River’s Edge Hospital will welcome four finalists for the position of Chief Executive Officer.  The candidates will arrive on Monday, February 8 and will begin interviews with the Executive Team, Hospital Commission Members and City Council Members.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions on large gatherings, a community meet-and-greet will not be held at the hospital.  In order for the community get a chance to see and hear from the candidates, videotaped interviews with the candidates will be posted on the River’s Edge Hospital website at www.REHC.org and River’s Edge Hospital Facebook page.  Those videos will be available by 4 p.m. on Tuesday, February 9.

Following the interviews, there will be a joint meeting of the Hospital Commission and City Council to review the candidates and make a selection.   The Commission and candidate will then enter into contract negotiations and the candidate will be confirmed on February 24, 2021 at the Hospital Commission meeting.

Charisse Oland

As a passionate advocate for rural healthcare and a servant leader, I find my greatest joy in ensuring that patients receive the highest quality of care possible, that colleagues have the benefit of a meaningful work experience, and that compassionate providers thrive and excel in a supportive organization. My career as CEO encompasses citizens in Midwestern rural communities, including children from rural/remote areas of the state, serving adults with acute rehabilitation needs, and critical access hospitals and health systems. A University of Minnesota Healthcare Administration graduate, I served as a preceptor for senior executives aspiring to become CEOs.  As a lifelong learner, I obtained my doctorate in leadership from the University of St. Thomas. I also helped develop the nations first Evidence-based Design Accreditation for healthcare organizations interested in building better hospitals focused on patient centered care and have consulted with numerous nonprofit and for profit organizations. I actively engage in and contribute back to community organizations. I aspire to bring these experiences and skills in a collaborative manner to rural communities with shared values and aspirations for their citizens’ healthcare system.

Shelby Medina

 I have over 20 years of leadership experience in the healthcare industry. As a seasoned professional, I have partnered with both large and small healthcare organizations focusing on brand growth, maximizing operational excellence and delivering financial performance. I am driven by my passion for rural medicine and I am committed to ensuring that rural communities have access to patient centered, high quality care. I hold an MBA from the University of Phoenix and I am currently working on obtaining my Executive Juris Doctorate from Purdue Global.

Paula Meskan

Paula has a 12-year tenure with River’s Edge Hospital & Clinic, where she has developed and maintained partnerships with outside healthcare agencies to develop specialty service line coverage.  She leads efforts to achieve and maintain regulatory requirements including DNV-GL Orthopaedic Center of Excellence certification.  She has led the development, implementation and continuous improvement of care delivery models and services.   Most recently, she has led the Emergency Management activities for River’s Edge during the Covid-19 pandemic.   Having lived in a rural community for most of her life, Paula understands the importance of providing high-quality healthcare to the residents of the City of Saint Peter and to those in surrounding communities.

Paula received her Bachelor of Arts in Nursing and Masters of Arts in Organizational Leadership from St. Catherine University.  Additionally, she has Certificates in Ethics and Strategic Planning.  She has 20+ years of experience in nursing leadership/administration with 10 years of experience at the executive level.

Paula is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), Minnesota Organization of Leaders in Nursing (MOLN), Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) and the  American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE), and holds their certification in Nurse Executive Practice.

Locally, she has coordinated activities to support  and promote education and exposure to healthcare careers for high-school and college students, specifically, 11 years partnering with Gustavus Adolphus College J-Term program and the Health Science Academy- High Step programs.  She serves on the Advisory Board for Gustavus Adolphus College and Rasmussen College nursing programs.  She is a member of the Saint Peter Rotary Club.

Andy Lankowicz

Andy Lankowicz has served as the President, CHI St. Alexius Health Devils Lake Hospital since April 2015.  During that time the hospital has been designated by the Chartis Center for Rural Health as a Top 100 critical access hospital in 2016, 2018, and 2020, which puts the hospital in top 7% of all critical access hospitals in the county.   Devils Lake Hospital is also rated by the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) as a 4 star hospital.   Andy retired from the US Army after 26 years of active service, culminating as the Chief Operating Officer for the West Point Health Service Area and Keller Army Community Hospital, United States Military Academy, West Point, New York.  In 2006 Andy deployed for a 15 month combat tour in Iraq as the Deputy Commander for the 28^th Combat Support Hospital, where he was awarded a Bronze Star for meritorious service.  His other assignments took him to Korea, Germany, Bosnia, Texas, California, and Virginia.   Early in his military career Andy was a medical evacuation officer flying the UH-1 and UH-60 helicopters and the Beech King Air fixed wing evacuation platforms.  Andy holds a certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration as a multiengine commercial rotary and fixed wing instrument rated pilot.  He received his Bachelor of Arts in Government from St. Lawrence University, Canton, NY, Master of Business Administration from Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY, and Master of Healthcare Administration from Baylor University in Waco, TX.   Andy is board certified in healthcare management and a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.  He is married to Anita (Eftefield) Lankowicz an Army Nurse Corps veterans who is formerly from Edelstein, IL.