Hospital CFO takes job at Pratt
Staff reporter
For Hilary Dolbee, the chief financial officer at St. Luke Hospital for the past two years, finances are finances but now she has an opportunity to work with larger finances at a larger hospital.
Active in the community and a supporter of economic development efforts, Dolbee is taking a step up in her professional career and accepted the position of vice president of financial services at Pratt Regional Medical Center.
"I feel we have accomplished some goals here at St. Luke," Dolbee said, specifically the development of the budgeting process with department heads.
When Banner Health Systems pulled out a few years ago and left Marion County Hospital District #1 to fend for itself, it was an opportunity for the financial part of the hospital business to reorganize.
The streamlining and organization of the hospital's books was another important goal that was met, Dolbee said, to better correlate with the size of the hospital and living center.
Dolbee came to Marion from a financial position with a nursing home in Topeka. This was her first job with a hospital and she liked it.
"I like Marion and leaving was a tough decision for me to make," Dolbee said. "If I could, I'd take these good employees here at the hospital with me to Pratt."
She's looking forward to new challenges and a larger operation that awaits her.
The Pratt facility has 70 beds in the hospital and a 51-bed nursing home. Marion has a 22-bed hospital and 32-bed nursing home.
"I have a lot to learn about working at a larger hospital but I'm looking forward to it," Dolbee said.
Dolbee's last day in the office is Friday but her last duties include her assistance with the hospital's sponsorship of events at Chingawassa Days this weekend — ice cream social Friday evening and Dinky Duck race Saturday.
Adopting a duck and supporting the hospital would be the best send-off people could give her, Dolbee said.
QHR, the hospital's consultant, is searching for candidates for the hospital board to select as a replacement for Dolbee. In the interim, hospital controller/accountant Bev Reid will serve as the financial officer.
