Dwight Gascho A 36-Year Legacy
“I said, ‘Paul, you’re dreaming.’ Why would a little farm boy from Pigeon, Michigan go in and sit at the executive desk at a hospital? He said, ‘No, Dwight. We don’t care about any of that. We want somebody that the people know and that people trust. We want somebody that knows the employees and knows the dynamic of the community. We’ll teach you all the other stuff.’” “The first while was just crisis control. Back then, the hospital was financially struggling and morale was low. We didn’t really have the money to finish projects properly. I even went to the (hospital) Auxiliary so we could buy a fax machine. That first while, all I did was simply listen. Just listen and listen and listen and there was a line out the door, almost literally. People wanted to come and talk to me about what they needed in their departments and what we needed to do to succeed.” With all of that listening, Dwight was sculpting a grass roots movement that united the work force, established a quality of care that is still second-to-none all these years later and shortly thereafter, the hospital started to show a modest profit. What finally put the community’s minds at ease, including Dwight, was the announcement and fruition of Country Bay Village, our independent senior living community, now home to a total of 51 apartments and condos on Scheurer’s main campus. “That really was the turning point. It was about that same time that we met Dr. Scott Reiter, which was by chance and only by the Lord above having his hand involved. Some of things that happened to make this place successful were beyond coincidence. The fact that Joanne and John Schaefer were in Pennsylvania playing cards at Scott Reiter’s parents’ house and happened to mention Scheurer Hospital; that just proves it. Dr. Reiter brought us a number of doctors to Scheurer, which built on everything else we were putting together.” If anyone has ever met Dwight, his personability and refusal to take credit will quickly be evident. “What happened, I believe, was that the
Top: Dwight Gascho sits at his CEO desk in the late 1990’s. Middle: The Pigeon Progress’ article when Dwight was named the permanent CEO, instead of interim. Bottom: Dwight and Dr. Scott Reiter pose for a photo as part of National Doctors’ Day
SCHEURER MAGAZ INE 16
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