With a new Consejo (board of directors) at the helm, the Chapala Red Cross (CR) is in the process of restructuring its internal administration to effectively fit into the national Cruz Roja organizational scheme and keep in step with changing legal boundaries set for all health care facilities.
Long-time Chapala CR volunteer Norm Pifer has been bumped up to act as Consejo president, following the recent resignation of Oscar España who had to bow out due to the leading role he has assumed with a local political party. Also continuing their service as board members are Miguel Patiño and Chick Twyman. New additions to the Consejo are prominent local businesswomen Yolanda Martínez, Viviana Plascencia and Cynthia Guzmán. The position of secretary remains vacant at this time.
Changes among the CR’s paid personnel include the hiring of certified accountant Oswaldo Montes as the facility’s administrator and the return of Dr. Sam Thelin who has been coaxed in to resuming the post of medical chief-of-staff.
The new board is working ardently to redesign the CR Chapala organizational chart to assure seamless management. Another immediate priority is repairing the x-ray equipment that was damaged last month during a flash flood when the facility was inundated. Thelin will be handling a long list of tasks related to medical services, such as stocking and licensing the clinic’s pharmacy in compliance with health department standards.
The Consejo and work staff are fully committed to leading Cruz Roja into a new era, envisioning multiple challenges they face as opportunities for growth in providing the community with quality services.