Pittsburg, Kan. — August 6, 2024 — After 30 years of exemplary service, Drew Talbott, president of Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg for the past four years, will retire as of August 30, 2024.
Talbott joined Via Christi in 1996 and became the hospital’s interim president in November 2020. His interim title was removed two months later. Before becoming hospital president, he served for 13 years as the hospital’s chief operating officer and for 11 years as its director of Information Systems.
“Drew has spent thirty years serving the hospital in Pittsburg, long before it was a part of the Via Christi system,” said Kevin Strecker, Via Christi’s Market Ministry CEO. “He’s been a dedicated servant leader and I can’t thank him enough for his service.”
Under Talbott’s leadership, Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg has received countless awards for high-quality care, including:
- “A” Hospital Safety Grades from The Leapfrog Group
- Get With The Guidelines, Stroke Gold Plus Award from American Heart Association
- Infant and Maternal Health from the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund
- Gold Environmental Excellence award from Stryker
“I have enjoyed three decades of watching talent develop, families grow, patients heal, and yes, mourn the loss of those whom we’ve loved and who continue to inspire us,” Talbott said in an email to hospital associates. “While there is no such thing as perfect timing to wind down my very special time in Pittsburg, I am replete knowing our hospital has a sustainable future with a tremendous talent pool, and an enthusiastic new sponsor in Mercy Health System.”
Talbott’s final day as president comes one day before Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg transitions to be under the sponsorship of Mercy Health System on September 1, 2024.
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About Via Christi
Serving Kansas for more than 135 years, Via Christi is a faith-based healthcare organization committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. In Kansas, Via Christi operates seven hospitals and 134 other sites of care and employs more than 6,400 associates. Via Christi is sponsored by Ascension, a national health system that operates more than 2,600 sites of care – including 139 hospitals and more than 40 senior living facilities – in 19 states. Ascension includes more than 134,000 associates and 35,000 aligned providers. In FY2023, Ascension provided $2.2 billion in care of persons living in poverty and support for community benefit programs. Visit www.ascension.org.