Adam Scherling: Dedication to helping others has a positive impact

“Mom is a practicing OB (obstetrics) nurse,” he said. “On Bring Your Child to Work Day, she would always finagle a way for me to come.

“I also had some surgeries growing up, and I always admired the nurses and physicians. I was always intrigued by health care, and I’ve always been attracted to helping others in need.”

Scherling, 33, grew up near Denver, Colorado, before moving to Cedar Rapids. He earned a bachelor’s degree in health science and a master’s in health care administration from the University of Iowa in Iowa City.

“As an undergrad, I helped in a specialty clinic for children receiving cancer treatment. It was unimaginable what they went through. My role was to bring levity to their hospital stay – entertain them or play games with them.”

He worked at Allen Hospital in Waterloo during a post-graduate fellowship.

“The culture at Allen and the leadership in place at the time was a deciding factor for me to stay with Iowa Health System (now UnityPoint Health). I’ve always been one who couldn’t care less about the money. It’s more about the people I’m working with and surrounding myself with. I knew they were really going to take interest in developing me early in my career. That was really exciting for me.

“I enjoyed learning,” he said. “Health care is so complex and nuanced. I had just scratched the surface.”

Scherling has held many positions within the organization, including liaison to rural affiliate hospital for UnityPoint Health-Allen Hospital and director of operations for specialty services for UnityPoint Clinic in Waterloo. As one of his larger projects, he was involved in setting up the Prairie Parkway clinic in Cedar Falls.

“It was a neat and unique project,” he said. “I was eager to expand the UnityPoint footprint and fill a need in the Cedar Falls community.”

Scherling now serves as administrator at Grundy County Memorial Hospital, a position that has placed him in the eye of the COVID storm.

“It has been such an evolution and a roller coaster of emotions,” he said. “It’s been a lot of management of people’s fears and preparedness but, in a sustained emergency, we have to react and continue to operate and keep our patients and associates safe.

“Early on, it was about finding a pace and a rhythm. The largest challenge was taking so much information rapidly that was being updated daily, even hourly, and disseminating that.

“Sometimes it takes adversity to see all the great and amazing things we can rise to,” he said. “That may be the one silver lining in all of this.”

Scherling’s impact on others reaches beyond the hospital setting. He is a member of the Kiwanis Club of Grundy Center, an ambassador for the Grundy Center Chamber and a member of the Grundy Center Lions Club.

“All of these organizations, either directly or indirectly, have some history with GCMH. They’re furthering the mission of the hospital. It’s been an eye-opening and neat experience to get to know people and learn the history of all these groups. The tenure is just remarkable and how engaged they are in leaving the community a better place than they found it.”

When not working, Scherling finds various ways to unwind.

“I am a big sports nut and a huge Hawkeye fan,” he said. “I love football season. I grew up playing sports. I love to play golf.

Scherling and his wife, Kristina, plan to start a family. “And we have a golden doodle, Winston,” he said. “He acts like a human.”

He is humbled and honored to be named to the 20 Under 40 list.

“But any individual award or recognition I receive is a testament to the people at GCMH. No leader is successful without the people surrounding them.

“It’s been challenging and a lot of hard work, but it’s been very rewarding,” Scherling said of his career. “A lot of people in health care professions have a calling to put others’ needs before themselves. It’s an honor to work alongside them.”