T-R PHOTO BY MIKE DONAHEY UnityPoint Health Waterloo President and Chief Executive Officer Pam Delagardelle pauses to take a question Tuesday at the Marshalltown Rotary Club weekly meeting at Elmwood County Club. Delagardelle was invited to talk about Central Iowa Healthcare becoming part of UPH-Waterloo.

In the four and one-half years since being appointed as UnityPoint Health Waterloo CEO and President, Pamela Delagardelle and associates have successfully taken on many challenges.

On Tuesday, the former nurse told the local Rotary Club they are ready to take on another, as UPH-Waterloo prepares to bring Central Iowa Healthcare into the UPH-Waterloo fold.

CIH filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Dec. 20.

The bankruptcy was mitigated by months of serious financial losses.

Through a serious of federal bankruptcy court hearings earlier this year, UPH-Waterloo won as the successful bidder of CIH assets.

On March 31, UPH-Waterloo and CIH submitted an asset purchase agreement to the bankruptcy court finalizing a plan to purchase substantially all CIH assets.

The assets include CIH’s acute care hospital, emergency department, four primary care clinics — Conrad, Marshalltown, State Center and Tama-Toledo — and the CIH outpatient center. Under the plan, healthcare will continue in Marshalltown and surrounding communities as CIH assets will become owned by UnityPoint Health and will be known as UPH-Marshalltown.

A joint press release issued earlier this month by the two not-for profit providers said they were committed to keeping healthcare local in Marshalltown and surrounding communities while working toward a resolution May 1.

Delagardelle, a 30-year healthcare veteran, made it clear during her presentation she and other UPH-Waterloo staff will work as a team with remaining CIH staff to bring the best possible outcomes to patients in a patient-centered approach, and will collaborate with McFarland Clinic, Wolfe Clinic and other Central Iowa healthcare providers.

“Patients want the best possible outcome, our job is to deliver that to them,” she said.

Delagardelle said key objective for the Marshalltown team are to increase patient volume and market share.

“CIH is losing market share, our goal is to turn that around,” she said. “We want to increase usage of UPH-Marshalltown to 66,000,” she said.

Delagardelle said the team will be meeting with Marshalltown and area employers to promote UPH-Marshalltown assets.

CIH has been strongly promoting a “Shop Local” campaign for many months, urging area residents to consider local providers and services first.

Another challenge will be a oncoming “Silver Tsunami.” Meaning more and more Central Iowans will be aging and requiring health care services.

In 2012 Delagardelle was named the first woman president and CEO of Allen Health Systems, according to the Waterloo Courier.

Previously she served as CEO of Grundy County Memorial Hospital in Grundy Center, a position she began in 2003.

Prior to her appointment as CEO of Grundy County Memorial Hospital, Delagardelle worked at Allen Hospital and Allen College in Waterloo and St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids from 2000-2003.

Delagardelle’s earned the 2008 Iowa Hospital Association Excellence in Leadership Award and the 2012 Mount Mercy University Distinguished Service Award for service to community.

Grundy County Memorial Hospital successfully enlarged facilities, staff and patients under Delagardelle’s leadership. The hospital completed a $6 million outpatient expansion in 2006 and opened a $13.5 million inpatient facility and $5 million medical office in 2010.

Delagardelle also recruited 117 specialists and primary-care physicians to the hospital and increased the hospital workforce from 90 to 220 employees to accommodate growth in patient volume and market share, reported the Courier.