After over a decade of service on the Kootenay East Regional Hospital District Board, KERHD Board Chair John Kettle has retired.
Kettle joined the district board in 2003 and has held the position of district chair since 2008.
Acting Chair Dean McKerracher was on hand during the November KERHD meeting to provide tribute to Kettle.
“John worked tirelessly in the background with Interior Health, the Ministry, Ministers and MLA’s to advocate for the region and build strong working relationships. We will miss his leadership,” said McKerracher, noting that Kettle has worked to decrease the district’s taxation when it was at its highest and every year since his inception as chair.
Kettle was also instrumental in advancing hospital projects, including the intensive care unit (ICU) redevelopment and electrical upgrade, the purchase of a new CT scanner, improved isolation room air system and a $4.3 million emergency room upgrade in Invermere.
The KERHD services a large area and provides up to 40 per cent of funding for equipment and construction projects across the Regional District of the East Kootenay (RDEK), Creston and Golden as well as other rural communities.