Dr. Burr Betts confirmed as new Chair for Hospital Board of Trustees
Contact: Mardi Ford
Grande Ronde Hospital is pleased to announce that Dr. Burr Betts has been confirmed as the new Chair for the Grande Ronde Hospital Board of Trustees.
Dr. Burr Betts has lived in the
La Grande area for more than 36 years. After graduating with a major in biology from Purdue University in 1967, he earned a PhD in animal behavior and ecology from the University of Montana in 1973. He then spent two years on a post-doctoral project which took him and his family to Costa Rica for a year. With 15 years of his research focused on bats, Dr. Betts has become known as La Grande's "batman".
Dr. Betts was a Professor of Biology at Eastern Oregon University, retiring after 30 years of teaching, ongoing research projects, and one-year stints as Interim Dean of Arts and Sciences and Interim Provost/Dean of Academic Affairs.
In addition to serving on the Hospital's Board of Trustees, the very active Dr. Betts referees high school football and basketball and works at Buffalo Peak Golf Course where he also enjoys playing golf.
Dr. Betts spends his free time in his woodworking shop, and also enjoys camping, biking, and cross-country skiing with his wife, Donna.
Dr. Betts joined Grande Ronde Hospital’s Board of Trustees in January 2006. He served as Vice-Chair for two years and Secretary for three years before assuming the Board Chair position in January 2012. The Grande Ronde Hospital Board of Trustees is composed of eleven voting members comprised of nine representatives from the community, the Hospital’s Medical Staff President and the Hospital’s President/CEO.
Each Trustee from the community at large is nominated by the Board’s Nomination Committee according to Hospital policy and elected by the Board of Trustees. Trustees are elected to serve three-year terms with a maximum of nine years of service. Trustees need not be residents of the State of Oregon or of Union County.
These representatives collectively comprise the governing board of Grande Ronde Hospital, Inc. which includes the Grande Ronde Hospital,six clinics; the GRH Children’s Clinic, the GRH Women’s Clinic, the GRH Regional Medical Clinic, the Regional Hematology & Oncology Clinc, the Regional ENT Clinic, the Regional Ortho Clinic,and Grande Ronde Hospital Home Care Services.
It is the responsibility of the Board of Trustees to set policy and direction for the organization. The Grande Ronde Hospital Board of Trustees meets monthly, with the exception of the months of July and August, as well as at other times as needed.