Marlowe

JOHN DAY — After his first year on the job, Blue Mountain Hospital District Chief Executive Officer Cam Marlowe has received the endorsement of the district’s board of directors, along with a modest pay raise.

Marlowe, who served as the public hospital district’s chief financial officer from 2018 to 2020 before leaving for another job, came back in July of 2022 to take the reins as CEO from the departing Derek Daley. He had his first annual performance evaluation at the board’s July 23 meeting and received a positive review.

“The board all expressed how happy we are to have him, and we’re excited about the future,” Chair Amy Kreger said.

Supported by property tax receipts from Grant County landowners as well as patient revenues, the district employs about 250 people. It operates Blue Mountain Hospital, Blue Mountain Care Center and Strawberry Wilderness Community Clinic, offers home health and hospice services, and provides ambulance service in the county through a mix of paid employees and volunteers.

Kreger noted a number of accomplishments during Marlowe’s first year at the helm, including purging a huge backlog of paper medical files that have been entered into electronic records systems, increasing the patient census at the district’s assisted living facility, restructuring home health services so the district can bill insurance plans for travel time and substantially reducing the district’s budget deficit, which was $1.5 million when Marlowe took over and now stands at around $572,000.

She said Marlowe’s strong financial management background has helped the hospital district remain fiscally healthy and maintain service levels at a time when other health care systems are cutting programs or closing their doors.

“Cam is very conscious of the bottom line and making sure we’re viable,” Kreger said. “Every day we read about another hospital shutting down.”

In connection with the performance review, the board voted unanimously to give Marlowe a pay increase. At his request, the raise was set at 4% — the same cost-of-living adjustment most of the district’s employees received this fiscal year.

“He wants it to be a team thing,” Kreger said, adding that the board was impressed with Marlowe’s gesture.

“It was stated around the room that we know we made the right pick for CEO,” she said. “He’s the right man for the job.”

The 4% pay hike brings Marlowe’s annual salary from $320,000 to $332,000 for the current fiscal year.