Roling reflects on time with HSCMH

Thursday afternoon at the Hot Spring County Memorial Hospital cafeteria, staff waited in anticipation for the guest of honor to arrive. As Robin Roling stepped through the door, it was obvious just how much she meant to the hospital, and how much the staff meant to her.

The surprise party helped add a bit of fun to Roling’s last days with the hospital. The outgoing CEO announced her resignation in March.

Her family, she said, was originally from southern Wyoming. As is frequently the case her parents, both University of Wyoming graduates, left the state. The oldest of four kids, Roling said among the places they lived were California, Colorado and Kuwait; this last, she noted, was due her dad’s work as an accountant for Getty Oil.

After graduating from high school in Boise, Idaho, Roling went on to attend University of Wyoming, graduating in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She then spent three years on active duty with the Army, at Fitzsimmons Medical Center in Denver.

She and her husband, Frank — the two will be married 30 years this July — moved to Boise for three years, then to Great Falls, Mont., and a position at Montana Deaconess Medical Center, which would later merge into Benefis Healthcare.

Powell was the next stop in Roling’s career, and 17 years working with Powell Valley Health Care before becoming the CEO of Hot Springs County Memorial in 2012.

Roling said the staff and leadership team do a great job. They care about the people in the community, and they want to make our place better — not just the hospital, but the clinics as well. In the time she’s been with Hot Springs Memorial, she’s been pleased with the positive changes she’s seen in regard to employee engagement, quality processes and financials, along with the implementation of electronic medical records.

One of the challenges, she said, is ensuring people know the importance of access to healthcare in the community. Thermopolis has been fortunate to have a hospital here for such a long time, it’s hard to contemplate it not being here, Roling said, and the community needs understanding of what’s at stake when it comes to the Specific Purpose Sales and Use Excise Tax and formation of the Hot Springs County Memorial Hospital District. She believes the hospital board has been working diligently to that end.

Roing said she is really going to miss the people she has worked with, and feels blessed to be part of the community and grateful for the opportunities she’s had. She encourages the community to know they are worthy of good things, and at the end of the day a key piece is to be kind to one another.

Though she will be working at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center, Roling noted she and Frank still have property here; Frank and their son Hudson will remain in Thermopolis, and she plans to commute, working during the week and coming back on the weekends.

On Monday, the community had the opportunity to meet Margie Molitor, who will fill Roling’s shoes as the interim CEO.

Molitor received her Bachelor’s in Nursing from South Dakota State University in Brookings in 1984, and has been working ever since, though her primary focus has been rural health care since 1990. She has been a chief nursing officer for 14 years and a chief executive officer for 12, and worked in Texas, Minnesota, Utah and Nebraska, and has worked in Wyoming at Torrington and Worland.

For the past two years, Molitor has done interim CEO work with HealthTech. She noted she worked at two facilities with HealthTech and at South Big Horn before coming to Thermopolis.

As to why she chose the position with Hot Springs County Memorial, Molitor said Roling is a good personal friend, and she already knows several of the physicians here. She enjoys the Big Horn Basin and looks forward to establishing relationships with those she knows from previous work. The hospital, she said, is a great facility with plenty of potential.

Roling, Molitor noted, has built a strong foundation and the physicians and staff are very engaged in the success of the hospital. She plans to continue building upon that foundation and continue the momentum. As for the Specific Purpose Sales and Use Excise Tax and formation of the Hot Springs County Memorial Hospital District, Molitor said it’s extremely important they are successful with those measures.

She further explained the hospital is an old facility and there are issues with aesthetics as well as the HVAC and cooling. Additionally, an improved facility is important in terms of recruiting quality physicians.

The recent “meet and greet,” Molitor said, was a good opportunity to meet a lot of people, and she enjoyed seeing the support the hospital has in the community. She looks forward to working with the staff and board to make the hospital a great one.