Rehoboth McKinley Christian Health Care Services CEO David Conejo Distinguished as One of 60 U.S. National Rural Healthcare CEOs in 2019

Rehoboth McKinley Christian Health Care Services (RMCHCS) CEO David Conejo has been distinguished as a national rural health care CEO. The honor was bestowed on Conejo by Becker’s Hospital Review, which inaugurated him into the group of “60 Rural Hospital and Health Systems CEOs to Know in 2019.”

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/50-rural-hospital-and-health-system-ceos-to-know-2019.html

"We welcome David Conejo to the '60 Rural Hospital and Health System CEOs to Know in 2019’," said Scott Becker, CEO, Becker's Healthcare. "Mr. Conejo's brings tireless health care leadership to the residents of Gallup New Mexico and greater McKinley County daily. His services to the area's homeless and his quest to eradicate addiction in the community through behavioral health care innovation are testaments to being named a member of our rural CEO list." 

Conejo, who also serves as president of the New Mexico Rural Hospital Network and is a board member of the New Mexico Hospital Association, was cited by the publication and noted for his outstanding achievements:

“Mr. Conejo oversees the 69-bed, acute-care Rehoboth McKinley Christian Health Care Services. With a staff of 500, including 70 providers, the hospital sees an estimated 150,000 people living in northwest New Mexico and eastern Arizona. Mr. Conejo has received several honors throughout his career, including the Torch Essence of Leadership Award and the American Hospital Association's Foster G. McGaw Prize.”

Becker's Healthcare accepted nominations for this list and is considered a leader making a positive impact on its organizations. The CEOs featured lead hospitals consistently recognized by the National Rural Health Association, American Hospital Association and HIMSS as top institutions. Others sit on local chamber of commerce boards and serve state hospital associations.

“I am honored to be selected as one of the recipients for this national award,” said David Conejo, CEO, RMCHCS. “Rural hospitals are not just the lifeblood of health care across many parts of the U.S., but hope for better, healthier families and a tomorrow filled with promise of a brighter future.”   

Conejo has also been selected by the National Association of Rural Mental Health to conduct a workshop entitled “Fixing the Behavioral Healthcare Fix: Treating 22,000 Addicts” at its annual conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico on Aug. 26-29. He previously spoke on data integration at the IT Expo in Boston.  

In addition, Conejo was nominated by RMCHCS hospital board chairman David Dallago for the American Hospital Association’s Rural Mental Health Hospital Leadership Award and the National Cooperative of Health Networks Association Outstanding Network Leadership Award.

Under Conejo’s leadership, RMCHCS is the first hospital in New Mexico honored with a “Patient Safety Excellence Award” for five consecutive years and ranked in the top 10 percent of the nation’s hospitals for patient safety.

Media Contact: William Madaras (William@Glasslanternpr.com)