KENTON – OhioHealth has announced that effective December 1, Jim Parobek will lead both Marion General and Hardin Memorial Hospitals, allowing Hardin Memorial’s current president, Joy Bischoff, to focus her full attention on the integration and strategic alignment of OhioHealth Van Wert Hospital.
Bischoff has been passionate about serving Hardin County, where she began her career nearly 30 years ago. She was named president of Hardin Memorial Hospital in 2021 and then also became president of Van Wert Hospital when OhioHealth acquired it in March of 2023.
“It has been my absolute honor to serve patients in Hardin County and work with a team who feels like family,” Bischoff said. “I am focusing on strategic growth in a new market for OhioHealth. At OhioHealth, we have been working towards a combined Hardin and Marion leadership team for over 6 years and I feel confident that the team will continue to deliver the highest quality of care to the Hardin County community.”
Parobek currently serves as president of OhioHealth Marion General Hospital. He joined OhioHealth in March 2024.
“In my first few months at OhioHealth, I can already tell this is a healthcare system like no other when it comes to leading with heart and empathy,” Parobek said. “I am committed to serving the patients and communities of both Hardin and Marion Counties and surrounding areas with the highest level of care and safety.”
Bischoff’s passion for community helped launch resources to provide a lifeline for others beyond the walls of the hospital. For example, she helped start the hospital’s monthly food distribution event in Kenton, in partnership with the West Ohio Food Bank, often rolling up her sleeves and jumping in on the distribution line – delivering healthy food and necessary household items to those in need.
Under her leadership, Bischoff has deepened community engagement in additional ways through investment into the Hardin County YMCA and a sponsorship at Rhodes State College to enhance the local pipeline for vital careers in healthcare.
“Joy has been an integral leader in the Hardin County community and has shown so much dedication. We know she will continue to do great things leading OhioHealth Van Wert Hospital – as we continue our integration efforts,” said Chris Clinton, OhioHealth’s president of regional markets. “We welcome Jim Parobek to Hardin County and are confident that with over thirty years of healthcare experience, he will continue to make a positive impact on our organization and the communities we serve.”
Before joining OhioHealth, Parobek served as president of Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. During his presidency, Parobek successfully established the hospital as a Level 1 trauma center, initiated multiple DE&I initiatives as well as community engagement projects including establishing a respite unit at a local homeless shelter.
Parobek originally joined Texas Health in 2014 serving in various leadership roles where he had a significant impact on the operations by unifying the oversight and coordination of all physicians contracting, workforce development and recruitment.
Before his career at Texas Health, Parobek was the president of St. Mary and Elizabeth Hospital and the Jewish Hospital Physician Group, both in Louisville, Kentucky. He was also the president of Gateway Rehabilitation Hospital in Louisville.
