Susan Barrett

Susan Barrett is a very astute businesswoman and people person.  She gratuated from the University of Minnesota in 1994 with an ISP in Public Health Administration Graduate Program.  In 1973, she graduated with honors from Pikes Peak Institute of Medical Technology.

Barrett first worked as a laboratory technologist before becoming a hospital administrator.  Later she was recognized by the Office of Rural Health Policy in Baltimore as a model forerunner of a rural primary care hospital during her time as the President of Jane Phillips Caney Community Clinic.

Since 1991, Barrett has been a part of the St. Louis-based Mercy organization, when she joined Mercy Health System of Kansas as director of outreach services. As director she was responsible for the creation of an outreach strategy to respond to identified unmet community needs, focusing her help on the elderly, the poor, and young families.  She was named chief operating officer of Mercy Hospital in Independence, Kan., later that year, before taking over as president and CEO of Mercy Health System of Kansas. Barrett moved to Rogers in 1999 to accept the role of president and CEO of Mercy Health System of Northwest Arkansas. “We are put here to serve,” she said. “My mom and dad taught me, ‘You’re only as good as those you help.’”

Susan and her husband Rex are the parents of two grown children, Jason and Chody.