GRMC Hospital Board Announces Leadership Updates

Category: Front Page News Front Page News
Published: 30 July 2013 30 July 2013

Photo: Charles Kelly

The Board of Trustees of Gila Regional Medical Center recently named Charles Kelly as Chair and approved the appointment of Dr. Darrick Nelson as Vice Chair. Pam Archibald will remain as Secretary/Treasurer.

Charles Kelly is the owner of Sears Hometown Store of Silver City and serves as Mayor of Bayard. Dr. Darrick Nelson is the HMS Medical Director.  Pam Archibald serves as Senior Vice President and manager of the Western Bank, Silver City Branch.

Gila Regional Medical Center's Board of Trustees unanimously voted to accept the letter of resignation from Brian Bentley, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) effective August 2, 2013. Mr. Bentley has given years of service and dedication to the hospital, the Board appreciates his hard work and commitment to Gila Regional.

Assistant Vice-President of Operations, Brian Cunningham, was asked to step in as interim CEO, effective August 5, 2013. GRMC is fortunate to have a strong leader in place that can step into this role while bringing a wealth of knowledge and history at Gila Regional.


“Gila Regional has the heart for providing the best possible healthcare experience for our patients,“ stated Cunningham. “While facing the realities of healthcare reform, I am committed to service excellence. We will work to improve processes so our caregivers can consistently serve the people who seek our care.”

At the board meeting, Gila Regional’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) David Furnas submitted his resignation effective November 1, 2013. Furnas has served GRMC since 2007. The GRMC Board of Trustees wants to thank Furnas for his dedication and hard work.

 “Under Furnas’ direction, GRMC was recognized in 2009 by HIMSS Analytics as the 50th hospital of 5,170 hospitals in North America and the first hospital in New Mexico to achieve Stage 6 designation under the EMR Adoption Model,” stated Interim CEO Brian Cunningham. Furnas also spearheaded the CPOE or Computerized Provider Order Management Project. The Board appreciates the work he and his Information Systems Department have achieved.

The community, caregivers and county are embracing the changes. “Our motive is to support a strong hospital that provides excellent care for our citizens,” Brett Kasten, Grant County Commission Chairman said. “We stand ready to assist and work with the GRMC Board and leadership team.”

Earlier in the month, Chief Financial Officer Craig Stewart, announced his resignation as of October 2.

The only remaining chief-level officer is Pam Fulks, who serves as chief operations officer and chief nursing officer.

Additional information about Gila Regional Medical Center can be found at www.grmc.org.

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