Saint John Hospital has hired Richard W. (Wes) Hoyt, MHA, FACHE, as Chief Executive Officer for Saint John Hospital effective June 1, 2022. He comes to Saint John after serving as Chief Operating Officer for Hutchinson Regional Health System, Hutchinson, Kansas since 2016.
“We are excited to welcome Wes to both Saint John Hospital and the Leavenworth community,” says Mark Benz, Regional CEO, Prime Healthcare Services. “His extensive background not only in healthcare, but in the military, give him broad experience and executive leadership to guide Saint John as we continue to serve our community.”
Known as an adaptable and influential leader who revitalizes growth and maximizes productivity, Hoyt specializes in creating high-performing teams, focusing on positive work environments and a culture that results in high satisfaction of both staff and patients. He says he is looking forward to joining the team at Saint John and meeting the needs of the community.
“Leavenworth is such a vibrant and exciting community,” Hoyt says. “With the base located here, along with its veterans and thriving community, there’s so much opportunity here to do something special.”
Hoyt adds that he is excited to assume his new role and sees it as a great fit, fully engaging his background and passion for community healthcare. Drawing upon an expression he heard often when still in the army, ‘The army will put you where it needs you,’ he says that he knows this is the right place and time.
“When it’s right, you just know it. First and foremost, I’m eager to get to know our team beyond just the technical level. The tactics of healthcare are based in science, and we will incorporate those, but it’s even more important to me to be a leader others trust, so we can go forward and build and accomplish our goals together as a team. We want to be the standard for what excellent community healthcare looks like.”
His experience and leadership roles in the U.S. Army include local, state, national and international positions, including serving as Executive Vice President of Healthcare Operations, U.S. Army with the Southern European Task Force and U.S. Army Africa; Senior Vice President, Regional Operations Officer, for the U.S. Army/Europe Regional Medical Command; Chief Executive Officer for the U.S. Army Medical Task Force – Mosul, 47th Combat Support Hospital, Mosul, Iraq; and Chief Operating Officer, for the U.S. Army Irwin Army Community Hospital, Fort Riley, Kansas.
Hoyt was also stationed at Fort Leavenworth and is very familiar with the community.
He earned a Master of Health Administration degree from Baylor University, Waco, Texas where he graduated summa cum laude. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Secondary Education from Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, Louisiana.
Hoyt is a Fellow, American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE). He is the recipient of 15 U.S. Army Awards and Commendations for superior performance and achievement.
As the new hospital CEO, Hoyt believes it is important to live in the community he supports, so he plans to reside in Leavenworth with Kimberly, his wife of 33 years. They have four grown children with two serving in the military: Ricky, 31 of Salina, Kansas; Robby, 29, serving in the U.S. Navy in Norfolk, Virginia; Ryan, 27, serving in the U.S. Army in Colorado Springs, Colorado and Rachel, 24, of Dodge City, Kansas.
Hoyt enjoys playing golf and “volksmarching,” the German word for long walks of 6-12 miles.