MERRICK MEDICAL CENTER Avila sees bright future

Avila sees bright future

Patrick Avila, who became president and chief executive officer of Merrick Medical Center in August, is embracing his new community with open arms. “I am impressed with the high energy of Central City,” he says. “There is a lot of pride and big plans for this community to grow and evolve.”

Patrick adds, “There are a number of people on the staff who are from this area and wanted to come home and be a part of Merrick Medical Center, and that is great.”

His journey to CEO began on the West Coast.

As a middle schooler, Patrick already knew he wanted to be a physical therapist. A move from California to Kansas brought him to where he would finish high school and move forward with his dreams, earning a bachelor’s at Kansas State University and a master’s in physical therapy from Kansas University Medical Center. When he entered the health care world he realized he had a passion for the administrative side, so he earned his MBA at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Most of Patrick’s career has been at hospitals in the Kansas City area. He was a vice president and ethics and compliance officer at Research Medical Center, then at Belton Regional Medical Center in Belton, Missouri, he served as vice president of operations and then chief operations officer/ethics and compliance officer.

After 25 years in the field and 15 years in administration, Patrick looks forward to starting a new chapter in Central City with his wife, LaVonn, and their two children.

“I’ve been fortunate to have had multiple opportunities to start in new facilities and communities,” he says. “How this community has welcomed and included me has been amazing. From a physician and staff perspective, I have never worked with a more engaged and talented group.

“Whether it was fate or good fortune, I saw the Merrick Medical Center job posted. I was very impressed with Central City. My wife has family in Nebraska, so there is some tie there, but the deciding factor was the opportunity to come to this great community and work for a great system.

“It is a challenge to start a new position during a pandemic, but the employees, physicians and board have been supportive. It’s an exciting time to be part of Merrick Medical Center and Bryan Health.”

With a quality staff in place and a new hospital on the way, there is plenty for the new CEO to be excited about. Ground breaking for the new hospital took place Sept. 28, groundwork is underway, and Patrick expects construction to be completed in the spring of 2022.

“My goal is making sure construction stays on track,” he says. “While we have an amazing staff, we look forward to being able to recruit more specialists so that we can provide expanded care and procedures and keep as much health care local as we can.”

With the community’s dream of a new hospital becoming a reality, quality staff in place and a new leader for the team, all the pieces are in place for Merrick Medical Center to usher in a new generation of health care. n

Our Sept. 28 groundbreaking ceremony signalled exciting days ahead for Merrick Medical Center and our patients and families. Bryan Vice President Pat Ganyo, (left) Bryan Health CEO Russ Gronewold, Merrick Medical Center CEO Patrick Avila, benefactor Sid Dinsdale, Merrick Medical Center Foundation Board President Sam Krug, Chief of Staff Traci Dieckmann, DO, and Merrick Medical Center Board Chair Ray Huggett did the honors.