Loring Hospital in Sac City has named Dr. Frank Richardson as its new Board Chairman.
Richardson joined Loring’s Board of Directors in 2019. He is an experienced pharmaceutical development professional with more than 30 years of experience in areas including toxicology, anti-cancer and anti-viral drug development, and precision medicine. He currently serves as an independent consultant for the health care industry and a non-profit organization devoted to helping academic investigators develop leading-edge therapeutics. Richardson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Iowa State University, and a Ph.D. in Experimental Pathology from Duke University.
“I’ve very much enjoyed my time on the Board over the past three years and I am honored to take on the role of Board Chair,” says Richardson, who grew up in Sac City. “It is a transformational time in rural healthcare, with tremendous opportunities ahead to improve and expand healthcare for all. It is because of the dedicated efforts of those who serve today and those who have served before, that Loring Hospital finds itself in a particularly good position to explore new opportunities. I look forward to exploring these opportunities with the Board, staff, and our community while helping do my part to ensure Loring continues to provide the outstanding patient care for which it’s known. The patient comes first.”
“Frank has proven himself to be a key player of Loring Hospital’s Board. His strategic perspective has been invaluable in guiding Loring Hospital over the past few years,” says Stacy Johnson, chief executive officer and chief financial officer at Loring Hospital. “Frank also has a deep understanding of our community and is committed to our promise of delivering exceptional healthcare each and every day.”
The news comes after Loring Hospital’s long-time Board Chairman, Mike Green, announced he was stepping down, though he will remain on as a key member of the Board. Green joined the Board of Directors in 1989 and served more than 20 of those 33 years as Board Chair.
“It has been a real pleasure and honor to be a part of the Loring Hospital family as a Board member and Board Chair for the past several years,” says Green. “I want to sincerely thank the Loring staff and providers for allowing me to be a part of the Board and all that we’ve accomplished. I look forward to continuing to be a part of the Loring Hospital family as a member of the Board.”
Green says though there have certainly been some difficult decisions that the Board has had to make over the years, such as closing Loring’s long-term care unit, the obstetrics unit and even more recently, not being able to continue the hospital’s own home health and hospice service – though Loring does continue to work with UnityPoint Home Health and has several hospice options available to meet patient needs. Green says those difficult decisions ultimately led to other opportunities to serve the Sac and bordering communities.
“Hospital medicine and services have changed a lot over the years,” says Green. “It was painful to have to close our long-term care unit, however, it was replaced with the addition of our outpatient center. The major renovation proved to be a great improvement to serve the healthcare needs of our patients. We have certainly seen more and more specialists provide services at our facility and our aim is to continue to expand even more services locally.”
“Mike has played an integral role in Loring Hospital’s success and dedication to continually provide top-notch patient care,” says Johnson. “We are grateful for his service and guidance over the past three decades. Though we are saddened to see Mike step down as Board Chair, we’re fortunate he has agreed to remain as a valuable member of the Board.”
Commenting on the current Board, Green says, “Everyone brings a different dimension to the table. When I decided to pass the Chairman torch, my plan was to retire from the Board. Upon greater thought and knowing what a great Board we have, along with our Trustees and staff, I wanted to stay on as a Board member. We have some exciting things to look forward to.”
“I hope the community will join all of us at Loring Hospital in congratulating Frank into his well-deserved new role, and in thanking Mike for his many years of dedicated service to Loring Hospital,” adds Johnson.