New PMH CEO Barbara Lay Looking Forward To Spending More Time In Pocahontas County

Marlinton, WV – Barbara Lay has been the Interim Chief Executive Officer at Pocahontas Memorial Hospital since September of 2010. Beginning October the 1st, the “Interim” tag will be removed and she will be the new permanent CEO of PMH. A West Virginia native who grew up in Calhoun County, she gives this reason for accepting the position.

“Well, I’ve been coming to Pocahontas County now for 10 months, and I’ve really gotten to like the people and the hospital and just the beauty of the area” she says. “And when it [the CEO position] became available and I felt like we were really working to build people up then, when Minnie Hamilton’s Board decided to terminate the agreement, I just felt called that this is where I needed to be. And I’m excited about making the change.”

Lay gives her view of the future of PMH.

“I really look forward to us growing, and to improving quality, I’m hoping we can hard wire excellence” she says, “so that we can provide quality care by quality people. Give the right care at the right time every time. So there’s a lot of work in things [where] we’re continuing to improve, and it will be ever continuing.”

Stephanie Alexander, Chief Nursing Officer, gives her view of the new CEO.

“I’m very excited that Barbara Lay will be here and will be here full time” says Alexander. “We really need her expertise. She’s an excellent administrator and I think the whole building would say the same thing; we’re very excited.”

Hospital Board of Trustees member Cathy Mosesso gives this opinion.

“I am very excited about Barbara accepting the position as full time CEO” says Mosesso. “Both as a board member and citizen of Pocahontas County.”

Of course she’s a citizen too, so I asked her what she looked forward to as a permanent resident of Pocahontas County.

“Well, I really hope to spend more time with your rivers; I love to fish, I catch and release, but I really love to fish” says Lay, “and I’ve spent a little bit of time on the trails. And then to actually explore the county; I know Marlinton pretty well but I haven’t really seen the outside area because I just haven’t really had an opportunity. So I look very forward to seeing the rest of the County.”

Lay will continue as the Interim CEO until October the First when she will officially assume the position permanently.