Cary Medical Center and Pines Health Services are mourning the loss of Norm Collins who passed away on February 19 while visiting family in Pennsylvania. Collins served as a member of the Cary Board for 13 years and from 1994–95 served as chairman of the board. He was a member of the Pines Health Services Board of Directors for 28 years and for many years served as chairman. He also served on the Caribou Hospital District from 2006–18 and was a member of the Jefferson Cary Foundation Board of Directors from 1996 to 2023, serving as treasurer of the board for many years.
Kris Doody, RN, CEO of Cary and Pines said that Collins was a true mentor and provided leadership to both Cary and Pines during some challenging times.
“Norm served Cary and Pines for decades,” said Doody. “He was so dedicated to his work with the hospital and Pines. He always had a positive, supportive and practical approach to issues and his personality helped to build partnerships and strong relationships throughout the community.”
Collins was the person who announced Doody as the CEO of Cary Medical Center in 1999. Commenting on her work with Collins, Doody said that from day one he was encouraging and was always working hard to stay on top of the ever-changing healthcare environment.
“I still can remember the day that Norm made the public announcement that I had been appointed by the Cary Board as the new CEO. For several years Norm and I would meet at 6:30 in the morning many days to review hospital operations and any challenges or opportunities we were experiencing. I always trusted his council and I learned a lot from him about leadership with integrity. Likewise at Pines he educated himself about the role of Federally Qualified Health Centers and he provided very valuable leadership as Pines experienced unprecedented growth.”
Doug Plourde, immediate past chairman of the Cary Board of Directors, spoke on the loss of his friend. “I met Norm nearly 20 years ago while serving on the Caribou Hospital District Board and have had the privilege of serving with him on many other boards since. Norm was the perfect example of leadership through caring, kindness, and humility. He led with integrity and always did his best for the organization he served. It is difficult to accept his passing and the loss this community faces without him.”
Carl Flynn, M.D., a family medicine physician who has served Pines Health Services for nearly 30 years and who currently serves as chief of the medical staff at Cary, recalls meeting Collins when he arrived in Caribou in 1995.
“Norm was one of the first people I met as a new doctor moving to Caribou in 1995. At that time he represented the Caribou Hospital District and the Cary Board of Directors. Over the years he held several leadership positions, including as long time chairman of the Pines Board. Norm and I had occasion to travel together on hospital business, he was always such a gentleman, and represented our community so well. He always had our best interest at heart, and made decisions to ensure our prosperity. Over the last year, Norm dealt with his own health issues without fanfare, pomp or circumstance. He quietly went about his business with a mixture of optimism and practicality. We have all lost a friend, and an irreplaceable community leader.”
Lisa Caron, the chief operating officer at Pines Health Services, said that Collins was a dedicated board member at Pines, particularly as chairman of the Board, a position that he held for a number of years.
“We could always count on Norm to provide his perspective on various issues from physician recruitment to the future of Pines,” said Caron who has been with Pines for 29 years. “As someone who operated a business for many years he had a unique take on the importance of customer satisfaction and accountability. He always appreciated the work of our staff and was very supportive as Pines expanded into multiple communities.”
`Collins and his wife Barb, a long-time member of the Cary Medical Center Auxiliary, were honored for their service to the hospital at Cary’s 90th Anniversary in 2014.
