Cara Veale became the CEO of the Indiana Rural Health Association earlier this year, right in the middle of a global pandemic, but I don’t think that has slowed her or the IRHA down one bit.

“Challenging would describe rural healthcare on any given day, let alone in the middle of a pandemic.”

~Cara Veale

Cara began her professional career as an Occupational Therapist at Good Samaritan Hospital in Vincennes, Indiana, in 2006. The following year, she moved to Daviess Community Hospital in Washington, Indiana, to work as an Occupational Therapist in the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit.

Cara was promoted to the Director of Outpatient Rehabilitation Therapies in 2011, overseeing Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech-Language Pathology, and Audiology services. In 2015, Cara transitioned to executive-level leadership as the organization’s first Chief Patient Experience Officer.

During the last three years at Daviess Community Hospital, Cara served as the Vice President of Provider Services providing administrative oversight for the medical practice division.

Cara received her Bachelor’s in Psychology, Master’s in Occupational Therapy, and Doctorate in Health Sciences from the University of Indianapolis and is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives.