Ruby Valley Medical Center Welcomes New CEO Landon Dybdal

The Board of Trustees of Ruby Valley Medical Center is pleased to welcome Landon Dybdal to the position of Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Dybdal succeeds John Semingson in the CEO position and was the Chief Executive Officer of the Garfield County Health Center prior to coming to Ruby Valley Medical Center.

“After 12 years successfully working with John on substantial improvements to our local healthcare services, the Board was looking for someone of John’s caliber for this position. We feel that Landon has the leadership potential to continue John’s efforts in providing exceptional healthcare for the residents of the Ruby Valley,” said Board of Trustees President, Ken Walsh. “Landon has a solid background from a rural, critical access hospital and he’s a good fit for our community and medical center.”

Since 2007, the Ruby Valley Medical Center has been led by CEO John Semingson. During his tenure, Semingson navigated the formidable process of upgrading the Ruby Valley Hospital's facilities to meet the demands of 21st century healthcare technology and regulations. When initial plans to remodel the old Ruby Valley Hospital building were discarded due to the high financial and patient service costs, he negotiated the design, construction and financing of the new Ruby Valley Medical Center which opened in August, 2018. After Semingson assists in Dybdal with the transition to the CEO position, he will be retiring to spend more time with his wife, Jo, and golden retrievers, Ruby and Ruger, in Helena.

Landon Dybdal earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Health Services Administration from Minnesota State University in Moorhead and his Masters of Health Administration from Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri. “I always knew I wanted to work in healthcare,” said Dybdal. In high school, he explored some options such as chiropractics, physical therapy and pharmacy but wasn’t sure these were the best personal career choices. After receiving an invitation to play football at Minnesota State, he was intrigued by the school’s Health Services Administration program. “I took a few classes my freshman year and found I liked the field a lot!” said Dybdal. “It’s not the front line of healthcare, like a doctor. Still, this is a field where I can help people. That’s why I wanted to be in healthcare.”

Coming from the Garfield Health Care Center in Jordan, Montana, Dybdal is especially aware of the challenges facing rural, critical access hospitals. “You don’t have the volumes of patients as they have in Bozeman or Billings. Providing healthcare services in low population areas brings an extra layer of complexity, especially in a place like Jordan. You have to be creative in order to make everything work financially and administratively,” said Dybdal. Critical access hospitals depend heavily on financial resources from Medicare and Medicaid where changes are ongoing at the federal level. “The healthcare industry is very heavily regulated. By far, the most difficult piece of healthcare administration is keeping up with the constantly changing regulations.”

Although Garfield Health Care Center and Ruby Valley Medical Center both operate in rural communities, Dybdal finds significant differences between the facilities. “The two facilities are very different in all aspects other than both being rural, critical access hospitals. The main focus at Garfield County was long-term care and RVMC’s care is focused on the emergency services, clinics, transitional care and short-term in-patient care,” said Dybdal. He is very pleased with the change from rolling prairie and the “breaks” to Sheridan’s majestic mountains.

As an avid hunter, Dybdal is looking forward to exploring the hunting opportunities of the Ruby Valley. “I shot my first pronghorn in Jordan last year. I like elk hunting, deer hunting, coyote hunting in the winter, turkey hunting in the spring and I guess I’ll be shooting gophers in the summer,” said Dybdal. He admits that he doesn’t mind fishing but has no experience with fly fishing and looks forward to learning the sport.