Coastal Hospitals Praised for Outstanding Leadership February 8, 2023 The executive leadership teams at Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital and Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital, led by CEO Lesley Ogden, MD, were named as finalists for the American Hospital Association’s Rural Hospital Leadership Team Award. The award recognizes small or rural hospital leaders who have guided their hospital and community through change and innovation. Award recipients display outstanding leadership, responsiveness to their community’s health needs and a collaborative process that has led to measurable outcomes. While Dr. Ogden is named on the finalist award, the awards submission specifically called out the invaluable collective effort of her top executives at SNLH and SPCH, specifically: Chief Operating Officers Virginia Riffle at SNLH and Jane Russell at SPCH. Vice Presidents of Patient Care Services Denise Moland at SNLH and Sam Jones at SPCH. “Even though my name is associated with this award, the successful operations of both coastal hospitals is definitely a group effort,” said Dr. Ogden. “My work as CEO is made so much easier by the combined minds of these four excellent professionals. Their intelligence, years of experience, kindness and spark of creative and innovative ideas help make our hospitals really shine.” The AHA mentions some of the ways these two Samaritan critical access hospitals serve the largely rural Lincoln County: The COVID-19 pandemic brought new challenges to this historically underserved community, but effective outreach and partnership produced an early 80% vaccination rate in Lincoln County. The hospitals set up a new Family Medicine Rural Residency Training Program that matched three first-year residents in 2022. A new oral health co-location program was also developed and resulted in placement of an advanced practice dental hygienist within each hospital to consult on oral health needs in both inpatient and outpatient settings. The 2022 Rural Hospital Leadership Team Award will be presented at the 36th annual AHA Rural Health Care Leadership Conference later this month to Bolivar General Hospital and CEO Ruby Kirby, RN. The AHA also recognized another award finalist, Cheshire Medical Center in Keene, New Hampshire, and CEO Don Caruso, MD.
