March 28, 2024

Officers remain same on GRMC Board of Trustees

Greater Regional Medical Center’s Board of Trustees remain in their elected board positions after the election of officers during the regular meeting Jan. 23.

Reelected in their position was Dave Driskell as chairperson, Jack Davis as vice chairperson, Sherry McKie as secretary and Tom Dunphy as treasurer.

“The board is the policymaker and it’s our job to hire the CEO,” McKie said. “Without the CEO and all the wonderful employees, we could never keep up with all the rules and regulations. We are also the ears for the community.”

Driskell and Davis are the longest-serving board members with 22 years each. Carolyn Dillenburg and McKie tie at 20 years each. Dunphy has been on the board 18 years, Tom Lesan has been on for seven and Ken Stults has been on for two. Between the seven members, they have 111 years of experience and service to the hospital.

“Our No. 1 job and focus is to get hired a competent CEO, and I think we’ve got one of the best in the state of Iowa,” Driskell said of CEO Monte Neitzel. “Then you can look at the A-team or the staff that Monte Neitzel’s put around us.”

In the past 22 years, Driskell has seen the hospital grow by adding various services and providers, including dialysis and orthopedic surgery, totaling approximately $50 million in additions. He has also witnessed the change in name, from Greater Regional Hospital to Greater Regional Medical Center.

“We don’t compete against hospitals. We compete against ourselves,” Driskell said. “It overwhelms me to think about it, but in all reality, the administration, Ron Davis (former CEO) and now Monte, brought the leadership and focus into our future, and all we did was sit there and try and understand and reconcile that, with our obligation that everything fell into place financially, that our services were needed in the community.”

Driskell and McKie both agree there is a large amount of mutual respect between members of the board, and that the members want to expand on that respect toward the community in the form of hospital improvements.

“My hope is that we keep Greater Regional viable for the area,” McKie said. “We want the most quality services available for Creston and the surrounding communities.”