New hospital CEO steps in

WASILLA -- Valley Hospital's new chief executive officer started work last Monday.

Norman Stephens was appointed to the position back in June, but didn't assume his CEO responsibilities until Aug. 9.

Triad, the parent company of Valley Hospital, initiated a nationwide search for a new CEO in March. A number of candidates were considered for the position from both inside and outside the Triad system.

"In the 12 years I've worked with Triad this is the first time that a position's come up in our company that I volunteered for," Stephens said. "This is a pretty ideal location and opportunity for me."

According to a Valley Hospital press release. Stephens met with a number of Valley Hospital constituencies during the interview process -- members of the board of trustees, executive team, department managers and others -- and these groups all formally recommended Stephens to the Valley Hospital board.

"Mr. Stephens comes from a clinical background and perspective and is very strong on communication," Lynn Wagoner, interim Valley Hospital CEO prior to Stephens' arrival, said in a press release. "It is my belief that Norman Stephens will enhance our knowledge and skills while also learning and respecting some of our culture and values. It will be a great opportunity for us and him to learn and grow for the very best health care, health-care facility, and health-care workplace in the area and especially the community."

Stephens came from Pampa Regional Medical Center in Texas, where he served as CEO for the last three years.

In Pampa, he established an outstanding record with creating satisfied physicians, staff, and patients. His accomplishments there included increasing the active medical staff by 39 percent in two years through recruitment, improving physician satisfaction with the hospital to 100 percent and increasing overall staff satisfaction to 93-percent positive, according to information released by Valley Hospital.

Stephens served as network administrator of the Lutheran Health Network and CEO of the Rehabilitation Hospital of Fort Wayne, Ind., before he moved to Pampa.

In Fort Wayne, Stephens participated in the planning and construction of Dupont Hospital and Lutheran Children's Hospital. Dupont Hospital was similar in size to the current Valley Hospital construction project, with 86 beds compared to the new hospital's 74. Stephens has input during planning and construction, but largely serves as the go-between with physicians, staff and the construction company.

"As a hospital administrator, my role in construction tends to be more at a community level than with the actual construction," Stephens said. "It's important to defer most of the construction decisions to the people whose job it is to actually build the hospital."

"Building a new hospital is the most exciting part of moving here," Stephens said. "Then getting into a community that's growing so rapidly, our business plan is so growth-oriented; it's exciting."

Contact Michael White at mike.white@frontiersman.com.