Meet C. Clair McCormick, LG Health Board of Trustees

Mr. McCormick is the former owner and president of P. Lebzelter and Son Company Inc., once known as the nation’s oldest Goodyear Tire dealership, which today is owned by Jack Williams Tire Company.

A former chairman of the LG Health Board of Trustees, Mr. McCormick serves on the University of Pennsylvania Health System Board of Trustees and is a trustee of the Alumni Council of Keystone College, LaPlume, PA.

A graduate of Lycoming College, Mr. McCormick served as a board member of the Central Market Trust and as board member and chair of St. Anne’s Retirement Community.
 

C. Clair McCormick

What's your connection to the Lancaster area?
I came to Lancaster in 1980 to oversee the management of a family-owned oil and tire distributorship. In 1986, after divesting the oil business on behalf of the family, I purchased the independent Goodyear tire dealership, Lebzelter’s, consisting of three retail outlets in the Lancaster market. Having moved eight times in my previous position, the purchase allowed me to become rooted in a community that in six short years I had embraced as “home.”

What is your motivation/inspiration for serving on the Board of Trustees?
In my years in Lancaster, with the support of my family and company, I had become very involved in the community through volunteering in numerous nonprofit organizations. I was always drawn to the health care side of nonprofits and found myself in leadership at Easter Seals/Schreiber Pediatric Rehab Center and St. Anne’s Retirement Community. A medical procedure at LGH led to a position on the fund-raising cabinet of the then upcoming LGH Orthopedic Center project, which led into a position on the newly created Lancaster General Health Foundation, which then led to Board of Trustee service. So one could say the catalyst to my involvement was the excellent care I received at LG Health for my surgery and the subsequent offer to volunteer at the system that had served my needs so well.

What do you believe are the biggest issues in health care for our region?
I believe the biggest issues for health care in our community are the increasing costs involved in providing excellent care and the projected decreasing and unstable revenue stream to support the financial needs of the system. With our growing Medicare population and a movement to value- and risk-based sharing payment plans in a declining commercial payer market, coupled with unstable governmental payment programs and increasing charitable care, the fluid payer mix is concerning.

What's been your biggest surprise in serving on the LG Health board?
My biggest surprise in serving on the Board of Trustees was being elected Chair of the Board. With so much talent sitting around the Board table, I had no thoughts that I would be selected to serve in such a capacity. It was an honor and privilege to serve with such talented LG Health leadership in the company of my dedicated Board of Trustees colleagues. 
 
What about LG Health are you most proud of?
There are so many things about LG Heath that I am proud of, most notably being the vision, culture and people that make LG Health the industry leader that it is. We have a strong leadership team supported by fantastic employees who provide a 24-hour, 365-daily health safety net to our community. I am constantly amazed by the number of touchpoints we have in any given hour/day/year … millions … and how this “Community Treasure” flawlessly processes them, by delivering on our promise of advancing the health and well-being of the communities we serve.

If you could change one thing about how health care is provided, what would that be?
If there were one thing I could change about how health care is delivered in our community, it would be lowering the cost to our recipients. Unfortunately, that’s very complicated, but a goal we continue to strive to attain.

What do you do for fun?
Being retired has given me a chance to do some traveling, spend some quality time with my wife and family, especially my granddaughters, and hone my heretofore non-existent golf game. It’s also given me a chance to continue my community involvement through volunteering.