With a combined 120 years of service to our organization, the senior leadership team works behind the scenes to ensure Phelps Memorial Health Center is a sustainable organization for future generations. It is their mission to ensure Phelps Memorial is a great place to work and a great place to receive care, close to home.
Mark Harrel, Chief Executive Officer since 2007, leads the five-member senior leadership team: Loren Schroder, Chief Financial Officer, teammate of 27 years; Leora Smith, Chief Nursing Officer, teammate for 43 years; Tracie Elliott, Chief Ancillary Officer, teammate of 20 years; and, Lacie Westcott, Chief Experience Officer, teammate of 9 years.
“Phelps Memorial has always been a leader in our community and progressive in the healthcare industry,” stated Harrel, “this can be attributed to the outstanding leadership teams our organization has developed since 1968, when our doors opened over 50 years ago.”
Loren Schroder, Chief Financial Officer, is charged with ensuring financial viability of Phelps Memorial. His leadership team oversees a multitude of services and areas in the organization, including facilities and maintenance, housekeeping and laundry, patient financial services, health information management, food and nutrition services, information systems, fiscal services and materials management.
“The transformation of our organization over the years has been a pleasure to witness,” stated Schroder, “we began as a private, non-profit hospital that has grown its service area into a regional landscape.”
Leora Smith, Chief Nursing Officer, is driven by creating a patient-centered environment that focuses on safety. Her leadership team oversees all nursing aspects of the organization, including inpatient nursing, patient care coordination, emergency services, surgical services, pharmacy services, and electronic health records.
“My philosophy has always been patient-centered with the mission of ‘do no harm’,” stated Smith, “treating each patient as an individual is important. Patients come to us as the trusted experts when they are at their most vulnerable. It is our mission to get them back to living the life they’ve always dreamed.”
Tracie Elliott, Chief Ancillary Officer, works to create an environment that is fully integrated with quality services. She began her tenure as a respiratory therapist, then became the leader of the cardiopulmonary team. In 2016, she joined the senior team and now oversees all ancillary departments of the organization, including specialty clinic, rural health clinic, cardiopulmonary, physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, imaging, laboratory, cardiac rehabilitation, and quality.
“Phelps Memorial is so much more than a critical access hospital with 25 inpatient beds,” stated Elliott, “we bring in specialists from all over the region because our customers deserve to have access to high-quality healthcare close to home. Our visiting specialists come from as far away as Lincoln and Steamboat Springs, Colorado.”
Lacie Westcott, Chief Experience Officer and newest member to the senior leadership team, strives for creating a culture focused on the overall experience of everyone that touches and encounters the Phelps Memorial brand. She oversees marketing and communications, public relations, community service efforts, human resources, and the overall customer experience.
“In all my years, I never dreamed that I would be on the senior leadership team at my local hospital,” stated Westcott, “our community has supported us for over 50 years and we are so grateful for the loyalty shown to us over the years. Our unique organizational culture attracts healthcare professionals to our team from multiple states. We are extremely proud of what we have built. It is a pleasure to be a part of something great.”
Phelps Memorial Health Center is committed to providing the healthcare expertise you need with the personalized care and compassion you deserve. We care about your health and want to help you live the life you’ve always dreamed. Phelps Memorial Health Center. The team you trust to care for those you love.
