GMC bids a Fond Farewell to outgoing Board Member, Robert Tersinar!
Launch the media gallery 1 playerRobert Tersinar made his grand entrance to the Girard Medical Center Board of Trustees when he was sworn in as a board member on May 26, 2005. If you know Robert, you know he always makes a “grand” entrance – and he continued to do so well over 100 times at the monthly Board of Trustees meetings where he served in many capacities, including as chairman from 2010 to 2013.
Robert grew up on a farm in Farlington and graduated from Girard schools. He went on to receive a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and is currently a financial adviser with SEK Financial.
Tersinar originally ran for a position on the GMC Board of Trustees in 2005, shortly after he and his wife, Meghan, moved back to the area to raise their family. He wanted to be active in the community and thought his experience and education could help the hospital.
And that they did! During his time and leadership on the board, the hospital underwent many positive changes. One of the first was the successful recruitment of a CEO, Kenny Boyd, in 2006. Later that year, Tersinar and the board oversaw the rebranding effort to rename the hospital Girard Medical Center.
Tersinar’s experience and education also helped the board through several large construction projects. In August 2008 GMC opened a new $347,000 facility in Arma, and in 2009 Tersinar helped lead the doubling in size of the clinic in Frontenac. Tersinar also was instrumental in the Master Facility Planning Process, which resulted in the 2011 multimillion-dollar building project of a 30,000-square-foot expansion and 6,000-square-foot renovation at GMC.
Several new service lines were introduced during Tersinar’s tenure on the board, including the successful inpatient and outpatient Senior Behavioral Health program established in January 2009. In response to in-house medical staff survey results identifying a need for this service, Tersinar and the rest of the Board sought a way to launch the Senior Behavioral Health program to meet the needs of the healthcare providers and the local community. He also helped oversee the introduction of Bariatrics, Neurology, Rheumatology, a successful weekend Express Clinic, and, most recently, Digital Mammography.
Physician recruitment was a top priority Tersinar helped execute as board vice-chairman and chairman. He led the board in the recruitment of two family practice physicians, a general/bariatric surgeon, and an orthopedic surgeon. He also was involved in a second CEO recruitment in 2011, when as board chairman he hired the hospital’s current CEO, Michael Payne.
Payne said GMC was fortunate to experience Tersinar’s leadership and guidance over the last 10 years.
“Robert is both dynamic and intelligent, and he always put the hospital above his own self-interest during his time on the board,” Payne said.
And though his tenure on the Board of Trustees is complete, Tersinar said he will continue to care about the success and growth of GMC.
“Girard Medical Center has become a big part of my life,” he said. “The more time and effort you invest in an organization, the more you want to see it succeed. It is a vital part of our community’s quality of life, public safety, and economic survival. Seeing it grow and continue to succeed is very important.”
Tersinar is also appreciative of what he learned from his service to the hospital. “For ten years I have had the opportunity to work with some of the brightest and most successful people in our community,” he said. “I have enjoyed that interaction and have learned a great deal.”
Fellow board member Mike Bodensteiner said Tersinar deserves “tremendous thanks” from Girard and the surrounding communities for his service on the Board of Trustees.
“Along with other board members, the leadership exhibited by Robert has contributed to the growth of GMC, including expansion of patient services, new medical programs, recruitment of physicians, and a new facility that is second to none when compared to most rural areas,” he said.
Mary Jane Dent, vice-chairman of the board, agreed.
“Robert provided sound insight on hospital issues, financial acumen, and a can-do philosophy with regard to hospital improvement and growth during his 10 years on the board,” she said. “He has been a tremendous asset as a trustee at GMC and will be missed."
Thank you, Robert, for your time, dedication, expertise, and countless hours spent making GMC a hospital in which our community can be proud.