The news that IU Health Starke Hospital will have an Interim President will have no impact on plans of IU Health LaPorte Hospital pursuing the purchase of the Starke facility. Thor Thordarson, CEO/President of LaPorte Regional Health System said the commitment is still there.
“It doesn’t impact at all. It’s just a continuation of our strategy through the years. Our commitment has stayed strong to the community. And if anything, that plan would be an indication that we’re here to stay,” Thordarson said.
We asked if the synergy between the two hospital systems has been what was expected.
“It’s actually been better. There are a number of things that have been implemented in Starke that we’ve implemented in LaPorte. And actually we’re in the process of implementing things right now that we’ve learned over the past three years here in Starke. And that’s also contributed to the knowledge base and best practices through the IU System.”
Thordarson said the hospital is on sound financial footing.
“I think it’s important to remember that other organizations had given up on Starke in terms of health care, and left. There were many folks who thought it was impossible to run a small hospital without the critical access status in a small community. We have faith in the community and Linda and Dave. Their team has done what we set out to do. The end result is that we have a hospital in Starke County that is on sound financial footing, and has improved the quality of care that’s available to folks here.”
David Hyatt is scheduled to become the President of IU Health Starke Hospital June 4th.
