St. Bernard Hospital Names New Board Appointees

CHICAGO, March 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- St. Bernard Hospital, a community hospital in Chicago's Englewood community, announced today the appointment of a new chairperson and four new members of its board of trustees.

Patricia Merryweather-Arges, a member of the board since 2017 will replace Sr. Mary Pokorny as the Chairperson. Sr. Pokorny will remain on the board as its Secretary.

Four new board members represent a broad swath of expertise, from ministry to business to education. They are:

Carol Y. Collum, Ed.D., is CEO of True Believers Community Connections.  She uses her 20 years of experience in educational programs and community supportive services to make educational settings better places to serve students.

Rev. Gerald M. Dew, D.Min., is Pastor of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Englewood. He is a mentor and leader of other pastors, ministers, and lay servants in ministry and has created curriculum and published works to help them. He is also director of the Southside Center for Urban Leadership at Northern Seminary.

Gregory A. Thomas, Ph.D., is President of Kennedy-King College. He has more than 25 years of experience in higher education administration throughout the East, Midwest and the South. He has steered Kennedy-King through the development of its first information technology hub, center of equity for creative arts, strategic enrollment management plan, and equity plan.

Felicia Slaton-Young is Executive Director of the Greater Englewood Chamber of Commerce. She leverages her relationships with businesses and community organizations to promote Englewood and develop business. She is the recipient of the 2006-2007 NAACP Woman of the Year award.

Other changes on the board include:

• The appointment of Dante Pimentel, M.D., who has been appointed by virtue of his role as president of the St. Bernard Hospital medical staff; and
• The exit of Henry Wiggins, M.D., who retired from the hospital. He diligently served on the board for 15 years.

The continuing board members are Vice Chair and Treasurer Olalekan Sowade, M.D., Michael Cleavenger, Sr. Joanne Delehanty, George Dengler, D.O., Raj Khurana, M.D., Sr. Elizabeth Van Straten and St. Bernard President and C.E.O. Charles Holland. 

About St. Bernard Hospital
St. Bernard Hospital has served the Englewood community and Chicago's South Side since 1904. The hospital has 174 licensed beds and offers primary and specialty care, behavioral health services, dental care, imaging and rehabilitation among its services. Our mission calls us to care for the sick and promote the health of the residents in the community while witnessing the Christian values of respect, dignity, caring and compassion for all persons.

Contact: Jessica Bee
(773) 470-3322

SOURCE St. Bernard Hospital