Becker's Hospital Review

56 50 Rural Hospital CEOs to Know By Heather Punke Becker's Hospital Review has named the following leaders to its inaugural list of "50 Rural Hospital CEOs to Know." These 50 presidents and CEOs have shown commitment to providing high-quality, accessible care to their patient populations and have approached the challenge of rural healthcare with great aplomb. For this list, "rural" was defined as being located outside a major metropolitan area or healthcare hub. Leaders were selected based on a number of factors, including awards received; local, regional and national leadership positions held and their organization's recent perfor- mance. Nominations were also considered. Note: Individuals cannot pay for inclusion on this list. Names are presented in alphabetical order. Benjamin Anderson. Administrator and CEO of Ke- arny County Hospital (Lakin, Kan.). Mr. Anderson has served at the helm of Kearny County Hospital, about 230 miles outside Wichita, since June 2013. He was previous- ly CEO of Ashland (Kan.) Health Center. He is largely responsible for the development of a unique paid time off program that allows employees up to eight weeks of PTO every year, which helps attract high-quality, mis- sion-driven physicians and staff. Douglas Arnold. President and CEO of Helen Keller Hospital (Sheffield, Ala.). Mr. Arnold took the reins at Helen Keller Hospital in July 2011. Prior to moving to Alabama, Mr. Arnold was a market CEO for Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems' Arkansas Hos- pitals. Since taking over at Helen Keller, he has focused on recruiting high-quality physicians to the 9,039-per- son town of Sheffield. Karen Barber, RN. CEO of Yoakum (Texas) Commu- nity Hospital. Originally joining Yoakum Community Hospital as a nurse in 1992, Ms. Barber became CEO of the hospital in 2006. Since she took the helm, Yoakum Community Hospital has added physicians, new services and an electronic health record system. In 2010, she was awarded the Texas Hospital Association's Pioneer Award, which recognizes excellence in rural hospital manage- ment. Arthur Blank. President and CEO of Mount Desert Is- land Hospital (Bar Harbor, Maine). Mr. Blank has been at the helm of Mount Desert Island Hospital, located on an island off the coast of Maine, since 1999. He helped the hospital gain critical access hospital designation. In June 2012, he became chair of the Maine Hospital As- sociation board of directors. Jay Christensen. CEO of Mahaska Health Partnership (Oskaloosa, Iowa). Mr. Christensen has served as CEO of Mahaska Health Partnership, a critical access hospital about 60 miles southeast of Des Moines, Iowa, since 1999. Mr. Christensen served on the board of the Iowa Hospi- tal Association from 2002-2009 and chaired the board from 2007-2008. In 2013, he helped dramatically expand MHP's medical staff, recruiting five new physicians. Nicole Clapp. President and CEO of Grant Regional Health Center (Lancaster, Wis.). Ms. Clapp became president and CEO of Grant Regional Health Center in April 2006. She originally joined the hospital in 1996 as quality improvement coordinator. She has also served as the hospital's vice president of professional services. Marcia Dial. CEO of Scotland County Hospital (Mem- phis, Mo.). Ms. Dial has been at the helm of Scotland County Hospital since 1988 and has been with the hos- pital, situated near Missouri's northern boarder, for more than 38 years. In 2011, Ms. Dial received the Missouri Hos- pital Association's Visionary Leadership Award. In 2013, she received a Becker's Healthcare Leadership Award. Vickie Diamond, RN. President and CEO of Wyoming Medical Center (Casper). Ms. Diamond has served as president and CEO of Wyoming Medical Center since February 2008. She also previously served as the hospi- tal's interim CEO, COO, CNO and senior vice president of patient care services. She is currently serving on the American Hospital Association's board of trustees; her term will expire in 2015. James Dickson. CEO of Copper Queen Community Hospital (Bisbee, Ariz.). Mr. Dickson heads Copper Queen Community Hospital, a 14-bed critical access hospital roughly 92 miles southeast of Tucson, Ariz. In 2011, Mr. Dickson received the Shirley Ann Munroe Award from the American Hospital Association. The award recognizes accomplished small or rural hospital leaders, and Mr. Dickson received the honor for expand- ing healthcare access by operating three rural health clin- ics beyond the hospital's main campus. Desiree Einsweiler. Administrator and CEO of Palo Alto County Health System (Emmetsburg, Iowa). Ms. Einsweiler became CEO of Palo Alto County Health System, a 25-bed critical access hospital, in 2012 when she was just 29 years old. She previously served as in- terim CEO of Mitchell County Regional Health Center in Osage, Iowa, and as regional clinic director of Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa in Mason City. Charlie Fahd. CEO of Massena (N.Y.) Memorial Hos- pital. Mr. Fahd has served as CEO of Massena Memo- rial Hospital, located in northern New York near the Canadian border, since 1997. His contract was renewed in 2012 and runs through 2014. In May, Massena Memo- rial opened a $3.9 million medical office building that houses physicians, surgeons and a phlebotomy center. Dennis Franks. CEO of Neosho Memorial Regional Medical Center (Chanute, Kan.). Mr. Franks has led Neosho Memorial Regional Medical Center, the largest critical access hospital in the state, since 2006. Among Mr. Franks' many accomplishments, he implemented the Hello Yellow program at NMRMC, a fall reduction and community awareness program that garnered statewide praise. In 2012, he was a finalist for the American Hospi- tal Association's Shirley Ann Munroe Leadership Award, which recognizes excellence and innovation in rural healthcare leadership. In 2013, he was a recipient of the American Hospital Association's Grassroots Champion Award, recognizing his leadership in community activity supportive of his hospital's mission. John Gardner. CEO of Yuma (Colo.) District Hospital. Mr. Gardner was named interim CEO of Yuma District Hospital in January 2007 and took the position perma- 50 Rural Hospital CEOs to Know

• Cover