Aspirus U.P. CEO named among top in country

Aspirus Upper Peninsula Regional CEO Chuck Nelson was recently named among the “50 rural hospital CEOs to know” by Becker Hospital Review.

Nelson, who oversees Aspirus hospitals in Ironwood, Iron River, Ontonagon and Laurium, is the only CEO in the Upper Peninsula to receive the designation.

“To be recognized by leading organizations for the quality of care we provide is a statement about the quality of Aspirus health care overall in the Upper Peninsula,” Nelson said. “A key thing to know about the health care Aspirus provides to the communities of the Upper Peninsula is that the majority of care — more than 90 percent in some locations — is provided to people at our facilities in the U.P., so people can stay close to home.”

Under Nelson’s leadership, the National Rural Health Association named Ironwood’s Aspirus Grand View a Top 20 critical access hospital in 2015 and both Grand View and Aspirus Keweenaw in Laurium were named Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals by iVantange Strength INDEX in 2014.

The critical access definition is given by the federal government to hospitals that generally serve smaller, more rural communities, according to David Sim, manager of marketing and public relations for Aspirus Grand View.

Aspirus hospitals in the U.P. employ more than 1,700 people and provide more than $80 million in salaries and benefits in the six counties it serves, according to the announcement.

“While it’s incredible to be recognized by Becker’s, the reward I value most is being able to work with such an excellent group of dedicated people,” Nelson said. “The doctors, nurses and entire support staff of Aspirus in the U.P. and system-wide are truly outstanding and that reflects in the excellent performance of our hospitals.”