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About St. Joseph Medical Center

PeaceHealth St. Joseph Leadership Team 

Members of the PeaceHealth St. Joseph Leadership Team embrace a model fully rooted in our Mission and Values and in our heritage as a Catholic health care ministry. This model guides our leaders in every aspect of their work and oversight responsibilities. It challenges us to relentlessly pursue improvements in patient outcomes and service to patients and families while awakening joy, meaning and purpose in the human spirit.

Charles Prosper, Chief Executive, Northwest Network

Charles Prosper

Chief Hospital Executive, PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center

Charles brings nearly 30 years of healthcare experience to PeaceHealth, holding roles of increasing management and executive-level responsibility in healthcare settings ranging from small community hospitals to large, tertiary care facilities. A service-oriented leader who advocates for innovation, Charles is highly skilled in building and maintaining relationships with caregivers, providers and the community. While dedicated to PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center, Charles also provides regional oversight for PeaceHealth United General and Peace Island Medical Centers. Prior to joining PeaceHealth, Charles served as chief executive officer of Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland, California, a multi-campus hospital enterprise, part of Sutter Health, based in Sacramento. 

Elliot Kuida, MPH, Chief Operating Officer, Northwest Network

Elliot Kuida, MPH

Chief Operating Officer, Northwest Network

Elliot serves as the Northwest Network Chief Operating Officer, joining PeaceHealth in December 2020. He brings over 30 years of experience serving in similar roles across the country. From small hospitals to large integrated delivery systems, Elliot held responsibility for both hospital operations and employed multi-specialty medical groups.

He received a master’s degree in public health and health services administration, from the University of California, Los Angeles and a bachelor’s degree in community health from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. 

Elliot is committed to providing an exceptional work environment that benefits patients, employees, medical staff and visitors. He exemplified this approach while serving as the COO at Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital in Virginia. Elliot collaborated with the chief nursing officer and a multidisciplinary team to work towards designation as a Magnet Hospital. The organization was recognized as a Magnet organization by the ANCC in 2006 in its first application cycle. Since then, it has successfully re-designated in the ensuing years. 

Elliot also believes in community service and has served as a board or committee member in non-profit organizations in several community health service, fine arts or health professional organizations. 

Elliot lives in Bellingham with his wife Shannon and their dogs.

Lorna Gober, MD

Lorna Gober, MD

Chief Medical Officer, Northwest Network

Dr. Gober serves as the Chief Medical Officer for PeaceHealth facilities in northwest Washington. She works closely with the community executive teams and medical staff leadership at PeaceHealth St. Joseph, PeaceHealth United General and PeaceHealth Peace Island medical centers to lead improvements in, and alignments of, quality, patient safety and patient experience initiatives. Dr. Gober also leads medical staff operations for the three facilities.

Previously, she served as the Medical Director of Sound Physicians at PeaceHealth facilities in Bellingham, Sedro-Woolley and Vancouver, an expanded leadership role within Sound after leading the hospitalists at PeaceHealth St. Joseph. Prior to Sound, Dr. Gober was with Family Care Network in Bellingham for more than a decade, during which time she held a variety of executive leadership roles. Earlier in her career, Dr. Gober worked at Western Washington University Student Health Center, and briefly as a fill-in physician at Sea Mar Community Health Clinic and Nooksack Tribal Health.

Dr. Gober received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Oregon, Honors College, where she graduated magna cum laude. She received her Doctor of Medicine from the University of Washington and completed her residency training at the Tacoma Family Medicine Residency Program.

Roseanna Bell, MSN, RN

Roseanna Bell, MSN, RN

Chief Nursing Officer, Northwest Network

Roseanna Bell, MSN, RN, came to PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in the fall of 2016 as the Chief Nursing Officer.  Her role recently expanded to regional oversight of the Northwest Network. An experienced healthcare leader with a comprehensive skill set and passion to mentor teams and individuals to ensure the highest standards in patient safety, quality and care are met.

Before joining PeaceHealth, Roseanna was with MultiCare Health System, based in Tacoma, WA, where she held a number of executive positions. Most recently, she was Chief Nurse Executive for Auburn and Covington Medical Centers, where she was pivotal in stabilizing the nursing enterprise by developing strategies to build the foundations for safe staffing and care models, setting nursing standards, assessing competencies and training, evaluating equipment and capital requirements and building a culture that embraced transparency and shared governance. 

In 2015, MultiCare Auburn Medical Center was awarded recognition by The Joint Commission for Top Performance on Key Quality Measures and received a Best Care Award from the Washington State Hospital Association for improvements in patient safety measures. 

Roseanna lives in Bellingham with her husband James and their large family.

Denise Walker, MBA

Denise Walker, MBA

Vice President Operations, PHMG Northwest Network

Denise is the Vice President of Operations, Northwest network. Denise came to PeaceHealth from the Midwest, where she has held a variety of clinical and executive-level positions of increasing responsibility and scope over the past 15 years.  Most recently, Denise served as vice president for ambulatory and hospitality services for Sinai Health in Chicago, responsible for operations at 25 ambulatory care locations, three acute and post-acute facilities with 900 physicians and more than 10,000 employees. 

Denise earned several degrees – a bachelor’s in healthcare leadership and master’s in both management and business administration – from the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Illinois. She is also a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and National Association for Healthcare Executives.

Denise closely collaborates in a dyad partnership with Jim Bochsler, MD, vice president and CMO for PHMG, Northwest network. In addition, she is a member of the Northwest network Executive Team, working with executive colleagues across the network.

James Bochsler, MD

James Bochsler, MD

Vice President/Medical Director, PHMG

Dr. Bochsler has practiced Pediatrics in Bellingham and at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center since 1998.  He was the President of Madrona Medical for 8 years and joined PeaceHealth in July 2008 when Madrona affiliated with PeaceHealth.

Since joining PeaceHealth, he has served in a variety of roles including on the St. Joseph Community Board, the Northwest Network Board, Chair of the PHMG Provider Council, and as the Northwest Network Provider Champion for PeaceHealth’s conversion to CareConnect.

Dr. Bochsler has a Bachelor of Science degree from Stanford University, received his medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and completed his Pediatric Residency at the University of Washington/Seattle Children’s Hospital. He worked for 5 years on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona and New Mexico before coming to Bellingham.

He and his wife Dianne have 2 grown children and he enjoys baking bread, bike riding, canoeing, fishing, gardening, and reading in his time away from work.

Rachel Lucy, Director of Community Health, Northwest Network

Rachel Lucy, PhD, MA

Director of Community Health, Northwest Network

Rachel Lucy is the PeaceHealth Northwest Director of Community Health. Starting at PeaceHealth in 2000, she has been a fierce advocate for access to care for underserved populations, community wellness, and caregiver engagement.

Serving as the previous Director of Learning and Development for PeaceHealth, Rachel led the creation of the PeaceHealth Leadership Institute and is an experienced planner and facilitator of large group learning forums and programs, including leadership summits, the Clinical Leadership Academy and Leadership in Ministry. Rachel finds inspiration in partnering with leaders and teams who share a deep commitment to enhancing the health and wellbeing of the communities we serve.

Always fascinated by the power of collaboration, Rachel knows that to be successful, community health organizations must engender trustworthiness, be consistent, take action and speak the truth to one another, policy makers, and community leaders. She believes each of these is vital to success.  Each of these qualities and traits is a hallmark of Rachel’s leadership and proven track record.

Rachel served two consecutive terms on the Whatcom County Public Health Advisory Board and was nominated for the 2017 Professional Woman of the year by Whatcom Women in Business. She was named one of the Tomorrow’s Leaders of the Catholic Health Ministry by Catholic Health Association and was the PeaceHealth Spirit of Healing recipient in 2014.

Rachel received her PhD in healthcare leadership and change from Antioch University, has a degree in community health, a master’s degree in organizational psychology and holds a certificate in mastering professional management from the Institute of Generative Leadership.

Rachel and her partner, Jason live in in the Pacific Northwest and keep busy raising their two active daughters.

Amy Drury

Amy Drury

Senior Director of Marketing and Communication, Northwest Network

Amy Drury joined PeaceHealth in March 2024 and is responsible for leading the communications and marketing efforts of the northwest Washington and Alaska-based facilities of PeaceHealth.

Amy most recently served as the director of marketing and outreach at Community Food Co-op, where she led strategic planning efforts including marketing, outreach, communications and public relations as well as brand management and crisis communications. Prior to joining the PeaceHealth leadership team, Amy served as a member of the PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center Foundation Board for more than 15 years.

With more than 20 years of experience, Amy is passionate about community health. As a strategic partner to the Northwest network leaders, she is responsible for comprehensive internal and external communications and marketing strategies in alignment with our PeaceHealth Mission, Values and strategic priorities.

A longtime Bellingham resident, Amy earned her bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Western Washington University. In her free time, she enjoys running, yoga and being a proud dog mom to a Golden Retriever named Stanley.

Kevin Park, Director of Mission Services, Northwest Network

Kevin Park

Director of Mission Services, Northwest Network

Kevin Park is the director of Mission Services for the Northwest network. Kevin’s experience and leadership has offered grace and guidance to our Mission Services team since he joined PeaceHealth in 2002. He began his tenure at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center as a chaplain, a position he maintained until 2010 when he was named manager of Spiritual Care. Kevin is also a Lieutenant Colonel with the Washington State National Guard. As a member of the U.S. Army, Kevin served two combat tours in Iraq between 2004 and 2009. Kevin earned a Master of Divinity from Regent College in Vancouver, B.C., and a Bachelor of Science in political science from the University of Arizona. He is also a certified clinical pastoral care educator.

Kevin’s commitment to the PeaceHealth Mission and Values, dedication to our organization and compassionate spirit is evident. The relationships he has built with caregivers, leaders, and physicians will enable the growth and integration of mission and values, ethics and spiritual care throughout the Northwest network.

Kevin enjoys spending time hiking and camping with his wife Adriele and their six children.

Photo of Amber Asbjornsen, Chief Development Officer

Amber Asbjornsen

Chief Philanthropy Officer, Northwest Network

Amber Asbjornsen is Chief Philanthropy Officer, Northwest network, having joined PeaceHealth in 2023. Amber leads the fundraising team and both foundations’ board of directors in creating new sources of funding to ensure that patients receive the highest quality of care. She also works with senior leadership to raise funds that align with the organization’s strategic goals and Mission.

Amber provides philanthropy leadership to the network development staff and the volunteer boards for PeaceHealth St. Joseph, United General and Ketchikan foundations. Amber works closely with providers and key leaders to build upon the culture of gratitude in the Northwest network.

Amber comes to PeaceHealth after 19 years in development positions of increasing responsibility at Western Washington University (WWU) in Bellingham. Most recently, Amber was WWU’s senior director of development, closely working with university leaders to centralize the fundraising efforts and create a structured team to achieve the university’s fundraising goals. 

Amber moved from Reno, Nevada to attend WWU where she earned her bachelor’s degree in English. She lives in Bellingham and enjoys outdoor activities with her family.

Krista Touros, Chief Financial Officer, Northwest Network

Krista Touros

Chief Financial Officer, Northwest Network

Krista Touros, MBA, is the Chief Financial Officer of the PeaceHealth Northwest network. She joined PeaceHealth in December of 2019. Krista’s position is responsible for all aspects of financial management for PeaceHealth’s medical centers in Bellingham, Sedro-Woolley, Friday Harbor and Ketchikan.

Krista comes to PeaceHealth with a proven track record in financial performance and operations management, including Lean process improvement. For two plus years she was at Banner Health as Western Division CFO with responsibilities for 13 hospitals in a six-state area. Prior to her time at Banner, Krista was with Sutter Health for 19 years, working at several of its facilities in northern California and the Bay Area in increasing roles of responsibility within its finance division. Her last position at Sutter was as CFO for Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland, California, a multi-campus hospital system. Relevant to her role in the Northwest network, Krista has had extensive experience overseeing financial operations for both critical access and tertiary-level hospitals.

Krista earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and an MBA degree from the University of Phoenix, in Sacramento, California. Additionally, she received certification as a Lean Leader and Kaizen Facilitator from Rona Consulting.

Krista lives with her husband Carl, a full-time community volunteer. Their daughter, Megan, is a barrel racer in Colorado (!) and their sons and her grandson, Lukas, reside in California but love visiting northwest Washington.

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Jennifer McAuley

Human Resources Director, Northwest Network

Jennifer McAuley is the director HR for the Northwest Network, as well as holds her role as Human Resources Partner at St. Joseph Medical Center.

Jennifer has 15 years of experience working in Human Resources at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center beginning in 2004 when she was hired as an employment specialist and senior HR consultant for recruitment and retention. She has been an HR business partner here since October 2013, focusing on several business units to which she provides expert counsel and mentoring.  Before a brief stint as an HR coordinator for the Bellingham-based International Society for Optical Engineering, Jen worked in Human Resources at Teche Regional Medical Center in Morgan City, Louisiana; her last two years as HR director.

Jennifer is currently a member of SHRM, the Society for Human Resource Management, as well as the local Mt. Baker Chapter. Jennifer has served as a board member for the local chapter. Jennifer also serves as a board member with Western Washington University Career Advisory Committee.

Jennifer earned a bachelor of science degree in administrative office management from Central Washington University in Ellensburg.

Jennifer and her husband, Scott, just celebrated their 27th wedding anniversary in September. They have 3 children, two boys and a daughter, ages 21, 19 and 16. Jennifer loves the outdoors and spends much time on their boat fishing in the San Juan Islands. She also enjoys gardening, playing volleyball and walking on the beautiful trails in Whatcom County.

Community Health Board

PeaceHealth is guided by the PeaceHealth System Board of Directors and by Community Health Boards in each of our network service areas in Oregon, Washington and Alaska.

These volunteer board members are community leaders who fully partner with PeaceHealth in making and supporting decisions based on our Mission and Values as well as our Vision for the organization—that every person receives safe, compassionate care: every time, every touch.
 

  • Jodi Joyce, Chair
  • Dakotah Lane, MD, Vice Chair
  • Steve Clarke
  • Jason McGill
  • Charles Prosper, Chief Executive, Northwest
  • Sister Margaret Dimond, Ex Officio Member
  • Ward Naviaux, MD, Chief of Staff, Ex Officio Member
  • James Lemerond, Ed.D.

Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC)

St. Joseph Medical Center

Accomplishments

Our PFAC serves as a voice for positive feedback and our focus is on improving the patient experience. We helped in the implementation of these projects:

  • Pet Care program ensures pets are cared for while patients are receiving care.
  • Quiet Hours project.
  • Emergency Department video phone acquired and installed for hearing-impaired patients to make phone calls to loved ones.
  • Design approval of new patient whiteboards.

Membership

  • Founded in 2007.
  • 11 members.
  • Meets monthly.
  • Contact Ashley K. Ashley, patient experience specialist.

Bellingham Community Clinics (PeaceHealth Medical Group)

Accomplishments 

  • The pediatric transfer project
  • Cardiology Post Procedure Discharge instructions
  • Patient outreach letters (i.e. Diabetes) to ensure they were patient-friendly and easy to understand
  • Website content

Membership 

  • The PFAC meets  4:30 - 6 pm on the third Tuesday of every month. After the application and interview process is reviewed and accepted, you will receive invites to attend these meetings. 
  • Attendance is important as we cover topics that can sometimes build on one another, and can be difficult to get up to speed or overwhelming if meetings are missed. Being on a PFAC is a two-year commitment to ensure we have the same people dedicated to partnering with us on ideas and improvements, rather than constantly rotating people on and off the PFAC.
  • Currently we have seven PFAC members and would like to have a total of 12 members.
  • To learn more or to apply for the PFAC, contact Ashley K. Ashley, patient experience specialist.
  • For patient concerns or to share a great experience, call the Hot Line to Heart at 1-844-749-8817.