Vickie Padgett, who has overseen equipment and supply sourcing for Daviess Community Hospital (DCH) for almost 45 years, announced she will retire effective Nov. 7, 2025. Padgett’s tenure spanned decades of change in health-care purchasing, and hospital leaders say her experience and steady management were critical to keeping clinical operations supplied during both everyday needs and extraordinary disruptions.

As capital/clinic buyer, Padgett managed procurement of medical equipment, supplies and clinic needs that support front-line care. Her role became especially visible during the COVID‑19 pandemic, when health systems nationwide faced shortages, logistical bottlenecks and rapidly changing clinical requirements. Padgett’s stewardship during those years helped the hospital maintain supplies and adapt to evolving public health demands, hospital officials noted, and her knowledge of vendors, inventory practices and regulatory requirements provided continuity through volatile periods.

Padgett also coordinated humanitarian donations through Project C.U.R.E., arranging for bassinets to be sent to clinics in Suriname. That effort connected local procurement expertise with international aid, extending the hospital’s reach beyond regional care and demonstrating how logistical functions at DCH supported both local patients and global health initiatives.

Hospital leadership has praised Padgett’s institutional knowledge and long-term commitment as assets for DCH. Her presence provided historical memory that smoothed capital planning cycles, equipment lifecycle decisions and the negotiation processes that hospitals rely on to control costs while ensuring quality. For Dubois County residents who use or work at DCH, that expertise translated into reliable access to functioning medical equipment and timely supplies—components that directly affect patient care, appointment scheduling and emergency readiness.

Padgett reflected on her long career by emphasizing her affection for the work and the people she worked with. Looking ahead to retirement, she plans to spend more time with family, pursue gardening and increase volunteer activities. Those personal plans underscore the transition from a demanding operational role to community and family engagement—an outcome familiar to many local retirees who shift from full-time work to civic and volunteer commitments.

The announced retirement also begins a period of organizational transition for DCH. Replacing a buyer with decades of institutional experience will require deliberate succession planning, updates to procurement documentation, and knowledge-transfer efforts to preserve relationships with vendors and the procedural memory that Padgett accumulated. For hospital administrators and clinical staff, these steps will be important to maintain supply chain resilience and to avoid disruptions that can affect patient care delivery.

Padgett’s nearly 45-year career at Daviess Community Hospital highlights the often-unseen operational backbone of local health care. As she steps away from a role that blended logistics, negotiation and community-minded service, the hospital and surrounding counties will watch the transition closely to ensure that continuity of care and preparedness remain strong.