Directory

Garen Carpenter

Garen has been with Van Buren County Hospital since 2020.  A native of rural Iowa, Garen brings nearly 15 years of experience to his role as chief executive officer. His experience includes both rural and urban health care environments including emergency care, specialty care and family medicine. He previously served as the interim chief executive officer of VBCH from 2013 to 2014.

Much of his healthcare career was spent at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics where he served in a variety of roles, most notably as the Administrative Chief of Staff and Assistant Hospital Director.  Regardless of role or setting, he is passionate about building strong culture, improving the patient experience,  executing meaningful strategy and achieving results. In addition, he remains motivated by healthcare’s overarching goal of improving health and desire to advocate for the hospital, patients and their families in the fast-changing healthcare environment.

“I am truly blessed and honored to serve such a wonderful community. In doing so, I am surrounded by a compassionate and driven team that strives to provide excellent care, every time. Thank you to all of our patients and families for entrusting VBCH with your care and we look forward to serving you and so many others in the future.”

Kara McEntee

Kara McEntee joined Van Buren County Hospital in December 2005 as the accountant and in April 2007 was promoted to Chief Financial Officer.

Kara graduated from Van Buren Community High School and went on to receive her BBA in Finance from the University of Iowa. After graduation Kara worked in Chicago for several years before returning to Van Buren County.

Kara has attended the Medicare Boot Camp, HFMA training in Healthcare Financial Management and has extensive training in Excel and Access.

Kara loves spending time with her family, husband Chris and their three children, Lukas,  Aidan & Lily. She also enjoys reading and shopping.

Mindy Cormier

Mindy Cormier joined Van Buren County Hospital in March of 2009 as the Office Manager for Job Opportunities and Parents as Teachers.  In 2010, Mindy had the opportunity to become the director at the daycare and spent three years in this role. Mindy had a desire to learn about the hospital and clinics and joined the business office as Project Manager.  Mindy transitioned to the rural health clinics in 2018 where she worked as the Assistant Clinic Manager, and in 2019 was promoted to Clinic Director.

Mindy is a Certified Rural Health Clinic Professional (CRHCP) and enjoys working side by side with the providers, nurses, and receptionists to help serve our community.  Mindy and her family moved from Kansas to Keosauqua in 2005 and are happy to call Van Buren County their home.  In Mindy’s spare time she loves spending time her husband Chad and their two daughters Brooklynn and Annabelle.   Mindy can be found helping Chad on the farm or watching her daughter’s activities.   

Mindy is proud to be a part of the Simply Remarkable team at VBCH.

William B. Felegi, DO

Dr. Felegi started at Van Buren County Hospital in March of 2018 as an Emergency Room provider, Emergency Room medical director and Ambulance Medical Director. Prior to coming to VBCH, Dr. Felegi was an attending Emergency Room physician and a former Chair & Vice Chair of Emergency Medicine in New Jersey. He has been practicing Emergency Medicine for 25 years and is board-certified. He has an extensive list of professional positions held as well as numerous publications and presentations. Please see attached CV.

Dr. Felegi continues to serve as an examiner at the American board of Emergency Medicine Oral certification examination in Chicago indicating his vast experience and knowledge Emergency Medicine. During his tenure at VBCH, has served as a physician champion for quality and process improvement. Most recently, has been appointed to the administrative team providing valuable physician input into operational and strategic decision-making.

Lori Gaydusek, MSN, RN

With over 30 years of nursing and healthcare leadership experience, Lori brings a deep commitment to patient-centered care and rural health innovation. From bedside nursing to executive leadership, she has guided teams through clinical transformation, technology implementation, and service line expansion—all with a focus on improving access to quality care close to home.

Lori has led initiatives that strengthen rural health systems, including the implementation of telehealth partnerships and the development of workforce programs to mentor the next generation of healthcare professionals.

Passionate about collaboration and continuous improvement, Lori values strong relationships with patients, providers, and the community to ensure healthcare remains compassionate, accessible, and forward-thinking.

Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with family, traveling, reading, and being outdoors.

Ashley Moyer

Ashley has been with VBCH since January of 2022, starting as the HR/Grants Manager before transitioning into the Culture Director position. Having spent much of her career in education, Ashley was excited to step out of her comfort zone and try something new. She says that as soon as she interviewed she could tell that VBCH was a special place, saying, “It was evident to me that everyone I spoke with really cared about the work they were doing. Most of our employees have family and friends that utilize our services, we all want VBCH to be the very best it can be. I’m very grateful to be able to spend my days working with employees across the organization to make sure we are continuously challenging ourselves to grow and improve.”

Ashley and her husband, Brandon, live with their two kids, Elise and Miles, on the family farm east of Birmingham. Except for a few years right after college, Ashley has lived on the farm her entire life. She loves living in Van Buren County and is passionate about rural economic development and keeping opportunity in rural Iowa. She currently serves on the Engage Keosauqua board and the Governor’s Empower Rural Iowa Committee.