Dan Grigg, CEO of Wallowa County Health Care District

Summary

Becker’s Healthcare Podcast: In-Depth Summary of Episode Featuring Dan Grigg, CEO of Wallowa County Health Care District

Release Date: August 3, 2025

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Introduction

In this insightful episode of the Becker’s Healthcare Podcast, host Laura Deardo engages in a comprehensive discussion with Dan Grigg, the Chief Executive Officer of Wallowa County Healthcare District. The conversation delves into Grigg's leadership strategies, the organization's recent successes, ongoing challenges, and future growth opportunities within the rural healthcare landscape.

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Overview of Wallowa County Healthcare District

Dan Grigg begins by introducing Wallowa County Healthcare District, located in Enterprise, Oregon. This small yet vital health system serves a population of approximately 7,400 residents in the far northeast corner of Oregon, nestled at the base of some of the world's most stunning mountains. The district operates a full-service 25-bed critical access hospital with a level four trauma designation, a rural health clinic with four locations, the local ambulance service, and a substantial physical therapy rehabilitation program.

Quote:
"It's a small health system in the very far northeast corner of Oregon, and we're at the base of some of the most gorgeous mountains in the world." [00:28]

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Recent Successes and Achievements

Expansion of Podiatry Services

One of Grigg’s notable successes over the past year has been the strategic expansion of podiatry services. Faced with the challenge of residents having to travel long distances—up to an hour and a half—to access podiatric care, the district evaluated the feasibility of introducing a full-time podiatrist to serve the local population. Despite initial concerns about the demand, thorough analysis confirmed the viability. The recruitment process was transparent, offering candidates a two-year period to establish their practice, with the option to share resources with other rural hospitals if necessary. This initiative has proven highly successful, with the new podiatrist exceeding projections shortly after joining in November.

Quote:
"We're always looking for opportunities to add services so that our patients don't have to drive long distances for care." [01:15]

Recognition as a Top Workplace

In addition to service expansion, Wallowa County Healthcare District has been recognized by Modern Healthcare as one of the best places to work in healthcare for the fifth time in six years. This accolade underscores the district’s commitment to fostering a positive workplace culture, supported by a dedicated team of 240 employees.

Quote:
"We have 240 employees that are just absolutely amazing and this is a pretty special place to work and receive care." [02:46]

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Current Challenges and Focus Areas

Recruitment and Staff Education Initiatives

Despite the district’s appealing location, recruiting specialized clinical staff remains a significant challenge. To address this, Wallowa County Healthcare District has invested in funding education for staff aspiring to become nurses, respiratory therapists, medical lab scientists, and paramedics. This long-term strategy not only enhances the workforce but also fosters employee loyalty, as individuals trained locally are more likely to remain with the organization.

Quote:
"When people are from here and we give them the training and the education, they're likely going to stay and be with us for years to come." [03:31]

Regulatory Challenges

Another pressing issue highlighted by Grigg involves navigating the complex web of state and federal regulations. The district is currently experiencing delays in obtaining approval for a new MRI machine from the Oregon Health Authority’s Facility Division, despite a successful fundraising campaign that raised over $600,000 from community donations. These regulatory hurdles impede the district’s ability to expand services and fully meet community needs.

Quote:
"The amount of rules and regulations that are placed on hospitals by state and federal regulators, it's pretty stifling." [04:54]

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Future Growth Opportunities

Orthopedics Expansion

Looking ahead, Wallowa County Healthcare District is focusing on expanding its orthopedics services. The district has identified that over 70% of orthopedic referrals currently leave the service area, signaling a significant opportunity to retain and attract patients locally. By recruiting additional orthopedic surgeons, the district aims to provide comprehensive, routine orthopedic procedures within the community.

Quote:
"We're doubling down on orthopedics and have done some additional recruitment to help grow and strengthen that program." [06:54]

Rehabilitation Therapy Facilities

Another key growth area is the rehabilitation therapy program. With an existing team of approximately 20 therapists and assistants, the district is planning to construct a new building dedicated solely to therapy services. This expansion will accommodate the growing demand for physical, occupational, and speech therapy, ensuring that patients receive high-quality rehabilitative care locally.

Quote:
"We've committed to building a new building just for therapy. So we believe that with the additional space, this program will continue to grow and thrive." [07:54]

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Leadership Insights

In discussing leadership, Grigg emphasizes the importance of a collaborative and multi-tiered leadership approach. Drawing inspiration from Robert Anderson and William Adams' "Mastering Leadership," he outlines the organization's goal to elevate all leaders to at least the third level of leadership. This strategy is aimed at fostering a highly functional leadership team capable of driving the organization towards its vision of becoming world-class.

Quote:
"The secret to really a thriving organization is to have a highly functioning group of leaders at all levels of the organization." [08:57]

Grigg believes that collective expertise, training, and alignment among leaders are crucial for navigating the complexities of the healthcare environment over the next five years.

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Conclusion

Dan Grigg’s leadership at Wallowa County Healthcare District exemplifies proactive strategies in service expansion, workforce development, and organizational culture. Despite facing challenges such as recruitment hurdles and regulatory delays, the district’s forward-thinking initiatives in orthopedics and rehabilitation therapy position it well for future growth. Furthermore, Grigg’s emphasis on developing a robust leadership structure underscores the district’s commitment to excellence and sustainability in rural healthcare.

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Notable Timestamps and Quotes:

• Introduction of Organization:
  "It's a small health system in the very far northeast corner of Oregon, and we're at the base of some of the most gorgeous mountains in the world." [00:28]

• Podiatry Services Expansion:
  "We're always looking for opportunities to add services so that our patients don't have to drive long distances for care." [01:15]

• Workplace Recognition:
  "We have 240 employees that are just absolutely amazing and this is a pretty special place to work and receive care." [02:46]

• Staff Education Initiative:
  "When people are from here and we give them the training and the education, they're likely going to stay and be with us for years to come." [03:31]

• Regulatory Challenges:
  "The amount of rules and regulations that are placed on hospitals by state and federal regulators, it's pretty stifling." [04:54]

• Orthopedics Expansion:
  "We're doubling down on orthopedics and have done some additional recruitment to help grow and strengthen that program." [06:54]

• Rehabilitation Therapy Growth:
  "We've committed to building a new building just for therapy. So we believe that with the additional space, this program will continue to grow and thrive." [07:54]

• Leadership Philosophy:
  "The secret to really a thriving organization is to have a highly functioning group of leaders at all levels of the organization." [08:57]

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This episode offers valuable insights into the operational dynamics of a rural healthcare system, highlighting both the triumphs and trials faced by leaders like Dan Grigg in delivering quality care to their communities.

Transcript

[A]

This is Laura Deardo with the Beckers Healthcare podcast. I'm thrilled today to be joined by Dan Grigg, Chief Executive Officer of Wallowa County Healthcare District. Dan, it's a pleasure to have you on the podcast today.

[B]

Thank you. It's great to be with you, Laura.

[A]

Now, I'm excited for our conversation. I know we'll talk a lot about some of the really key things that you're doing today, some of your successes, as well as how you're thinking about the future. But before we dive in, I'm curious, could you introduce yourself and tell us just a little bit about your organization?

[B]

Sure. So, again, my name is Dan, Dan Grigg, and I am at Wallowa County Healthcare District, which is located in Enterprise, Oregon. It's a small health system in the very far northeast corner of Oregon, and we're at the base of some of the most gorgeous mountains in the world. We operate a full service 25 bed critical access hospital with a level four trauma designation. We have a rural health clinic with four locations. We run the local ambulance service, and we have a pretty large physical therapy rehab program.

[A]

Well, it's amazing to hear and, you know, obviously a very important institution within the community. So could you tell us a little bit about your biggest win or success story from the last year or so?

[B]

Yeah, and actually if I can, I'd like to share a couple of them. One of them is that we're always looking for opportunities to add services so that our patients don't have to drive long distances for care because we're really not very close to anything. Our next closest hospital is about an hour and a half away. So about a year and a half ago, we were reviewing the referrals that were leaving our service area and we noticed that a lot of them were for podiatry and our whole service area only has 7,400 people. And we weren't sure if our population could keep a full time podiatrist busy. But the more we studied it, we determined that it would be worth the risk. And we began our recruitment and we were up front with each candidate. We told them that we would give them two years to build their practice, and if they weren't staying busy, then we would look to share them with another rural hospital. But we ended up with a dynamic podiatrist who's just really knocked it out of the park. He started with us this past November and he's already surpassed our longer term projections. So it's been a win for both our community and for our hospital. So real excited about the success of that program. And then just the second brief success story is we were recognized by modern healthcare as one of the best places to work in healthcare. For the fifth time in the past six years. We have 240 employees that are just absolutely amazing and this is a pretty special place to work and receive care. So pretty excited about that being recognized by them again.

[A]

Absolutely. Congratulations. I mean, just a huge recognition. What do you think sets your organization apart from the workplace culture to the community? Clearly it must be a tight knit place to be, to have such success and be recognized in a serious way.

[B]

Yeah, you know, everybody is just so down to earth and genuine and people really care about each other and it's, you know, I've worked in several hospitals. This is the fifth one that I've worked in over my career. And it's truly amazing, the culture and just the people that we have here.

[A]

Absolutely. Well, that's great to hear. Now, what are the top two or three issues that you're focused on right now? What's top of mind for you as the CEO of the health district?

[B]

Yeah, so I mentioned that we live in a beautiful area and that helps us attract talent, but we still struggle with recruiting, especially the hard to fill clinical positions. So several years ago the decision was made to fund the education for some of our staff who wanted to become nurses. But over the past two years we've expanded that to also include respiratory therapists, medical lab scientists, paramedics. And it's a long term investment, but it's been absolutely a win for both them and for us to be able to invest in our people and at the same time ensure this long term sustainability is pretty important. When people are from here and we give them the training and the education, they're likely going to stay and be with us for years to come. So challenging to fill those positions, but we think we found a pretty good solution to help us move forward with that. The second one that we're dealing with we don't really have a good answer for is some regulatory overreach. I'll call it. We're purchasing an MRI and we've been struggling like crazy to get the space approved by the Oregon Health Authority's Facility Division. Just the amount of rules and regulations that are placed on hospitals by state and federal regulators, it's pretty stifling. And so when I look at the challenges. So staffing is a big one. And then like I said, just these regulatory requirements that all hospitals really have to meet, it's just quite the Challenge sometimes.

[A]

Absolutely. I can imagine, you know, just having those types of roadblocks, especially with smaller hospital. It really puts a dent in your ability to grow and serve the community in a meaningful way. And when you look at, you know, those kinds of the policies and the regulations and the areas where, you know, you really see things getting bogged down, how does that. What impact does it have on your community, the organization? And then how do you go about, you know, trying to elevate that to lawmakers, if it's possible?

[B]

Yeah, it's. I mean, it does impact our community. For example, with the MRI that I mentioned, we had quite a fundraising campaign for that, and over 600,000 have been donated from community members towards the MRI. And now we're just seeing delays in getting it actually installed and having it here. And so that's frustrating. You know, people are excited to have it. We do have. We have a mobile MRI that comes into our community. So we're not without the service, but we're without a permanent one that actually has a better image quality and plus the commitment that the community's made to it. We've had some. Tried to have some conversations with the state about the challenges. I know that our Office of Rural Health is working with us on getting a meeting together later this fall to dig into that a little bit deeper. But it's not just us. Other organizations face the same challenges. But it is frustrating.

[A]

Absolutely. That makes a lot of sense. Now, in looking to the future, too, I wanted to figure out, where do you see some of the biggest growth opportunities in the next few years or so? Where are there additional places you can expand? I thought that was such a great story about the podiatry service line coming in. Are there other areas you're targeting?

[B]

Yeah, there's a couple other ones. One is orthopedics, and we've had orthopedic surgeons here locally on and off over the years. But recently we discovered that over 70% of our referrals for orthopedics were leaving our service area. So we just finished the new strategic plan, and as part of that, we're doubling down on orthopedics and have done some additional recruitment to help grow and strengthen that program. We feel like there's a lot of opportunity to provide what will keep people here locally getting that service. And then a second one is rehab therapy. We have an amazing group of about 20 physical occupational speech therapists, along with physical therapy assistants, and we're running out of space for them, and we've committed to building a new Building just for therapy. So we believe that with the additional space, this program will continue to grow and thrive. So those are a couple areas where we're focused on growth.

[A]

That's really cool to hear. And definitely important services to be able to keep local and have access for the community at large. I know orthopedics in particular seems like one that I know has been challenging in many respects for rural. But I hear more and more when I'm talking to leaders like yourself that that's a service that you're able to bring more in or have more local. And so that's really encouraging to hear.

[B]

Yeah. And we, and we recognize that we're never going to keep 100% here. And there's always going to be reasons why a subspecialty that we don't offer is going to be needed. But for the, for the routine stuff, the normal orthopedic procedures, a lot of that can be done, can be done here locally.

[A]

Fantastic. Well, before we wrap up here, I wanted to talk a little bit about leadership. Of course, you know, we're living through unique times, but healthcare is always changing and the world is always changing. So what do you think it will take to be a great leader over the next five years or so, especially given everything we've talked about today?

[B]

You know, when I, when I think about leadership, it's. It's more than any one individual. And I think the CEO certainly has that responsibility to step up and lead the organization. And the organization is going to go pretty much as far as the leader can take them. But I also firmly believe that the secret to really a thriving organization is to have a highly functioning group of leaders at all levels of the organization. And there's a book by Robert Anderson and William Adams, it's called Mastering Leadership. In their book, they talk about the five levels of leadership, with five being the highest. And we're on a developmental journey to get all of our leaders to at least the third level of leadership or higher. And we believe that this will give us that competitive advantage and will help us to reach our vision, which is to be world class. And so over the next. You said five years. I mean, I think the key is going to just be all of those leaders together having that, that expertise, that training, those skill sets and then being aligned as we, as we move forward.

[A]

I love that. Dan, thank you so much for joining me on the podcast today. This is such an informative and inspiring conversation, and I look forward to connecting with you again soon.

[B]

Thank you, Laura. Appreciate your time.

[A]

Absolutely. And you know, I'm really looking forward to meeting you in person as well at our CEO and CFO Roundtable in November. We'll of course, continue this conversation and I'm sure hit on many more key areas of just essential for leaders today. So I'm looking forward to that too.

[B]

Yeah. Hopefully we can track each other down. I'd love to meet you in person as well.