JERSEY COMMUNITY HOSPITAL named JCBA’s Business of the Year

By Editor | April 24, 2026 |

Jersey County Business Association Director Katie Shires presents Jersey Community Hospital Chief Executive Officer Kevin Zachary with the Business of the Year Award. (Steven Spencer/River County News)

By Steven Spencer

Jersey Community Hospital was named the Jersey County Business Association’s Business of the Year last week at their Annual Dinner Auction.
Kevin Zachary, Chief Executive Officer, said it was an honor to be recognized by the JCBA as the hospital’s 450 dedicated employees and governing board strive to ensure the best health life possible for the community.

As the largest employer in Jersey County, Zachary said it’s all the employees, and even volunteers, that help JCH provide exceptional healthcare services, earning local and national recognition.
In addition to being named JCBA’s Business of the Year, JCH was also recently recognized for the fifth straight year as one of the top 100 independent rural hospitals in the nation, and according to some research done by Chief Operating Officer Kevin Goss, that makes JCH the longest-standing rural hospital in Illinois to receive that award.
Katie Shires, JBCA Director, presented a video that announced JCH as the award winner and described their work for the community.
Shires said JCH is an outstanding business within Jersey County.
“We’re lucky to have them,” Shires said.
From providing healthcare to workforce development and scholarships, Zachary said their mission is all about the people.
“JCH’s mission is all focused on people,” Zachary said. “Whether you think of people as the obvious patients, or whether it be our staff, our physicians, our volunteers, or even the economic impact we make on the community and how that affects all people.”
Charity Roth, JCH Foundation Executive Director, said the foundation covers a variety of programs that seek to meet the needs of the hospital in a variety of ways to help the hospital and community grow.
For example, the Ambulance Association, which provides funding for EMS projects and supplemental emergency equipment to the community, or the Medical Education Fund, which provides scholarships and no-interest or low-interest loans to students pursuing healthcare-related education.
“We just want to make sure that we’re here for generations to come, being able to provide the care for the people in the community,” Roth said.
Goss said being the largest employer in the county is something they take very seriously and work hard with local workforce development and local high schools and colleges to create those jobs within the county.
“Being the largest employer in Jersey County, we don’t take that lightly, we take that very seriously. Those jobs are not just jobs. They are quality jobs and they’re treating their friends and loved ones that are their neighbors,” Goss said.
“Whether it be the folks that are running our kitchen and our cafeteria, whether it be the folks that are making sure we have the cleanest facility possible and keep our lawn looking nice, or the maintenance of our building,” Zachary said. “All those people that are behind the scenes are vital to our success because without them our core missions wouldn’t have a good laboratory to take care of patients.”
Staying active in the community is something they said has been incredibly important to addressing their patients’ needs and the expansion of the hospital.
Currently, they’re completing an electrical infrastructure project that will address current needs as well as prepare for future needs as the hospital continues to expand.
“The future of JCH is really exciting. As many people know we’ve been planning for a number of years for a future expansion,” Zachary said. “The reason for that is, we’re literally out of space. But it takes a lot of planning going into it to make sure that the services that we provide locally are what the community needs.”
Zachary said being recognized as the Business of the Year is an honor and a big obligation to continue to provide the best service, quality and care for the community.
Roth said to be recognized as Business of the Year is wonderful, and the work of many dedicated individuals.
“What really matters are the people behind it,” she said. “Our staff, our providers, our volunteers. That’s the heart of what we are and what we do.”
“That’s really what our mission is about. It’s obvious to improve the quality of the healthcare of the people we serve, that’s the generic statement but it’s more than that,” Zachary said. “It really is how we touch the people and how we help individuals that are a part of our team meet the needs of our community.”
“It’s an honor and it’s a privilege to be the caregiver of you and your family and friends. We’re here for you and if you ever need anything, you know where to find us,” Zachary added.