Advocacy In Medicine Award Ikor DFW
Mindy Legler Jones is a health care entrepreneur. The graduate of Spring Valley High School in Columbia, S.C., went to the University of Indiana Bloomington for her bachelor’s degree in biology, and then to Purdue University for a master’s in horticulture. She came to Dallas to work on tissue cultures for a plant propagation company. Along the way, she earned a master’s degree in business administration at the University of Texas at Dallas in Richardson. After a tour in the pharmaceutical industry, Jones became managing director of IKOR of Dallas-Fort Worth, a professional advocacy and guardianship service for seniors and the disabled. “I’ve always been a science geek,” Jones says. “When I sought to fulfill my passion as an entrepreneur, it was a really great fit to be in a service industry that is going to be growing.” Her nomination to HealthCare Heroes says that, “Mindy Jones shows extraordinary leadership in taking on significant business challenges in a difficult economy. She has introduced a new model of health care for the very people who are often forgotten or slip through the cracks.” IKOR helps medical professionals, patients and their families by providing integrated health management services for people facing a short-term health crisis or who face long-term care issues. “My dad, being a career military officer, you learn the value of doing good for the overall community,” Jones says. IKOR provides financial and health care advocacy for people who have endured catastrophic injury or who have developmental disabilities. IKOR’s services are provided by registered nurses. IKOR can also provide a total-person assessment of medical, pharmacological, psycho-social, environmental, educational and vocational aspects of a client’s personal situation. Jones is a Texas Certified Guardian and a member of Texas Guardianship Association, The National Guardianship Association and the Society of Certified Senior Advisors. She is also a lifetime member of Girl Scouts of America and a member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. What drew you to the health care field? A compelling need to serve. Who is your biggest inspiration? My parents, because they instilled in me a spirit of service and a foundation of faith. What is your advice for people getting into the health care field? I believe that we are on the cusp of a health-care revolution. The factors that affect the landscape – medical, social, regulatory, technology – are shifting at an unprecedented rate. My advice: embrace change. – Bill Bowen