A New Day for DRMC

Delta Regional Medical Center named J. Stansel Harvey as its new Chief Executive Officer and President Wednesday.

Stancil, who grew up in Ruleville, will assume his new post on Jan. 3, 2011.“It feels good,” said Harvey, who signed a two-year deal. “I’m coming back home.”

Harvey, who has a Master of Health Services Administration degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, is leaving his job as a healthcare consultant in Granbury, Texas. However, he has more than 28 years of hospital leadership experience, including nine years as president of Harris Methodist Southwest Hospital, a 229-bed facility in Fort Worth, Texas.

“We have the right man for the job,” said Billy Schultz, DRMC’s Board of Trustees chairman. “We looked at about 10 candidates and began to narrow our
search down from there. “The board of trustees unanimously selected him based on his proven leadership in hospital administration and positive track record in financial and operational accomplishments,” he said.

Harvey succeeds Mazie Whalen, who became interim CEO and president on April 15. She will return to her post as Senior Vice President of Nursing Services. “It was a good experience for me,” said Whalen. “It was a challenge but we have someone to take over.”

Schultz said he and the board were pleased with Whalen’s job. “She was fantastic,” said
Schultz. “This is nothing against her at all. In fact, she didn’t want the job. I can’t say enough praise about what she did.” Harvey and his wife, Lisa, have a son, Ben, who lives in Arkansas.

Welcome Mr. Harvey and your family. You have an incredible opportunity to provide DRMC with the leadership and integrity that has been lacking for many years. As the Delta's largest medical center, DRMC has some truly great employees who have long been hoping to have a leader who is both fair and honest.

Change comes slowly in the Delta, but it can come. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer... and always be sure that you can discern the difference between these groups.

Boards and doctors don't run a hospital, but they will if given half a chance. Trust your instincts and administrative knowledge to make needed changes. Listen to your employees. As Henry Ford once stated, "I never learned anything about car making sitting in a board room. Most of what I know today, I learned from listening to the men on the line."

Best of luck in your new position.

Forthright

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The news of my death has been greatly exaggerated! I am not dead, just bored. I maintained this site after its former owner became disenchanted with it. I saw the "Scoop" as a viable medium for us "Deltans" to express our views of what really concerns us... and for the most part, it has done just that.

My initial goal for the "Scoop" was to inform and raise awareness of local issues that "advertisers" will NOT allow to be printed in the local press. The "Scoop's" promise of anonymity has been strictly enforced and we have gained hundreds of loyal readers and contributors over the last 6 years. A blog is no better than its topics and its contributors. Lately, it seems that we have become somewhat complacent and rather stale.

Here's the challenge: Give us your opinion on any topic and let's get a lively debate going! Okay, it's a local blog about the Delta, but there are many national issues which will affect all of our lives in the future. Haley Barbour for President? "Don't ask, don't tell"... the "Tea Party"?

I love the "Scoop" and many other blogs, because they are open venues for expressing my likes, dislikes, opinions or just rants and raves. In my varied careers, I have been forced to say many things that were politically "correct", but basically contradicted my personal beliefs. When I discovered the "Delta Scoop" and several other good blogs, I felt liberated! Finally, I could say whatever the hell I wanted and simply not give a damn whether I got an "Amen" or a "F-U".

Someone provide me with their "argument" for or against any issue. I will give you front page coverage and let's see how you fair. It is your chance to be be heard and rally either support or disdain for your opinion. At the end of the day, the one trait that all "Deltans" possess is their opinion!

Forthright