Leadership
Jeff Mincy, CEO
As the North Platte Valley Medical Center CEO, Jeff Mincy’s leadership and experience help create a balance of clinical care, customer service, financial responsibility and employee satisfaction.
Before taking the helm as the chief executive officer of the North Platte Valley Medical Center, Jeff Mincy had been the clinic administrator and director of patient experience as well as the safety/emergency management coordinator for the Coryell County Hospital Authority in Gatesville, TX since 2009.
During his tenure, he was responsible for physician contracting and compliance oversite, financial oversite and oversite for customer service which saw large gains under Mincy’s leadership. He also managed expansion from a single hospital-based clinic and one rural health clinic to six satellite clinics. He additionally supervised the county’s 911 EMS services.
Mincy gained initial experience during service as a hospital corpsman in the U.S. Navy. After his military service, he went on to lead civilian EMS units with Fort Bend and Waller Counties, and Critical Air Medicine and Scott & White EMS in Texas. One of Mincy’s departments was named the Texas Department of State Health Service EMS Provider of the Year in 2015.
He received both a bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Management and a master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from the Texas Tech University Health Science Center.
Jeff and his wife Heather have four grown children. In their free time, they enjoy recreating in the beautiful North Platte Valley and being involved in the community and church.
Eva Marie Popelka, COO
Eva Marie Popelka’s extensive background in advanced and rural healthcare make her an exceptional asset as the chief operation officer of the North Platte Valley Medical Center. She has 23 years of experience in the radiology field and has worked in both metropolitan and rural healthcare settings throughout the country.
Before she was the NPVMC COO, Popelka served as assistant radiology director and quality control manager for the South East Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC), a Critical Access Hospital in Sitka, AK. She was responsible for operations of the imaging department, including supervision and management of staff, as well as budgeting, service, and regulatory compliance. Furthermore, she assisted in project management for new machine additions, and was an integral part in bringing mammography, CT, X-ray units to the SEARHC clinics in rural Alaska.
For Popelka, ensuring optimum quality of patient experience and care was a top priority while working with SEARHC, leading to an effective departmental operation flow.
She also developed and maintained quality assurance and quality control protocols, policies, and processes to support clinical teams for SEARHC. In 2018, she was awarded the Innovation in Transformation Award in the rural hospital category by the Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association.
Popelka was a facility clinical radiology instructor for the University of Alaska and the remote Alaskan bush villages. She also worked with state lawmakers as part of the AKSRT (Alaska Society of Radiologic Technologists) Legislative Affairs Committee, helping to introduce a House bill to the 33rd Alaskan Legislature, 1st Session to recommend state licensure of all Alaskan Radiographers.
She was also a ARRT (American Registry of Radiological Technologists) Special Research Project Volunteer, earning 2022 nominations for Gold Standard for Quality and Safety and Advocating for the Profession.
In addition to a variety of positions performing contract per-diem clinical work in both rural and urban settings, Popelka spent almost nine years as the CT and X-ray technologist for Saint Vincent’s Healthcare in Billings, MT. She received her AA degree in radiology as well as a BS in radiation therapy with a minor in advanced diagnostic radiologic sciences from Weber State University in Ogden, UT. She also earned an MBA in healthcare from the University of Mary in Bismarck, ND. She is certified as a radiologic technologist with post primary certifications in computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance (MRI), and quality management by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists.
Popelka was born in San Angelo, Texas, but quickly became a Wyomingite when her parents moved to Rawlins to follow the oil boom in the late 70s. She lived in southern Wyoming and completed her radiology clinicals in Rawlins before entering the professional healthcare field.
Board of Directors
A former member of the Saratoga Town Council and a long-time organizer and leader of the Valley’s annual skijoring competition Will moved to the North Platte Valley in 2003 following his graduation from the University of Wyoming. A financial advisor with Edward Jones in Saratoga, Will earned his B.S. degree in agricultural business and applied economics. Will is a member of the Lions Club and is active in a variety of community activities.
Tracy and her husband Tom have been dividing their time between Florida and the Valley since 2008. A longtime leader at Cigna Healthcare, Tracy is Vice President of Select Sales for Florida. She began her career with Great-West Life & Annuity in 1985 in Atlanta, GA and has remained in the insurance sector ever since. Tracy graduated from Georgia State University with a bachelor of business administration in management with a concentration in human resources. After losing her mother to Alzheimer’s in 2019, Tracy is passionate about working towards a world without the disease and other forms of dementia,and devotes her time to the Alzheimer’s Association.
Before retiring, Irene worked for 20 years for a large Platte Valley ranching operation as the finance manager and contract administrator. Now semi-retired, she is a real estate agent for White Stone Realty Company and handles the bookkeeping for South Central Wyoming EMS. Always active in the community, she is chairman of the Carbon County Specific Purpose Tax Board, a member of the Platte Valley Community Center and Wyoming Community Foundations boards of directors. She belongs to the Dirt Diggers Garden Club, volunteers at the Grand Encampment Museum, and still finds time to provide the music at St. Ann’s Catholic Church. She earned a B.A. in history and an M.S. in finance, both from the University of Wyoming.
Laura began visiting the North Platte Valley annually with her parents in her teens, eventually marrying, and becoming a permanent resident in 1984. Her late husband and his mother were founders of the Corbett Medical Foundation which helped create the original clinic in Saratoga. Laura continues her work there as vice president. During the development and construction of the North Platte Valley Medical Center, Laura acted as the liaison between the Platte Valley Healthcare Project (PVHP) and the Corbett Medical Foundation. Laura is now a PVHP board member. She is also a director of the Old Baldy Club. She is a graduate of Hollins College and the University of Texas.
A retired rancher, Loren “Teense” Willford is a fourth-generation resident of the Valley. He served 12 years in the Wyoming House of Representatives working on the Labor, Health and Social Services committees. A leader in the community, Teense is active in the Masons, American Legion, VFW and the Presbyterian church. He is also the chairman and founder of the Platte Valley Legacy Foundation. A professional musician, he entertains at the Old Baldy Club and the Brush Creek Ranch in season and is generous sharing his talents with the church and community. He is a graduate of the University of Wyoming.
Jerry Kraft is a rancher in the North Platte Valley where he has lived for 73 years. He graduated from the University of Wyoming in 1971 and married his wife, Linda. Jerry is the rodeo chairman for the Encampment Riverside Lions Club and has been an integral part in the annual Encampment Woodchopper’s Jamboree and Rodeo.
Dulcie and her husband Steve have spent time in the North Platte Valley since 1983, becoming permanent residents 19 years ago. Prior to living in Saratoga, Dulcie lived in Albuquerque, NM where she was involved with organizations providing support and intervention in domestic violence situations.
She was also involved in fundraising for civic groups such as Junior League, and volunteered as a youth soccer coach and referee. In addition to acting as the liaison between the Platte Valley Healthcare Project and the Corbett Medical Foundation, Dulcie is a member of the Old Baldy Club. She is a graduate of Monticello College and Southern Methodist University where she studied biology.
Frequently Asked Questions
We understand you might have a few questions about the North Platte Valley Medical Center.
Here are a few answers to common questions. If you still have questions, please feel free to contact us.
Critical Access Hospital (CAH) is a designation given to eligible rural hospitals by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Congress created the CAH designation through the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 in response to rural hospital closures during the 1980s and early 1990s. The CAH designation is designed to reduce the financial vulnerability of rural hospitals and improve access to healthcare by keeping essential services in rural communities
Generally, hospitals must meet the following conditions to obtain CAH designation:
•Have 25 or fewer acute care inpatient beds
•Be located more than 35 miles from another hospital
•Maintain an annual average length of stay of 96 hours or less for acute care patients
•Provide 24/7 emergency care services
Our previous healthcare solutions were not sustainable. Although we were fortunate to be able to maintain a clinic with a full-time doctor for many years with help from the Corbett Medical Foundation, that model became no longer viable in the long term. In addition, the previous nursing home facility was not financially feasible and remained open only because the management company, HMS, was willing to undertake significant losses while more sustainable options were explored. Without some action by the community, both facilities were in danger of being closed.
- Primary care clinic
- 24-hour walk-in emergency care
- Advanced imaging, including X-ray, ultrasound, digital mammography, DEXA Scan, CT, and mobile MRI capability
- 5 acute care hospital beds
- 20 extended care beds
- 1-2 full-time doctors
- 2-4 mid-level providers
- Physical and occupational therapy
- Visiting specialists
- Onsite laboratories
- Inpatient pharmacy
- Telemedicine services
A solution to the financial issues facing the nursing home facility in Saratoga was one of the primary drivers in motivating this critical access hospital initiative. Visit our extended care page to learn more about this part of the North Platte Valley Medical Center.
The hospital is owned by the Platte Valley Healthcare Project, a community-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization much like the one used to run Ivinson Memorial Hospital in Laramie. To learn more about our board members, CEO and mission, visit the About Us page.
1300 West Bridge Ave, Saratoga, WY 82331. Click here for directions.
We appreciate your financial contribution of any size. Visit our Donate page to learn more.