News and Announcements

The inaugural class of the ICAHN Rural Health Fellowship began its eight-month leadership journey at a live, socially distanced event kick-off on October 28 in Springfield.  The class of 16 masked up to learn more about each other, the goals of the fellowship and to hear from keynote speakers David Ziebler, SIU School of Medicine, who spoke on “Emotionally Intelligent Leaders,” and Andy Kaufman, consultant, who covered “Project Management for Senior Leaders.”

The Rural Health Fellowship is a new opportunity for up-and-coming critical access hospital leaders. The experience covers four main pillars: rural health, leadership, operations, and finance. Fellows participate in online learning, a service project, and a book club with the goal of developing confident leaders who are equipped with the skills needed to lead in a rural community.

An important part of the fellowship is the mentor component. In forming the program, the committee felt it was important for rising leaders to have access to someone with expertise and experience. Each fellow is paired with a mentor who can advise and talk through ideas.

We are pleased to announce this year’s Rural Health Fellows:

• Raigan Brown, Memorial Hospital-Carthage
• Harold Calderon, Marshall Browning Hospital
• Kim Calvert, Horizon Health
• Susan Chenoweth, Illini Community Hospital
• Deepa Dummi, Memorial Hospital-Chester
• Erin Frank, Horizon Health
• Elvis David Harrison, Hillsboro Area Hospital
• Emily Hendrickson, Memorial Hospital-Carthage
• Andrea Keene, Memorial Hospital-Carthage
• Andrew Kleinschmidt, Wabash General Hospital
• Stephanie Meyers, Memorial Hospital-Carthage
• Tracy Perkins, Mercyhealth Hospital Harvard
• Aldo Rossi, Hopedale Medical Complex
• Arica Schmidt, Midwest Medical Center
• Lacey Stults, Horizon Health
• Joe Whitson, Hopedale Medical Complex

Mentors include:

• Nancy Allen, ICAHN
• Susie Campbell, Community Hospital of Staunton
• Trina Casner, Pana Community Hospital
• Randall Dauby, Pinckneyville Community Hospital
• Kathy Hull, Illini Community Hospital
• Jim Johnson, Franklin Hospital
• Sarah McPeak, Carlinville Area Hospital
• Sue Odle, St. Joseph Memorial Hospital
• Gregg Olson, Rochelle Community Hospital
• Dr. Richelle Rennegarbe, McKendree University
• Pat Schou, ICAHN
• Rob Schmitt, Gibson Area Hospital and Health Services
• Paul Skowron, Warner Hospital and Health Services
• Steve Tenhouse, Kirby Medical Center
• Dan Walker, Sparta Community Hospital

The Advisory Committee includes:

• Ada Bair, Memorial Hospital-Carthage
• Andrew Buffenbarger, Kirby Medical Center
• Alisa Coleman, Ferrell Hospital
• Tracy Koster, Carlinville Area Hospital
• Kathy Fauble, ICAHN
• Hana Hinkle, National Center for Rural Health Professions
• Dr. Richelle Rennegarbe, McKendree University
• Pat Schou, ICAHN
• Rob Schmitt, Gibson Area Hospital and Health Services
• Karissa Turner, Wabash General Hospital
• Heather Whetsell, SIU School of Medicine

This program is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $824,375, with 0% financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.