Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1111492
Rich Osland Selected as Board Chair of Fairview Health Services BY JOSH GARCIA RICH OSTLUND BRINGS YE ARS OF E XPERIENCE IN BUSINESS, GOVERNANCE AND CHAMPIONING COMMUNIT Y HE ALTH CARE TO HIS ROLE A S CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AT FAIRVIE W HE ALTH SERVICES. OSTLUND HA S SPENT decades sup- por ting communit y hea lth initiatives in multiple charities and organizations, often pursuing and accepting leadership positions to help steer t he course of hea lth care in Minnesota. He has served a s Director a nd Cha ir of the Boa rd of the Universit y of Minnesota Masonic C h i l d r e n's Ho s pit a l , D i r e c t or a n d Cha ir of the Universit y of Minnesota Pediatr ics Foundation, a nd Tr ustee o f b o t h t h e M i n n e s o t a M e d i c a l Fou n d a t i on a n d t h e Un i v e r s it y of Minnesota Foundation. " T went y yea rs a go, my w i fe Ma r y a n d I b e g a n s u p p o r t i n g p e d i a t r i c med ica l resea rch a nd ca re a s a way to g ive back a nd say tha nk you for being blessed w it h t h ree hea lt hy chi ldren," Ost lund says. Ostlund and his wife have a lso estab- lished t he Sum mer 's Wish Pediatr ic Cardiolog y Innovators Fund, which sup- por ts pediatric ca rdiac ca re resea rch a n d i n n o v a t i o n a t t h e Un i v e r s i t y of Minnesota . FROM MEMBER TO CHAIR Ostlund's commitment to supporting quality community health care caught the eyes of local leaders, who asked him to join the Fa ir view Hea lth Ser vices Board in 2013. Ostlund accepted the offer and has dedicated himself to making an impact as a member ever since. "To serve our community in a time of great change across local health care was a compelling and inspiring opportunity," Ostlund says. Ostlund has served in multiple roles as a board member, including Chair of the Fairview Governance Task Force, which examined national health system best practices for possible use within Fairview Health Services. He also served as Chair of the Fairview Governance Committee and First Vice-Chair of the Board. In addition, he has been a member of the Fairview Finance and Executive Committees, and, with a number of other Fairview leaders, was involved in the hiring of James Hereford as President and CEO of Fairview Health Services. Alongside Hereford, Ostlund then helped renegotiate the partnership between Fairview Health Services, the University of Minnesota and University of Minnesota Physicians. He considers this his greatest contribution during his tenure on the board. "I believe this exciting a g reement and renewed partnership will positively change the future of quality healthcare delivery and medical education across our state," Ostlund says. Ostlund wa s a lso instr umenta l in guiding Fairview Health Services in a new direction in 2015, as Chair of the Governance Task Force. "Our goal was to reshape our overall system of governance and to recruit a Board of Directors with the cross-section of life and professional experience to best oversee and guide a complex, multibillion dollar healthcare, senior living, insur- ance and specialty pharmacy enterprise," Ostlund says. "As Chair of the Board of Directors, I will continue to work with my colleagues to be a leader of positive change to meet today's healthcare challenges." 1 8 1 8❱❱❱❱❱ S P E C I A L F E A T U R E