JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — William C. Schoenhard, FACHE, executive vice president and chief operating officer of SSM Health Care in St. Louis, was awarded the Missouri Hospital Association’s Distinguished Service Award on Thursday, Nov. 8, during MHA’s 85th Annual Convention & Trade Show at Tan-Tar-A Resort in Osage Beach, Mo.
Schoenhard was honored for his leadership, advocacy and commitment to health care.
The Distinguished Service Award is the highest honor given by MHA. It is awarded annually to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to health care, Missouri hospitals and the communities they serve. The MHA Board of Trustees selects recipients of the Distinguished Service Award.
For more than three decades, Schoenhard has provided exceptional administrative leadership for Missouri hospitals. His commitment to performance excellence and focus on organizational values make him a local, regional and national leader in the health care community.
“Bill’s leadership at the hospital and system level has provided the benchmark by which many health leaders judge success,” said Marc D. Smith, MHA president. “His willingness to share his experience with health care leaders throughout the nation is a testament to his commitment to enhancing quality of care for patients while modeling servant-leadership for health care executives.”
Schoenhard has served as executive vice president and chief operating officer for SSM Health Care since 1986. Before joining the systemwide management team, Schoenhard served as executive director of SSM St. Joseph Health Center in St. Charles, Mo., and SSM St. Joseph Hospital West in Lake St. Louis, Mo., from 1982 to 1986; executive director of SSM Arcadia Valley Hospital in Pilot Knob, Mo., from 1981 to 1982; and assistant executive director and then associate executive director of SSM St. Mary’s Health Center in St. Louis from 1978 to 1981. He began his career in 1974 as an administrative resident at Deaconess Hospital in St. Louis where he also served as vice president and director of general services.
Schoenhard’s commitment to enhancing the quality of health care is renowned. In 2002, under his guidance, SSM Health Care became the first health care recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award — the nation’s premier award for performance excellence. Because of SSM Health Care’s success in process improvement and systems-design for health care quality, several of the system’s policies and procedures have been adopted as national best practices in care. In 2003, as a recognized leader in health care quality, Schoenhard was the only health care executive appointed to the Missouri Commission on Patient Safety.
Schoenhard also is a leader among state and national hospital executives. A former MHA board member and chair, he served as a board member of the American Hospital Association. A Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, Schoenhard has served as an ACHE board member since 2002 and as board chair from 2006 to 2007.
As a community leader, his management skills and commitment to service are highly sought. Schoenhard is a board member of the Greater St. Louis Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Lindenwood University, Mid-America Transplant Services, the Organ Donation and Transplantation Alliance and the University of Missouri-Columbia College of Business Management.
“Bill’s leadership ability and commitment to health care values distinguish him as one of the top health professionals in the nation,” Smith said. “His profound sense of service has enhanced health care in Missouri and throughout the country.”
The Missouri Hospital Association is a not-for-profit membership association in Jefferson City that represents 145 Missouri hospitals. In addition to representation and advocacy on behalf of its membership, the association offers continuing education programs on current health care topics and seeks to educate the public, as well as legislative representatives, about health care issues.
