T-R PHOTO By MIKE DONAHEY President and CEO of UnityPoint Health-Waterloo Pam Delagardelle speaks to an overflow crowd of UPH-Marshalltown, UPH employees from three states and local residents in a facility conference room. The 103-year old former Central Iowa Healthcare officially became UPH-Marshalltown Monday.

On Monday, amidst balloons and handshakes galore, employees of the former Central Iowa Healthcare were officially, and heartily welcomed into the fold of UnityPoint Health-Marshalltown.

“It is a new day for healthcare in Marshalltown,” said UPH-Waterloo President and Chief Executive Officer Pam Delagardelle before a standing room crowd of UPH-Marshalltown staff, joined by UPH employees from Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin in a UPH-Marshalltown conference room. “At midnight, Central Iowa Healthcare became UPH-Marshalltown,”

Delagardelle, a former nurse and 30-year veteran of the health care industry, was front and center along with others for a noon session with UPH-Marshalltown employees, one of four offered Monday to acquaint employees with UPH, UPH-Waterloo and the corporate mission statement (UPH-Waterloo is a regional division of UnityPoint Health).

Other sessions were at 7:30 a.m. 2 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Joining Delagardelle at the lectern for the event which had a pep-rally atmosphere were UPH President and CEO Kevin Vermeer, former president of the CIH Board of Trustees Carol Hibbs and Marshalltown Mayor and former CIH trustee, treasurer Jim Lowrance.

“I want to thank the CIH board of trustees, Dawnett Willis (former CIH Interim CEO and COO) Carol Hibbs, CIH trustees and you, the employees for your patience in making this a reality,” said Delagardelle.

Hibbs was forthright in telling the audience the road to CIH becoming UPH-Marshalltown was “a hard one” fraught with time-consuming challenges for the volunteer board of directors.

“I can tell you from personal experience UPH staff are caring individuals,” said Hibbs. “Last month our family found it necessary to use UPH-Des Moines facilities for an extended period … the staff were extremely competent and compassionate.’

Finally, Delagardelle urged UPH-Marshalltown employees to promote the hospital, staff and services to friends and neighbors.

“We have a strategic plan to deliver health care services in the area,” said Delagardelle. “Where do we go from here? It is simple. We know you are going to provide top patient care, experience, for the people you serve, your community. We are working to create a culture where leaders can lead, physicians can practice, staff have careers and patients have the best possible outcome every time.”

Jennifer Havens, CEO of Grundy County Memorial Hospital, is UPH-Marshalltown’s interim CEO.

In mid-May, Justin Wright of Summer Community Hospital in Sumner, will become president of UPH-Marshalltown while Havens becomes vice-president of operations.

The process

Critical to the former CIH becoming UPH-Marshalltown was an asset purchase agreement agreed upon jointly which was consistent with conditional approval filed in a March 16 hearing by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Iowa in Des Moines. At that hearing, the court identified UPH-Waterloo as the successful bidder in a bankruptcy auction process open to any qualified bidder.

CIH filed a petition for protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code Dec. 20, 2016. The bid submitted by UPH-Waterloo included a commitment all CIH healthcare operations would continue without interruption during the bankruptcy proceedings and after the sales transaction was completed.

The assets include an acute care hospital emergency department, four primary care clinics (Conrad, State Center, Tama-Toledo and Marshalltown) and an outpatient center (opened in August 2016 and across from Marshalltown Community College). Under the plan, high quality healthcare would continue in Marshalltown and surrounding communities as CIH assets would become owned by a new entity called UPH-Marshalltown.

About UPH-Marshalltown

UPH-Marshalltown is a 103-year old, not-for-profit organization, employing approximately 500 healthcare and other professionals.

It has an annual economic impact of more than $50 million dollars annually.

Assets include a 49-bed acute care hospital, emergency department, and outpatient clinic in Marshalltown.

Additionally it has four primary care clinics in Conrad, Marshalltown, State Center and Tama-Toledo.

UPH-Marshalltown is the only full-service medical center in its area and more than 60,000 residents utilize it for a wide variety of healthcare services.

About UPH-Waterloo

UnityPoint Health-Waterloo includes Allen Hospital, a 204-bed, non-profit community hospital, two critical access hospital, an outpatient community mental health center, a nursing and allied health college and 26 family practice and specialty clinics serving the Cedar Valley. As an affiliated hospital of UnityPoint Health, the organization is part of a health system that cares for one out of every three patients in Iowa.

——

Contact Mike Donahey at 641-753-6611 or mdonahey@timesrepublican.com