When Terry Fletchall was hired as Santiam Hospital’s controller in 1982 and six years later appointed CEO in 1988 he was the youngest CEO in Oregon. Today, he is the longest-tenured CEO in the state.
At the beginning of his tenure, the struggling community hospital was on the brink of closure. Under Fletchall’s leadership Santiam Hospital has flourished.
For Terry, “Understanding the unique intricacies of an acute care hospital and the constantly changing healthcare paradigm, developing and carrying out plans, responding to change and investing in people, infrastructure and technology; together with timing, relationships and a little luck are the keys to success.”
Over the years, the hospital has doubled its size twice. It has expanded from a single one-story building on four acres, to a four-story replacement hospital (2013). The replacement hospital is the home of all new Medical/Surgical Unit, Intensive Care Unit, Birthing Center, and Surgery Center. Renovation of the original hospital building accommodated the expansion of Ancillary and Emergency Services. Eleven on-campus primary & specialty care clinics were renovated, with three primary care satellite clinics built to serve surrounding communities: Aumsville Medical Clinic (2001), Sublimity Medical Clinic (2008), and Santiam Medical Clinic in Mill City (2009). We are currently under construction to accommodate an expanded Comprehensive Orthopedic Clinic, specializing in total joint replacement. Today, Santiam Hospital and clinics occupy sixteen acres.
Investments in technology for diagnosis and treatment are evident in the hospital’s full-service Lab, which uses state-of-the-art equipment to run over 400,000 tests each year, and the Diagnostic Imaging Service, which features the latest digital imaging technology, including the recent addition of 3D mammography. The Intensive Care Unit utilizes virtual telemedicine in a direct partnership with Oregon Health Sciences University.
In an era of mergers and acquisitions, Santiam Hospital has remained an independent, community-based hospital – one of only three independent acute care hospitals in Oregon that is not owned by another hospital, nor owns another hospital.
Terry Fletchall is pleased to announce the appointment of Maggie Hudson, MBA to the office of President and CEO of Santiam Hospital. “With the appointment of Maggie, we know the hospital is not only in good hands, but the best hands.”
“To all the wonderful people in the communities served by Santiam Hospital, who have been so supportive of the hospital over the years.” “Thank you and bless you all. I am humbled by my experiences.”
