By Jackie Medland
Chief Executive Officer/Chief Nursing Officer, Highlands-Cashiers Hospital
Spring is on its way to the Plateau and with it, Highlands-Cashiers Hospital, the Eckerd Living Center, and our affiliated practices are entering an exciting new era of growth with Mission Health’s becoming part of HCA Healthcare. We are already feeling how the health system is benefitting from the foundational reinforcement and deepened financial strength of the transaction. In the midst of this change, our Board of Trustees is also in transition and ready to blossom.
Involvement on our Hospital Board of Trustees requires an incredible commitment of heart, intellect, and time. When our members sign on, they are faced with an awesome responsibility – to make certain that the care we deliver to our community is of the highest quality. To that end, they make decisions about clinical privileges for providers, oversee hospital performance, participate in long-range planning, and ensure that we’re in compliance with a myriad of local, state and federal laws. In particular, I rely on our talented Board of Trustees to both assist and advise me as we endeavor to meet the needs of our community.
Board participation then, is not for the faint of heart. Our members don’t hesitate to jump in and provide service reflective of their unique areas of expertise, experiences, and intentions. This is a case where the sum of many different parts truly forms a force that can’t be replicated.
As we say farewell to Board Chairman Sam Lupas, Stephanie Edwards, Paul Robshaw and Walter Clark, I want to express my deep gratitude for their tireless work, consistent and clear communication with our community members, and caring stewardship. They saw to it that we navigated successfully through a time of change unlike any other in our history.
James Maurin will continue his work on the Board, stepping forward as Board Chairman and Jack Austin will continue to serve as well. I’d like also to formally welcome new members Marc Hehn, Nancy Dunlap, M.D., Bob Carton, and Peter Pavarini, who represent the communities of Highlands, Cashiers, and Glenville. Their combined professional experience and civic involvement spans the legal, medical, real estate development, public utility, technology, and finance industries, as well as higher education and local government. Further, these appointments follow periods of service on other organizations’ boards and among their respective communities.
The efforts of our community members will be complemented by members of our HCA team, including our Family Medicine Physicians Dr. Patti Wheeler and Dr. Robyn Restrepo, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Mission Hospital Dr. William Hathaway, and Kathy Guyette, Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services and Regional Member Hospitals President.
A healthy and productive Board of Trustees requires not just meaningful practical experience, but a true passion for healthcare and its sustainability. Our members are called to do this work for diverse reasons – some do it because their professional lives have intersected with healthcare, while others have been personally affected by an experience in the care system.
Our Trustees are caregivers of a different sort; their work is dedicated to maintaining our institutional health. I look forward to all we will accomplish together to make our community grow stronger and healthier.
Jacqueline Medland, PhD, RN, is the Chief Executive Officer/Chief Nursing Officer of Highlands-Cashiers Hospital. Jackie has enjoyed a career as a healthcare leader for over 30 years, including positions in direct patient care, advanced practice nursing, nursing management and hospital administration. Jackie received her MSN from the University of Illinois, College of Nursing, and her PhD in Organization Development from Benedictine University. She is a member of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, the American Organization of Nurses Executives, the Illinois Organization of Nursing Leaders and Sigma Theta Tau. Jackie’s unique leadership and mentorship was recognized by the University of Illinois, College of Nursing with the Sage Award.
