The strength of our operation has been in the blending of talent and experience who compliment each other in their background and abilities. We would like to introduce these fine folks to you:

Robert G. Hedges, President

Mr. Hedges has a varied background in education and with state government. He holds a BA from Illinois College in Speech and an MA in Political Studies from the University of Illinois at Springfield. During his government service he served in government relations/legislative liaison duties with the Departments of Public Health, Transportation and Corrections. While at Public Health he oversaw the passage and implementation of the Nursing Home Care Reform Act of 1979. As Chief of the Division of Health Facilities Surveillance, Mr. Hedges supervised all licensure and certification activity for Nursing homes and related facilities. He is a licensed nursing home administrator and has served on the faculty of Triton College and Southern Illinois University teaching long term care related courses. Since leaving the Department of Public Health in 1985, Mr. Hedges has provided consulting services to the industry and owned, managed or operated many facilities in Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri.

Mr. Hedges is active in various professional organizations. He recently retired as President of the Illinois Health Care Association after six years of service. He also served as Vice President, was a member of the the Board of Directors, Executive Committee, President’s Advisory Council, Membership Committee (Chairman), Peer Review Committee (Chairman), Government Relations Committee, Regulatory Task Force, Legislative Task Force, Reimbursement Task Force, and IHCA Political Action Committee. He has served the American Health Care Association on the Independent Owner Steering Committee and the Policy Council. He is also a member of the Nursing Home Administrators Association.

William A. Irvine, Executive Vice President

Mr. Irvine completed his university work at Western Illinois University where he received the BA in Business/Marketing and the MBA. He served in various positions with the Illinois Department of Public Health, including Chief of the Division of Long Term Care and, at the time of his departure, Chief of the Division of Health Facilities Standards. During his government service he was also a member of the Nursing Home Administrator Licensing Board with the Department of Registration and Education. He is a licensed nursing home administrator and served on the adjunct faculty of Triton College teaching a preparatory course for those wishing to take the nursing home administrators licensing test.

Mr. Irvine has chaired and/or served on the following: the Long Term Care Advisory Board, the Hospital Licensing Board, the Home Health Advisory Board, The HMO Advisory Board, the Alcoholism Treatment Advisory Board, the Ambulatory Surgical Treatment Centers Board and the Medical Advisory Board. He is a member of the Nursing Home Administrators Association, the Illinois Council on Long Term Care and the Illinois Health Care Association.

Derek R. Hedges, Vice President of Operations

As Vice President of Operations for HI Care Management, Derek oversees all daily operations of the Long Term Care facilities. This includes the oversight of budgets, cost and labor reports, and vendor relations. Derek was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army upon graduation from College. He spent nearly 8 years as an officer in the Army serving as a platoon leader, staff officer, and company commander. He served overseas in Greenland, Kuwait, and Iraq before being honorably discharged in August 2006. As his discharge approached, he was recruited to join the HI Care Management team, making it a family business. He has a Bachelor of Architecture from Norwich University, the Military college of Vermont and a Master’s of Science in Engineering Management from the University of Missouri-Rolla now know as Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Bill Weeaks, Chief Financial Officer

Bill joined the HI Care Management team as Chief Financial Officer in 2011. He is responsible for accounting, billing, tax planning, and the oversight of all the financial operations of the company. Bill has over 30 years of experience with a multiple industry background in financial management to include acquisitions, dispositions, restructuring, and turnaround situation for both private and publicly held entities. He has a BBA in Finance from the University of Texas at Arlington and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Laura Diebold, Director of Clinical Services

Laura stepped into the HI Care Management family in January 2010 to oversee all aspects of the clinical capsule which includes survey readiness, infection control, wound care management, rehabilitation programming, clinical education along with corporate, state and federal compliance. She has consulted with facilities in both Missouri and Illinois and works directly with the VP of Operations, Administrators, and Directors of Nursing to ensure that the focus is always on the resident and their needs. She has expertise in various nursing positions to include Psychiatric Nursing, Emergency Room, ICU, Occupational Medicine, and Hospice/Marketing. Laura has an Associate’s Degree in Nursing from Hillsboro, Missouri and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Maryville University in St. Louis Missouri.

Sherry L. Chappell, Director of Business Development

Sherry came to the HI Care Management team in January 2010 as a veteran in Long-Term Care. She has served as a consultant to many Long-Term Care facilities throughout Illinois since 2000. She coordinates census strategies with the facilities to ensure increased referrals and admissions, manages the facility websites, oversees advertising, and assists with activity programming. She works closely with the VP of Operations, the Administrators, and the Directors of Business Development to ensure Customer Service is our Priority. Sherry attended Kaskaskia College in Centralia, Illinois with a focus on Business Marketing/Management and is certified in infection control.

Janet G. Blain, Administrative Assistant

Janet has been an important part of the HI Care Management team since 1998. Her job duties include assisting the President, Vice President, VP of Operations as well as acting as the direct administerial assistant for all the Nursing facilities. Most often, she is the first voice you will hear when you contact the HI Care Management office.

Don Kuhn, Physical Plant Supervisor

Don has spent his days, since 1986, assisting our facilities with their daily maintenance issues, plans of correction, and providing the required maintenance guidance necessary to keep the facilities within compliance of all State and Federal laws.

Cat Dunham, Accounting Assistant

Cat offers assistance to the Chief Financial Officer by preparing and maintaining monthly financials for all facilities. She also provides back-up support for accounts payable, accounts receivable and payroll. Cat has been in the health care industry for 20 years and has been a dedicated HI Care Management team member since 2005.