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 Mercy Health System of Kansas (MHSK)
has announced a new leadership structure that will establish the
role of president in each of its two hospitals, Mercy Health Center
of Fort Scott and Mercy Hospital of Independence.
Reta Baker, MHSK chief operating
officer, has been named president of the Fort Scott facility, while
Eric Ammons, MHSK vice president of Human Resources and Outreach,
will serve as president of the Independence hospital. The two will
assume their roles immediately.
The executive leadership structure
was redesigned following CEO John Woodrich’s resignation
announcement in September. Woodrich has served in Kansas for the
past three years and has been responsible for operations for both
hospitals and all ancillary services for the organization, dividing
his time between the two communities.
 The new structure allows shared
responsibility between the two presidents and offers local
co-workers, physicians, customers and community members access to a
local executive dedicated to each community.
“We believe this new structure will
allow Mercy to better understand and address the needs of both Fort
Scott and Independence, and as long-time members of Mercy, Reta and
Eric are ideally suited to serve in these roles,” said Lynn Britton,
president and CEO of the Sisters of Mercy Health System, which
sponsors Mercy Health System of Kansas. “We look forward to
continuing the heritage of service that Mercy has had in Kansas with
leadership from Reta and Eric.”
The restructuring also aligns Baker
and Ammons in a reporting relationship with Gary Pulsipher, recently
appointed president/CEO of St. John’s Regional Medical Center in
Joplin, Mo. Sponsorship of St. John’s will officially transfer to
Mercy in November, significantly extending Mercy’s service area and
offerings for residents of southwest Missouri and southeast Kansas.
Baker began her career with Mercy in
1981 as a staff nurse at the Fort Scott hospital. She later served
in various nursing administration roles, followed by an 11-year
stint as vice president of Patient Care Services in Fort Scott
(1991-2002). From 2002 to 2004, she served as MHSK vice president of
operations, and she assumed the chief operating officer’s position
in 2004.
Ammons joined Mercy in 1987 as
director of Rehabilitation Services for the Fort Scott facility. He
has since served MHSK as director of Rehabilitation Services and
Health for Life and as vice president of Customer Service.
Baker resides in Fort Scott with her
husband, Bill. The couple has two grown children and two
grandchildren.
Ammons and his wife, Chris, also
currently reside in Fort Scott but plan to relocate to the
Independence community. They have two grown children.
For more information: Joanne Cox,
620-332-3248
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