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Economic Collaborative of Northern Arizona (ECoNA) — The ECoNA Q&A: Dave Cheney

by Community Contributor • August 30, 2024 • Comments Off

Dave Cheney is CEO & President at Northern Arizona Healthcare, leading Flagstaff Medical Center, Verde Valley Medical Center, primary care and specialty clinics throughout Northern Arizona. Prior to joining NAH, Dave served as President and CEO of Sutter Hospitals. He led six area CEOs and oversaw the 24 hospitals within the Sutter Health System, following his tenure as CEO of Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento.

Cheney is a member of the ECoNA Board. Below is an excerpt from our recent interview with him. You can see the full interview here.

Q: You started your career in health care as a paramedic. What drew you to that work and how has it influenced you as an administrator?

A: I was interested in that field because I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives on a day-to-day basis. I feel like starting in that field has really influenced my career because can I can understand what our frontline workers do in providing compassionate care for the people we serve. Whether it is a paramedic or other direct care provider, or someone supporting a direct care provider, we want to give each person the highest level of care that we can give.

Q: You’ve been the head of Northern Arizona Healthcare for just over a year. What have been the highlights of the past 12 months at NAH?

The biggest highlight this past year has been getting to know the amazing colleagues at NAH. I have also really enjoyed being able to interact with the community.

We have hired some great new providers this past year, including an additional experienced physician recruiter to help recruit primary care and specialty providers. This person’s specialty is recruiting health care providers to rural areas, which is important as recruiting for a rural area is different than recruiting for a metro area.

Q: Last year, voters rejected a plan to rezone land and relocate the hospital on land near Fort Tuthill County Park. What is the status of the search for a new location for the hospital?

A: We continue to search for an ideal location for an acute care hospital. After listening to the community, we have made the decision to abandon the Village concept. We also decided to distribute outpatient services across the Greater Flagstaff area, as opposed to having them on one campus with an acute care hospital.

Q: Why is a new hospital building necessary?

A: To meet the long-term needs of the patients and communities we serve, it is necessary to build a new hospital to replace the current campus. The broader northern Arizona community has been very clear that they want a modern hospital to serve all of northern Arizona for the next 50 years, and we at NAH are committed to that goal. We will continue our search for the ideal location.

Q: NAH is currently working on plans for the Summit Center. What is envisioned there?

A: We have heard our community’s concerns about keeping health care in a central location within Flagstaff. We needed to find another solution to accommodate much-needed growth in our ambulatory care setting as soon as possible. Therefore, we’ve decided to renovate an existing NAH-owned building for an expanded Northern Arizona Healthcare Outpatient Surgery Center (NAHOSC). We were pleased to announce our new plans to redevelop the site that many know as the former Summit Center, located at 1485 N Turquoise Drive in Flagstaff. This new project gives the community access to an array of new services on the hill.

Check out the full interview here.