Official news release
April 19, 2017 - After a nationwide search that resulted in 120 applications for the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Gila Regional Medical Center (GRMC), the Board of Trustee decided to hire Mrs. Taffy Arias as the new CEO for the hospital. Mrs. Arias will be coming to Silver City from a small town in North Carolina of 5600 people and was the CEO for Martin General Hospital. While most recently she oversaw the operations of a small 48-bed hospital, her experience ranges to include being the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) and interim CEO at the 1735 employee Porter Health Care System in Valparaiso, Indiana. Mrs. Arias received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas, at her home city of El Paso and her Masters in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.
GÇ£I truly love Silver City, it is so good to be back in my familyGÇÖs neck of the woods,GÇ¥ said Mrs. Arias during her visit to GRMC on April 10th. GÇ£My hope is to be here as long as you will have me.GÇ¥
The next steps will be for Mrs. Arias to give her notice at Martin General Hospital and begin her relocation to Silver City which should take place at the end of May. During this time interim CEO Alfredo Ontiveros has renewed his contract and will continue to manage GRMC until Mrs. Arias has arrived and transitioned into her new role.
GÇ£The search committee narrowed the 120 applicants down to two strong candidatesGÇ¥ said Mr. Ontiveros. GÇ£The Board of Trustees interviewed both of them and came to a decision at the special board meeting on Monday April 17th to offer Taffy Arias the job. She will start on May 29, 2017.GÇ¥
GÇ£Mrs. Arias has diverse experience in both clinical and administrative positions,GÇ¥ added Mr. Ontiveros. GÇ£She will be a good leader for Gila Regional.GÇ¥
It was a group effort to find the right CEO candidate for GRMC and for the community. The Chair of the GRMC Board of Trustees, Jeremiah Garcia, and board member Tony Trujillo were co-chairs of the 15 person search committee that did the hunt for a new CEO.
GÇ£Over the period of about two months, the committee really worked hard to weed through all the applications,GÇ¥ said Mr. Garcia. GÇ£First they got the 120 applications down to seven, and then did phone interviews to narrow down those candidates to two for the board to interview. The process went very smoothly and produced a very good pick for our new CEO.GÇ¥
GÇ£The committee put in a lot of hours to make the best decision possible,GÇ¥ said Mr. Trujillo. GÇ£Even though the committee consisted of different people from different career fields throughout the community, the end decision came down across the board in favor of the two candidates we interviewed.GÇ¥
Help GRMC welcome Mrs. Taffy Arias as the new CEO of Gila Regional Medical Center. Her experience and leadership combined with guidance from the Board of Trustees will move GRMC into a stable and successful future.
Gila Regional Medical Center is a county-owned, not-for-profit, 68-bed acute care hospital with a strong commitment to the people they serve. Investments in technology and certified caregivers provide quality care delivery through a patient-centered approach. It is home to the Gila Regional Cancer Center; the Surgical Center of the Southwest and was rated a 4-Star Quality Care Hospital by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services.