Kevin Unger truly has had a long-term relationship with Poudre Valley Hospital.
Unger was born at the Fort Collins, Colo., hospital in 1969, returning in 2001 as vice president of planning and strategic development for the parent company, Poudre Valley Health System. He was named vice president of operations and ambulatory care for the 252-bed flagship Poudre Valley Hospital in March 2003, rising to president and chief executive officer in October 2005.
As the top executive, Unger was quickly thrust into the public spotlight when the parent company announced plans for a new hospital in Loveland, Colo. Leaning on his local connection to Fort Collins during public meetings and one-on-one discussions, he earned the community’s trust, recalls Rulon Stacey, president and CEO of the health system.
Poudre Valley Health System opened 136-bed Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland in February. Employees of the 82-year-old Poudre Valley Hospital as well as residents of Fort Collins had misgivings about the new hospital’s impact on future investment in Poudre Valley, Stacey says.
Opening the new hospital created “jealousy and silos and conflicts, and he was the exact right person to be there and remind people what our vision is … we are not slighting anybody,” Stacey says. “I remember him saying numerous times, ‘I was born at Poudre Valley Hospital. I grew up in Fort Collins. I am a Fort Collins High School graduate. This is me—I am you,’ ” Stacey says.
