Hospital Boards Approve Interim Partnership

The respective governing boards of Wayne County Hospital (WCH) and Decatur County Hospital (DCH) have approved an agreement to allow WCH CEO Daren Relph to serve as the interim administrator at DCH while the hospital searches for a permanent chief executive officer. The agreement is for a maximum period of six months, during which time Relph will split his time evenly between the two facilities. Both hospitals are members of Mercy Health Network and have collaborated on various initiatives over the past year.

“We know Daren and have confidence he will be able to continue our recent improvements in quality outcomes and patient satisfaction,” said DCH Board Chair Linda Chastain. “There has been past synergy between the organizations and Daren’s experience will also help DCH remain current with Mercy Health Network objectives. We are grateful that Wayne County Hospital has agreed to assist our community in this manner. This partnership will assure that our hospital moves forward in a seamless fashion until we can identify a permanent leader.”

“This is an example of rural hospitals working together to make sure that quality healthcare continues to exist throughout the entire region,” said WCH Board Chair Gary Runyon, DVM. “Decatur County Hospital has been a great partner when Wayne County Hospital has identified some needs in the past; we are glad to be able to return the favor. It’s simply the Iowa way of doing things.”

Relph has been CEO at Wayne County Hospital since 2010. The agreement between the hospitals will be effective June 4.