“I learned so much about human beings and human behavior and communication...it really gave me a thirst for taking care of people and being in the healthcare environment,” Stock says. “The organization I worked for was focused on mental health, not physical health, but it’s all connected.” Eventually, Stock was promoted to Office Manager, a full-time position, and she was faced with the knowledge that she might not get her eventual dream job without further education. So, working full-time and parenting four children, Stock went back to college and obtained her degree.

“I did it the hard way,” Stock says. “Be that as it may, that was also a wonderful experience for me, but it then afforded me with the opportunity to pursue other positions, but always in healthcare. I really do believe that, whether you’re a physician or not, healthcare can truly be a place where you find your calling. You can find your place, a place of service.”

Stock eventually found her place at Harbin Clinic. She joined in 1999 as the business office director, and in two years, became the Chief Operations Officer. During this time, she grew close with many members of the leadership, staff, and physicians, who came to value the drive and compassion Stock brings to every initiative. In 2015, Stock made the historic step up as Harbin Clinic’s first female and first non-doctor CEO.

Harbin Clinic is, besides healthcare, in the business of making historic steps. It’s said that there are more doctors per capita in the Northwest Georgia area than anywhere else in the state, which is partially due to Harbin Clinic’s longtime standing in Rome. These doctors specialize in almost every medical need. This is because of Harbin’s dedication to serving the whole patient.

“A good 80% of what most folks would need can be served right here in the community, and not just served adequately, but extremely well,” Stock says. “We recruit physicians from some of the best programs in the country, and so we’re very proud to offer that level of healthcare.”

Looking forward, Stock is excited to grow thoughtfully and responsibly in new communities. Harbin Clinic opened a 35,000-square-foot facility in Bartow County, and construction is underway for another 35,000-squarefoot facility in Rome which will serve as the home for Harbin Clinic Pediatrics. Healthcare, just like any industry in technology-forward age, is striving to keep up the pace: balancing innovation with personal care.

We want Rome and Floyd County to flourish, and we think we can contribute to that... I think it’s going to take all of us. All of our organizations, all the industries, it’s all a part of the fabric of Northwest Georgia. - Kenna Stock

(Kenna Stock continued from page 9)

“I think we’re still trying to adapt to [technological advances] and keep that ‘people piece’ alive and well, and not let technology get in the way of that covenant of trust,” Stock says. “One thing that’s still the same is that people want to know they’re cared for, that there’s a human being on the other side of technology that cares about their health.”

Outside of the healthcare that they provide within their walls, Harbin sees community service, not as an obligation, but as an opportunity to give back to the people who gave to them. Harbin Clinic is a strong supporter of organizations and events throughout Northwest Georgia that align with its mission of promoting health and wellness in the community.

10 “We want Rome and Floyd County to flourish, and we think we can contribute to that,” Stock says. “But, I think it’s going to take all of us. All of our organizations, all the industries, it’s all a part of the fabric of Northwest Georgia.”

Harbin hopes to continue investing in the overall health and vitality of the Floyd County family and beyond. Although it’s hard to beat a bite of a donut, there’s a sweetness in serving your community well, which Harbin has been and will be trusted to do for many years to come.

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