Patricia Schou, RN, BSN, MS, FACHE

Interim CEO

Pat Schou recently retired as the executive director of the Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network (ICAHN), the first state-wide critical access hospital (CAH) network established in 2003 comprised of 60 CAH and rural hospitals which is providing number of hospital support services
and educational programs as well as managing several grant programs for the Illinois Department of Public Health and other organizations. Schou served on the Flex Advisory Committee and as chair for two years and received the Calico Leadership Quality Award. In addition, Schou also served as the executive director of the Illinois Rural Community Care
Organization (IRCCO), which is a statewide rural accountable care organization comprised of twenty-seven critical access and rural hospitals. She currently is engaged as the interim CEO for
Arukah Institute for Healing, Inc.

Schou has years of clinical and rural hospital administrative experience and is a past president of the National Rural Health Association. where she has held several positions since 2015. She was appointed to the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services and serves on the National Rural Health Center Board and multiple other state and national advisory committees. She received an A Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025 and a State Telehealth Award in 2024. In addition, she has received several national awards for service to rural health care over the past 20 years. She serves as the Bureau County Health Board Chair, serves on Memorial Hospital Board, National Rural Health Resource Center Board, and is active locally in community organizations. Schou has a Bachelor of Nursing from Illinois Wesleyan University and a Master of Science from Northern Illinois University. She is a fellow with the American College of Healthcare Executives. Schou is currently working as a consultant for rural health.