New leadership at SMC

KELLOGG — Shoshone Medical Center will be undergoing some administrative changes after the calendar flips to a new year. Paul Lewis and Tim Powers are set to be taking over the roles of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, respectively.

Lewis is returning to SMC after being away for 12 years. He and his family spent their time away in Eastern Washington and then Eastern Montana where he was an administrator for different hospitals in those areas.

Powers was the CFO and CEO for a hospital in Gooding, before coming to SMC.

“It got to a point where I was very comfortable with my legacy there in Gooding and I started looking for other opportunities,” Powers said. “This is a part of the country that my wife and I are very infatuated with and we had always enjoyed visiting. I’m just thankful for the opportunity to be here.”

Lewis and his family are excited for this homecoming of sorts, as getting back into the Silver Valley was a big part of the appeal that comes with this position.

“The Valley and the communities here are just outstanding,” Lewis said. “My career path and passion have always been with small facilities and rural health care. You can have a pretty big impact with the people and providers around you. This is a great opportunity to do that.”

As CEO, Lewis will be the lead administrator at the facility, but will answer to a board of trustees with the responsibility of executing the strategic goals set by the board and the hospital district.

“I look at it like the component of health care, but the key part of that is aligning it with community needs,” Lewis said. “We need to make sure that we are meeting the community’s needs, as well as making sure that that strategy and the things we are trying to accomplish are moving forward.”

The CFO role that Powers is stepping into is one that he is very comfortable with.

“I’m primarily responsible for the stewardship of the organization,” Powers said. “I take that role very seriously. I’ll be working directly for Paul and will oversee the fiscal responsibilities and make certain that aspect of the house is in order.”

Current CEO/CFO Jerry Brantz will be retiring after a terrific tenure at SMC where he helped develop several new services and programs that have helped SMC grow into the hospital it is today.

“Jerry has done a great job here,” Lewis said. “In this job there is a lot of responsibility and everyone is required to wear a lot of different hats and he has done an exceptional job here.”