Margaret West, administrator and chief executive officer at Magnolia Regional Medical Center, has been named the 2016 A. Allen Weintraub Memorial Award recipient by the Arkansas Hospital Association’s board of directors.
Weintraub, a longtime administrator of St. Vincent Infirmary in Little Rock, was a dedicated civic worker and an inspiration to all who worked with him. This award is the highest honor bestowed upon an individual by the AHA. It recognizes hospital CEO’s who are contributing to their hospitals and communities in the same manner as Weintraub.
West joined the MRMC staff in 1986 as the director of nutrition services, and assumed the position of chief ancillary officer in 1998. She was named CEO in June 2009. Prior to joining Magnolia Hospital, she served in various positions in Little Rock and Pine Bluff.
Under her leadership in the past seven years, West has worked diligently to ensure that MRMC is as prepared as possible for the future. She has introduced service lines to meet the needs of the community, collaborated with Baptist Health and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) for telemedicine opportunities, and recruited a resident training program to the community. She has found ways to motivate employees to take responsibility for their areas and constantly search for ways to work smarter, while creating a customer service expectation for the entire staff.
In addition to her membership in the AHA, West is an active member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, American Hospital Association, and American and Arkansas Dietetic Associations. She is involved with Magnolia Rotary, Leadership Magnolia Alumni, and South Arkansas Women’s Network, and serves on the board of the Compassion Foundation.
West will be honored by the AHA at the annual awards dinner in Little Rock on Oct. 6.