Ward Vanwichen

Board member

Ward started his career in healthcare in 1988, enlisting in the Navy Reserves as a Hospital Corpsman, while simultaneously attending nursing school at Montana State University (MSU)-Bozeman. Ward obtained his graduate degree in Health Care Administration at MSU-Billings in 2013. He progressed to the leadership level via a clinical path, developing from CNA, RN, Charge Nurse, Home Health/Hospice branch office manager, ADON, DON, Nursing Home Administrator and CEO; all of his positions have been in frontier facilities and/or organizations in Montana.

Ward has sat on many different local, community boards and groups as well as national, regional and state healthcare boards, including the following: AHA Committee on Clinical Leadership, Chair of Montana Health Network, Northcentral Montana Hospital Alliance, Vice Chair of NE Montana STAT Air ambulance, Montana Family Medicine Residency Program, Aaniih Nakoda College and MSU-Northern Nursing program Advisory Boards as well as the Montana Health Research and Education Foundation, Performance Improvement Network and the Quality Improvement Council, which all 3 are part of the Montana Hospital Association.

Ward and his wife of 28 years, Michelle - have 4 boys ages 26, 23, 22 and 19.