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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

Hospital set to name new adminstrator

Tom Klein
Posted 9/18/14

COOK – Teresa Debevec, who serves as lab manager and assistant administrator at the Cook Hospital and Nursing Home, will likely replace Administrator Al Vogt, who is retiring at the end of …

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Hospital set to name new adminstrator

Posted

COOK – Teresa Debevec, who serves as lab manager and assistant administrator at the Cook Hospital and Nursing Home, will likely replace Administrator Al Vogt, who is retiring at the end of January.

Directors of the Cook-Orr Area Healthcare District Board interviewed Debevec at a special meeting on Tuesday. Following the interview, the consensus was not to extend the search for Vogt’s replacement and offer the job to Debevec, according to board Chairwoman Judy Pearson,

Pearson said she expects to bring that recommendation to the full board, which meets on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Cook Hospital.

Vogt, who has worked alongside Debevec, strongly recommended the board consider her for the job.

“She has been my assistant and right-hand person for many years and shows great initiative to step into the leadership role,” wrote Vogt in a letter to the board. “Because of her own initiative, she has not only become a licensed nursing home administrator but also has completed her master’s in health administration.”

Vogt continued that Debevec is surrounded by a good administrative team and added, “I have a sense she will bring things to the table that I may not have had the ability to do.”

Two decades

of service

Debevec has served 23-plus years as the hospital’s lab manager and took on the additional duties of assistant administrator six years ago. She obtained her master’s in health care administration from Walden University in 2013 and became a licensed nursing home administrator in 2008 after completing course requirements from the University of Minnesota.

In a letter to Pearson, Debevec expressed her dedication to the Cook Hospital and her desire to see the facility thrive now and into the future.

“I care deeply for our facility, the citizens of the communities we serve and our employees,” concluded Debevec. “I am committed to ensuring the Cook Hospital continues to flourish as a vital part of our community.”

Debevec told board directors that she would tbuild on the outpatient services now offered at the hospital and continue to emphasize the quality of services.

More aggressive marketing should look at getting word out about the services available beyond ads in local newspapers, Debevec added.

Debevec also told the board that when problems or conflicts emerged, she searches for the root cause and listens to affected parties before crafting a solution.

Board directors focused on a couple of key concerns, including retaining registered nurses and expanding the hospital district tax base.

Debevec said keeping an experienced registered nursing staff was critical. She said assisting with tuition for the hospital’s nursing staff to become registered nurses was one way to address the issue. The hospital may also have to increase pay for registered nurses, as it currently ranks in the bottom quartile compared to wages at other hospitals in the region.

The most logical expansion of the hospital district would be into Greenwood Township. Many of the township residents access health care services at the Cook Hospital.

But the township has been reluctant to become part of the district, although some residents have generously donated to the W.C. Heiam Medical Foundation. Debevec said adding Greenwood to the district would be a long-term goal, but said some other surrounding townships might be convinced to become part of the district.

On questions about her communication skills, Debevec said she had developed a good rapport with staff and with administrators at other health care facilities. She also promised to keep the board informed on the issues.

“No surprises is a good operating principle,” said Pearson, who said Vogt had always kept the board abreast of developments.

Board director Julian Brzoznowski asked about Debevec’s experience in dealing with the political side of health care issues.

Debevec acknowledged that she would need to build on that aspect of the job, but felt confident with experience, she would become more comfortable in the role. Debevec said if she is selected as administrator, she doesn’t plan to hire an assistant administrator but will rely on the hospital’s team, in part, in helping keep hospital operating costs down.

Other options

Prior to Debevec’s interview, Vogt discussed the different options that the board could pursue in seeking to fill his position. In addition to promoting an internal candidate, he said, the board could hire a search firm to screen and bring forward candidates, but he suggested that could be expensive. Another option would be for the board to advertise in professional journals and review and interview candidates themselves.

But Vogt felt the board had an excellent candidate already in Debevec.

Directors agreed, saying they had consulted with others, including members of the W.C. Heiam Foundation, who supported Debevec.

Pearson said it also offers the board a smooth transition because Debevec is familiar with the hospital and nursing home and the communities they serve. That’s especially key when a longtime administrator such as Vogt is leaving.

Vogt has been with the Cook Hospital for over 39 years.

“I have real mixed emotions about my retirement,” Vogt stated, “but it is the right time for a change and the inspiration of new energy that a new CEO/administrator will bring.”