Unity Health
Don’t let the bulldozer fool you. Ray Montgomery is not an engineer.
2
Times under Montgomery that Unity Health won the Arkansas Governor’s Quality Award
30
Years Montgomery has worked in health care in Arkansas
8-8-88
Date Montgomery joined White County Medical Center in Searcy
But he did come close.
Montgomery, president and CEO of Searcy-based Unity Health, has completed 30 years as a hospital administrator, leading Unity Health through years of growth, improvement and nationally recognized care and service.
The hospital’s success validates a choice Montgomery made while while studying engineering at Kansas State. Montgomery, from Atchison, Kansas, said he changed fields after completing a college aptitude test.
“The results showed I would best be suited for a career in health care,” said Montgomery, who got his MBA at the University of Missouri. “At first I chose the direction of respiratory therapy and care for the health of each patient I touched. That led me to the field of health care administration, where I could make a difference in more people’s lives.”
He still likes “knocking things down” with his 1992 Case bulldozer, but that’s as close to being an engineer Montgomery has come since college.
Montgomery arrived at White County Medical Center in Searcy in 1988, and helped transform a county hospital into the system called Unity Health
Under Montgomery, Unity Health has acquired a number of clinics and hospitals, including Central Arkansas Hospital of Searcy and Harris Hospital in Newport; he was instrumental in building the Cancer Center of Excellence and creating the Unity Health Graduate Medical Education program. Unity Health was also the first hospital in the state accepted into the Mayo Clinic Care Network.
“The greatest reward is seeing the way differences are made in the lives of people through our services at Unity Health,” Montgomery said. “Whether it is the patient who is being treated, an associate who is recognized for their hard work, or a physician who is leading in the efforts of care, it is rewarding to see how we care for one another and the well-being of our community.”
♥ Montgomery’s leadership helped Unity Health to earn a number of rankings and recognitions, including Large Hospital of the Year honors in the 2016 Health Care Heroes and a Care Chex No. 1 rank in Patient Safety and Overall Medical Care.
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