Published on November 21, 2025
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Jana Cook, senior vice president and chief financial officer of Phelps Health, has received the 2025 Rural Health Champion Award from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Office of Rural Health and Primary Care.
The award recognizes Cook’s visionary leadership and tireless dedication to the Transformation of Rural Community Health (ToRCH) initiative. As Phelps Health’s executive champion for the program, Cook has gone above and beyond her baseline duties to serve as a driving force behind its success, both within the health system and across the state. She has guided program governance and financial integrity while driving an unprecedented level of engagement across Phelps Health and its partners.
“Jana is redefining what it means to be a rural health leader,” said Jason Shenefield, president and CEO of Phelps Health. “Her innovative approach to collaboration, education and data-driven strategy has set a new standard for advancing rural healthcare.”
Under Cook’s leadership, Phelps Health has become a model hub for the ToRCH initiative. She established rigorous data transparency, oversaw the creation of dashboards monitoring social determinants of health and launched capacity-building programs for partner organizations statewide. Her work facilitating internal and external collaboration ensured that providers and community partners could better serve vulnerable patients.
Cook also amplified ToRCH’s visibility and impact, sharing insights at national conferences and advocating for patient-centered improvements with MO HealthNet. Her strategic vision has been instrumental in transforming ToRCH from a local pilot into a blueprint for rural healthcare innovation.
“Programs like ToRCH succeed because of leaders like Jana, whose commitment and creativity have made a lasting difference for our patients and communities,” said Shenefield.
If adopted nationwide, the ToRCH model promises to dramatically impact rural healthcare, thanks in large part to Cook’s dedicated advocacy and leadership.