Cavazos settles in as UnityPoint president

GRINNELL — UnityPoint Health-Grinnell Regional Medical Center President David Paul Cavazos arrived in Grinnell in May, getting his family settled into their new home and the community.

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Cavazos was named president of the Grinnell hospital in April.

Cavazos and his family, wife Laura and children Isaac, Abram and Ada enjoy biking, swimming and other sports activities, said UnityPoint in a press release.

Cavazos has more than 27 years of experience across several healthcare systems, but his path wasn’t one of linear progression. He was born in Brownsville, Texas, but moved to Austin shortly after, the press release says.

His stepfather was in the military, so the family moved quite a bit. Cavazos went to four different middle schools and graduated from a high school with more than 1,000 students.

Cavazos wasn’t clear on what career path he wanted to take, according to UnityPoint. He began in education, thinking he wanted to be a teacher, but changed to health care and entered a radiologic technologist program.

Cavazos 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.

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Following completion of his clinicals, Cavazos met his wife, Laura, while working at North Kansas City Hospital as a surgical X-ray tech.

Cavazos went from working in a hospital setting to a small orthopedic physiatrist office, where he was the X-ray tech. Due to the size of the practice, Cavazos found himself exposed to more projects, including coordinating the office PACS (picture archiving and communication system) transition.

These responsibilities pushed him outside of his comfort zone but created a sense of growth and hands-on project management experience, UnityPoint said.

Cavazos 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. D

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 searching for a job.

Cavazos found his next professional home as the radiology director of Allen County Regional Medical Center, a rural hospital in Southeast Kansas. He helped implement its new electronic health record and recruited physicians, while performing the work of radiology director.

Cavazos completed his Bachelor of liberal Arts degree at nights, balancing full-time work, school, marriage and fatherhood. After a year, he resumed school to earn his Master of Business Administration, again working days and attending school at night.

Cavazos became chief operating officer for Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center. He became chief executive officer 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, Kansas, UnityPoint said.

Cavazos was drawn to UnityPoint Health—Grinnell by the culture of the organization, UnityPoint said. From the GRMC board members, medical staff, leaders and team members he encountered, Cavazos sensed a passion for caring for others.

Photo 1: Cavazos and family in Colorado Springs. Pictured L to R: Isaac, Ada, David-Paul, Abram, Laura

Photo 2: Cavazos family. Pictured L to R: Laura, Isaac, Abram, David-Paul, Ada