A national search for a new CEO of Horizons Mental Health Center lead the selection committee to the conclusion that the top candidate was already on board at Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System (HRHS).

Vikki Mader, a five-year employee of Horizons Mental Health Center, was named the organization’s CEO in late June and assumed her new responsibilities on July 2nd.

Mader joined Horizons in 2017 and quickly rose through the ranks serving first as Director of Health Information Management as well as Manager of Quality and Risk Management. For the past 16 months, she served as the program Director of the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) initiative at Horizons. While overseeing the CCBHC grant, Vikki also managed the clinical, operational and financial implementation of this particular model of care as it pertains to Horizons. She was successful in leading efforts culminating in Horizons being certified a CCBHC, one of only six in Kansas.

Prior to joining Horizons, Mader was Director of Health Information and Quality at Pratt Regional Medical Center, managing a staff of 22, with responsibility for health information, quality, medical staff services, risk management, infection control, utilization review, and patient access departments.

Ken Johnson, President and CEO of Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System, said Mader has impeccable credentials having excelled in the positions she held at Horizons along with other stops in her career path. “Those who work with Vikki give her high marks for her enthusiasm and leadership skills which are essential in taking Horizons to the next level of excellence,” Johnson said. “She has proven the ability to lead an organization to create positive change and communicate her vision to consumers and staff.”

“When interviewing applicants for all levels at Hutchinson Regional, it is refreshing and gratifying to find that the top candidate has excelled within the organization and is prepared for a promotion to the next level of our leadership team. Vikki is the right person to assume this very important position for an organization that serves five south central Kansas counties.”  

Vikki hit the ground running on July 2 leading a staff of 220. “As CEO of Horizons Mental Health Center, I am honored to lead an organization that cares for those within our community who have a mental illness or those who are struggling with their mental health,” Vikki said. “I am looking forward to utilizing my leadership skills to assist Horizons with continued growth and innovation, supporting our mission of enhancing the quality of life through integrated care.”