Skyline Hospital names Kollman as new CEO

He began his career in healthcare as a researcher for the Madrona Medical Group in Bellingham before moving to the Yakima Valley, where he worked his way up to being the vice president of patient care at Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital, then the chief operating officer for Comprehensive Healthcare.

Serendipity and a want for a smaller community brought Kollman to Skyline.

“My family and I first came to the area on a trip during the pandemic and rented a vacation home in Husum,” Kollman said. “We had been wanting to move to a smaller community for awhile, looking all over the Northwest, then this opportunity came up and now we live about a block from the house we rented.”

Kollman said his goals for Skyline are to continue to build on the excellent work of the leadership team over the last year and to evaluate what services the community needs from the hospital.

“I have only been here about a month now, and I am still getting my way around, so it’s hard to say off the top of my head services that are needed,” Kollman said. “I want to continue work in our emergency department and would like to expand our surgical services.”

Kollman noted that other hospital care areas continue to thrive in addition to the emergency department, particularly in general surgery and physical therapy.

Skyline has its share of struggles, mainly regarding staffing.

“Everyone working in healthcare is struggling with staff; it’s one of the industry’s greater challenges,” Kollman said.

He said the primary challenge for Skyline in recruiting and maintaining staff is the cost of living in White Salmon and the greater Columbia Gorge region.

“It’s really expensive out here, and we have people that want to come and work here, but they ultimately pull out of the process due to the cost of housing,” Kollman said.

When asked what the existing staff and patients can expect to come from his leadership at Skyline, Kollman prioritized collaboration and community partnership.

“I think what people can expect from me will be transparency, honesty and directness,” Kollman said. “I am curious and want to understand and collaborate with the community and continue building on Skyline’s success.”