Patricia Kearns is the President & CEO of QLI, a nationally recognized post-hospital rehabilitation center for individuals with brain and spinal cord injuries. Patricia, a physical therapist by training, joined the clinical team at QLI in 2001, becoming President & CEO in 2011. In the show, Kearns discusses the extensive rehabilitation of the whole person QLI works with and the unique feeling of community the QLI campus provides. Kearns also talks about the culture at QLI and her own journey and experiences as a leader.

Kearns oversees a continuum of services that includes 215 private rooms across five levels of care, 400 employees, and $100 million worth of facilities on a 65-acre campus in Omaha, NE. She and QLI’s talented team have re-created the way rehabilitation is delivered to individuals with neurologic injury. Additionally, QLI has been recognized as a Best Place to Work in Omaha seven times, and the Best Place to Work for the Advancement of Women.  

Avid listeners to this show will recall that on June 14, 2017 Lives broadcast a conversation with Joey Bierman and Jon Schuetz, both clients served by QLI. You can listen back to the podcast of that show to hear them talk about their traumatic spine injuries, life before and after being wheelchair bound, and their courage, resilience, humor and wisdom.

This show is supported in part by the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce.