Broadlawns Trustees Dave Miglin and Emily Webb co-authored this endorsement.

Elections are about the future: identifying issues that still need to be addressed and deciding who or what is the best path forward. While there are several high-profile issues and races on the ballot this November, one of the most important decisions Polk County voters will have is determining who should fill three open seats on the seven-member Board of Trustees at Broadlawns Medical Center.

Whether you are a patient of Broadlawns, a Polk County taxpayer, or simply an interested voter, the people who sit on the Board of Trustee of Polk County’s only public hospital should matter to you.

That is why we are encouraging you to vote for Kathleen Kacey Davis, Shaimaa Aly, and Marc Ward for Broadlawns Trustee (labeled on the back side of the ballot as County Hospital Trustee).

In 2024, Broadlawns will celebrate 100-years of caring for citizens in Polk County, ensuring every member of our community, regardless of social or financial circumstances, can receive health care treatment. What started as a 60-bed tuberculosis hospital with a 30-bed nurse dormitory, has grown to a 130-bed hospital with three satellite clinics, a state-of-the-art surgical center, mental health facilities, birthing center, and 1,700 of the most talented health care workers in Iowa.

In July 2022, Broadlawns answered the call of our community to think differently when it came to responding to mental health emergencies. We are partnering with the Des Moines Police Department dispatch to attend to non-violent 9-1-1 calls.

And we are not done yet! Under-construction right now is a new 12,000 square-foot Drake Community Clinic. Additionally, conversations are underway with various city and county leaders about creating a new sobering center to care for publicly intoxicated individuals rather than sending them to jail. Plus, Broadlawns is in sound financial shape, despite facing the most significant global health crisis in our lifetime (the COVID-19 pandemic).

It’s a new era at today’s Broadlawns, and Polk County has much to look forward to. Under the leadership of our CEO, Dr. Tony Coleman, Broadlawns is transparently fulfilling its commitment to providing accessible, high-quality health care, while also promoting a more diverse workforce with accountability to the Board and ultimately the Polk County taxpayers. Dr. Coleman needs a forward-thinking Board that will collaborate with him to ensure his strategic plan is aligned with the needs of our community.

Kathleen Kacey Davis, Shaimaa Aly, and Marc Ward each bring unique perspectives to the Board that we believe will benefit the people of Polk County and help Dr. Coleman make well-informed choices for Broadlawns:

• Kathleen Kacey Davis is a Des Moines-native, a mom, and a Family Nurse Practitioner with experiences ranging from Chicago Emergency Rooms and local community health settings to volunteering for medical aid in Haiti and Guatemala. ​She understands the challenges in health care and ensuring communities in need have access to that care.

• Shaimaa Aly (pronounced “Shy – ma”) received her MBA from Drake University and a degree in Economics and Statistics from Cairo University. Immigrating to America in early 2000. She also served on the West Des Moines Human Rights Commission and will bring a needed perspective to the Board for populations that make up a large segment of our hospital’s patient volume.

• Marc Ward has served on the Broadlawns Board for the past six years, and currently chairs the board. He is an attorney and has served the people of Polk County on the Des Moines School Board, Des Moines Parks and Recreation, Taxpayers Association of Central Iowa, and United Way of Central Iowa.

We are grateful to serve on the Board of Trustees and share with you the good works and lives saved that are regularly taking place at Broadlawns Medical Center. We know what it takes to be effective on this Board, and that is why we are asking for your support in the November election by voting for Kathleen Kacey Davis, Shaimaa Aly, and Marc Ward as County Hospital Trustees. They are in this race for the right reasons.

Top photos (from left) of Kathleen Kacey Davis, Shaimaa Aly, and Marc Ward published with permission.

Bleeding Heartland welcomes guest posts about the 2022 general election, including candidate endorsements. Please reach out to Laura Belin if you are interested in writing.