Everett Butler, CEO of Unity Medical Center in Grafton, N.D., for the past 16 years, is retiring in March.
"It marks 50 years that I've worked in health care," he said.
His retirement also ends an eight-year relationship with Pembina County Memorial Hospital in Cavalier, N.D., where he also served as CEO of that facility.
Unity's board of directors currently is recruiting a new CEO.
However, Pembina County Memorial Hospital's board found its replacement in-house. Chief Financial Officer Patti Sharp assumed CEO duties in August, according to Patti Cameron, the hospital's chief operations coordinator.
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Sharp, who holds a bachelor's degree in health care administration, has been at the Cavalier hospital for the past four years.
"Prior to sharing the position with Unity Medical Center, PCMH had always maintained a full-time CEO," Cameron said. "With Tanya's financial background, she remains involved in the financial aspect of our organization."
Career in hospitals
Butler, originally from Manton, Mich., began his health care career in 1964 as a lab/x-ray technician at the hospital in Wishek, N.D., which was affiliated with Lutheran Health Systems, based in Fargo.
After 12 years there, he completed a health care administrative training. Then, for the next 20 years, he worked at LHS-affiliated hospitals in New Mexico, Wyoming, Missouri and Montana.
He then moved to North Valley Health Center in Warren, Minn., where he spent three years before taking the position in Grafton.
In 2006, he also was hired as CEO of the Cavalier hospital. The two facilities are separate entities, with separate boards of directors.
"I went up there to help them out for 90 days and spent 8 years there, traveling back and forth," he said.
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Grafton and Cavalier are about 40 miles apart.
Since Sharp's appointment in August, Butler has worked full-time at Unity in Grafton.
"The facility has been very stable over the past 16 years," he said. "We've had some changes in our medical staff recently, but it's been a good transition. We have a very stable workforce. It's been very consistent over the past 16 years."
Butler said he plans to stay in Grafton.
"I like to fish on Lake of the Woods," he said, adding that he likely will make trips to see a brother and sister in Michigan and a son in San Diego.
kbonham@gfherald.com.
