Mercy Health is pleased to announce that Sonya Selhorst has been named president of Mercy Health – Defiance Hospital campus. Sonya had been serving as interim president of the hospital since July and recently accepted the permanent position.
“Sonya has served Mercy Health throughout her career and has shown both clinical and administrative expertise in these roles. I am excited to officially welcome her to this new role of president of our Mercy Health – Defiance campus and look forward to her continued advancement of initiatives in the region,” said Bob Baxter, president of Mercy Health – Toledo.
Sonya has served in a variety of roles since joining Mercy Health, most recently as chief operating officer and chief nursing officer at Mercy Health – Defiance Hospital, a position in which she has served since 2016. She started her career in nursing at Mercy Health – St. Rita’s Medical Center in Lima and assumed leadership roles in Lima before coming to Defiance in 2013.
Sonya earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Walden University in Minneapolis, Minn., a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration from the University of Northwestern Ohio in Lima and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Western Governors University in Salk Lake City, Utah. Sonya is also a fellow with the American College of Healthcare Executives.
“I have enjoyed serving Defiance and surrounding community over the past 10 years. The Mercy Health team in Defiance has had the opportunity to celebrate some national awards and recognitions for the high-quality, compassionate care provided to the community, and I am honored to work alongside these dedicated professionals,” Sonya said. “I look forward to continuing to serve the team at Mercy Health – Defiance as well as the entire Defiance community in my new role.”
Mercy Health – Defiance Hospital consistently ranks among the nation’s best in a variety of areas, including quality, clinical outcomes and patient and associate experience. In October, Defiance Hospital made its debut among health care providers and insurers in Modern Healthcare’s 2022 Best Places to Work award program with a number ranking of 75. Also, Defiance Hospital was awarded an ‘A’ grade in The Leapfrog Group fall Hospital Safety Grade, a national distinction recognizing these hospitals’ achievements providing safer health care.