NKCH President and CEO to Retire

Peggy Schmitt, president and chief executive officer of North Kansas City Hospital and Meritas Health, announced her retirement, effective at the end of 2019.

“It has been an incredible privilege and honor to be a member of the North Kansas City Hospital team for over 25 years,” she said. “I will be forever grateful for the confidence and trust that I have been given over the years by our Board of Trustees, our medical staff, our leadership team and


our employees.”

Peggy served as a vice president and the hospital’s general counsel for nearly two decades before being named president and CEO in 2012.

Before earning her law degree at Yale University, Peggy received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Missouri. After working as a registered nurse, she launched a successful healthcare-focused law career. Peggy’s clinical experience and legal training gave her a unique perspective that made her a natural fit to lead a healthcare facility.

“The opportunities that I have had to serve and lead this incredible organization have been very meaningful to me,” Peggy said when announcing her departure.

As president and CEO, she always placed a focus on high-quality patient care and outstanding outcomes. “One of my goals was to continue promoting a hospitalwide culture of respect and collaboration to ensure the best patient outcomes and the highest level of patient care,” Peggy said.

NKCH earned Magnet® designation in 2018. With only 8.6% (474) of U.S. hospitals having this designation, Magnet is the highest achievement


a hospital can receive for nursing excellence.

“Although we had consistently operated with Magnet principles for quite some time, we were excited when it became official,” Peggy said of the honor.

During Peggy’s tenure, the expansion of hospital access points, services and specialized medical staff enabled the hospital to achieve significant market share and volume growth. Also under her leadership, NKCH established an oncology partnership with The University of Kansas Cancer Center in 2014, which offers Northland cancer patients access to radiation therapy on the NKCH campus.

“The hospital has been fortunate to have such an engaged leader,” said Rebecca Welbern, chair of the Board of Trustees for NKCH. “For nearly three decades, Peggy has been instrumental in making key decisions that have successfully enhanced patient care, finances and the culture of the hospital.”

Throughout her NKCH career, Peggy has been very active in the Northland. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Northland Regional Chamber of Commerce and previously served on the Board of Directors for Synergy Services.

Peggy will remain in her role until the hospital’s board selects her successor to ensure a smooth and positive transition.