Page 17 - Desert Oracle December 2019

News Release

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mary E. Dillinger, NAVAHCS Public Affairs Officer
500 Hwy 89 N. Prescott, AZ 86313
Work: (928) 717-7587
After Hours: (928) 910-3967
e-mail: Mary.Dillinger@va.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 2019

Northern Arizona VA Health Care System Director to Retire at End of Year

PRESCOTT, ARIZONA -- Barbara A. Oemcke, MBA, FACHE, the Medical Center Director at
the Northern Arizona VA Health Care System (NAVHCS), has announced her plans to retire
December 31 after 29 years of service in the Department of Veterans Affairs and 36 years in
healthcare.

Oemcke was appointed Medical Center Director in March 2017 for the health care system
that serves more than 29,000 Veterans across northern Arizona. An interim Director from
another VA will be appointed to serve while NAVHCS recruits a new Director. During her
tenure as Medical Center Director at NAVHCS, Oemcke successfully led major projects to
improve: customer service, facility infrastructure (including needed major facility renovations
and expansions), human resources processes, and financial management.

Oemcke’s three decades of healthcare leadership included foodservice management, clinical
nutrition, revenue cycle management, business management, and healthcare administration.
Prior to her appointment as Medical Center Director, Oemcke also held progressive
leadership positions in the VA systems in Fargo, North Dakota, St. Cloud, Minnesota, and
White City, Oregon.

Oemcke holds a bachelor’s degree in Nutrition from North Dakota State University and a
Master of Business Administration degree from St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. She
is also a graduate of the 2012 VA Health Care Leadership Development Program and is a
Fellow with the American College of Healthcare Executives.

NAVHCS is a Joint Commission-accredited, complexity level three health care system that
provides a continuum of primary and secondary level medical, rehabilitative and long-term
care to Veterans residing in northern and central Arizona. Its acute medical care consists of
primary and secondary inpatient medicine and ambulatory care, which includes general
medicine, ambulatory procedures, and selected specialized medical clinics. Its Emergency
Department is open 24 hours a day/seven days a week. The system’s VA Medical Center is
located in Prescott, Arizona, and its Community Based Outpatient Clinics are located in
Anthem, Flagstaff, Cottonwood, Kingman and Lake Havasu City, Arizona. NAVHCS has six
VA Outreach Clinics in Holbrook, Page, Tuba City, Polacca, Chinle and Kayenta, Arizona, the
system’s catchment area covers more than 65,000 square miles.

Rev: 5-9-18