Reid Hospital Governing Board
Board member's service has public in mind
John Catey
Background & Family
- 1952 graduate of Williamsburg High School
- He and his wife, Elsa, a Reid School of Nursing graduate, have two sons, Stan and Mike.
- Stan works for Andrew Corp. in Chicago, where he lives with three of the Cateys' granddaughters.
- Mike works at C.I.T. Corp. and lives in the local area with the Cateys' fourth granddaughter.
- The family also owned and operated a small business for about 10 years when the sons first graduated from college before they started their present careers.
- Catey now spends his spare time on the couple's farm south of Richmond where they raise beef cattle along with three horses for the granddaughters.
A lifetime of public service allows governing board member John Catey a unique view of Reid's value as a community hospital.
"Reid is a very efficient organization and provides high quality services." He compared the treatment his wife received last year when she was referred for specialized care to an Indianapolis hospital. "You have a sense that the staff and employees at Reid really care about you as a person and not just for the medical problem you may have that they are treating."
Catey appreciates Reid for its provision of care to those segments of the population who do not have insurance or the money to pay for health services. As a member of the Wayne County Board of Commissions for the past eight years, he has been involved in recommending funding to Count Council to help offset millions of dollars of indigent care provided by the hospital each year. He points out that the county's funding of the Wayne County Health Clinic is meant to help offset some cost of the Emergency Department for health care services to the indigent. He noted the clinic has even expanded its hours to provide broader coverage. He believes that a closer working relationship between the organizations in the future could possibly help in meeting the needs of the underserved public.
Catey looks forward to the process of building The New Reid, but realizes the next few months will be a critical time facing the board to decide the size, the new services and funding necessary to make it a successful project. His experience with the new Wayne County jail project causes him to realize the complexity and the amount of effort and work that go into such a project.
Catey has been a public servant for 44 years. He was a deputy sheriff from 1958 to 1970 and served as sheriff from 1970 to 1979. He then served for 21 years as executive director of the Indiana Sheriffs' Association. Sixteen years ago, he was elected to serve on the Wayne County Council and after eight years he chose to run for the position of county commissioner. He is now completing his eighth year in that office. Catey has served on numerous state commissions and committees during his law enforcement career.
