Category Archive

Toniann Richard is the CEO of Health Care Collaborative of Rural Missouri (HCC). HCC is a rural health network dedicated to developing and implementing programs to respond to the health needs of local residents. Toniann also serves as the President of the Missouri Rural Health Association. Among many accomplishments, Toniann has raised more than $12 million in grant funding since … Read More

Nikki King is an Administrative Fellow at Margaret Mary Health, a critical access hospital in Batesville, Indiana. She was raised in the coalfields of Central Appalachia, and graduated with a degree in Economics from the University of Kentucky. Nikki has combined her life experiences with formal training to help communicate the challenges facing rural America on both the regional and … Read More

Joanie Perkins serves as the Chief Compliance Officer at North Sunflower Medical Center, a critical access hospital in Ruleville, Mississippi. Her love for medicine stemmed from her mother, who worked as an emergency room registered nurse in Dayton, Ohio, and would come home and tell her children stories about what had transpired throughout her day. This sparked a love of … Read More

Dr. Mark Hamed serves as Medical Director of the Departments of Emergency and Hospitalist Medicine at McKenzie Health System, a critical access hospital in Sandusky, Michigan. He made a huge impact on the local community when he spearheaded an “Oxy-Free” ED initiative in 2013 to combat the opiate abuse epidemic. “You have to have a vision and a passion for … Read More

Gordon Bonnyman is co-founder of the Tennessee Justice Center, a non-profit public interest law firm serving vulnerable Tennesseans in cases involving healthcare and individual clients, many of whom reside in rural areas. Gordon has represented thousands of individual clients, and has written and lectured extensively on health policy. He has testified before Congress, argued before the Supreme Court and advised … Read More

Craig Webb is Chairman of the governing board of Kirby Medical Center, a 16-bed critical access hospital in Monticello, Illinois. Craig is originally from Springfield, Illinois, and has an extensive background in retail, holding many positions including management, marketing and ownership. Currently, Craig works in engineering, and has been on the board of Kirby Medical Center since 1993, when he … Read More

David Frum is the CEO and president of both Bridgton and Rumford Hospitals, two critical access hospitals in Maine. Both hospitals earned the recognition of being among the top 20 critical access hospitals in 2016 by the National Rural Health Association (NRHA). Additionally, Bridgton Hospital was named a top hospital in the small and rural category at the end of … Read More

Les Lacy currently serves as the Vice President of Regional Operations at Great Plains Health Alliance. Great Plains Health Alliance is a non-profit organization of leased, managed and affiliated hospitals in Kansas and Nebraska committed to rural healthcare and the management of rural hospitals. “Healthcare is a really important component for the quality of life in these small areas. It’s … Read More

Michael Glasser, PhD, serves as the Associate Dean for Rural Health Professions, and is a Research Professor of Medical Sociology at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford. He helped establish the internationally recognized Rural Medical Education Program at the Rockford campus, and the interdisciplinary National Center for Rural Health Professions, a designated center of the Illinois Board … Read More

Leslie Marsh is the CEO of Lexington Regional Health Center, a critical access hospital in Lexington, Nebraska. Under Leslie’s leadership, Lexington Regional Health Center has expanded services and won numerous national awards for quality and patient satisfaction. She has led the hospital through many changes, including the addition of urgent care and family medicine clinics. “I think that leaders must … Read More