Southeast Health Group names Trevor LaCost ‘Board Member of the Year’

Trevor LaCost has served as a SHG Board Member since 2010

La Junta, CO—June 21, 2013—Southeast Health Group – Southeast Health Group recently named Trevor LaCost “Board Member of the Year” for outstanding service during 2012-13. Trevor’s record of leadership will be compared against other behavioral health center board members for a statewide award given by the Colorado Behavioral Healthcare Council at their annual conference in September. “We are proud to have Trevor’s leadership on our board,” said Southeast Health Group CEO, Becky Otteman, “His selfless dedication to his community is rare and remarkable.”

Trevor brings the value of hometown pride to his position on the board. Born in Lamar to parents Gene & Shirley La Cost, Trevor received his K-12 education at the Lamar Re-2 School District, and graduated from Lamar Community College with a 2-year degree in business and accounting. Trevor has three siblings–Cheryl Smith, Cary La Cost, and Trent La Cost. Trevor’s wife Kathleen is a teacher at the local school district, and together they have three children–Austin, Kaitlyn, and Christian.

Trevor is a member of Southeast Health Group’s Policy & Procedures Committee and the Board Retreat Committee. Last year, the P&P Committee guided a change to make all of our office sites Tobacco Free. They also established Influenza Vaccination and Corporate Compliance Policies. The Board Retreat Committee focuses on developing board member skill sets to enhance leadership impact. Trevor also serves as a Class A Board Member for Colorado Health Partnerships (CHP).

Prowers County is the center of Trevor’s world. He is an indefatigable and connected community leader. In addition to his volunteer work as a board member for Southeast Health Group and CHP, Trevor volunteers his leadership to the Arkansas Valley Wind & Percussion Ensemble, Inc. both as chairman and librarian; the Southeast Colorado Arts Council as a board member; the Lamar Chamber of Commerce as past Chamber of Commerce President and past board member; the Southeast Colorado Creative Partnership as a board member; the Prowers Partners For Progress as a board member; the Prowers Area Transit as a board member; the Prowers County Historical Society as a past board member; the Southeast Colorado Concert Association as a board member; the Grace Lutheran Church as President and Elder; Voces Unidas as a board member; and Partners for Hope Center as Vice President and Art & Music teacher.

Trevor is a dedicated small business owner, with 25 years at Arkansas Valley Diesel Service, Inc., which was founded in 1982. Trevor took over the family business with his partner, Delbert Pearson, upon his father’s retirement. He is deeply invested in the success of his business and the community. Because he is a local “mover and shaker”, Trevor was invited to be on the board of Southeast Mental Health Services in 2010. Since accepting the call to serve, Trevor says he has better insight into mental health.

“I definitely have much more compassion and understanding of people who are suffering symptoms of mental illness and other issues,” said Trevor. “Since becoming a board member, I have more tools to relate to them. We see a lot of people who struggle in our business, mostly truck drivers and business owners, who are dealing with a lot of stress. Running your own business isn’t easy. Many of them have to repair their own trucks, pay the bills, drum up their own business, and talk to the banker about financing. I’ve made several referrals while talking to my own customers.”

As a member of the Board Retreat Committee, Trevor has been involved in research and brain storming about best practices for board development. “I’ve learned so much on this board and taken it and used it to help other boards I serve on. This board is rare in that it gets a lot of work done. Nothing is rubber-stamped. I’ve taken some of the surveys and used them with other boards to encourage the level of participation that we get at the Southeast Health Group board meetings.”

Trevor always says “yes” when asked to serve. He has been inspired and encouraged by outreach activities the agency has initiated to create awareness for children. “So many of the things we discuss, the education about making change, starts with our kids. If we’re not doing enough to involve them or educate them, we’ll keep having the same problems in the next generation. Southeast Health Group is an organization that really cares, and they have an opportunity to really have an impact. I am so glad to be a part of that.”

In 2011-12, Trevor served on the Capital Campaign Committee to build a new facility in Lamar on the healthcare campus. He participated in the prospecting phase of the campaign and made a leadership gift to the project. He dutifully upholds his fiduciary responsibilities as a member of a nonprofit board. “Trevor demonstrates an inquisitive attitude and attention to detail that leads to his asking good questions that challenge staff to expand our services to meet the needs of our communities,” said SHG CEO, Becky Otteman.

Based on Trevor’s intimate working knowledge of the community, he is in a key position to guide the strategic alliances of the organization. Trevor said, “I am proud to serve. I make no beans about it. I visit with other community board members and try to decrease the conflict and competition that has ruled healthcare in this community for the past decade.” He is a voice of leadership in the organization because he knows first-hand the need in his own community. He says, “People need to work together. We need to resolve conflict. We need to have a serious approach if we are going to work together. We have to do the right thing for our community, and at the end of the day, that’s what matters.”

ABOUT SOUTHEAST HEALTH GROUP: Southeast Health Group is a nonprofit health care provider made up of Southeast Mental Health Services, Partnership for Progress and Wellness Works. Since 1957, Southeast Health Group has been committed to delivering exceptional health care services to the communities of southeastern Colorado. To find out more about the services available at Southeast Health Group, please call 719-384-5446.

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