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Meet Tim Ahlers, new CEO at Guttenberg Municipal Hospital

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Newly-hired Guttenberg Municipal Hospital & Clinics CEO Tim Ahlers will be honored at an ice cream social open house on Wednesday, May 15, from 4 - 6 p.m. in the GMHC main lobby. (Photo submitted)

By Caroline Rosacker

The central location of Guttenberg Municipal Hospital and Clinics (GMHC) at  200 Main Street is a good representation of its importance to the community. 

In 1961, GMH was established as a nonprofit municipal hospital under the charter of the City of Guttenberg. The hospital continues to remain an independent community hospital that has provided acute and skilled healthcare services for more than 50 years, making Guttenberg a great place to live, work and play.  GMHC is on a mission to improve the health and wellness of the communities they serve.  

Tim Ahlers has recently accepted the position as the hospital's new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

An ice cream social open house in his honor will be held on Wednesday, May 15, from 4 to 6 p.m. in the GMHC Main Lobby.

Ahlers will bring 20 years of experience working in health administration to GMHC. He has an undergraduate bachelor's degree in business administration and finance and two master's degrees in business administration (MBA) and health administration (MHA) from the University of Iowa. 

The new hospital administrator grew up in the Dubuque area and shared this story. 

"My folks are originally from rural Nebraska. John Deere was responsible for my parents' relocation. I had one brother and one sister and was the oldest of the three children. I had a great upbringing! I loved growing up in the Dubuque area. As a family, we spent quite a bit of time in and around the Guttenberg area," he commented. 

Ahlers is no stranger to small-town living. "Most of my relatives live in smaller communities similar in size to Guttenberg," he said. 

Ahlers, who has many healthcare professionals in his family, told The Press his reasons for choosing a career in the healthcare field. "When I was a sophomore in college, I was introduced to one of the University of Iowa hospital administrators. I job-shadowed and worked on a couple of projects with him and the experience piqued my interest." He went on to say, "During my senior year my best friend and college roommate was diagnosed with colon cancer. I became very close to his family during this time and witnessed first-hand the traumatic effects of the disease. Going through that difficult time brought me closer to the realization that a compassionate healthcare team was one of the key components that relieved the stress the cancer had on my friend and his family."

Ahlers has three "awesome!" children, two girls and a boy. He enjoys spending time with his significant other and her three children, participating in outdoor activities and watching all the children participate in school and club sports. He enjoys boating and golfing and spending time with his extended family and friends. 

The new CEO looks forward to working with the hospital, clinic and EMS staff and its volunteer entities. 

Ahlers said, "The hospital has a solid foundation and a bright future. It is supported by a proud and loyal community in addition to the broader region. The doctors, nurses and hospital, clinic and EMS staff are highly competent and have great ideas that will steer us in the appropriate direction for the future. We will continue to provide exceptional care for this community and do our best to recruit quality physicians and provide access to a wide range of specialists." He continued, "GMHC is a financially-secure critical access hospital with up-to-date facilities and equipment."  

Ahlers and hospital staff members are collaborating with Wellmark of Iowa's Healthy Hometown program to help the community focus on healthy living.   

He shared, "We are proud to be a part of your lives when health concerns arise, but we would also like to be part of providing the means to get community members interested in improving their health status and quality of life through healthy living."

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