If you said “Perry County Memorial Hospital,” you would be correct. Remember, though, that it’s now more than just a hospital, it is also clinics, home health, ambulances, a pharmacy, and a dialysis center. It is a true healthcare “system.”
However, what you may not be aware of is that back in 1998 the county-elected PCMH Trustees leased the hospital to a not-for-profit organization called Perry County Health System, governed by a community board of directors, of which two of the five directors come from the elected trustees. Sounds complicated, right? So why create this not-for-profit organization? The history of Perry County Health System tells us the answer. This not-for-profit was able to take just the hospital and create a healthcare system as described beforehand (clinics, pharmacy, dialysis center, etc.). Not only were the hospital’s physical assets expanded and improved upon, the level and quality of services were increased to provide residents responsive and local choices. Perry County Health System is directly tasked with this important responsibility, with general oversight by the citizens of Perry County, via the elected PCMH Trustees.
The very nature of healthcare is that “people care,” which is the goal of all the trustees, the board of directors, and all those who work and volunteer at PCMH. To this point, the elected trustees and the board of directors care a great deal! They are also volunteers, contributing countless hours in governance to ensure that this local treasure of this healthcare system remains true to its mission, stays financially viable and its services are of the best quality. This is no easy task and all those involved are continuously working at this. So why would someone run for an elected office as a PCMH Trustee or be a board member of Perry County Health System?
Kay Taylor is quoted as saying: “When I was asked a year ago if I would consider becoming a Perry County Health System Board Member, I agreed and accepted the appointment. Prior to that time, I had never done any volunteer service in my community so I felt that serving on the board in a volunteer capacity would be a way for me to give back to my community. I have worked in the healthcare industry for over 40 years so I thought and hoped I could bring some value to the board by bringing the knowledge I’ve gained through the years to the table and perhaps providing some insight and a different perspective than other board members might offer. Each board member brings value to the board because of his or her qualifications, knowledge and experience in different areas. I take this board position very seriously because I realize our health systems provides a critical service to our community and every decision we make affects the community as well as the livelihood of every employee of our health system.”
Who is PCMH? It’s not just Perry County Memorial Hospital, it is also a healthcare system where People Care More Here!
Sincerely,
