Name: Wallace Dunn
Hospital/System you serve: Medical Center Health Systems, Odessa, Texas
Hometown: El Paso, Texas
Occupation: Oilfield sales, self-defense instructor. Money coach, I help people with budgeting and getting out of debt. And I serve on 4 other non-profit boards besides this one.
Family: Spouse Thana Dunn. Two sons, one just finished school in Dallas, Texas, and the other one working a fantastic IT job in Oregon. A daughter in Texas with two very cute grandchildren. They are not spoiled yet, but we are working on it.
Hobbies/Interests: Avid reader, amateur historian, amateur Etymologist. We love to travel in the USA and internationally. We have a home in Thailand we look forward to visiting more after retirement. I really enjoy helping people with budgeting and learning how to control their spending.
As a Board Member…
What has been most rewarding during your board service? I am very proud of the fact that I am a part of a team making decisions that will impact our community for many years, well after we are all gone.
What has been the most challenging issue for your board? We are in the middle of the Permian Basin, the largest oil producing region in the USA, and one of the largest oilfields in the World. We are a “boom or bust” economy. Thirty-five years ago, when our hospital district was formed, we were in a bust cycle. As a result of the economy at the time, our tax rate was set artificially low. This is having a huge negative impact on the hospital. We are in the middle of a process to rectify this.
What has been the biggest surprise during your board service? I am a businessman. When I first got on the board here I was baffled by our finances and revenue cycle. How in the world can you run a business like this? The depth of government regulatory interference was very surprising.
What was your/your board’s proudest moment? Our hospital district recently made history by forming a partnership with our neighboring city’s hospital district, Midland Memorial Hospital. We have secured funding from the State of Texas and private donations to build a new mental health hospital to serve the region. The Permian Basin Behavioral Health Center will be a 200-bed hospital serving the region with both inpatient and out-patient mental health treatment needs.
We are once again making history by entering into agreements with our city and county to provide a higher level of fire and EMS service to areas of our county that are currently only served by volunteer fire stations. This will be determined by the citizens of Ector County in this coming election in November of 2024.
What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned as a board member? Having only been a patient or visitor of a patient I was amazed at how complicated a hospital really is. There are literally thousands of moving parts. It is constantly amazing to me that we are able to pull it off on a daily basis, do it well, and even excel at it. This hospital truly is a hidden gem in our community.
What are your board’s priority areas for 2024-2025? At the very beginning of Covid we made the painful decision to voluntary lower our trauma rating with the state from a Level 2 to a Level 3. We felt this move was necessary at the time, and it turns out it was. We are planning to go back to Level 2 soon, and actively planning the steps to become a Level 1 trauma center. We serve a HUGE geographical footprint here in JRAC 6, we are estimating it is 38,000 square miles, and almost the size of the State of Kentucky. We NEED to be a level 1 trauma center.
Why did you choose to become a Certified Healthcare Trustee? Becoming a Certified Healthcare Trustee to me is another way to show my level of commitment to the hospital, to the board, and to the community.
This community has been very good to my family. We have many friends here, and it is home. My desire to serve on the board was one way I could give back to the community. It has been a very rewarding experience so far.
About Me…
My background: I graduated high school at Ysleta High School in El Paso, and literally got the heck out of town as soon as possible… by joining the US Army! I was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, working as an Intelligence Analyst on some extremely highly classified matters. Using my GI Bill benefits I went to college and then was able to get a commission in the US Army. I served a total of 20 years and retired as a Captain.
I have been a salesman or business owner my entire life. Even while in the Army I owned a security alarm company and was very successful with it. That tiny little company began in Portland, OR in 1984 and today is known as Brinks Security.
Today I work in the oilfield as a salesman for a company called Dragon Products out of Beaumont, Texas. They are an industry leader and have an impeccable reputation in this industry.
Childhood ambition: Believe it or not, I wanted to become a Doctor. But when I barely passed biology I thought I may be better off going in a different direction.
My favorite person: Beyond any doubt… my Father. He was an exceptional man, provider, and a wonderful human being. We lost him at the early age of 62 and I still miss him every day.
What are you currently reading? “Millionaire Mission” by Brian Preston. He is one of the hosts on “The Money Guy” show featured on YouTube. I highly recommend this channel for anyone seeking financial security in their lives. Sort of like Dave Ramsey but a little nicer…
Best city in Texas: You’re joking right? Odessa, TX of course!