North Kansas City Hospital announced today that its Board of Trustees has appointed Dr. Stephen L. Reintjes Sr. as President and Chief Executive Officer of the hospital and its physician network subsidiary, Meritas Health. Reintjes is expected to succeed Peggy Schmitt in early April. Schmitt announced her pending retirement in 2019.
Reintjes, a nationally recognized neurosurgeon and executive leader, has been a respected and engaged member of the North Kansas City Hospital medical staff for 30 years. Reintjes has held numerous executive leadership positions at the hospital, including director of spine surgery and medical staff president. He currently serves as a Board member for BioNexus KC and Midwest Transplant Network.
“The Board took a comprehensive and thoughtful approach to our nationwide search for a new CEO, as our patients, partners, physicians and employees expected and deserved,” said Board of Trustees Chairperson Rebecca Welbern.
“Dr. Reintjes is a proven healthcare leader at North Kansas City Hospital, and across the region’s healthcare community. He’s been an engaged, trusted physician and colleague for many years. We are confident in his ability to maintain our organizational excellence and unique culture,” added Welbern.
Dr. Reintjes is a graduate of Rockhurst High School, Georgetown University and the University of Kansas School of Medicine, earning his undergraduate and graduate degrees in philosophy and medicine. He completed his residency in neurosurgery at the KU School of Medicine.
“I am honored to have been selected as North Kansas City Hospital’s next CEO. It is a privilege to be part of an organization that delivers personalized, high quality health care,” said Reintjes. “We are an organization led by a purpose – to provide hope and healing to every life we touch. I will do my best to serve our patients and help our employees and physicians fulfill their passion to make a difference.”
Schmitt will remain with NKCH until Reintjes transitions into his new role.
About North Kansas City Hospital and Meritas Health
For more than half a century, North Kansas City Hospital has been the Northland’s preferred healthcare provider. NKCH is an acute-care facility with 451 licensed beds and 550 physicians representing 49 medical specialties. From a Level III neonatal intensive care unit, to award-winning cardiovascular and orthopedic programs, to home health and hospice, NKCH provides a lifetime of care.
In 2018, NKCH earned Magnet® designation, the highest achievement for nursing excellence. The hospital’s oncology partnership with The University of Kansas Cancer Center provides our patients access to clinical trials only available at the nation’s leading cancer centers. Through its Meritas Health subsidiary, NKCH offers the largest network of provider practices in the Northland, with more than 140 primary and specialty care physicians in 30 convenient locations, including express care clinics in the Liberty, Gladstone and 64th Street Hy-Vee stores. NKCH also operates Wellness Corners located in the North Kansas City YMCA, the Gladstone Community Center and Zona Rosa shopping center. The Wellness Corners offer free blood pressure checks; the opportunity to talk with a nurse; programming on obesity, diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease; health fairs and basic screenings; and wellness events. The hospital’s mission, vision and values reflect a strong commitment to the health and well-being of the Northland community and beyond. Each year, NKCH sponsors approximately 60 charitable and community organizations and serves more than 24,000 people through its dynamic Community Health & Wellness programs.
Explore North Kansas City Hospital’s full range of services at nkch.org, and discover all the services Meritas Health offers at MeritasHealth.com.