Some dates are just easier to remember than others.
Raymond W. Montgomery II, president and CEO of Unity Health, has been heard recently citing this date: 8-8-88. That’s a date etched in his memory — it’s the date he began his career at Unity Health, then known as White County Medical Center.
Following that recitation, Montgomery, 67, often cites this date: 8-8-18. That’s the day he plans to retire from his 30-year career at the medical center.
“It’s time to retire,” he said, smiling.
“I want to spend more time with my family, especially visiting my aging parents. I want to spend as much time with them as possible, and I want to do more work for the Lord,” Montgomery said.
“Serving as a hospital administrator is not a job, it’s a calling … a ministry,” he said. “I think there are three places where prayer is most used — in churches, in schools and in health care facilities.
“A health care facility is a great mission field, a great opportunity. My time here has really been enjoyable. Now I want to direct my work to the Lord.”
Dr. Clark Fincher, an internal medicine physician and one of the founders of Unity Health-Searcy Medical Center, a large clinic now under the umbrella of Unity Health, has worked with Montgomery, who is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE), for many years.
“It is rare to have the privilege of working with a man who combines the qualities of humility, ability, dependability, leadership and passion,” Fincher said.
“For 30 years, we had that honor in the person of Ray Montgomery. He will be greatly missed, and we all wish him the best in the retirement he so richly deserves.”
During his tenure at Unity Health, Montgomery has led the hospital through extensive facility improvements, the acquisition of two hospitals and the building of the Cancer Center of Excellence. Most recently, he facilitated a major rebranding, which included a name change, to reflect the growth that the network of hospitals and clinics has experienced and continues to experience.
In 2015, Unity Health added the second-largest residency program in Arkansas for family medicine, internal medicine, emergency medicine and psychiatry. In early 2016, Unity Health collaborated with the Mayo Clinic Care Network, bringing 4,500 world-class physicians and scientists for patient care locally.
“This hospital has been in this same spot for more than 50 years. It started as a 50-bed hospital and was called White County Memorial Hospital,” Montgomery said.
“It has gone through many changes. I have had a lot of good people help me along the way,” he said.
“I’ve had mentors like Wayne Hartsfield, who was chairman of the board of trustees for many years, and Jimmy Carr, who was assistant to the president at Harding University and very involved in the community. They are both gone now, but gave me invaluable help,” Montgomery said.
“It’s time to retire,” he reiterated.
“I think it’s time for a new generation … someone with a greater vision for this organization to help take it to the next level. This has been a great experience. The key is having a great team working with you,” he said.
“Stuart Hill, chief financial officer, has been here longer than I have. He just knows the business. He is very intuitive about understanding and analyzing business potential. He knows what makes sense and what doesn’t make sense,” Montgomery said.
“LaDonna Johnston has also been here longer than I have. She started here as a candy striper. She is vice president of patient services. She is the right-hand person for the doctors. She understands patients’ needs. She gets out and knows what’s going on,” he said.
“You can’t have a great organization without great physicians. Clark Fincher led the organization of Searcy Medical Center, a large clinic of about 36 physicians and 15 to 20 physician extenders; there are now over 200 associates. He has been so supportive of White County Medical Center and now, Unity Health,” Montgomery said. “Dr. John Henderson, a cardiologist who is now semiretired, was our first chief medical officer and still is.”
“Three years ago, we started our Graduate Medical Education program for osteopathic medicine. It’s the second-largest residency program in the state [after the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock]. We have over 80 residents in training.”
Montgomery said faculty members in the residency program include Dewey McAfee, D.O., family medicine; David Covey, M.D., program director for internal medicine; Stacey Zimmerman, M.D., assistant program director for internal medicine; Andrew Powell, M.D., psychiatry; and Delaney Kinchen, D.O., emergency medicine.
“We now have three hospital locations and approximately 20 clinics,” Montgomery said. “We are the largest employer in the region with 2,300 employees, 150 physicians on our medical staff and close to 30 physician extenders, which include nurse practitioners and physician assistants.”
Montgomery was born in Atchison, Kansas, a son of Raymond and Patricia Montgomery, who still live in Atchison.
“They were my mentors,” he said. “They taught me a good work ethic.”
He has one brother, Rob, and two sisters, Aggie Wohlgemuth and Elizabeth
Montgomery, who all still live in Atchison.
Ray Montgomery graduated from Atchison High School in 1969. He attended Highland (Kansas) Community College for a short time, then transferred to Kansas State University in Manhattan, where he received an undergraduate degree in biological science. He completed a one-year program in respiratory therapy at Kansas State.
“I received my Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Missouri at Kansas City,” he said.
“As a kid, I wanted to help people,” he said. “At first I thought I wanted to be an industrial engineer, to help increase efficiency in production processes. But I decided respiratory therapy might be a better niche for me. I worked as a respiratory therapist in several hospitals in Kansas City for about four years, doing that as I worked on my MBA.”
Montgomery worked in administration in hospitals in Oklahoma and Texas before moving to Searcy in 1988 to accept the job of chief operating officer of White County Medical Center. He has been president and chief executive officer since 1992.
“An opportunity came up 30 years ago to move here, and I took it,” he said. “This is home. This is a great place. It’s a good place to raise a family. It’s a nice community … rural but plenty big enough.
“Places like Harding University bring a national, even an international, flavor to education,” he said.
He and his wife, Rebecca, have been married 21 years.
“We have a blended family,” he said.
“Our son, Chad Taylor, 40, is a police officer in Little Rock. He and his wife, Amanda, live in Cabot with their children, Cole, 15, and Kyra, 3,” Montgomery said.
“Our son Robert Montgomery, 34, lives in Portland, Oregon, where he is a certified registered nurse anesthetist,” Ray Montgomery said. “Our daughter, Sara Montgomery, 30, lives in Anchorage, Alaska, where she is a pediatric physical therapist. We have visited her there and plan to go again this summer.
“And we claim B.K. Mthongana as our son. He is from Zimbabwe. We sponsored him as a student at Harding University, and he lived with us for seven years. He is a pharmacist here in Searcy, where he lives with his wife, Andi, and their 18-month-old son, Vuyo.”
During Montgomery’s leadership, Unity Health has earned the honor of the Arkansas Governor’s Quality Award twice. Montgomery is a past recipient of the A. Allen Weintraub Memorial Award, the highest honor given by the Arkansas Hospital Association for a hospital executive. In 2014, the Arkansas Hospital Association named him AHA’s Grassroots Champion.
Montgomery has served on the board of the American Hospital Association and served as chairman of the Regional Policy Board 7 from 2010-2012. He has served on the Arkansas Hospital Association Board for more than 17 years. He is currently the AHA representative on the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care and the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement boards of directors.
Montgomery and Unity Heath have been supporters of the United Way of White County for many years. The medical center recently hosted a victory luncheon to celebrate the organization’s current campaign. Unity Health received the Albert R. Yarnell Spirit Award; Montgomery and Johnston, who coordinates the campaign for the hospital, accepted the award.
“It has been a privilege and honor to work for this hospital and its board,” Montgomery said. “They represent the community; they always want to do the best for the community. They have given me a wonderful career.
“I have a servant heart. I try to focus on the community. I will continue to follow God’s lead.”