Press Release

Rachelle Schultz to Chair AHA's Section for Small or Rural Hospitals Council

Rachelle Schultz, president and CEO of Winona Health in Winona, Minn., will lead the American Hospital Association’s (AHA) Section for Small or Rural Hospitals in 2017. The 19-person council represents small or rural hospitals in the AHA’s policy process and member services initiatives.

In 2002, Schultz began her tenure as chief executive at Winona Health, an integrated health care provider that includes a 99-bed acute care hospital, a 125-bed long-term care facility, three assisted-living facilities and more than 1,100 employees. She has overseen organizational restructuring creating greater efficiencies, the successful completion of building projects, and the development and implementation of strategic plans and provider recruitment. Winona has received state and national recognition for quality, safety, and information technology.

Prior to this role, she served Lutheran Health Systems/Banner Health Systems in many roles: directing rehabilitation services for a children’s center, serving as administrator for a skilled nursing facility, and directing regional home care and hospice services. She also was appointed CEO and community administrator of Lookout Memorial Hospital in Spearfish, S.D.

Schultz was a member of Minnesota’s State Quality Improvement Institute and serves on the board of the Performance Excellence Network. She is a member of the Rural Health Issues Group, a collaborative of several governmental associations focused on rural health, and a former board member of the Minnesota Hospital Association and the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement.

Schultz is also active in her community — serving as a former board member and chair for Winona National Bank and the Winona Chamber of Commerce, founding board member and chair of the Minnesota Marine Art Museum and as a founding board member of Live Well Winona. She received her bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and her master’s in healthcare administration from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. She is currently pursuing an Interdisciplinary Ed.D. in Leadership from Creighton University in Omaha, Neb.

Joan Coffman, president and CEO of St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chippewa Falls, Wis., will serve as chair-elect and will assume the role of chair in 2018. Mary Ellen Pratt, CEO of St. James Parish Hospital in Lutcher, La., is immediate past chair. Jason Spring, chief executive provider integration network, Kalispell Regional Healthcare, Kalispell, Mont., is the liaison to the advisory council from the AHA Board of Trustees.

The small or rural council advises the AHA on federal policy issues. Newly elected members serving for three-year terms beginning Jan 1, 2017, include: Christina Campos, administrator, Guadalupe County Hospital, N.M.; James Donovan, president and CEO, LincolnHealth, Damariscotta, Maine; Michael L. Ogden, president and CEO, Little Falls Hospital, Little Falls, N.Y.; Philip E. Pandolph, CEO, Meadville Medical Center, Meadville, Pa.; Vicky McFall, CEO, Monroe County Medical Center, Tompkinsville, Ky.; Manuela Wolf, CEO, Harlan County Health System, Alma, Neb.; and Siri Nelson, chief administrative officer, Sutter Lakeside Hospital, Lakeport, Calif.

The new council members join the following current members: Kevin Donovan, president and CEO, LRG Healthcare, Laconia, N.H.; Thomas Nordwick, CEO, Uvalde County Hospital Authority, Uvalde, Texas; Mary Anne Shannon, board member, Marquette General Health System, Marquette, Mich.; and Eric Bour, M.D., president, Hillcrest Memorial Hospital, Simpsonville. S.C.; Dave Schreiner, president and CEO, Katherine Shaw Bethea Hospital, Dixon, Ill.; Jay Kreuzer, CEO, Kona Community Hospital, Kealakekua, Hawaii; Feliciano Jiron, CEO, Valley View Medical Center, Fort Mohave, Ariz.; and Elmore Patterson, CEO, Greene County Hospital, Eutaw, Ala.

About the AHA’s Section for Small or Rural Hospitals

The AHA's Section for Small or Rural Hospitals provides representation, advocacy and educational opportunities to help the nation's small or rural hospitals better serve the health needs of patients and communities.

About the AHA

The AHA is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the health improvement of their communities. The AHA is the national advocate for its members, which include nearly 5,000 hospitals, health care systems, networks, other providers of care and 43,000 individual members. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends. For more information, visit the AHA website at www.aha.org.