Board Unanimously Approve Interim Steve Patonai as Permanent CEO
Submitted by Lake Chelan Community Hospital and Clinics
The Board of Directors at Lake Chelan Community Hospital & Clinics (LCCHC) voted unanimously to approve a resolution naming interim CEO Steve Patonai as the organization’s permanent CEO at their regular Board meeting Dec. 20.
According to an official statement written by the Board, “For the last 7 months, the Board has worked with B.E. Smith, a national recruitment firm, to help identify highly-skilled CEO candidates who would love to work in a small but growing rural community. We have taken the necessary time to make sure that the CEO will be the best match to help LCCHC achieve our vision and become a respected leader in our community. Our standards are high, because community expectations are high. All candidates interviewed were very qualified to fill the CEO position but did not “fit” our overall needs.
“The Board has offered the CEO position to our Interim CEO, Steve Patonai. During his tenure at LCCHC we have directed Steve to make the necessary improvements to move LCCHC thoughtfully and strategically towards our Vision. As the new CEO Steve will continue these improvements. During this time of significant challenges and changes, we especially appreciate LCCHC leaders and employees working cooperatively, together, in pursuit of excellence on all levels of our organization. The Board is very confident and supportive of the direction in which we are headed under the leadership of Steve Patonai. He is the best fit for our organization to guide us to the level needed for achievement of our goals and Vision.”
In addition, the Board provided an update on construction of the new hospital. Thanks to the community-approved local levy in 2017, and the USDA guaranteed loan in October 2018, funding is now in place for the budgeted $44.5 million facility. The Board anticipates breaking ground in the fall of 2019, with construction being completed in early 2021.
