Health services chief retires to be with family

WASILLA — When Maryalice Larson settled in the Mat-Su Valley a little more than six years ago, she brought her cat and household goods and left her family thousands of miles away.

After a little more than six years as chief executive officer for Mat-Su Health Services, Monday was Larson’s last day on the job. Larson said she made the difficult choice to retire and move back to Iowa to be close to her family. Taking over for Larson will be Kevin Munson, a 21-year veteran with the organization.

Just hours before catching a plane to the Lower 48, Larson’s passion for Mat-Su Health Services was evident on her final day.

Frontiersman: What brought you to Alaska six years ago?

Larson: Well, there was a fellow doing a recruitment to bring a new CEO here. I was like, “Yeah, I’ve been there once,” so I answered the call. I just fell in love with the place.

F: When you got here, the organization was called Behavioral Health Services of Mat-Su, now it’s Mat-Su Health Services. Does that mean in that time the focus has expanded?

L: Yeah, it does, and that’s exactly why we changed our name. Before, it was Life Quest years ago, but when we secured the grant from the federal government to get a community health center, we wanted to expand our name so it encompassed our primary care clinic and the behavioral health services.

F: Looking back at the past six years, what are you most proud of?

L: What am I most proud of? I guess I’m most proud of the people that work here that deliver the services. We’ve accomplished a lot of goals, but what I’m really proud of is the staff that we have here. Our employees are so committed to delivering services to the people who are in need. They work hard, their hearts are compassionate and yet they’re very good clinical people. … I have this philosophy that the people don’t work for the CEO, the CEO works for the staff, because my job is to give them what they need to do their jobs.

F: Following that question up, what’s something you wish had been completed before you left?

L: Over the last two years, I’ve done some research and have worked with the board and written a business plan to start a cognitive rehab program for people with brain injuries. We have a very high rate of brain injuries in Alaska, it’s like the second highest in the country per capita. … Our new CEO is going to make it happen.

F: When you first got here six years ago, what was waiting for you?

L: When I first came, we were close to closing our doors. I think you could talk to any not-for-profit agency, and they will tell you there’s never enough resources to serve the people in need. When I first got here, we had a couple of programs that were losing money really significantly. One was losing about $280,000 a year, another was losing $300,000 a year. I had to make the tough decision to close those programs. We found other ways to meet the needs of those people.

F: What was your budget when you arrived and what is it now?

L: The budget when I got here was about $4 million, and it’s over $6 million now.

F: How emotionally invested have you become with Mat-Su Health Services and the Valley?

L: Very. It’s very hard for me to leave. I really wrestled back and forth, but I have some family situations that I need to be there for. My son-in-law has cancer and my daughter needs me to be there with them and to help their family. … I came up here with my cat and my household goods, but Wasilla Rotary Club has become my family, I’ve gotten very involved in the community … and I love this community.

F: After six years at Mat-Su Health Services, what’s next for Maryalice Larson?

L: I’m retiring. It’s going to begin some volunteer work. Where I’m going, Marshalltown, Iowa, there’s a community health center there. I kind-of grew up in that area and I have family in that area. Also, I’m going to serve on the board of directors in that town.

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2268.