ENTERPRISE – The new year brought with it a new, though familiar, face to the top spot at Wallowa Memorial Hospital.

Larry Davy is the new chief executive officer at the hospital, taking over for Dave Harman. Davy served as CEO with Wallowa Memorial Hospital six years ago when he guided the Health Care District through the building of the new hospital.

Davy returns to Enterprise after serving in the same position at the Tillamook Regional Medical Center.

Harman, who has led the hospital since August 2007, announced his retirement last winter and the Wallowa Valley Health Care District’s board of directors started a search for his replacement. During that time, Chief Financial Officer Lexi Fields announced her retirement because of an illness in her family. Harman asked the board to put the search for a new administrator on hold until Fields could be replaced.

With Fields’ replacement secured, the board re-opened the search and extended the offer to Davy, who left shortly after the new hospital’s construction was complete. Davy said he and his wife, Christy, had kept their Wallowa County home while on the coast and coming back was a welcome opportunity.

“Sometimes you really take ownership, it isn’t ‘the’ hospital, it’s ‘my’ hospital,” Harman said of the transition. “It is so great to have Larry Davy come back. He will do well and succeed. He’s an extremely great leader.”

Harman and Davy have a longtime friendship. AfterHarman’s retirement from the Harney District Hospital in Burns, Davy asked if he’d be interested in taking the CEO position he was vacating.

“I took the opportunity after meeting the board, staff and medical staff. They are so excellent and such nice people,” Harman said. “I was grateful he thought of me. It’s been a wonderful experience.”

Harman said one of the goals when he took the helm was to recoup costs spent on the new hospital. He said in 2007 the district had $250,000 in reserve funds. In 2012, it had as much as $7 million.

Also on his list was to prepare a plan for a new care center for the elderly and to decide what to do with the old hospital. In 2010, the district gave the building to a local nonprofit, Wallowa Resources, which continued to rent space to the Wallowa Valley Care Center until the residents were moved to a new facility on the hospital’s campus last June. The hospital side of the 1950s building has been turned into offices, and the site of the former care center is now occupied by Building Healthy Families.

Another need came to bear when the Winding Waters Medical Clinic started looking for a new facility. Parkway Health and Wellness Center was completed in 2012, housing doctors’ offices and physical therapy just a few steps from the hospital.

Harman said Wallowa County is well served by the district’s campus, complete with the hospital, medical office building and a senior living facility.

“Patients want friendly people, good food and good service, generally in that order,” he said.

Davy is a trained registered nurse and he came to head up the nursing department at Wallowa Memorial in 1999 and was later promoted to CEO. With family in the region, it was an easy decision to move back to Wallowa County after a 6-1/2 year stint in Tillamook.

“With so many great people, why not come back?” Davy said.

At the top of his list, Davy said, are finding a new orthopedist to replace Dr. Brad Stephens, who retired last year, and facing the new opportunities and challenges of the health care system.

“Hospitals traditionally focused on illness and trauma,” Davy said. “Now we’ve got to more effectively educate ourselves to reduce chronic disease, improve health and reduce costs. A hospital is an important leader; change is hard, but exciting.”

Davy said Americans want the best health care available, but the nation’s current utilization of the system is unsustainable.

“If we can affect lifestyle, we will reduce the need for expense,” he said. “If we get people energized, get them healthier and reduce the need for expensive care, what better goal is there to have?”