Chris Van Gorder

Profile

IN NOVEMBER 1978, police officer Chris Van Gorder responded to a domestic disturbance in Monterey Park. When he arrived on the scene, a woman gunned her engine and rammed her vehicle head-on into Van Gorder’s patrol car, pinning him. Severe musculoskeletal injuries landed Van Gorder at Orthopaedic Hospital in Los Angeles for almost a year. As the door closed on his law enforcement career, he contemplated his next move.

“I joined the police force because I was searching for a mission,” says Van Gorder. “My parents promoted public service and felt that each of us owed something to society.”

He found another opportunity to serve——as director of safety for the hospital that patched him up. His exposure to operations prompted him to return to college, and in 1986, Van Gorder earned a master’s (with honors) in hospital services administration from the University of Southern California. Though his star rose rapidly in the field of hospital administration, he never lost his appetite for taking risks. In 1999, Van Gorder accepted the chief of healthcare operations position at Scripps Health, even though the organization was more than $20 million in the red. Six months later, he was promoted to CEO.

“Scripps was in rocky shape,” he says. “Piece by piece, we rebuilt relationships. Today, Scripps is one of the strongest organizations in the country. We can invest in science and recruit scientists such as Dr. Eric Topol, who is credited with identifying the heart attack gene. Our work with stem cells and in cracking the humane genome is changing medicine worldwide.”

Equally remarkable are Van Gorder’s volunteer achievements.

“Scripps promotes volunteerism in a big way,” he says. “In 2002, a physician got me interested in the San Diego County Sheriff’s Search & Rescue Academy. I jumped in with two feet. I thought I could do more, so I got resworn into the sheriff’s academy and became a deputy. I immediately became a sergeant.” Van Gorder was named reserve deputy of the year in 2003 and staff deputy of the year in 2005.

Today, Reserve Captain Van Gorder serves as commander of 150 rescue, civilian and reserve volunteers, who perform evidence searches and rescues of children and hikers. He also teaches CPR and first aid at the Search & Rescue Academy and at Scripps. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, he traveled to the Houston Convention Center with a medical team from Scripps and served as operations commander.

Last year, Van Gorder logged an impressive 2,000 volunteer hours and was awarded the Maltese Cross Award: Spirit of Courage by the San Diego County Fire Chiefs Association. He also found the time to become a certified EMT.

“My job at Scripps involves high-level finance,” he says, “but I remember being a street cop and working in the field. As an EMT, I am a first responder. I get satisfaction from caring for, stabilizing and transporting patients to one of our hospitals. This connects with Scripps’ core mission, which is patient care.”

Van Gorder says San Diego County Search & Rescue is continually in need of new volunteers. For information, visit sdsheriff.net/sar.

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