Carlyle woman named Advisory Council chairperson; replaces retiring Dale Henry

Barb Emling (left) of Carlyle was recently named chairperson of the Advisory Council at St. Joseph's Hospital in Breese. She is replacing Dale Henry (right), also of Carlyle, who moved to Oregon with his wife Myrna to be closer to their daughter. Emling has served on the Advisory Council since 1999; Henry has been on the Council since 1998 and served as chairman since March, 2001.

 

After serving as a member of the Advisory Council at St. Joseph's Hospital in Breese since 1999, Barb Emling of Carlyle has now been named chairperson of the group.

A retired Carlyle Unit District #1 elementary teacher, Emling is stepping into the position left by Dale Henry, also of Carlyle. Henry and his wife Myrna moved to Seaside, Ore., to be closer to their daughter.

A Carlyle resident for 36 years, Emling is no stranger to civic work, serving as a board member for the Case-Halstead Library and with the Matthew 25 community food outreach program through the United Methodist Church, both in Carlyle. She has also been a hospital volunteer.

Henry has been a member of the Advisory Council since 1998 and chairman since March, 2001, one of many volunteer positions he has held at St. Joseph's in Breese.

In 1989, Henry was named one of the charter members of the Friends of St. Joseph's Board. During his nine years on the Friends Board, Henry initiated the hospital's first benefit golf tournament, an event which continues to fund new programs and equipment.

Before that, Henry served on the hospital Board of Directors prior to and when sponsorship was transferred from the Holy Cross to the Hospital Sisters in 1987. Even earlier, in the 1960s, he was active in the campaign to build the new hospital north of Breese.

The Advisory Council serves as a liaison between the community and the hospital, Emling said. During the quarterly meetings, hospital staff provide information on new and ongoing projects while council members share any concerns they have received from the general public.

Community representatives on the council include Bill Becker of Breese, Gary Davis and Helen Middeke of Trenton, Tom Frerker of Carlyle, Frank Hogg of Aviston, Sheila Michael of Hoffman and Jan Rittenhouse of Shattuc.

Representing St. Joseph's is Interim Chief Executive Officer Lowell Jones; Jan Robert of Quality Management and Karyn Whitlatch of Community Relations serve as liaisons between the hospital and the council.