Cary CEO And Caribou Native Selected To American Hospital Association Board Of Trustees

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Susan Collins today announced that Kris Doody, the Chief Executive Officer of Cary Medical Center, has been selected to the American Hospital Association’s (AHA) Board of Trustees, which is the policy-making body of the AHA and has ultimate authority for the governance and management of its direction and finances.

In April, Senator Collins wrote a letter to Michael Guerin, the Secretary of the AHA’s Committee on Nominations, supporting Doody’s nomination.

“Cary Medical Center is one of only five hospitals in the nation piloting the VA ARCH program. It is also the site in northern Maine for a Maine Veterans Home and Veterans Dementia Clinic, as well as the site of the nation’s first VA Community Outpatient Clinic,” Senator Collins wrote in the letter. “As such, Kris Doody will bring a true and tested experience to the leadership of the AHA and will offer critical insight to delivering health care in rural America.”

The AHA is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the improvement of health in their communities. The AHA is the national advocate for its members, which include nearly 5,000 hospitals, health care systems, networks and other providers of care and 43,000 individual members. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends.

Below is the full text of Senator Collins’ letter of support:

April 10, 2013

Dear Mr. Guerin:

I was very pleased to learn that Kris Doody, RN, and Chief Executive Officer of Cary Medical Center, has been nominated to serve on the Board of Trustees for the American Hospital Association (AHA). During my time in the United States Senate, I have had the opportunity to observe Kris in her leadership position. Kris and I were both born and raised in the City of Caribou. Brought up in a strong family, Kris’s father, the late Lee Doody, Lt. Colonel, Maine National Guard, was the longest Standing Commander of the 152nd Field Artillery Batallion and served six tours of active duty. Her father and her mother, Arlene Doody, raised Kris and her siblings with a strong community service ethic, and the values and character that have served her well in her progression from Candy-Striper to Nurse, to Operating Room Manager, Chief Operating Officer and finally Chief Executive Officer of a fine rural hospital that ably meets the needs of the communities it serves.

These are very dynamic times for the entire health care industry in the United States. The costs of health care, the marvels of modern medicine, and the rapidly aging population all pose unique opportunities and challenges for patients and providers. These issues are even further pronounced in rural areas that are coping with low-income populations and medically are underserved.

Cary Medical Center is one of only five hospitals in the nation piloting the VA ARCH program. It is also the site in northern Maine for a Maine Veterans Home and Veterans Dementia Clinic, as well as the site of the nation’s first VA Community Outpatient Clinic. As such, Kris Doody will bring a true and tested experience to the leadership of the AHA and will offer critical insight to delivering health care in rural America.

In my annual meetings with the AHA, including the Maine Hospital Association, I have had the opportunity to see first-hand how well Kris advocates for the priorities of the AHA and her local hospital. She is extremely well-informed and has a practicality forged by her roots in the Caribou community. I am happy to endorse Kris’s nomination to the AHA Board of Trustees and have every confidence that she will exhibit the leadership and insight required in these times of transition in our nation’s health care system.

Sincerely,