MDH CEO Leads Statewide Meeting of Small and Rural Hospitals

Stephen Hopper, President/CEO of McDonough District Hospital, Macomb, led the 30th Annual Meeting of the Illinois Hospital Association’s (IHA) Small & Rural Hospital Constituency Section, held June 23-25 in Springfield. About 150 hospital leaders from across the state gathered to hear national and regional speakers and exchange ideas at “Celebrating 30 years: Advancing Health Care in Rural Illinois.”

At the annual meeting dinner, Hopper presented IHA’s 2009 Rural Legislator of the Year Award to State Representative Roger Eddy (R-109, Hutsonville) for his commitment to supporting small and rural hospitals.

In addition to his position as Chair of the IHA Small & Rural Hospitals Constituency Section’s Steering Committee, Hopper has held a variety of IHA leadership roles since 1986. Currently he also serves as a member of the IHA Advocacy Council and as an ex-officio member of the Small & Rural Hospitals Constituency Section’s Education Committee.

IHA’s Small & Rural Hospitals Constituency Section, which includes 86 hospitals that either have fewer than 150 acute care beds and/or are located outside a metropolitan statistical area, convenes annually to share ideas on how to better serve their patients and communities. About one-third of Illinois hospitals serve the 13 percent of the state’s rural population scattered across nearly two-thirds of the state’s land area.

McDonough District Hospital, is a 113-bed hospital that has proudly served the residents of western Illinois since 1958. MDH provides an impressive spectrum of advanced medical treatments and personalized health services. MDH is the second largest employer in McDonough County with over 550 employees where Hopper has served as President/CEO since 1985.

The Illinois Hospital Association, with offices in Naperville and Springfield, is an advocate for 200 Illinois hospitals and health systems and the patients and communities they serve. For more information, see IHA’s web site, www.ihatoday.org.