Episode Overview
Podcast: Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
Episode Title: Building Sustainable Rural Health Care at Newman Memorial Hospital with Tom Vasko
Date: February 18, 2026
Host: Scott Becker
Guest: Tom Vasco, CEO, Newman Memorial Hospital
Main Theme:
This episode spotlights the strategies, challenges, and innovations driving sustainable rural healthcare at Newman Memorial Hospital in northwest Oklahoma. Tom Vasco shares insights on workforce sustainability, care delivery models, the unique demographics of rural Oklahoma, and the leadership philosophy underpinning the hospital’s remarkable growth.
Guest Background & Hospital Profile
[01:07] Tom Vasco introduces himself and Newman Memorial Hospital
- Tom’s career traversed urban to rural healthcare, motivated by understanding the fragmentation between the two.
- Newman Memorial is a century-old, mission-driven, independent critical access hospital and regional health system.
- They operate primary care clinics across rural northwest Oklahoma, focused on “keeping care local” while partnering regionally for specialty services.
- Organizational philosophy: “Align people, culture, and strategy … when teams feel ownership and communities truly feel heard, performance follows.” (Tom Vasco, 01:50)
- Emphasis on combining mission, innovation, and operational discipline to build compassionate, sustainable care models.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Workforce Sustainability in Rural Healthcare
[03:39] Rural workforce challenges and solutions
- Recruitment is vital, but retention is even more crucial.
- Best results come from investment in culture, leadership development, clarity of mission, and treating people as primary assets.
- Newman offers innovative benefits:
- On-campus no-cost daycare, making life easier for working parents.
- Free daily meals for employees.
- Inclusion of medevac insurance and immediate 401k investment.
- “You have to be very novel to really fight back. But … even in an organization that’s grown sixfold, [staffing] is still our greatest challenge.” (Tom Vasco, 05:03)
2. Expanding Care Through Technology and Partnerships
[05:30] Leveraging telehealth and system partnerships
- Tom advocates for permanent telehealth infrastructure, not just pilot programs.
- Partnerships with large systems (like Mercy’s virtual ICU) enable higher-acuity care to be managed locally, maintaining continuity if escalation is needed.
- “It’s time we just make [telehealth] permanent and it’s no longer a pilot, it’s infrastructure.” (Tom Vasco, 05:40)
- Advanced practitioners (NPs and PAs) play key roles in extending primary and specialty care.
- Using certified nurse midwives and adapting OB models ensures sustainable care even with low rural volumes.
3. Demographic Trends & Rural Community Realities
[08:04] The population shift in rural Oklahoma
- While Oklahoma City and Tulsa grow, rural areas see decline due to shifts in agriculture and oil/gas industries.
- Example: Shattuck, their location, has only 1,200 people and “not even a stoplight”; Ellis County hosts just 3,600 people.
- The absence of local healthcare is recognized as a major risk (“death knell”) for rural communities.
4. Mission-Driven Growth & Success Metrics
[09:20] Sustaining and scaling rural healthcare amidst adversity
- Newman’s transformation into a regional health platform—serving patients from 18 states and 174 towns in 2025, with nearly 40,000 unique encounters.
- Sixfold growth in three years; footprint now stretches 48 miles from main campus.
- First rural health clinic nationwide to earn Joint Commission accreditation; first Oklahoma critical access hospital accredited across all spaces.
- “These accomplishments reflect not just compliance, but a culture of excellence and aligning quality and safety … under one standard.” (Tom Vasco, 11:02)
- Focus on scaling these successes, strengthening integration, clinical quality, and internal leadership development.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On local identity and innovation:
“I think the future of healthcare belongs to organizations that honor local identity … combining our mission and innovation and operational discipline to deliver that care that’s compassionate and sustainable.”
— Tom Vasco [01:47] -
On staff well-being as a strategy:
“Organizations that invest in culture, leadership development and clarity of its mission … you’re seeing better engagement and stronger results.”
— Tom Vasco [03:49] -
On telehealth infrastructure:
“It’s time we just make [telehealth] permanent and it’s no longer a pilot, it’s infrastructure.”
— Tom Vasco [05:40] -
On rural reach versus population base:
“We looked at some metrics yesterday. In 2025, we cared for patients from 18 different states and 174 towns and cities, with nearly 40,000 new unique encounters.”
— Tom Vasco [10:25] -
On leadership principles:
“Lead with humility and purpose. Healthcare is ultimately a people business … presence creates trust, not titles.”
— Tom Vasco [13:32]
“Be intentional about building environments where people feel heard and supported and accountable.”
— Tom Vasco [14:08] -
On the role of a healthcare leader:
“Don’t chase volume for volume’s sake, but build sustainable platforms that truly deliver quality, access, and stability over the long term.”
— Tom Vasco [15:11]
Key Timestamps for Important Segments
- 01:07 – 02:58: Tom Vasco’s story and the Newman Memorial mission
- 03:39 – 05:09: Workforce innovation and retention in rural healthcare
- 05:30 – 07:46: Telehealth, advanced practice, and keeping care local
- 08:04 – 08:54: Oklahoma’s rural vs. urban demographic trends
- 09:20 – 12:14: 2026 vision, Newman’s growth stats & accreditation milestones
- 13:19 – 16:09: Tom’s leadership advice for emerging healthcare leaders
Leadership Advice for Emerging Leaders
- Lead with humility and purpose.
- Invest deeply in culture: “Culture determines truly whether the strategy will be successful or not.” (Tom Vasco, 13:56)
- Embrace community and faith-based values.
- Balance local leadership with system thinking: Honor community identity while integrating broader capabilities.
- Commit to operational discipline: Excellence, stewardship, and engagement are inseparable.
- Be present and visible: “Presence creates trust, not titles.”
- Listen well, develop others, and create clarity.
- Summed up: “Align people to culture and strategy. When you lead with mission and purpose, invest in your teams, operate with integrity and discipline, you truly are building organizations communities can trust for generations.” (Tom Vasco, 15:49)
Closing Thoughts
Tom Vasco’s conversation offers a roadmap for thriving in rural healthcare by investing in people, leveraging innovation responsibly, and forging an identity deeply rooted in community values. The success at Newman Memorial Hospital stands as a model for mission-driven, sustainable rural healthcare.