EXECUTIVE EXCELLENCE

DAVE HYATT NAMED PRESIDENT/CEO OF RIVERVIEW HEALTH

After just one year serving as the Riverview Health chief operating officer, Dave Hyatt was named president and chief executive officer of the organization in late March.

Hyatt isn’t new to the health care industry. He has 15 years of experience working in executive roles throughout the state.

“My first hospital job was actually at the loading dock at Columbus Regional Hospital as a supply clerk,” Hyatt says. “I was in college at the time and I thought I wanted to be premed. As it turns out I’m not very good at chemistry, but an advisor suggested health care administration and once I switched majors, everything clicked.”

His passions lie in making a difference, working with people and positively impacting the community.

“I have served as president at multiple hospitals, spent several years at IU Health, and I came to Riverview Health because I loved the culture and the organization,” Hyatt says. “It’s quite the honor and we have an excellent team, which makes all the difference.”

Riverview Health has a main campus in

Noblesville and, in 2018, opened a second hospital in Westfield. In addition, there are three freestanding emergency room and urgent care centers and 40 other sites across Hamilton County.

Hyatt says the hospital is unique in the way it serves the community, in many ways.

For example, the three emergency room/ urgent care centers in Carmel, West Carmel/Zionsville and Fishers, as well as the emergency departments at the Noblesville and Westfield hospitals are fully staffed emergency departments with emergency-trained physicians and staff. However, the urgent care services are integrated into the center. From 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day, patients are only charged for the level of care they are given.

“We do this because that’s what’s right for the patient,” Hyatt says. “If mom has a kid with an earache and it’s 6 p.m., we don’t charge more for those services simply because you’re in an emergency department.”

Despite the numerous locations, Riverview Health might still be considered small compared to some of the large health care systems in the state, but Hyatt says they can use that to their advantage, allowing administration to be flexible and implement decisions quickly to better serve patients.

In one of the fastest-growing counties in Indiana, he’s excited to see what’s next.

“Riverview Health has done an excellent job laying the foundation for growth and success,” he says. “In the next few months I’d like to outline my vision for where we go in the next five to 10 years, delivering the best care for our patients and our community. We want to be the provider of choice. We have the people and the tools, so it’s really just about putting the right plan in place to make us successful.”

Part of that success comes through working with leaders in the community and getting involved, including outside the hospital doors.

“I look at a hospital as a community resource,” Hyatt says. “We want to make sure we’re meeting the needs of our community and providing a strong place for our residents. It’s important for the hospital to partner with businesses, the schools and others to build a stronger community.”

Hyatt doesn’t need to be convinced that Hamilton County is the place he and his family want to be. His entire family is excited to dive in, serve and be a part of their new home.

He’s already serving on the board for Meals on Wheels Hamilton County and the Noblesville Chamber of Commerce.

His wife, Tonya, is excited to immerse herself in the community too.

“I wouldn’t be able to do any of this without Tonya’s support,” Hyatt says. “It’s been absolutely critical. She’s fallen in love with the community as well, and serves with the Noblesville Youth Assistance Program and coaches for Girls on the Run in Carmel. We have a big belief in giving back to our community and have really enjoyed our time here.”

They are parents to 10-year-old George and 7-year-old Eliza.

“We had a hard time figuring out where we wanted to live in Hamilton County because you can’t make a bad choice when it comes to the schools,” Hyatt says. “We’ve got leadership and foresight in this community that has really made progress, and we’re all investing in its future.”

Above all, Hyatt is impressed with the overall environment at Riverview Health.

“What sets us apart is the culture here,” he says. “Our team is absolutely committed to providing the best care for our patients. We want the care we provide to be affordable and accessible, and there are so many opportunities. I’m excited to see the growth.”

Hyatt holds A Bachelor of Science in Public Health and Master of Health Administration degrees from Indiana University. He is a certified Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Visit riverview.org for more information.

Maggie Hoppel, a senior at Noblesville High School, was recently named as a national Scholastic Gold Medal winner for her writing.

She was recognized for writing a portfolio called “That Should Have Been the End of It.”

“The portfolio included six works - a poem, two science fiction stories, two humor pieces, and an opinions article I wrote for the Noblesville High School Mill Stream school newspaper,” Hoppel says. “An overall theme within the portfolio is that life’s unnecessary complications, while frustrating, are also meaningful in their complexity.”

Hoppel was honored to win the gold medal.

“This year is the 100th anniversary of the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, which aim to celebrate young writers and support them on their journey to adulthood,” Hoppel says. “My mom stumbled across the awards online when I was in seventh grade, but I didn’t scrape up the courage to enter until William Kenley, my creative-writing teacher, encouraged our class to give it a shot last year.”

Hoppel remembers Kenley showing her class a video of Tina Fey speaking to some previous national winners at Carnegie Hall.

“Afterwards, on the way to lunch I said, ‘I’m