[Part one of two in series]
KNOXVILLE, IA – For more than three decades, Sally Clark and Heather Dunkin have watched Knoxville Hospital & Clinics grow and change around them. The facility has been renovated and expanded. Technology has transformed the way health care is delivered. Coworkers have come and gone.
But through it all, one thing has remained remarkably consistent: the feeling of family.
Today, that word has taken on an even greater meaning for the two longtime employees. After building careers at Knoxville Hospital & Clinics spanning nearly 40 years for Sally and 30 years for Heather, they now have the opportunity to come to work at the same organization as their sons – and, in Sally’s case, her daughter-in-law, too.
It’s a full-circle moment neither could have completely envisioned when they first walked through the doors of the hospital decades ago.
Finding a Place to Call Home
Nearly 40 years ago, Sally was working in Des Moines and wanted to find something closer to home. She already knew several people at the hospital, including family friends, which immediately made the organization feel comfortable and familiar.
Sally began her career at Knoxville Hospital & Clinics in Data Processing before transitioning to the Business Office, where she remains today. Through all those years, she said there was only one time she seriously considered working somewhere else.
“Other than that, I never thought about leaving – ever,” she said. “I really like my job.”
Nearly 30 years ago, Heather’s journey to Knoxville Hospital & Clinics had a similar beginning. She was ready to settle down, start a family, and avoid a daily commute to Des Moines. When a friend in the Imaging Department told her about an opening in Data Processing at the hospital, she applied.
Even during her interview, she knew she wasn’t looking for a temporary stop.
“I remember telling my boss at the time who interviewed me that this was my long-term place and the place where I wanted to retire,” she recalled. “I’m just a very long-term kind of person, and it worked out. I’ve loved everything about my job here, and I’m going to stick with what I originally said.”
Her first day also marked the beginning of another lasting relationship. Heather took over Data Processing duties from Sally, who was transitioning to a position in the Business Office.
“I sat by her and she showed me the ropes,” Heather said. “I remember how friendly she was and easy to talk to. I thought, ‘I could really like this girl I’m going to work with.’ We just clicked right away and have been close friends since.”
Decades of Change
Their careers have given both women a front-row seat to tremendous changes in health care and at Knoxville Hospital & Clinics.
“When I first started in Data Processing, we didn’t have the technology we have today,” Heather recalled. “There were typewriters and paper charts, no servers.”
Today, working in the Information Technology Department, Heather sees that evolution firsthand as technology and software continue to change and advance.
Both women have also watched the hospital transform physically through renovations and expansions while generations of employees have come and gone.
For Sally, one of the biggest changes was the growth of the organization beyond the hospital itself.
“When I first started, it was just the hospital, and the clinic was a separate entity,” she said. “It was a big change when we bought the clinic and started doing that type of billing.”
Another change she never imagined was eventually having the ability to work from home.
Yet despite decades of transformation, Sally and Heather say something much more important has remained unchanged: Knoxville Hospital & Clinics still feels like family.
“The culture, the small-town atmosphere and the way everybody cares about and supports one another – that’s what has kept me here,” Heather said. “You spend the majority of your life at work, and it’s been a great ride so far.”
For Sally, Knoxville Hospital & Clinics’ understanding that employees have lives and families beyond the workplace has been equally important.
“One thing that has always stayed the same is that family-oriented feeling,” she said. “They understand that your family comes first. Having that flexibility is huge.”
Following in Their Footsteps
Years later, those positive experiences would influence another generation.
Growing up, Kyle Davis knew his mom, Heather, worked at the hospital, even if he didn’t fully understand exactly what she did.
When the opportunity recently came for Kyle to accept a full-time position in the Imaging Department at Knoxville Hospital & Clinics, the decision felt natural.
“I knew I wanted to be back home in Knoxville and that this was a good hospital with good staff, so it was kind of a no-brainer for me,” Kyle said. “I had been traveling as a Radiology Tech and wasn’t exactly ready to give that up yet, but when this opportunity came up, I knew it was something I couldn’t pass up. I got lucky.”
Now that they share a workplace, Kyle has an even greater appreciation for the career his mom has built.
“I’m proud of how committed my mom has been and how she has remained at this organization for all these years,” he said. “It’s been nice working at the same place as my mom. I’ve been talking to her a lot more now!”
For Heather, having Kyle choose Knoxville Hospital & Clinics is meaningful because of what the organization has meant to her personally.
“If I didn’t like working here, I would probably steer my friends and family away from working here,” she said. “I feel very passionate about Knoxville Hospital & Clinics, and I want Kyle to feel the same way if that’s what he chooses. It means a lot to me that he saw the passion I have for this place and wanted to apply – and now he enjoys the people he works with, too.”
Home Has Always Been Here
Sally experienced that same sense of pride when her son, Eric, chose to begin his career in the Imaging Department at Knoxville Hospital & Clinics.
“This has always been home,” Eric said. “Growing up, when we came into town, we knew this as the place where Mom worked.”
While completing his Radiologic Technology degree, Eric spent six months gaining clinical experience at Knoxville Hospital & Clinics. Already familiar with the organization and its staff, he was excited when a permanent position became available 11 years ago.
“When the job opened up here, I jumped at it because I knew I wanted to stay close to home,” he said.
More than a decade later, Eric says the people and culture are a big part of what has kept him at KHC.
“For me personally, this is a great place to work, and a lot of that has to do with my boss,” he said. “Michelle [Irwin] understands the importance of work-life balance and gives us the flexibility we need. She’s even willing to work weekends herself so her staff doesn’t get burned out. It’s easy to be happy and content here because we have such a close-knit team in Imaging.”
Working at the same organization has also given Eric an even greater appreciation for his mom’s nearly four decades of service.
“I admire my mom and how she has put the time and dedication into the organization all these years,” he said. “Her willingness to stay through thick and thin has been neat to see.”
Eric isn’t the only member of the family who has found a professional home at Knoxville Hospital & Clinics. His wife, Kate, also works at the hospital as Revenue Cycle Manager.
For Kate, who once thought she might become a preschool teacher, Sally helped provide direction as she considered a different career path.
“Sally helped me by guiding me about the education and skills I needed and where to start,” Kate said.
Now Sally has the opportunity not only to work alongside her daughter-in-law but also to pass along knowledge gained throughout her career.
“I’m really glad that Kate is here, too, and that I’m able to share my knowledge with her,” Sally said. “It’s important to me that what I have worked so hard for all these years will be carried on by her.”
More Than Coworkers
For Eric and Kate, building their careers at Knoxville Hospital & Clinics has become intertwined with building their life together.
The two were together in high school, attended college around the same time and began their professional careers at Knoxville Hospital & Clinics one year apart. They have since built a house so close to the hospital that Eric jokes they can see its roof from the parking lot.
“Our roots are pretty settled here,” he said. “The circumstances for us to leave would have to be pretty extreme. It’s safe to say you’ll see us here for many more years.”
Working alongside family has become such a normal part of their lives that Eric admits it can sometimes be easy to overlook just how unusual it is.
“You kind of take it for granted that you get to see each other throughout the day in the hallway because we really haven’t known anything different,” he said. “We can all coordinate our personal lives, too, which makes it really nice.”
For Kate, those familiar faces extend well beyond family.
“It makes me really happy to just walk through the halls and see all of the people,” she said. “They’re more than just coworkers. It is home.”
That sense of connection is something she believes makes Knoxville Hospital & Clinics special.
“Every job is stressful. There are going to be days when there’s something you don’t like, but the good days outweigh the bad,” she said. “If you look for a connection to have with someone, you will find one. What we have here is pretty unique and special.”
A Legacy That Continues
After all these years, Sally and Heather can measure their careers in more than years of service. Their legacy can be found in the organization, the friendships they have built, and the coworkers who have become like family.
And now, they can see that legacy in their own families.
What began decades ago with two women looking for jobs closer to home grew into careers, a lifelong friendship, and a connection to Knoxville Hospital & Clinics strong enough to reach the next generation.
For Sally and Heather, perhaps that is the most meaningful part of all. The place they chose to build their careers became a place their children chose, too.
At Knoxville Hospital & Clinics, family isn’t simply something employees go home to at the end of the day.
Sometimes, family is waiting just down the hall.
[Watch for part two in this series featuring Bobi Mart and her daughters Lexi and Laney.]
Knoxville Hospital & Clinics is a non-profit community hospital serving Marion County and the surrounding area. Named a 2025 Top Workplaces Industry winner, KHC’s highly skilled staff and specialists are committed to providing personal, compassionate, and innovative health care to individuals in our area. For more information regarding this release and other happenings at Knoxville Hospital & Clinics, call the Public Relations Department at (641) 842-1418 or visit knoxvillehospital.org.
