Reintjes Begins Service As MHA Board Chair

Stephen Reintjes

Stephen L. Reintjes Sr., M.D., president and CEO of NKC Health in North Kansas City, Mo., began his one-year term as MHA board chair Jan. 1.

“We’re excited to have Dr. Reintjes leading the board in 2026,” said Jon D. Doolittle, MHA President and CEO. “As a physician executive, he provides the board with insights that shape both operational and patient care elements of policy that support hospitals’ service in Missouri’s communities.”

As chair, Reintjes’ duties include overseeing and directing activities of the MHA Board of Trustees, acting as a day-to-day adviser to MHA, and testifying before committees of the Missouri General Assembly and Congress. He also will lead a Missouri delegation to Washington, D.C., during the year and will act as a state and national spokesperson for Missouri’s hospitals.

“It is an honor to serve as chair of an association that is making a meaningful impact across our state and nation,” said Dr. Reintjes. “I look forward to the progress we will achieve this year as we work to better serve our communities and advance our vision for health care.”

Dr. Reintjes has held numerous leadership positions in the community, including board member of BioNexus KC, president of the Kansas City Medical Society, and board member of both the Midwest Transplant Network and St. Luke’s Hospital Kansas City. He has served as a member of the MHA Board of Trustees since 2020.

Dr. Reintjes is a graduate of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Kansas. He completed his residency in neurosurgery at the University of Kansas School of Medicine.

Jeremy M. Fotheringham, J.D., MHSA, R.N., Academic, St. Louis & Southern Illinois regional president for SSM Health – St. Louis, will serve as the 2026 chair-elect.