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Show Page 2 Thursday, June 9, 2011 The Gunnison Valley Gazette Rosenvall ready to step into new postition By JOHN HALES GUNNISON—Getting ready to leave his job at Gunnison Valley Hospital (GVH) for a new one with the Utah Hospitals and Health Systems Association (UHA), Greg Rosenvall sounds pretty pleased with the progress he's overseen as the hospital's administrator for the last 15 years. He says he'd rather move on without much fanfare, but once he begins talking about the advances GVH has made, one senses he has a fair amount of satisfaction about the job he's done. "I don't think there's an industry that impacts people more than health care. It's very satisfying to be involved in an industry that helps get people better, because you can't impact people more positively than that. That's been very rewarding, to help people with their number one asset, and that's their health," he says. But there's possibly another place his satisfaction comes from: Rosenvall is the unlikeliest of hospital administrators, and he knows it. This is how he describes his healthcare experience prior to coming to Gunnison Valley Hospital: "I guess I'd been a patient. That's all I can say." But dedication, self-motivation and a sense that there are similarities in administrative positions regardless of the industry helped him be successful—successful enough to land a job where he won't simply be watching over one hospital, but assist all rural hospitals in the state, (with emphasis on the independent hospitals) as the UHA's Rural Health Improvement Director. He begins that job next month. A career in healthcare was not at all what Rosenvall had in mind before he took the administrator's position at GVH. After growing up in Gunnison, he received a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Brigham Young University, graduating with highest honors as summa cum laude. Also at BYU, he met Marcia Brunner in a student Family Home Evening group. They've been having Family Home Evenings together ever since. After college, Rosenvall began his career with Exxon Corp. He worked there for 12 years, the last four of which were as a project engineer involved in the installation and start-up of offshore oil and gas platforms in California. That's when he made a change. "The current project was done, and they were looking to move everyone to different locations," Rosenvall says. "They were especially interested in overseas exploration. We were thinking that probably wouldn't be good for us," especially since they had a son with Down Syndrome. Rosenvall received a call from Kim Pickett, who told him about an open administrator's position at Gunnison's hospital. "I was thinking I wouldn't be qualified for that, but I applied and was invited for a couple of interviews, and started here in September of '96," he says. "I'm probably the only [hospital] administrator in the nation—maybe in the world—that's come up through the oil industry." Feeling underqualified, inexperienced and perhaps a fish-out-of-water, was he nervous? "I think so," he answers, "and maybe just a little bit naïve. But what I found out is whether you're in the oil industry or the healthcare industry, trying to motivate people toward a common cause and culture is the same. The main part of this position is trying to motivate people and establish culture. That's what I focused on, and I think overall Gunnison Valley Hospital has a good reputation for the culture we've tried to establish." He calls that culture the "Three C's: Competence. Character and Caring." He describes them. "We like to have a culture where we have competent people working at GVH. Character—We have established a culture of honesty and integrity. Things like medical mistakes or errors, we never try to hide anything. We're very upfront so we can improve. The 'caring' part of it is that we treat patients like we would like to be treated, so there's an element of going above and beyond." But Rosenvall doesn't mean to imply that his lack of experience was something he didn't need to overcome. Fortunately, he says, it wasn't too big of an obstacle for the people who found themselves now working for him. "To some degree there was a question about that, but I never sensed it was a significant concern," he says. "I felt a lot of support from day one." He faced the learning curve by going through a healthcare management certification course at the University of Utah, and through his own study. He says, "I tried to get a jump start on the basic concepts. I put a lot of hours in. I think that people saw that, and saw the sincerity and the amount of time and overall into all the World As Jace Anderson (second from right) finishes his mission, he expresses appreciation to all those back home for their support. He has enjoyed his experience and has grown to love the people of the Tacoma, Washington Mission. Jace is the son of Mark and Deah Anderson of Gunnison. into all the World Rasmussen Ace Hardware is sponsored by ACE Paints Sporting Goods Whirpool Appliances desire to make things better here. I just tried hard, and it came gradually. After about a year or so I didn't feel like I was handicapped because of no healthcare experience." Among his accomplishments during his 15 years at hospital is a long list of advancements in the facility itself and its auxiliary campus. On the hospital were two expansion and renovation projects that included a great many improvements: the addition of enough patient rooms to provide each patient with a private room and private bathroom; new operating and recovery rooms; a new labor and delivery suite; expansion of the hospital's lab and radiology departments; remodel of the emergency department; new administrative offices; new rehabilitation room; a sleep study lab; a respiratory room; and new housekeeping space. But apart from the actual hospital, Rosenvall also oversaw construction of new buildings. There was the Rees-Stewart Medical Office Building, which has space for specialists to visit the area as needed from the Central Utah Clinic in Provo. There was the Gunnison Family Practice medical office building. And there was the building that now houses Gunnison Valley Home Health and Hospice. Of the Rees-Stewart building, Rosenvall says, "It was a real honor to oversee construction of that building and naming it after Dr. G. Stanford Rees and Dr. LaMar H. Stewart, because they were the founding fathers of health care here in Gunnison. We had the opportunity to honor those gentlemen and their families". Rosenvall also presided over a significant increase in the number of medical staff associated with the hospital. He says, "In health care that's where it all starts, is with the medical staff, because people don't come to a hospital to see the hospital. We've been fortunate to recruit good providers of healthcare." In leaving GVH, Rosenvall says it's not goodbye, just `see you later.' His new job, basically, will be to help all of Utah's rural hospitals—with specific emphasis on the nine rural, independent hospitals, including Gunnison's—find the resources they need to perform as well as they can. "The challenge is we don't have many resources. If I can help all the rural independents in the state, that's exciting to me, and Gunnison would be part of that. My new position does allow me to continue to help Gunnison. It's just a larger sphere that I'm trying to influence," he says. He plans to continue living in Gunnison. THUNDER Gr azette Lane Henderson, Publisher Mark Henline, Editor & Advertising Jodi Henline, Office Manager Call: (435) 528-5178 for subscription, news or advertising. FAX: (435) 528-5179 E-mail gazette@gtelco.net The Gunnison Valley Gazette is published each Thursday by Gunnison Valley Gazette, L.L.C., 328 North Valley Drive, P.O. Box 143 Gunnison, Utah 84634. Bulk rate postage (permit No. 11) is paid at Gunnison, Utah. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Gunnison Valley Gazette, P.O. Box 143 Gunnison, Utah 84634 Deadlines: News and advertising, Noon, Monday prior to publication. Subscription prices: One year, $25 in Sanpete County, one year, $30 outside Sanpete County. Single copy price 75 cents. Advertising rates available upon request. All articles and photographs submitted for publication are subject to editing and only will be used if the editor deems them newsworthy. The editor reserves the right to hold submitted news items for space reasons. Copyright Gunnison Valley Gazette, Gunnison, Utah 2005. All rights reserved. Reproduction, reuse or transmittal of all matter herein is prohibited without prior written permission by the publisher or editor. WEATHER Thursday 69/41 Isolated T-Storms Friday 70/42 Sunny Saturday 76/46 Partly Cloudy Sunday 77/45 Mostly Sunny Gunnison's Weather is brought to you by Gunnison Telephone Co. Don't let the pool stand empty this summer by ANTIA LYONS class was over, the instructor, Phil Murray, asked me to start working as a lifeguard." One of the first things After college, Sorensen Robert Sorensen, new man- worked at the American Fork ager at the Gunnison City Fitness Center, then served as Pool (since April) did was Gunnison City Pool Manager to drop the price of summer for 5 years. In 2007 he went pool passes. "Everything is to Snow College as the Acgetting more expensive," he tivity Center Manager. When said, hoping that "If we de- his mentor, Phil Murray crease our price instead of in- retired three years ago, Socrease it, as other things get rensen took over as manager less affordable, we're going of the Snow College pool to get more people to come and taught classes in swimto the pool." ming, life guarding and WSI A family pass for 3 (Water Safety Instructor). In months used to be $270. So- March 2011, Sorensen aprensen (with the approval of plied to return as Pool manthe city council) has dropped ager in Gunnison which imthat price to $110, more than proved the economy for him. half off. A summer pass for "My budget for gasoan individual can now be line has been cut in half," he purchased for $50, instead of commented. $70. The per person admisSummer swimming lession to the pool is $3 each sons started June 6, with this for adults and $2.50 each for two-week session ending children. For $110, a family June 17. Other swimming of five could swim 7 times classes have been scheduled paying regular price, or swim to begin June 20, July 11, every day (until August 31) and July 25. Classes begin with the pass. "We want to at 9 a.m., with new sessions encourage more people to use starting every 45 minutes. the facility," said Sorensen. Beginner to advanced classSorensen was raised in es are taught during each Mayfield and remembers time slot. Cost of lessons taking swimming lessons is $30 for one student, and with his siblings as a kid at $25 each for more than one Snow College. As a teenager, student. they'd drive from Mayfield Sorensen has just cornto Gunnison and swim from pleted teaching a Red Cross 1-4 p.m. then get home in Lifeguard class here in Guntime to change sprinkler nison. Many of those stupipe. It wasn't until after his dents have now found jobs mission that the pool as a ca- at the Gunnison and Manti reer occurred to Sorensen. City pools. He is planning to "I took a lifeguard class at teach a WSI course next, to Snow College because I train lifeguards how to teach wanted to swim. When the swimming lessons. THOR 435 South Main • Gunnison GUNTNISONT VAL L EY Help fill the Gunnison City Pool this summer by taking advantage of a reduced price swim pass. 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