WNH Welcomes New Leaders

Dec 27, 2022

In addition to naming Brian Barta as CEO, William Newton Hospital has welcomed leaders in four positions within the hospital in the last three months.

Cassie Stein, BSN, RN, accepted the position of ER manager in October. Stein holds a bachelor’s in nursing from Fort Hays State University. She also holds certifications in basic life support, advanced cardiovascular life support, trauma nursing, pediatric advanced life support, five levels of the incident command system, and is a strike team task force leader. Her three years at William Newton Hospital have mostly been spent in the emergency department. Prior to joining the hospital, she was an emergency medical technician with Grant County EMS and an ER nurse at SCK Health in Arkansas City. Stein has previous management experience working in a leadership position at Walmart, and spent five years in law enforcement as an animal control officer.

“Cassie was selected for this role not only because of her prior leadership and EMT experience, but she is personable and has brought a level of enthusiasm back to the department following the challenges over the last two years,” says Chief Nursing Officer Debbie Marrs, BSN, RN. “Her ideas are infectious and have already started motivating her staff and other managers.”

Though she is originally from Ulysses, KS, Cassie spent many summers in Cowley County helping on her uncle and aunt’s farm. She also holds degrees in veterinary technology and ag-animal science. Stein considers the different perspectives she brings through her varying background as one of her strengths and is looking forward to “working together with other hospital departments to provide top-notch care to patients.” She plans to make staffing a priority and is working to improve retention in the emergency department.

Also in October, Molly Jones joined William Newton Hospital as clinic manager for William Newton Surgery and Specialties. Previously, she was the clinic manager for general surgeon Patrick Bloedel, MD, whose clinic is now part of the William Newton Hospital network. Jones now manages the merged practice for Dr. Bloedel, general surgeon Christopher Morrissey, MD, FACOS, and rheumatologist Praveena Gorantla, MD. A Winfield native, Jones started working in the private practice sector in March 2014. At Dr. Bloedel’s office, she was a one-person operation managing his practice.

“I did billing, collections, scheduling, customer service, and everything in between that makes a medical office run,” says Jones.

Jones looks forward to continuing to work alongside her brother, Dr. Bloedel, and is excited about the opportunity to work with Drs. Morrissey and Gorantla.

“It will be a change of pace getting to work with so many other people, and I look forward to the company!”

Chief Operations Officer Brandy Cuevas, who oversees William Newton Hospital clinics, says she is thrilled for Jones to join the team.

“Molly brings a wealth of knowledge as she knows every facet of clinic operations. She is a patient-centered, well-rounded manager and we are thrilled to have her!”

Filling a role left vacant since 2018, Micah Norris stepped into the position of Chief Support Officer in November. In his new role, Norris will oversee information technology, dietary, nutrition services, sterile processing, environmental services, laundry, floor care, emergency preparedness, materials management, clinical informatics, and plant operations.

Norris holds a master’s of business administration from Friends University with a focus on healthcare administration. Prior to joining William Newton Hospital, he was a systems analyst for Key Construction. Norris came to the hospital in January 2010 as a systems analyst and was promoted to director of information technology in October 2014.

Norris is eager to take on the challenges of his new role and aims to foster a collaborative culture among his teams.

“The support service departments are the foundation of everything we are able to achieve as a hospital for this community,” explained Norris. “I’m excited as I work with these departments to continue to build upon the legacy of William Newton Hospital and help strengthen this hospital for the next 100 years.”

CEO Brian Barta said of Norris’s appointment:

“We are so grateful to have Micah as part of the senior management team, and believe the knowledge and experience he brings can help our hospital progress.”

Transitioning into Norris’s information technology leadership role is Travis Pitterle, a systems analyst who has been at William Newton Hospital for four and a half years. After graduating college, Pitterle held an internship at an internet service provider before joining the hospital. He moved to Winfield after living in Arizona and Oklahoma.

“Travis has been an amazing asset to the WNH team since day one,” says Norris. “His strong IT background coupled with his education give him all the tools for success in his new position. The cherry on top is how well he has been received in his new role. Travis works well with everyone and you would be hard-pressed to find anyone with a negative word to say about him.”

Pitterle was recognized by the hospital leadership team as Employee of the Quarter in April 2022. He hopes to make a difference for William Newton Hospital as director of information technology.