Media Contact:
Shannon Portell
HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital
(715) 271-2681
February 16, 2015
For Immediate Release
HSHS announces members of the Boards of Directors for HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital & HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital
Eau Claire & Chippewa Falls, WI – Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) in Springfield, IL, announced the members of the Boards of Directors for HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital & HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital. The boards function separately with a common membership base. Having duplicated board memberships supports the continued divisional collaboration between the two HSHS ministries.
Dave Kiefer – Chair
Dave Kiefer currently serves a Chair of the Board for both hospitals. Prior to his retirement from the computer industry, Kiefer served as vice president of business development for Cray, Inc. Although new to the Sacred Heart Hospital Board of Directors, Kiefer previously served on the St. Joseph’s Hospital Board of Directors for three consecutive terms between 1998 and 2007, and currently since 2009. Kiefer holds a bachelor’s in electrical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Karen Hebert – Vice Chair
Karen Hebert currently serves as Vice Chair of the Board for both hospitals. She has served on the Sacred Heart Hospital Board of Directors since 2009, and on the St. Joseph’s Hospital Board of Directors since 2013. Hebert is a broker with Spectrum Insurance Group in Chippewa Falls. She holds an MBA from UW-Eau Claire, where she also earned her bachelor’s degree. Hebert is actively engaged in community service beyond her hospital roles.
Jerry Jacobson – Secretary
Jerry Jacobson currently serves as Secretary of the Board for both hospitals. He has served on the St. Joseph’s Hospital Board of Directors since 2011. Jacobson is the president of Northwestern Bank. Jacobson holds a bachelor’s in economics from UW-Eau Claire, and received his MBA from the University of Chicago.
Bruce Barker
Bruce Barker is president of Chippewa Valley Technical College. He has served on the Sacred Heart Hospital Board of Directors since 2012. He holds a bachelor’s in political science and history from Ripon College and a JD from Marquette University Law School.
Lon Blaser, D.O.
Lon Blaser, D.O., a retired rheumatologist, has served on the St. Joseph’s Hospital Board of Directors since 2007. Dr. Blaser previously served as the Medical Director of Group Health Cooperative in Eau Claire, retiring in 2010. He received his medical degree from Michigan State University, and completed an internship at Metropolitan Hospital in Grand Rapids, MI, an internal medicine residency at Marshfield Clinic and a rheumatology fellowship at UW-Madison. Dr. Blaser also holds a master’s in social work from St. Louis University.
Joan Coffman, President and CEO of HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital
Joan Coffman serves as President & CEO of St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chippewa Falls. She currently serves as President of the St. Joseph’s Hospital Board of Directors. Coffman is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and is a member of the ACHE-Wisconsin Board. She holds an MBA from the University of New Orleans.
James Docksey
James Docksey is a financial advisor with Edward Jones Investments in Chippewa Falls. He has served on the on the Sacred Heart Hospital Board of Directors since 1997, and on the St. Joseph’s Hospital Board of Directors since 1997. Docksey holds a bachelor’s in business administration from UW-Eau Claire.
Greg Heiler, M.D.
Greg Heiler, M.D., is a board certified anatomic and clinical pathologist with Pathology Service Corporation. He has served on the Sacred Heart Hospital Board of Directors since 2010. Dr. Heiler holds a bachelor’s in biology from Luther College in Decorah, IA, and a medical degree from the University of Minnesota, also completing his pathology residency at the University of Minnesota.
Julie Manas – President and CEO of HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital
Julie Manas serves as President & CEO of Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire. She currently serves as President of the Sacred Heart Hospital Board of Directors. She is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Catholic Health Association. Manas holds a bachelor’s in family services from Iowa State University and a MHA from the University of Iowa.
Timothy Pitchford, M.D.
Timothy Pitchford, M.D., is a board certified surgeon for Marshfield Clinic with expertise in general and bariatric surgery. He has served on the Sacred Heart Hospital Board of Directors since 2013. Dr. Pitchford holds a bachelor’s from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN and a medical degree from the University of North Dakota – School of Medicine & Health Sciences in Grand Forks. He completed a general surgery residency at Mount Carmel Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio.
Larry Schumacher
Larry Schumacher has served on the Sacred Heart Hospital Board of Directors since 2011, and also on the St. Joseph’s Hospital Board of Directors since 2011. Schumacher is chief operating officer of Hospital Sisters Health System, a multi-hospital Catholic health care system based in Springfield, Illinois. He holds a bachelor’s in nursing from Missouri State University and a master’s in nursing administration from Indiana University. Schumacher is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.
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About HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital
HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital is an affiliate of the Hospital Sisters Health System. Since 1889 it has been meeting patient needs in western Wisconsin with the latest medical innovations and technology, together with a Franciscan whole-person healing tradition. For more information about HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital, visitwww.sacredhearteauclaire.org.
About HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital
HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital, an affiliate of Hospital Sisters Health System, has served the people of the Chippewa Falls area since 1885 with health care that is high tech and, more importantly, high touch. Known locally for the quality of the care it provides patients, the hospital has been recognized nationally for its outstanding patient satisfaction levels. Sponsored by the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, headquartered in Springfield, Ill., it is an affiliate of Hospital Sisters Health System, one of the nation’s largest Catholic health care systems. To learn more about HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital, visit www.stjoeschipfalls.com.
About Hospital Sisters Health System
Hospital Sisters Health System’s mission is to reveal and embody Christ’s healing love for all people through our high quality Franciscan health care ministry. Sponsored by the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, HSHS provides state-of-the-art health care to our patients and is dedicated to serving all people, especially the most vulnerable, at each of our 14 Local Systems and physician practices in Illinois (Belleville, Breese, Decatur, Effingham, Highland, Litchfield, Springfield and Streator) and Wisconsin (Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, Oconto Falls, Sheboygan, and two in Green Bay). For more information about HSHS, visit www.hshs.org.